Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1898-02-12
STOP THOSE FOOL QUESTIONS.

10 Illustrate the utter uSeleSSneSS
of many of the questions asked appli-
cants for teachers certificates it is
only necessary to refer to one in the
list used last Saturday Under the
head of Civil Government the follow
ing very lucid question was asked:
I. ta) Who is the present attorney
general: (b) Name his predecessor,
and state what his duties are now?
Aside from being very ambiguous.
the construction is so faulty that
there is excuse for not little Quib-
Bling, to say the least. In the first
place. it is impossible to determine
from the question itself whether it
relates to the State or the United
States officials bearing that title. If
to the states officer, the duty of his
predecessor, now relatively a private
citizen, is not a proper subject for
discussion. If it refers to the Attor-
ney General of the United States, as
a matter of fact. at the time the ques-
tions were in the hands of those being
examined. there was no such officer.
Mr.. McKenna had been appointed to
the position of Associate Justice of
tie Supreme Court, had entered upon
the duties of the position, and there
fore was not Attorney General. Mr..
Griggs had been nominated for that
position by the President, and the APP
1 pointment was duly confirmed by the
/ Senate; but there was yet another
! condition precedent to his becoming
/ in fact an officer, and that was taking
/ the oath of office and entering upon
! the discharge of the duties thereof:
| the oath was not administered to the
newly appointed officer until Monday,
January 81, and he did not enter upon
the discharge of the duties of the Of
flee until Tuesday, February three
days after an ordinary country school
teacher had been asked by a pedanic
board to pass upon question that by
10 possible amount of available in
formation could at that time have
been definitely answered, even by the
man who framed it.
Other questions in the same list are
equally faulty, and in no respect
proper tests of an applicants ability
to teach in the common schools of thi.
state. The system is wrong, has beer
growing worse year after year, anC
these abuses should be inhibited b,
legislative enactment. College pro
feSsorS are not the proper persons t
frame questions for common schoo
| teachers; not because they do not pos
sess the requisite knowledge; they ar
but human, and prone to maxim:
grand stand plays. Workers in tn
common schools-the real universit
of the would come nearer dc
ing justice to the state and the strug
Cling teachers than board compose'
of the most learned college president
and professors in the land.
Questions submitted at eXamina
tions, and upon which grades are to b
based, should have specific referenc
TO the applicants knowledge of TIL
subject matter treated upon i'll TIL
various text books to be used in til
work, together with his ability to i'm
part that knowledge to the pupil
who may be committed to his care
Another thing that should be done i
this connection, is to confer highe
discretionary power upon the count
boards and examiners, allowing theI
Ito supplement the formal printe
questions with oral queries, and avail
themselves of their personal know
| edge of the applicants standing an
ability. The grades written upon tn
teachers certificate are not an III
failing index of his standing as an &c
. ucatOr. The surroundings and limi
tations of the examinations, couple
! with the temperament of those under
going the inquisition, have much t
do with the apparent result. We sa
{ apparent. because certain condition
would diSconceTt person of the high
est attainments in everything excep
nerve. while the mediocre who KEEP
his ..gall'' with him-to use bit @
expressive slang-calmly writes dow
all he knows, and perhaps more. vi
terly oblivious to all surroundings.
Many of the questions under tn
Leads of History and Civil Govern
ment might properly be put toa junt
of pOt-hOuSe politicians but if til