Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-05-24
State teachers Institute.

The Stale law provides that teachers
institutes shall be held in the counties
of the State each year and allows the ex-
penditure of fifty dollars day, we be-
lieve, for that purpose. The law also al
lows every teacher to close school and
attend such meetings without loss of
pay.
1t Day readily be seen that small in
stitute may cost the people about 5000
for each day of it's session. Meetings
held at such an expense were designed
to give some return to the people. They
were designed to be sources of instruc-
ton to the great body of teachers at
large, and, IN many states, they are
sources of grand educational influence.
In New York State the institute in each
county holds three sessions day for
a week, but all progressive teachers now
agree that the time should be extended,
that while an institute lasting week
has some value, it would be proportion
ally greater if the time were twice or
three times as long. An institute of less
than week, it is generally agreed, has
little or no educational value.
When a session is reduced to one day
in place, as at present in this county,
it becomes entirely imperative as a
means of educating teachers or of i'm
proving the schools. The absurdity of
such an arrangement forces upon us the
truth that these one. day meetings are
manifestly for another purpose;
superintendent Stone is the originator of
the tramp institute. He knows what
they are for-and so do we. He is en-
ploying the public funds to defray the
expense of meetings which, though ad-
mirably adapted to exhibiting the star
performer at the greatest number of
places in the shortest possible time, are
of no benefit to the schools or teachers
and of no interest to the public.
Even the country teachers
see it in this light and regard it as a
piece of political jngoism.
To what extent were teachers improved
and strengthened for their work. by the
educational common-p places to which they
listened at North Bennington last Tues
day, and at Arlington on Wednesday,
and at Manchester on Thursday?
1t would have cost the State no more
to have massed the great body of teach
ers at some central point and have given
them practical instruction for four days
than it has to maintain this perambula-
tory educational circus.
One hundred and fifty teachers, more
or less, might have been instructed in
the art of teaching for four consecutive
days for practically the same sum that
has been spent in assembling thirty
or forty teachers for one day each in four
different places. The entire proceeding
is farcical and childish. Thus in our day
and time we see the vigorous education.
al feasts, common at the gatherings
which marked the days of State Superin-
tendents like DR.. French and j. S. Adams
and Edwin F. Palmer exchanged for
daily functions" at which the hungry
are refreshed with very select diet of
educational peanuts!
Mason S. Stone as State Superintend-
ent of Education, hasdone some very weak
things during his term of office. He adj
vocated that our graded schools be given
to the town, that our high schools be
abolished, and substantially that
our normal schools be strangled,