Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1889-04-05

Last year six district schools-more than
one half the number in town-did not re-
ceive a single visit from the prudential
committee and three more received only
one visit
T0irn System The problem of the town
system was left practically untouched.
Many were looking for it to be forced up
on the towns, others were hoping the OPP
tional method might remain as formerly
Some towns have tried both methods and
have finally returned to the district system.
| The town of Rockingham voted return at
their last annual meeting A great deal
can reasonably be said on both sides. The
vital question remains, What can be done
in the peculiar situation of the schools of
| Vermont The words of a superintendent
of schools Of long experience in Vermont
are worthy Of consideration: I'm very
many, and possibly In all towns in the
state vermont. there are schools with only
| three. fodr or five scholars. In many of
these there we're once perhaps 10 or 30
| scholars This fact accounts for their ex
stence. Now there are fewer families and
these are smaller Farms have been aban-
doned and consolidated with other farms.
| One will find old cellar holes overgTown
with briers marking the spots where once
| stood respectable houses, and where many
| children we're born and reared. Matters
| in this direction grow worse, for there be
| ing little interest or enthusiasm in these
small schools as soon as pupils are old enough,
| away they 20 to some central or graded
| school, leaving those who cannot get away
to struggle on as best they can. The best
| teachers in the world cannot teach good
schools without scholars and the larger
the numbsr Of scholars within reasonable
limits the groalsr the interest and enthusi
asm that can he awakened, and the better
the schools can he made it seems that
| the most effective way to make the schools
better in the rural districts is to make them
larger, aud the way to make them larger is
to consolidate school districts.
Iedche,s. The new law will materially
raise the standard Of teaching. Hereto
fore the legal provisions have been very
| loose and unsatisfactory concerning the
qualifications for teachers No required
age was specified and it has often been diff
| hcult to draw the line in giving certificates
| The town superintendents at their annual
meeting would fix upon a series of ques-
tions often less difficult than those used in
| good grammar schools. An attainment of
| at least 20 or - per cent on these ques
tions, with tbs provision that no teacher
| ject, has often secured a position 10 teach
without considering whether the teacher
could govern or not, or was drilled suffi
ciently in the art Of teaching. The result
is that some of our schools have had young
| incompetent teachers They were good
scholars, but lacked ability 70 govern and
to impart knowlsdge The Superintendent
| is not wholly responsible for this state of
| things Under the district systsm the Sc
| curing Of teachers devOlves not upon him.
but upon the district committees The lat
! ter engage the teachers and then send them
to the superintendent for a certificate. In
one case teacher had been at her work
| for two or three weeks when she came for
| the necessary certificate 1t is evident
that the superintendent is liable often to be
| placed in an embarrassing position, espe
| callv il he cannot conscientiOusly grant
permit TO teach. One very important re
suit Of the new law will be TO obviate this
difficulty. All teachers must be at least Il
years of age. The papers for examination
will be prepared by the State Superntend-
| ant and will be the same throughout the
state They will be sent to the various Su-
pervisors in sealed packages and be opened
| by them at the public examinations. Ger
| tifcates of three grades will be granted,
y
tifcate for one year And every teach
er must have a proper certificate before
commencing school.
Te,t Books. The matter of text books
| has been left in about the same position as
under the old law. 1t would have been
mark of progress if the free text book sys-
TEN had been adopted Wherever it has
been in use the testimony is always in its
| favor There are great advantages to be
derived from the furnishing Of books to
scholars by the town. At present the par
ents are conservative, often unduly so,
| concerning the purchase of a new book. If
the old reader or speller arithmetic is
whole, it is good enough until unfit for use.
The truth is text books, like every thing
else. are constantly changing. New ones
Of superior merit are taking the place of
| inferior productions A skllful town or
county committee could keep abreast of
the age in the choice Of the best books :,
and the town could change old ones in part
payment for the new, and keep the supply
of text books fresh and of timely value.
At present many of the smaller schools are
using books long ago superseded by more
valuable productions. And often any ef
fort on the part of school officers looking
toward change is met with a cry against
useleSS eA peneo'
School Age and Attendance, The new
law provides that the term school age
shall include persons between the ages of
; and Is years The old provision was
from to % years. Every child between
the ages of 8 and If years shall attend a
public school at least 20 weeks in the year,
The old law placed the period at II weeks.
The increase of eight weeks is mark of
progress Vermont, according to the cen
sus of 1880, has larger per cent of litter
ates than Maine New Hampshire, Connect
icut or New York The provisions con
cernlng certificates on the part of mill own
ers that children have had the required
number Of weeks in school will tend to di-
minish this illiteracy. The whole question
of the compulsory education of children
receives fair treatment in the new law. II
the Supervisors are careful to have the pro
visions strictly enforced, great good will re
suit In the several members of the Coun
ty Board of Education we shall have author
itative "truant officers In some place:
their work will result in a larger averag,
attendance of scholars.
Respectfully submitted,
ALBERT ID. SPAULDING.