The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-07-03
Editor of The Tribune.

Dear Sir. In order to relieve the pub.
lie mind and grant the request or In
terested parties, we deem 1t wise to get
before the public at as early date as
possible all the facts in controversy
regarding Professor Phillips case
now before the board. Superintendent
Howell has presented his report TO the
High and Training committee, and we
submit his report to you for publica-
tion at once. B. Il. Jayne,
Chairman High and Training School
Committee.
Scranton. Pa, June, 1899.
The High and Training committee,
Scranton board of control.
Gentlemen: Complying with a recent
resolution adopted by the board, / send
you the following report, hoping that
IT may guide you in making your ap-
pointments and assist you in formulat-
ing the rules and regulations for the
coming year:
| made the following recommended
tion to the High and Training commit
tee, June "a, 1897: According to the
present programme the time given to
actual class work by the principal will
not average an hour and a half per
day If the detail work of the High
school requires three hours' attention
per day, recommend that a subordin-
ate teacher be designated by the board
to do clerical work in order to give the
principal at lCaet three hours for class
instruction and ys hour and a half for
supervision"
The High ana Training committee ac-
cepted my recommendation and adopt
ed the following rule; The principal Of
the High school shall designate one Of
the subordinate teachers to do the
clerical work of the High school, and
thus relieved shall give three hours
class instruction each day."
DID NOT COMPLY.
Professor Phillips has failed to COM
ply with this resolution adopted by the
| board. He has insisted on doing the
clerical work instead of appointing
subordinate teacher to do the same, as
directed by the board. To pay two hun
drel and fifty dollars per month for
clerical work that can be done well for
fifty dollars per month is an imposition
on the taxpayers and a detrimcnt to
the discipline and supervision of the
High school Clerical work is neces-
sary, but instruction in methods and
classroom supervision are far more
important. and should command all the
principals time and attention. We can
not afford to have teacher of Pro-
fessor Phillips experience give his time
and energy to work that can be done
| by an ordinary clerk. | have repeat
some subordinate teacher to do the
clerical work, but he has ignored each
| request. In three years time / have
never seen Professor Phillips in a class
room giving instructions or doing
method work. on my visitations to the
! High school have always found him
at the desk doing clerical work.
Again. if Professor Phillips. our head
| teacher, is allowed to openly violate
| specific resolutions Of the board other
| teachers have the same privilege. Our
! head teacher is just as amenabe to the
| law in my judgment as is a subordin-
ate teacher. If we are compelled to toll
crate insubordnation on the part of
! the principal we must not expect obedi-
| ence on the part of the teachers hold
| ing subordinate positions.
| In awarding the commencement hon
ors for the class of 1899, Professor Phil
| lips shut out the English and the COM
mercial courses The minutes of the
meeting of the board of control for MAY
| %, 1898, contain the following rule:
THAT the highest honors. namely the
valedictory and salutatory shall be
| limited TO the courses of the High
| school covering a period of four years
Hereafter to each of the courses i'm the
| High school a commencement honor
shall be awarded according to class
| standing"
INTERPRETATION GIVEN.
I gave Professor Phillips my inter-
| pretation OF the above rule in his office
and also in the auditorium two days
| before he awarded the honors, and
| asked him to give an honor to each
| course, but for some reason unknown
| to me he did not recognize either the
English or the commercial courses.
| referred the case Immediately to the
| High and Training committee and on
| June II the committee instructed the
| secretary to send the following letter
| to Professor Phillips: THAT the Sec
| retary be directed to notify the princi-
| pal Of the High school to observe the
| rules adopted by the board last year
with reference to the awarding Of the
! honors in the graduating class"
II teachers are allowed to interpret
| rules according to their own fancy and
! ignore the Interpretation of the super
| intendent, l fail to understand how We
! can uphold the unity of the school sys-
| TEN or award honors TO those who are
! entitled to them The awarding OF the
| commencement honors is not a matter
! Of choice or discretion with the prin-
! cipal, the method of awarding the hon
| ors Is prescribed by the board, and in
! justice to the pupils the boards laws
| should be obeyed. The blunder made
at the last commencement is not ex-
| cusable. ] was not the only one who
| protested against the course taken by
| Professor Phillips Miss Haggerty,
| with all the power at her command,
| protested, too. To plead Ignorance of
this law of the board is no excuse, for
the. resolution was discussed and for
! mulated in the principals office and in
his presence one year ago,
| During the year l have frequently
| called the attention OF Professor Phil
| lips TO the absolute necessity OF a uni
| form credit system OF marking the
work done by the pupils There is no
| good reason why the same paper
should be marked seventy per cent. by
| one teacher and one hundred per cent.
| by another. Equal work calls for equal
credit marks, and there is no stronger
| proof OF the want of operation in
the Scranton High school than the fact
that there is no common basis in any
| department for percentage marks. AS
| II is now, the bright boy iS the lucky
| boy who has the good fortune TO be
| under a teacher who takes no account
| or missDelled words, grammatical err
| rors, neatness. etc, and II Is the duh
| boy who is so unfortunate as to be
under the teacher who doducts for all
mistakes made in English composition.
To have a standard OF excellence we
must insist on monthly meetings and
closer cooperation in the work of the
| High school teachers. Independent
| work In any school will not secure the
desired results, there must be cooper
alton and equal pay to pupils for equal
work. Mr.. AS boy has just as good a
right TO pass his examination as Mr.
| BIS boy, providing he does equal work
on September S, 1898, / received the
following letter from the state depart
| ment Of public instruction; Dear Sir: