Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1891-02-07
Improvement of Public Schools Bet
ter Teachers. Hints to Direc-
tors.

per, will make a few suggestions in
regard to the public schools of War
rem county.
First, am requested by the paN
irons and directors of many schools to
furnish them with good teachers, and
the Superintendent is blamed il any
teacher fails in his school. Now, if
you want good schools you must be
careful in the selection of teachers,
and not employ persons because they
can answer seven questions out of ten
on four or five branches of school text
books. True this is very essential,
and cannot be dispensed with, but
there are many things requisite to a
good school.
| will mention one, that is, discip>
line. More teachers fail to govern
their school well than in any other
particular. In visiting schools l find
where there is order there is work,
and where there is work there is Or
der, but l never have found a school
at work where there was no order.
Directors should talk to their teach
ers on this subject before employing
them, and if they are going to have
no discipline you may count that
teacher "A failure.
heard a director once question an
applicant for a school as follows:
GLOW many newspapers do you
read?"
"How many educational journals
do you take?"
"Have you attended the Insti-
tute 2"
"How many lives of great men
have you read ?"
"What kind of order do you keep
in your school ?"
Before the director was half through
he knew whether he was the teacher
for his school or not. How few peo-
pie realize the responsibility of a
teacher, and how few teachers are
prepared to assume the responsibility.
Teaching in many. localities has been
OF secondary Importance, and will be
so long as the directors and patrons
are willing to have their children
taught by any kind of teacher. All
the efforts of the County Superintend.
ents to elevate schools is of no avail
without the cooperation of the mass
es.
am in favor of employing boys
and girls at home, if they are quail,
fed, but there are more boys and girls
dwarfed and ruined by putting them
in schools as teachers before they are
qualified, than perhaps in any othel
way. If directors and the public gen
orally would demand teachers of SUI
perior qualifications the boys and girl'
Of the country will aspire to tina
high standard and it can nearly bt
reached through the medium of TIT
public school. AS evidence of this
refer you to places where they have
had teachers ofsuperior qualifications
and see the advancement of thu
school.
On the other hand visit a schoO
where they have had teacher for {
number of years that could barely ge
a certificate, and mark the contrast il
the advancement, the daily attend
ance, and the general school interes
throughout the neighborhood. Di
rectors can't be too careful in the Sc
lection of teachers. If you have tn
interest of your school at heart, if vol
will take the pains you should in EN-
ploying teachers, L will not have tn
painful duty of refusing a single Ger
titicate, and you will not be constant
ly mortified by your patrons com
planning of your employing teacher
who do not discharge their duties
Perhaps no county has made NOR
progress in its public schools in tn
last four years than has Warren
This to great measure may be at
tributed to the public examination
and County Institutes. know of n
teacher who has attended these teach
ers' meetings regularly who has nc
succeeded well. Directors shoul
urge their teachers to attend thes
meetings. | hope the directors ma
be set to thinking, and not only
thinking, but to acting, on this i'm
portant subject, and let US elevate tn
standard of our public schools.
w. n. MITCHELL.
. ShnlhXviIlp Gazatta. Tho ouli