Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-01-02

fully kept up to the requirements of
the university. This could not be done
i as there was only one leacatr n the
school. 1t was expressly stated that
this action was no reflection on the
principals work.
+ Case 2. This school was dropped
from the list, but was told that in case
! it improved it might apply for REIN
/ spection the next fall. Seven months
later the school was re-examined, on
invitation, by another professor, who
reported that sufficient improvement
had not been made. Six months later
still, the school was again re-inspected
J by two other professors, who reported
that the school was still below the re-
quired standard, and accordingly the
faculty declined to renew the credit. In
October of the following year. after
a new principal had been engaged. the
school applied for re-inspection. Such
inspection has not yet taken place.
Case 8. The school was dropped
from failure to furniih to the univer-
sity, after due notification, the required
annual report.
Case 4. Dropped Oh account of I'M
satisfactory preparation of students
sent to the university, and general I'M
satisfactory condition of work in the
school. The inspection was made by
two full professors of the university
Has applied this fall for re-inspection.
+ Case 5. Attention first called to
. Of
ly to insufficient training on the part
of the teachers. Of the three teachers.
only one had ever studied in any school
above a high school. One year later
the school was dropped on account of
! general weakness of the teachers and
because of the entire want of library
and the general poorEess of laboratory
facilities. School inspected by two full
professors.
Case 6. Dropped on account of gen.
eral weakness of work done and failure
to meet the requirements of the uni
versity. One year later it was found
that the principal had no assistant that
gave full time to school work. The
teaching force was entirely insufficient.
These are the only schools that have
been dropped with the exception of two
others, in one of which there were no
students in the four-year course, and
in the other there was q failure to ap-
ply for inspection after the accredited
term had expired.
In most of these cases the principals
have admitted fully the defects in the
school, and in some instances, when
asked if they could not correct them,
hey replied in the negative, and when
asked why, the response was that the
teachers are socially stronger than the
principal, and that if the teachers were
complained of to the board, the princi-
pal was more likely to lose his place
than the teachers were to lose theirs.
1t seems to me that there can be no
doubt that, after the university has
adopted all reasonable means of i'm
prOvement, it should under such cir
cumStances brave the>inevitable dis
satisfaction on the part of the school
dropped, rather than the disrespect of
those whose standards of scholarship
Cntitle their opinions to our sincere re-
spect. The few expressions of disap-
prevail that have been uttered should
be regarded as of small consequence
compared with the great chorus of
gratitude with which the work has
generally been greeted by the best high
schools of the state.
It may not be out of place in this
connection to say that in the opinion
OF the authorities of the university
there is generally need Of special at
tention to certain branches of the eIe-
mcntary work done in the preparatory
schools. This is notably the case in
the study of English. Members Of this
association must have observed that
within the past few years the cry has
gone up from all over the country that
the training IN English of the prepar-
atory schools is notably deficient The
communication published in the Nation
by Professor Goodwin, of Harvard, in
the early part Of the year. and the
action taken by Cornell university. al
ready referred to, are only indications
Of the same general feeling. 1t is not
too much to say that on the part of
students entering the university there
is a painful lack of accuracy and pre-
cision in the use of English, and that
a large expenditure Of time and force
in the university has to be devoted
to kind of elementary work which we
cannot help feeling should be done in
the preparatory schools. If teachers
would insist, under all circumstances,
that in translating from a foreign Ian
guage into English the English shall
be correct, grammatical and idiomatic,
much would be done to cure this evil.
1t can hardly be said that the prepara-
tory schools are doing their work thor
oughly and satisfactorily so long as
notable defects are observable in this
most important of all branches of
study. A similar observation might be
made in regard to the necessity of
greater thoroughness in the teaching
Of Latin and of German. There would
doubtless be cause for similar obser-
walton in regard to preparation in
Greek, if Greek were generally studied
TIL oughout the high schools Of the
state. l cannot help expressing the
opinion that if it is impossible to Go
thoroughly the work of all the studies
now crowded into the high school
course, some of them should be omit
! ted. 1t is unQuestiCnably better that
habits of thOroughness and accuracy
should be acquired in few things than
that a larger amount of superficial