The Newtown bee., 1896-04-17

SUGGESTIONS.
 The school laws of this state require l that, Each board of school visitors shall < 4 prescribe rules for the man | agcment, studies, classification, and dis i cipline of the public school" And provide that, "rhey shall revoke the certificate of such teachers as shall at any time be found incompetent to teach, or to manage 8 school, or fail to conform to the requirements of the Board" Ac- COTdngly, the school visitors of this town have adopted certain "Ruies and l Regulations for the Public schools of Newtown," and it now becomes the duty of the teachers to obey and eUfOrCe them, as the law by which they are to be gov erened in their school work.
 "ln the absence of rules establisud by the school board or other proper author ity, the teacher has q right to make all necessary and proper rules for the regu- latiOn of the school" So it has been decided by the court. But now that the Board has prescribed rules for the gov eTnment of teachers and pupils, no teacher is at liberty to claim that privi lcge any longer. I5 is the duty of the Board of School Visitors to supervise the work of the teachers and to see that iC is done according to law, under the directions of the State Board of EduCa- tion,
 In defining the duties of teachers and the duties of pupils the object of the board is to assist the teachers in their work, and to establish some degree of uniformity and system for the schools of the town, and to bring them into har- mony with the supervision 0f the State Board,
 In matters of government the teacher faoy rn Irr rTvl loo T S- the law and the School Visitors rCu4ire Us to obey it. In the matter of attend anUe the same. And so instead of a per sonal rule of management by the teach CT we have the authority of the town and of the state, which is 8 necessary and important element in the training of the future citizens of the town And state. The teacher who deliberately violates or ignores these rules and regulations ought to have his certificate revoked without delay, and made an example to the town.
 In this connection 1 wish to call atten- tion to the duties of teachers relating to the keeping of registers. The law as amended hy act of the last legislature reads as follows:
 section --25 ot the general statutes is here. by am"uIrd 10 read 3s IollcWs The achcr ui every PH"iC school shall correctly keep 'hr school register prov ded by the state, in lnc manner ani form required by the state beard oi education, and at the end of each -rnuW term. Anu before said teacher shall ICaV" such school, shall certify in writing to the correctness of the same and i1urnttIi03 c. iy IrlNeT the same tO the secretary ct The DD.rt of school visitors uT town sch lrl com uIltcc Or board Uf education of inc town nI. b~irCt in winch sUcN school is located. and no icHrH"r ~iH! be entitled t0 rcc+.lyc any pay ulr~~ such register -iltIl hl}t Irt.l kept und certified during the lime for which anN, payment mag be made.
 The school registers are legal and pub- lie records. They should be kept day by day as the law requires ana strictly ac- cordiUg 10 the form prescribed by the state board. The teacher should begin to keep the register on the first day of school and make a record each day, in the school room. There is no other way in which to keep a true record. The reg iSter should be in the school room every day when there is school, for the in spcctiOn of the visitor; and it should be filled out clear up to date. The law re- qulrcs that the 'schOol register shall be examined twice each term by the visitor who shall report to Inc board the cOndi- ton of the schools, etc. How can the. visitor certify that the ''sChOOl has been kept in all respects according to law if the register has not been kept as the law requires and he has not seen it, filled out and certified, month by month, in due form And how can the teacher legally receive pay unless a true record is thus certified to: And how can the town re- ceiye any money from the state treasury. unless the returns required are duly made. In the last report of the state board one of the agents complains that his work was hiDdered by incomplete registers. "In some districts, " he says. the work was retarded by the registers not being kept according to law. Many teachers keep the record of attendance on separate sheets of paper, which is cop jed into the register at the end of the week, more often at the end of the month. and sometimes not until the end of the term. 10. o. Wright.