Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-07-26
THE ELECTION OF TEACHERS.
Chairman MuIcahy OF the Board OF Edu
cation makes u Statement.


In letter to the press to-day Rev
Father Mulcahy, chairman of the board
of education. says among other things:
| That the manner of determining the
merits of the different candidates at the
| recent examinations, did not in any
thing differ from that which has oh
tanned for years in this city. and in
most other cities of the union,
where justice and common sense
determine who may and who
may not teach; that the
latitude given on this occasion did not
exceed the limits which prudence and
wisdom would assign: that the action
was not arbitrary but based upon
the merits of the candidate,
expressly in four out of the
the five cases and implicitly in all; that
the log rolling element was absent in
four out of the five cases, and gave no
tangible evidence of its existancs even
in the fifth as active interest in any can
| didate does not evidence unworthy
motives; that no arbitrary discrimination
| was exercised against any candidate and
| hence no injustice done to those who
failed.
The plan is to lay down a certain
standard, which, being attained, emit
ties the candidate to a certificate. This
| is merely conditional and good for six
practice has prevailed of reconsiderinG
the few or many candidates whose
| marks came near the required
| standard, whose papers gave evidence
of fitness, and whose preparatory
| course, age, culture, physical! and men
| tai endowments gave every reason to
| believe that they were thoroughly com
petent to teach. II you eliminate this
| element from the examinations they
will be rendered so common place that
crude, unfit candidates will meet their
| requirements. II you deprive those
commissioned to determine the merits
Of teachers of this privilege TO use their
best Judgment you make the success Of
candidates an accident.
Mr. Pierce signified his unwillingness
to accept % as the lowest mark for CON
sideration, and vet the lowest candidate
accepted had - : 10. Finally PROBES
sor Crosby stated that owing to some
difficult points in the examination he
would suggest % even as a maximum.
Neither can it be urged that the spirit
of the board changed h n names were
disclosed, as the motion to abide un-
cOnditionally 10y - or by any fixed num-
Der was voted down before an envelope
was opened.
The first whose name came up for
recommendation was recommended on
-
youthful appearance she was marked
low. 1t was stated that had the loard
the evidence of knowledge they would
rank her with others more mature in
years. y second of the five was urged for
reconsideration because II WAS shown
that she had already taught with success
A third was considered favorahly be
cause she had been graduated from an
excellent high school and had completed
a course in the Normal school at New
Britain. One of the others 1t WAS urged
| WAS marked entirely too low in reading
! writing and personal qualIhcati In
favor of the fifth 1t was urged
that her marking WAS higher
than some who We're reConSidered. and
that she was a young woman of much
promise and had completed full
course in the High school.
Two of the eandid dates were entire
strangers to ait \ third was TOO young
to receive a position as teacher during
the coming year. did not expect to be
successful and sought no fayors. If a
kind interest was taken in one or even
the remaining two the unsnimitv with
which four members, all of whom could
not be unduly prtjudiced in her favor,
showed that they owed their promo
| ton TO their merits rather than to the
favor of any one.
No one having mark higher than
the lowest taken was left unconsidered.