The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1897-12-23
MONTHS SHOOL REPORT
IT SHOWS A SUBSTANTIAL lNCR EASE
A Determined Effort ~ Being Made
By superintendent ST. John and
the Teachers 60 Reduce Tardtness
10 a Minimum.

What makes good school? Garfield
said MARX Hopkins on one end of log
aud student on the other end was a col
lege." The teacher is the essential fac
tor. What is teacher? What are the
vital elements in her makeup? First of
all character-a character OF purity of
heart, honesty, justice, truthfulness, neat
ness, order, system, patience. firmness,
and wItbal that love of truth for truth's
sake that makes her practice all of these
virtues from choice rather than from
force of circumstances. Second-general
intelligence and common sense. Third
q technical preparation in the matter and
method of school instruction. The essen
tial factor that quickens all these qualfi-
cations is the spirit of growth. Better be
at so and climbing than at 100 and stand
ing still.
But true teacher can fail. Not only
fail to give satisfaction, but fail to teach.
II it be possible for true teacher to fail :,
what about those who are not in every
particular ideal teachers? There are no
ideal teachers. Those who ever approx
mate the ideal command too high sala
ries to be easily obtained. A teacher can
be ever so honest and still make mistakes
in judgment. To meet and decide upon
the spot every question in discipline and
instruction that comes to her and to do il
correctly is to play upon a harp of a
thousand strings without discord. There
are so many thousand phases and varia-
tions in the makeup of room full OF
pupils by previous training and habits
50 many degrees of seliishness and OF the
disposition to justify one self; so great
a temptation to disrespect authority and
to refuse or neglect to submit ones will
to that of another What about the fail
ure or success of all these things to meet ?
All, there is the rub The teacher who
10 not infallible makes mistakes. But
ten times as often the teacher is accused
of making mistakes when she has done
the best that could be done, taking all
things into consideration.
Now this is not intended for an apol-
ogy for the teachers. They are as well
qualified for their work as those OF other
walks of life. They are as true hearted
as unselfsh and fill their respective
places as well as any other class of
people.
But true teacher can fail Why? Be-
cause she has not the respect of her
pupils. The pupils disrespect for a
teacher is as contagious as respect. There
is nothing so easy with people in general
and therefor with pupils as to make them
feel that they are abused A teacher may
be disrespected because of personality,
individuality and force of character. But
just as often or oftener the pupils disre-
spect is the result Of nnkind, unjust and
unfair criticisms by people outside OF
school and especially parents. This crit
icitm is made upon the pupils version Of
this or that seen through glasses colored
by self-interest and oftentImes dishonesty
and untruthfulness. The expressed iudg-
ments OF the parents are to the pupils as
oracles. Those judgments are full Of dis
respect. DisrespeCt thus poisons the
pupils mind and feelings bis influence
in school is against the teacher; disorder.
though hidden and insidious, weakens
the discipline; the teacher fails.
Therefore, important Ms the ideal quail
fications OF the teacher are, the success
or failure Of school is very largely de-
termned by the attitude Of patrons to-
ward the school
Let me quote from one Who Las had
long experience as teacher end is old
enough to have made broad and import.
ant cancellations. lie says
THE kind Of criticism which m st
quickly injuries a school IS that OF teach
ers by parents in the presence Of pupils.
The parents who do this, no matter how
poor the school is, DO not deserve a school
for their children; certainly the children
will profit little by the school. When the
child is robbed Of his respect for the
teacher, he might as well he kept at
home. II he goes. it will be with a spirit
insolepce in his heart and if he yields
obedience, it will be Of that INV Hin. and
unmanly kind that breeds hate ia the
soul. Better ignorance than that. Most
teachers would succeed and give good
satisfaction il parents were not 50 free
and careless in their criticisms Of the
teacher in the home. The parent who
criticises the teacher in the presence Of
his child not only Injuries the teael er,