The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-09-06
TO BURN
DEAD WOOD.
NeWark's Scheme For Get
ting Rid Of Inoompe-
tent Teachers.
MAKE THEM SUBSTITUTES
Board of Education Hopes to
Increase the Efficiency
of the Schools
MAKE THEM SUBSTITUTES

(From the Newark Sunday "CaH.')
The greatest thing the Board of Edu-
cation has done in years, in my opinion,
said a Newark educator last week, lis the
establishment of the general substitute
list as it is called, 1t was decided upon
but a few weeks ago, and was passed
upon favorably at the last meeting OF the
board. As you know, it provides an ave-
nue. along which incompetent teachers
may be d~ecorously and politely escorted
out of the schools after every possible
chance has been given them to make sue
cesses Of themselves. 1t Is a great thing,
an Inspiration, + call 1t. for getting rid
of poor material. and as an educator do
not hesitate to assert that the efficiency
of the schools will be increased 80 to 40
per cent within the next year or SO, as a
result of it. Heretofore there was no way
nv which an incompetent might be dis
posed of without the Teachers Committee
sitting upon the case, arguing the matter
pro and con and finally and formally Vot-
ing. OF course, every teacher has friends.
No matter how poor they may pc as
teachers, you may always assume nat
they are going to look on any attempt 70
remove them as an outrage, pure anu
simple, an injustice Of the rankest sort
The Commissioners are visited IN ner
behalf by the aforementioned friends, n
the former feel in duty bound to stand
by the eacher. In fact. some Commits
sioners are so weak kneed that they burst
not do anything else, for they have poll
teal ambitions of their own, and fear 10
offend the politician. whoever he may be-
So there is a grand fight. TIL Commits
sioners who are standing by the teach
or demand with a brave show of indigna-
ton to know what are the charges
against her. There are no charges very
probably. h teacher has done nothing
wrong. On the contrary she has very
likely worked hard to make a good teach
OF. but has failed. 1t is almost impossi-
BILE to describe in detail why h IS no
longed wanted except to an educator VINO
understands the situation, and the COM
missioner then declares 1t is unjust to dis
miss her. since there is no specific charge
or charges against her. She is incompe-
tent. How? Well, she doesn't conduct
her class properly. How does she not
conduct her class properly She does not
have good discipline. State instances Of
bad discipline. Well two children threw
pieces Of paper at each other one morn
ing when the principal happened to en-
ter the room. and on another occasion
three children were found asleep in her
room. There are other incidents of the
same sort. but the COMMISSIONS who is
standing by the teacher declares
thew are all trivial charges; that
those things might happen in any class
room. and deaes the other members of the
fo@ 1aar 1fcrnfScaI He
pictures her with a poor mother to sup
port, and perhaps an Invalid father, ana
In. the end often carries his point. 1t the
committee still persists in voting for her
removal the COMMISSIONS will threaten
1t with a public discussion of the whole
business in the next board meeting, with
the result often that the matter is post
poned from month to month until the
present committee goes out Of existence
and the responsibility for action on the
case is handed on to the. next committee
/ have in mind notorious instances OF the
holding on Of teachers through the failure
Of the Teachers Committee to keep a
stiff backbone. Oddly enough, the best
interest of the little children in the
schools. whose future may be irretriev-
ably marred by a poor teacher, never
seems to be thought of, either by the
no,itic;an or the Commissioner. If one
Judged by the actions of the Commission
ers one would say the schools were run
for the welfare of the teachers and that
the education of the children was second
airy to that welfare
s.But of what avail will the new gen
eral substitute list be?" you ask.
ssWell. it should be of incalculable bene-
fit. A teacher who has been tried re-
neatedly and found unfit to teach for one
reason or another, may be recommended
by the Superintendent to the Committee
on Teachers to a place on that list. III
the committee concurs with the view or
the Superintendent, he having gone over
the case and explained it in detail, the
matter goes to the Board of Education
ana In ninety-nine cases out of a hundred
win be acted on favorably. The teacher
is then removed from the class over
which she has had charge. and is en-
ployed as a substitute. being called on
at any time to take another class in the
grade which she has taught, in any
school where a teacher may be absent
through sickness or for any other reason.
Some will resign at once on being put on
this list, and it will, candidly. be the best
thing they can do, while others will work
ali the harder, and will sooner or later
find a school where they can do salts
factory work. When they do this the
principal with acquaint the Superintend-
emit of their improvement, and the next
time there is a vacancy in that school