Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1888-10-06

THE Barton correspondent of the
Piedmont UeyuH wrote few weeks
ago as follows:
In my article on the school question, in
your issue of Sept. 8, | made the assertion
that we had two school teachers who. at that
time, had no appointments. That they held
higher certificates than three who were
teaching. The two ! alluded to | under
stand hold 20 and s6 per cent certificates.
have since learned that they hold 6S and IS,
and that one of the assistants has near 20. |
make this public correction and regret hav-
ing made the error III my first assertion. |
will say farther, that there were no person
al reflections meant or intended. ] used the
percentages to show the Inconsistency of the
School Board holding examinations for the
purpose of finding out who obtains the high
er percentages, then ignore them, and give
appointments to those holding lower ones.
If this is the policy and system of our School
Board then there is no incentive for teachers
to attain higher percentages, as the only nee
essary qualification would be sufficient in
auence to obtain an appointment.
Nothing could be more honorable.
The correspondent sees his error,
admits and corrccts 1t.
At the sane time he delivers a
telling piece Of logic as he traces the
depressing effect of monkeying with
percentages after they have been es-
tablished. Under such Il system no
teacher of merit is sure of anything.
Bnt, strange to say, the parties
whose qualifications tins correspond
ent upheld found fault with him for
using their cases as illustrating his
argument, claiming, yet more
strangely, that sit had ii tendency to
lower them in the estimation of the
people"
Gracious goodness are the people
also inocu!ated with the virus of
fear: Is the School Board so great
and so imperious that its masters
place the seal of popular discredit
upon those who would be, if they
could, its agents?
The case seems to get worse and
worse. Here is the JOURNAL, for
instance, standing up against incom-
petencv for the benefit directly of
the pupils and incidentally of quail
fled teachers. Yet there are teachers
with high percentages left out in
the cold, their warm places filled
by competitors relatively incompe-
tent, feeling that they are degraded,
not by the board who preferred their
interiors, but by correspondent
who lets the public khQw bow their
merit has been accounted as nothing
and how comparative demerIt runs
the blackboard and wields the rod
over our children. But the CORES
pondeut gives not an inch of ground.
He concludes;
have neither the intention, nor the pow
er to injure them as teachers, but inasmuch
as an, more interested in the mental devel-
opnent and advancement of MY own child
rem than the convenience of school teachers,
shall always stand forward as the champ
ion of those who hold the highest percentage
and the other adjuncts to put them into sue
cessfui operation, irrespective of personal
feelings or sympathy,
One of the obstacles to full dis
cussion of the public school system
of this county is found in the unwill-
ingness of most teachers TO maintain
their Independent individuality. All
that they are is suUk in the mass.
They permit themselves to be Just
what the system is-no higher; if
any difference, lower. \ few are
better than the system, but their
tenure appears to be under abeyance.
This ought not to be. The serv-
ice is Il public one, not private. The
school authorities Go not stand to
the system us, for instance, coal own
ers to their mines. The one is an
administrative trust ; the other is pro,
prietary. The one rs an agency of
the popular will; the other, SO far
us it reaches, an absolute monarchy.
A man may enter the employment Of
either, or he may not If he becomes
Il public servant, however, no other
public servant or servants haye any
right to lord it over him, or in any
way, or under any pressure hold him
in subsection to their will.
Not so with the employee of IL
corporation or individual. \ work
man must conform to the methods
of the employer, whether right or
wrong, or not work at all. The lat
teriS his only legal, rational recourse,
The JOURNAL hopes to see the
day when teachers, conscious Of their
merit, will assert their claims with
that independence which belongs to
\ a.