New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1889-01-23
The January number Of SCHOOL ED-

The January number Of SCHOOL Ed
UCATION contains an article on ssPer-
manent Tenure of Office in the Newt I'm
Public Schools contributed by Snpt..
r. Nix. We reprint the essential parts,
believing it will interest our readers.
s.Too much wisdom is folly. It
would be difficult to find a better illus
tration of the truth of this adage than
is furnished by the annual election Of
teachers in most of our City school sys-.
TENS, and the elections for single term
which seem to be the rule, rather than
the exception, in country districts.
Whoever invented ..this bungling con-
trivance of getting rid of incompetent
teachers . offered a gross insult to the
American people by insinuating that it
is incapable Of choosing, as members of
boards of education, men who have the
moral courage to discharge incompe-
tent teachers at any time; and / am un-
able to understand why so vast ma,
jority of these honorable bodies should
| -
an insinuation the semblance of truth.
I cannot believe that they perpetuate a
system that settles upon them the
charge of cowardice, merely to reserve
to themselves the power of doing, under
its cover, that which would otherwise
expose them to far more serious impu-
tations; [ cannot believe that teachers
are elected annually to afford boards of
education an opportunity of blackball-
ing any teacher, however competent
and successful, out Of his position, and
''whiteballing some other body into it.
! It has been said that the annual cleo
| ton serves to stimulate teachers to sus-
tanned effort, and that without this peri
odical humiliation they would grow
sluggish and neglectful. If teachers
that require the incentive Of an annual
fogging, are employed at all, why not
hold the rod over them the whole year,
ready to descend at any time? From
this point of view, tenure during good
behavior is certainly more effective
| than the system now in vogue. From
the educational standpoint, the advan-
tages of permanent tenure, i. e., tenure
dependent on good behavior and sue
cessful work, are immeasurably great
er. On the one hand, teacher who,
conscious of the insecurity Of his posi-
tion and knowing that even the most
faithful work does not insure MS re-
election, may adopt the expedient of
courting the favor of his superiors and
of working with view toward re-elec-
ton rather that for the Improvement of
his pupils: on the other hand, a teacher
who knows that his board will not dare
remove him except for cause; who has
come to stay, and feels as lively an in.
terest in the success of the schools as
whole as in that OF his particular class;
and who. unless restricted by conven-
tional nonsense imposed by the powers
that be, is tree to work for the best in
terests of his pupils.
It has also been said that permanent
tenure is un-American and contrary to
| the spirit of our institutions. 1t seems
that we have become so firmly attached
to our biennial and quadrennial parox-
| ysms of patriotism as to believe that the
periodical election is the only possible
| bulwark of our liberties; and yet, it
cannot be denied that system of revo-
J,
though possibly impracticable, would
be more truly demo mocratic than our bien-
| NAL assertion Of the Vor populS The
democratic or undemocratic character
of tenure during good behavior is de-
termined principally by the nature of
the Office, the qualifications required
| for performing its duties, and the num-
ber Of persons possessing these qualifi-
cations. The Office of sheriff is chiefly
ministerial. In every county there are
| number Of persons who would make
excellent sheriffs. and are willing to
serve as such. For this Office, perma-
! nent tenure would be un-democratic.
| It would virtually render it impossible
for others equally qualified to aspire to
the Office. It would create ''profes
sion'' that requires no professional skill.
The teachers Office, however, is only
| to very limited extent an executive
| one. He is invested with larger dis
/ cretionary powers than any other pub
! lie functionary in the United States.
The proper exercise of these powers re-
quires professional knowledge and abil-
ity, and considerable degree of inde-
pendence. If all teachers certificates
that DO not recognize professional
knowledge. we're annulled to-day, there
would be upward of twenty positions
to every legally qualified teacher in the
country. Here, permanentitenure could
not keep qualified candidates out of Of
fee. 1t would increase rather than di-
minish.the prospects of the competent
teacher. It would create q profession
where profession is needed. It would
give the teacher that independence
which is indispensable to the proper
performance of his duties, and without
! which the exercise Of discretionary
powers becomes sham; a considera-
| tion which alone was deemed sufficient
Ily weighty to secure permanency OF
tenure to the judges of our national
courts.
The fact that in a large majority Of