The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-09
There are about 100 white
chiAlren who have 1nade ap-


ferent years, is between 200 and 800 a year.
IL Is safe to conclude. therefore that
there Will b. needed next year additional
room for about 300 pupils in the white
schools of the city. I think il would be
wise for the board 10 take seriously into
consideration the problem of caring for
this increase. The limit of our school
room accommodation has been reached.
and - - clear that if these children are
Co be Accommodated we must do either one
of two th!ngs-rent rooms for them, or en-
large our present school buildings"
THE use of rented rooms for school
purposes the superintendent said, lis
well known by school men to be a very
unsatisfactory makeshift. In the first
place ii is wellngh impossible to find
rooms suitable for the purposes Of
school Parents often very naturally OBJ
ject to sending their children to a school
located ln some undesirable room, away
nom the immediate supervision Of a pTin-
cipal, and devoid Of the comforts and con-
Nemenees which they have night 10 eX-
pect. The extra expense of fitting up such
rooms with furniture, etc, which must
probably be removed in a year or two is
not good school economy. Every consider
alton. il seems TO me, would suggest the
propriety OF expendiug our money in perm
anent rooms and fixtures, which shall be
under the direct supervision OF a princi-
pal. The Henry street school building was
planned for additional wings whenever the
needs of the schools might require them,
and il would be well for the board to con-
sider the proprieiy of adding them this
summer Al the. same time the condition
of the rooms in the hall
at the Henry Street School
should be considered and rem
eded The wooden partitions which were
placed in the building a few years ago,
and which do not reach to the ceiling, do
not prevent the noise from interfering
very seriously with the work Of the school
1t is now very trying upon the nerves of
the teachers and children, to say nothing
of the discomforts in bad ventilation. 1t
would not cost much TO rearrange the
partition walls in such a way rs TO remedy
the evil and l earnestly recommend that
it be dome"
In regard to the colored school children,
Supt. Ashmore said ut is perhaps I'M
necessary for me TO state that there are
about 1,00O negro children In the city who
cannot be accommodated in the schools
This is a matter which will doubtless re-
ceiye such attention as you may deem
best"
On the subject of the selection of teach
ers, the superintendent said: AT your
last meeting | called attention 10 our pres
ent method OF, selecting teachers and at
yeour request / submit a few thoughts
upon this very important subject There
is no matter connected with the subject
Of public education which deserves more
care than the selecting of those who are to
train the mind and characters of the
young. A good school room is desirable;
a good teacher is essential. AS the teacher
is, so is the school,, is an educational
aphorsm which Is true indeed. In our
selection of teachers we should aim to
get the best available material at the time
of the secretion. Last year the board di-
rected that in filling vacancies applicants
on the old list should have precedence
over those on the new list and that no one
on the new list should be appointed until
the old list had been exhausted. This, |
think, Is a serious mistake, and l am
sure If continued 1t win work great harm
to our schools. According to my view we
are under no obligation whatever TO APP
point any person as teacher In our
schools If there is another available APP
pFicant who. In the opinion of the
board, will make better teacher.
The mere fact that an applicant hap
pens to be on an Old list in my opinion,
has nothing whatever TO do with the case.
Once grant the rule that applicants must
be appointed in the order of the time of
their examination, and at once Is de-
stroyed any motive for competition, or flu
ture improvement. Once on the list It
matters not how low the applicant Is Sc
cure, and placldly floats along without
an effort at Improvement knowing full
well that no future competitor, it mat
tiers not how much better qualified, will
be considered.
- believe that the best interests of the
schools demand that we have an exam
iDatiOn for teachers OF
stated time before the close of the schools,
when We are most likely to have the
greatest number of worthy applicants. If
those upon an old list desire to enter the
new examination to obtain higher
standing, which by right they ought to be
able to obtain on account of one years
additional preparation, let them by all
means do So If they prefer to rest upon
the RECORD of the previous examination
let them rest upon it, but let them not be
placed ahead of those who may prove
themselves better qualified in the new
examination. In my opinion, they have
no right whatever to expect IT, and the
good of the schools demands that the
best available material at hand should
always be selected for teachers regardless
of time of examination Only In this way
can a proper premium be placed upon
merit, and the schools be protected against
weak and incompetent teachers The
quality of our teaching force should he
guarded and improved with Jealous
care, for by il must our schools be Judged
by the public,p
'Heretofore," the superintendent said
we nave noted in the examination Of
teachers, the circumstances of age. healtb
temperament, experience, professional
preparation and personal appearance In
addition to scholarship as ascertained hv
the examination. All these are imnortant
factors in the quality of a teacher hut
While we have noted them, they practicaI
ly have had but little weight when a..
real selection is made. The question ~
scholarship is too often considered alone
think 1t would be well for the board
through itsA committee on the examine'
tton OF teachers, to assign such tangible
values to these qualities as to allow then,
to have their proper weight in determin-
ing ihe position of a teacher on the Ist
Some of these qualities, ii must be adj
United, are TO certain extent intangible
and some pertain to professional iudeN
ment and skill but they are altogether foo
important 10 be neglected, and the com