The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-12-14
SCHOOL TEACHERS CHARACTERS.
Trouble That Followed Too Literal Con-
struction.
In the last issue of the Eastport SenVi-
mel was the following communication:

In the last issue of the Eastport Senti-
mel was the following communication:
| wish to say word for thos' VINO,
! under the circumstances, cannot Wen
speak for themselves. l consider that
gross and malicious insult has been given
to some of our most deserving and sue
cessful teachers, which should not lie al
| lowed to pass unrebuked.
Moral character is either good or bad.
There can be no question of graduation
or percentage applied TO it anywhere, YeI
i'll granting certificates to those who tooA
the state examination last summer, the
state superintendent has given them d
mark in moral character which places
stigma on their good names.
These teachers are known to be above
suspicion, and | cannot allow such vile
SANDER to go unchallenged.
At the request of the State Superln-
tendent / conducted the examination,
and ali the papers passed through my
hands. Fortunately / examined all the
answers given by the kastport teachers,
and know what their marks in each study
should be. On the strength of that
knowledge | am prepared to give them
the certificate required by law, and would
advise the teachers to return the state
paper with an indignant protest against
any such gratuitous insult.
Z. E. ST. JOHN,
Supt. Of Schools for tho City of Eastport.
Feeling certain that the educational de-
partment of this state would not whiting
iy place stigma on the good names OF
the teachers of this state we made inquiry
as TO the facts in the case and ascertained
tnat the seeming stigma was the result OF
adhering too literally to instructions.
Inc way in which the educational de-
partment sought to get information in
regard to candidates moral character,
skill in instruoting, ability in managing,
capacity for work etc., was by applying
to people named as references by the can
didates. This method of ascertsining
these facts is stated on the face of the GER
ti1lcates- 1t Is also stated on the certificate
that excellent is indicated by the rank
9o-loo, Good by 70-90 etc. Some of the
references in making their answers to the
inquiries sent them answered good in re-
gard to moral character, using the word
IN the ordinary sense and not in the re-
strlcted sense of the circular When they
said good they undoubtedly meant to
place the candidate in the highest grade,
which was denoted in the circular by ex-
cellent.
But the person who had charge of
making up the ranks of the candidates
and placing them in their certificates,
having been instructed to follow the scale,
proceeded to interpret the word good
when 1T was the answer to the question
concerning character, the same as when in
answer to the question in regard to skill
in teaching. The result was that when a
reference had answered that candidates s
character was good his moral character
was marked on the certificate as 80 while
when a reference had answered excellen:
it was marked 100. Thus it
came about that there were two grades of
character On the certificates, and a seem
ing stigma was put upon some of the
teachers. The truth is the person who
made up the ranks followed orders too
literally.
As soon as the blunder was discovered a
circular was sent to all persons to whom
state certificates had been issued stating
the facts and asking them to return their
certificates if their character rank in them
was less than 100.