Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1891-07-17
EDUCATIONAL DEPARTMENT.
Conducted by II. W. Dietrich. County
Superintendent.

/ ination at the close of the institute
for the convenience of attending teach
ers; and the requirements viii be nearly
the same as for the spring examination.
That is, for third grade certificate, an
average standing of 60 per cent. with
minimum of so per cent; for second
grade an average of 20 per cent. with
minimum Of 60 per cent; for first
grade, an average of IS per cent. with
minimum of 90 per cent. Six
months certificates will be issued if
there are not a sufficient number
of better grade certificates in force,
and will require an average of 80 per
cent with minimum of 40 per cent.
All standings of 70 per cent. or over
obtained last spring will be transferred
once, and teachers holding a third
grade certificate may add the End and
1st grade branches any time during the
life of it. Permits will not be granted
and private examinations granted only
in special cases if at all. l expect to
be able to present program of the
work of institute week very soon.
ILLEGAL SCHOOLS.
In order to entitle a school district
to portion Of the state aid, that dis
trict must have maintained six months
legal school, that is, six months school
taught by a legally qualified teacher
70 be legally qualified a teacher must
have a certificate of qualification in
force from some county superinten-
dent or from the State superintendent.
Now, | desire all school officers in
engaging teachers to give special at
tention to their qualiiication-see that
they have certificate that will not ex-
pire until the term of school is finished.
Every district clerk is required in
his report to give the number of
months of school, taught by legally
qualified teacher, that has been main
tanned in his district the past year; if
any clerk, to my knowledge, mis-
represents this matter, L am in duty
bound to report the same to the State
superintendent who will instruct the
county treasurer to Withhold from such
district the money otherwise due it. For
example, any district clerk who, pur-
posely or negligently omitted to have six
months legal school the past year, will
find his district cut off from the state
aid that is distributed to the various
district treasurers through the town
treasurers next June.
BY system of reports that | hope
to have perfected by next september,
[ shall be enabled to determine what
teacher is employed in any school, at
any time, and for how long; also what
certificate he may hold and when it
expires.
Many school officers and some teach
ers think that after district has main
tanned six months legal school, it may
with impunity engage a disqualified
| teacher for the remainder of The school
year. This idea is erroneous, for
though it may not interfere with the
state aid, it allows any taxpayer of the
district to refuse to pay his school tax
and if all the tax payers should so re-
fuse, it would leave the school officers
liable for the whole amount of the
teachers wages; provided the teacher
misrepreSented her qualifications, for in
this case the teacher would forfeit her
wages.
| shall be pleased to answer any in
quiries concerning school law in general
or as applied to special cases.
LIMITING TIE NUNRER OF TEACHERS
In The Tribune of July 4th appears
the following
"lf there are within the county bord-
ers a thousand qualified instructors more
than are necessary to teach the schools
of the county, they certainly are en-
titled to license. There is little
| lp in tha nnI
| being crowded out; the cream invari-
ably comes to the surface"
In thousand qualified teachers
there would be certainly teachers who
excel in knowledge and ability to in
struct, and hence are capable of accom-
plishing more for the children who
attend school. If the ability of a
qualified teacher be represented by 60
per cent, then my plan is to require
20 per cent and thus lessen the num-
Der of teachers to what is actually
needed
No one believes but that of a thou
sand persons who hold certificates to
teach, some are superior to the others,
nor but that the superior ones are
better able TO develop the child's mind !;
and it seems to follow that that plan
is best which places these superior
teachers in the schools.
The standard of qualification for
teachers in all counties is variable, not
fixed, and is raised as rapidly as cir
cumStances permit. and any other plan
would result in ruinous competition
for schools, by those teachers whose
educations were limited, teaching for
lower wages, and getting all the schools
To argue otherwise would virtually
implV that a tea ar who was uualitied