The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1898-07-07
TO TEACHERS.
A Few words Concerning Examinations
From supt. Griffith.

A rev WCEuS GouCeEn1AS 6Adu1udblouS
From supt. Griffith.
The summer examinations will take
place at Silver Lake, Aug. Is and 16,
and at Kenosha Aug. IL and Is.
Examinations, as at present conduct
ed, test only one phase of the teachers |
equipment; namely, his academic ac-
quirements. His actual power to
excite enthusiasm, his agreeable per-
sonality, his sympathy for children, his
saving common sense" can be only
determined by his actual work in the
school district. A person might write
fully and correctly about the music of
Verdi or Beethoven, and yet be unable
to execute the touching arias of the
one or the sublime symphonies of the
other. / once heard of a professor of
oratory who was utterly unable to
properly make the announcement Of
prayer meeting.
| OF course, there will be many appli
cants for certificates. a certain per
cent will fail. Z" Many are called, but
few are chosen" 1t is better thus. If
our public schools are to be efficiently
M naged, if the interests of the tax
payers are to be properly guarded, if
the confidence of the school patrons is
to be made secure, then must the GER
tifcating of teachers be made process
of natural selection; only the fttest
should survive. Such course of
action is also far better for the interests
of the teachers. Wages are now very
low; with fewer teachers, better quail
fed, and better paid, the public money
would be laid out to much better ad
vantage.
On failing at an examination many
applicants at once begin to hunt up
the evil genius who has bewitched
them and caused them to lose the race.
Such malicious spectre is the county or
city superintendent. No matter if
their writing looks as if executed by a
centipede escaped from an ink bottle.
No matter if the applicant has told
you that the heart is composed of
avaricious" tissue, or that the mites
final canal is divided into the colon'
and the semi colon" or that he has
defined " dmagogue" to be a vessel
filed with beer and whisky, or that
3" fossil" is Thing found in a theo-
logical cabinet" or that dizziness or
plumbago" is caused by rush Of |
brains to the head" its all the same,
" the examiner made me fail"
And then he goes home to be soothed
and coddled by papa and mamma and
aunt Jane and uncle Ike and a few of
the neighbOrs. None of them can see
why Joshua did not get certificate as
we'll as Bridget McDowd or Carl Bauer,
" anywhere near as smart as our
" Josh" who has. been off to the Hub
Vile academy" But nature gave
brains and push to Bridget, Carl and
Thomas, and by these they won.
1t is matter of surprise to many
excellent people why high school
graduates so often fail. To any eX-
Nperienced examiner, such result is no
surprise. Graduates of some of our
best high schools often fail to secure
even third rate certificate. But how
do they meet the requirements of the
high school? 0 well, sometimes they
stuff" sometimes they crib, !" that
is, steal answers to the questions, and,
regret to say, they are sometimes
carried through by favoritism, or the
fear of making unpleasant talk. To
the credit of teachers, be it said, the
last method is seldom TesOrted to.
Then again, much poor timber is sent
to our high schools, our colleges our
universities. In order to make a good
scholar we must have good material.
The best mechanics have always failed
to make a flute out of cows tail.
The law intends that all manuscripts
be kept on file and open to inspection.
If an applicant feel that he has been
wronged, he has an appeal to the state
superintendent. My experience, cover
ing many years, is that the most hope |
less failures are the hercest kickers.
The examination will be made as
searching as the improved conditions
of education require. My predecessor
had broadoned and deepened the re
quirements and given the questions a
modern trend. All may be sure that I
shall carry on the work so we'll begun. |
WILLIAM GRIFFITH.
over the Tea Cups.