The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1896-02-19
AGRICULTURAL.
Ways OF Improving the Schools.
BY J. W. NEWTON.


of those institutions which must always
be growing better or it will be growing
worse. And there can be no real i'm
provement in the schools without ef-
fort, care, and watchfulness. Right
here is where the skilled superintend-
ent finds his sphere. The teachers are
workers, they cannot we'll be watchers.
The superintendent has his work, and
one part of it is to watch over the
teachers, and help, encourage, counsel,
and criticise them in their work. Put
skilled superintendent in charge of a
number of schools, and their efficiency
will be doubled. The people of Yer
mont need to become we'll informed on
this subject of skilled superintendent
of the schools. 1t ought to be thor
oughly tried in some of the weather.
towns, 80 that the people may become
familiar with its value. The best way
to improve the schools is to put them
under the care of skilled superintend-
ents.
But until this is done, we should not
fall into the error of thinking that
nothing else can be done. Skillful
teachers are needed; live, growing
teachers, who have been trained for
their work. The people ought to ask
for trained teachers, stand ready to pay
them fair price for their services, and
sustain them in their efforts to bring
the schools up to greater efficiency. As
things are, there must be many I'M
trained teachers; that is, those who
have no normal training, but no one
should be engaged to teach unless one
has high school training. 1t is true
there are other means by which teach
ers can obtain training for their work,
means which should be used by all
teachers, but none of them can take
the place of the normal and high
schools, especially the former. One of
these is the reading Of books on teach
ing. There are many excellent works
of this kind, and few should be in the
possession of every teacher. 1t might
be well to put small number of
teachers books into the public libra
ries, where they could be read by par
ents and young people as well as teach
ers. The best teachers are those who
thirst for knowledge, who desire to
learn the best methods of teaching, who
make business of teaching, and seek
to become proficient in all that per-
tains to their work.
The progressive, growing teacher
needs to know something of what is
taking place in the educational world;
the changes, improvements, and dis
cussions which are going on. tits we'll
for all who are interested in the schools
to know of these things, and l know of
no other way by which this knowledge
can be acquired than by means of ed
ucational periodicals. They are to ed.
ucation what the agricultural paper is
to farming, and every teacher should
read one or more regularly. Some of
these periodicals contain much matter
which properly belongs to the text
books, and cannot see the use of this.
l have looked over good many diff
ferent journals of this kind, and am by
far the best suited with the Journal of
Education, which have read for three
years. Being a farmer, what would
suit me might not suit school teachers,
but think every teacher would get
much help from the paper. 1t is a
weekly, and covers the whole educa-
tional field. A. E. Winship, the editor,
is man who thoroughly understands
the educational needs of this country,
and he gives his readers some OF the
best articles on these subjects that can
be found in current literature. School
officers and citizens who wish to be
we'll informed in these matters can
find no better means of acquiring such
information. The reading of such
paper puts one in touch with the great
educational problems of the day, and
the more the Journal of Education is
read in Vermont, the more interest will
be taken in the schools and the better
they will be.