The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1894-10-25

guiding hand of the Instructor In the
opinion of the writer half the time may
safely be devoted to the study Of English
IL its broad sense. And right here it may
| be well to mention the necessity of In
PRODUCING more supplementary reading
into the schools. 1t is only by this lat
ter that the instruction can be broaden
ed and brought in touch with human
affairs and the demands of every day life.
A reference to the above list Will reyea!
the fact that Newton again carries off the
honor OF having the largest number of
successful as pirantS for diplomas. New
ton headed the list last year also. And
| yet most of the schools in that town have
! only seven months term. How then is
1t TO be explained that this town carries
Oh the honors for several years? 1t Is
largely because of the precedent estab-
Hshed to retain old and experienced
teachers as long as possible, For years
| Newton's best schools have had no
| change OF teachers. This made II pos
slble for the teachers to become thor
| oughly familiar with the children, their
| needs and their ways, and it enabled them
| TO extend their influence beyond the
| schools into the homes They thus became
power n the community for good, and
| their elevatlng influence was the means
of begettlng healthy school sentiment.
But while fortune favored the districts
IN that town in the retention of corps
! OF teachers for some years, the people
failed to realize fully the necessity of
| holding out proper Inducements IN the
shape Of longer terms and higher salaries
As consequence five of the ablest teach
ers resigned their positions to enter call
| M WI -,
and increased permanency.
The best schools in the county are
those which hold tenaciously to the doc
trine that it is better TO keep an able
teacher for years even though inexper-
fence knocks for admission armed with
the passport low wages" Nothing is so
high priced as cheap teacher. Our
schools as whole are fairly up to the
average III the state and IN many in
stances we can lay claim to having as
good district schools as present condi-
lions will permit of. There is hardly a
town that has not one or more schools
where the true spirit of progress obtains.
But the degree of perfection attained i:
not held for any length of time. The
forces that cut short the life of teachers
} are many and various, and too often the
apprentlce-teacher Is expected to follow
up the work of well-tr1ed experienced
man or woman. The inevitable conse-
quence Is that the school falls from its
high estate only to be made an expert
mant station by the new conner. And sc
the pendulum swings on, and permanent
progress is rendered next to impossible.
There is a tendency in the eastern
states, (and it has reached southern Wis
consin) to commit rural education into
, the hands of young girls, who follow the
business of teaching only SO long as the
, nature of things makes it necessary
! Our county has thus far made no retro
) greseive step and it is to be hoped thai
! it's proportion of men and women teach.
/ ers may always be as large as it nov is.
In my estimation term of ten months
, is not too long. That would make il
J possible for primary pupils to secur,
I their full measure of schooling, which is
, now too often denied them, when the
! school opens in October and closes il
, April or May. With longer terms anC
! increased pay, teachers would be only
! too willing to continue in a calling thai
is at once honorable and ENROLLING Per
) NIT me 10 express the hope that the PEG
pie of Manitowoc county Will guart
J zoalOusly the advancement thus far made
by the district schools, and that lberalit,
, and highmindednes may characterize
, their dealings with them in the future as
in the past.
Respectfully,
G. E. PATzER. Supt. Schools