Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1889-11-21


through improved school,
2. Better diciplne and progress by
stimulating pupils to completion OF
the course of study.
3. Increased interest of children. be
cause loss or gain of position or RANK
in the school depends on individual
effort.
A. Removing to different district
will not effect pupils classification and
progress.
These points will bear careful read
ing and earnest thought.
The public school library law Is
worthy of attention in all reading COM
munities. No extended notice Of it can
be given in his connection. Each town
treasurer is authorized to keep from the
public school fund ten cents for each
child IN the district. This will average
about forty dollars for each township,
and will purchase about eighty vol
umes. which, if properly handled. can
be brought into every family in the
town. This furnishes good reading for
all at very slight expense. taste
Tor reading good books, and is power
full agent in molding true ard noble
manhood and womanhood. good
book is good &C mpanion and Thoughts
CLEANED from it WELD powerful in
fuence in building up character. A
child given the right start is more than
half assured of success in life. What
are few dollars in comparison with
good character?
The educational interest manifested
by the people of this county during the
year has been generally encouraging.
Institutes and teachers meetings have
been largely attended and much earn
estneeS shown. Reports from teachers
concerning their schools have been
reasonably prompt and complete The
iuci ease in the number OF certificates
granted in proportion to the number
of applicants examined IS indicative OF
substantial progress. Last year 702
wrote IN examination and 342 certili-
Gates were granted. am also glad to
be able to state that certificate in this
county means something creditable.
The disposition of teachers TO advance
themselves to higher grades of certiii-
Gates is also very commendable. The
fact that second grade certificates are
good for two years and first grade good
for four years and to high school grad
yates are good for eight years, accounts
for the apparently large number now
in force in this county. Many persons
too young to be granted certificates
write at the teachers examinations.
This, of course, entails much additional,
and in one sense unnecessary, work on
the County Superintendent, but from
the many instances of substantial ben
eft that have come to my attention and
the Increased effort on the part OF
teachers and pupils to bring their work
into respectable notice through fh9 ex-
amnations, am led to believe that the
work has been profitable TO the county.
Ia district having the area and pop
uiation of Grant county. the amount q
work devoving upon n county super
intendent is apt to be der-estlmateG.
Dodge and Fon du Lac counties, the
districts next largest in the State, re-
qnired respectively 2lS and 175 teach
ers in 1880, and sol and 373 respectively
were examined Grant county required
267 teachers and zoo persons were cx-
amined. The time not demanded by
other official duties has been occupied
in making l73 visits to 142 schools.
The idea is usually prevalent that
the chief and most important duty
of a superintendent is visiting school"
| rhis is by no means the case, after a
SUPERINTENDENT has once become we'll
acquainted with the teachers and the
needs of the schools, indeed visiting
schools is frequently the least effective
work that he can do. The first and
most important duty is to select COM
petent teachers, teachers who can, IT
they will, do good work. This selection
must be chiefly made through strict
and careful examinations. The next
most effective agencies are the lnstl-
tutes and teachers meetings Here
advice and suggestions can be gwen 10
| large numbers of teachers at once. and
with much more freedom and torce
| than under any other circumstances
Here TIE conductors and the exper-
fenced teachers aid the inexperienced
| by free discussion of methods of teach
inc and dicipline. Unless teachers
possess the scholarship and Judgment
necessary in order to understand what
is required of them, all effort on the
part of the superintendent or any
other school officer is rendered prac-
tically useless. They may keep school
but they cannot teach school Teachers
are what the people should pay Their
money for.
Parents and school officers should do
all in their power to cooperate with the
teacher and aid him in the matter OF
dicipline, for the teacher who fails in So
curing the necessary dicipline usually
! fails in all other things, so far as good
results are concerned. If teacher
cannot and will not control school it
is best for all parties that the contract
be annuled. The welfare of the chill
dren must be considered first in impor-
lance and not single term of school
| should be without value to them.
For me the year has been pleasant,
though an unusually busy one, and now
gentlemen, | desire through you to ex-
press my warmest thanks to the teach
ers. patrons, and school officers of this
county for the kind cooperation and
many generous courtesies so freely cx-
| tended to mo by them.
Very respectfully submitted
CHAs. l.. HARPER,
I