The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1889-08-01
COUNTY SCHOOL TEACHERS.
An Important Circular from Su-
perintendent Maxwell.

porlntonQ0nC maxwell.
Superintendent ]. W. Maxwell, of the
county schools, is sending out the follow
ing circular to the teachers and trustees of
Travis county:
A meeting of the teachers and trustees
OF Travis county is hereby called to be
held in Austin, in the district court room,
on Saturday, August "a, for the purpose of
considering the praoticability and sdvisa-
bility of adopting a uniform system of
text books for the county. This is one of
the most important problems connected
with our county schools, and it is one in
whose satisfactory solution, it is hoped,
every teacher, every trustee and every
parent is deeply interested.
The advantages of uniform system are
so great and so numerous that it is be-
lieved when they are fairly presented all
opposition will speedily give way. Follow
ing, some of the advantages, are very
briefly stated:
l. Uniformity will prevent the forma-
ton of too many classes, thus enabling
the teacher to devote more time to his
classes and to do far better work.
2. 1t will greatly facilitate the gradirg
of the school, which is we'll nigh impossi-
BILE under the present system, where often
times no three children have, for example,
an arithmetic, geography, history, gram
mar, etc., by the same author.
8. 1t will afford the pupil an opportun-
ity of an uninterrupted advance from the
simpler to the more difficult and complex
parts of the same book. Whereas, under
the present go-as-yOu- please plan, a new
teacher comes along, orders a new book,
and the poor child has to go over the
same ground a second, and even third and
a fourth time. Mental stagnation and a
disgust for school work almost invariably
follow such teaching.
4. 1t will enable every school in the
county to have the very best books that
are made. Many of the county teachers
are young and inexperienced, and it is no
inconsiderable advantage to them, as well
as to their pupils, that older heads have
selected tor them good books.
5. 1t will force into retirement books
that are not up with the spirit of the
times.
6. 1t will force teachers to study and
prepare themselves to carry their classes
through their respective books. Hitherto
when incompetent and lazy teachers have
had classes beyond the capacity or incli-
nation of teachers to teach, to save their
ignorance from ex posure, some great de-
feet is found in the book, change is Or
dered.
Z. Children who jump from one book
to another without finishing it, acquire
very bad mental habits. They get neither
training nor knowledge, and these are the
two fundamental purposes of education.
s. 1t will prevent the useless, senseless,
extravaganza waste of money expended in
buying new books. This is crying evil,
and 1t should be abated. This money, if
properly invested in wholesome literature,
would work literary revolution in many
household.
Itwould seem, then, that uniformity
saves money for the parent, time for the
pupil; it enables the child to get the best
training and the most knowledge under
the circumstances; it enables the teacher
to have fever classes and do better work;
it facilitates grading, without which no
successful teaching is possible with large
attendance; it will root out bad books and
bad teachers.
Let all teachers and trustees, and others
who feel any interest in this question, be
present, whether they are for it or against
it. Let there be full, free and fair dis
cussion of it on its merits, and if it be
demonstratable that it is best for the
county school, let them have the benefit of
it. j. W. MAXWELL,
County School superintendent.
Austin, July 30, 1889.