The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1889-03-20
EXAMINATION OF TEACHERS.

Night one suggest to the Hon.
Board of Education that they read
the article entitled "The Sacrifice
of Education" by Prof. f. Mac
Muller, Prof F. A. Freeman, and
Mr.. F. Harrison, which appeared in
the popular Science Monthly for
February? If, as these eminent
men assert, the practice of frequent
ly examining students is injurious,
it is probably equally harmful to the
teachers.
A little more than year ago,
there was sudden call for all Gov
ernment teachers who did not pos
sess certificates or had not been a
certain number of years in the en-
ploy of the Board, to present them
selves for examination. In fear and
trembling came they, having the
faintest idea what form the examina-
tion would take. 1t was, in fact,
easy enough; and most of them
passed more than one would have
expected who had heard the talk be-
forehand from some in authority.
There was marked carelessness on
the part of the examiners in some
respects; the prospectus saying, for
instance, that in arithmetic the eX-
aminaliOns would he ''to decimals, /"
and it was, in fact ,MroVgh decimals.
Some of the questions were posers,
one being how to teach n child to
count to ten, as though any human
being could possibly tsll without
having the child in hand. The ex-
aminers apparently did not know
that the minds of children are as diff
ferent as the colors of their eyes or
hair, and that what is a perfectly
adequate explanation for one child
is as Greek to another.
Some questions seemed to be ask
ed in order to find out what the eX-
aminees did not know. One in
Geography was, "Where is Cape
Lopatka?" OF what Importance po-
litically is Cape Lopatka? Has
scishce discovered anything remark,
able about it? Is there anything
historical connected with it to make
it worth while remembering? Per-
haps on the whole teacher who
had some other bit of information
stored away in his mind in place Of
the mere location of q point or
kamtschatka is to be congratulated
In arithmetic some examples were
given which the examiners certainly
had not troubled themselves t
solve; to find the greatest common
divlsor Of numbers which had no G
e. d. save one, and 70 solve prob
lem in fractioIs whpre the terms
soon ran up in'o hund eds. Suct
questions al no test. They simply
make confusion worse confounded
Nervous from the unusual expert
ence of an examination, from haste
from fear of losing their positions
which to some were bread, butter
clothes, and home, how could the,
keep cool heads, and answer as the,
would if not under such a night
mare of pressure?
Now comes a second call for a.
those whose certificates have expiI
ed, to present themselves in tn
April vacation. Has the Board n
mercy? These teachers have bee
examined once, and have bee
teaching since; if their practcs
work be satisfactory, what need {
re-eNamination? Among childre
it is not customary to go back to I'll
work of the previous year, to begi
an examination for the present ont
1t is not clear why our teacher
need be taken over the same grounc
they passed but little more than
year ago. Or is it themselves OF
examiners distrust? Think the
their former effort was not what
should have been, and they may
able to do better now? A rum,
obtained that one of them can no
make it stiff for the teachers.
Is it wise to subject one of oI
hardest working bodies to so seve
mental strain just before the mo
trying part of the school yea
Strange as it may seem to the u
initiated, there are few other occ
pations so exhausting as schoc
teaching, especially in this G.
mate, where the teacher mu
usually furnish energy (and brainI
for the pupils, Again, the exami
n..n IaKs, In