The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1900-03-14


places of trust and responsibility which
will soon be vacated by the active men
and women of today?
The greatest need of our schools at
present is expert supervision. We
should have for the head of our schools
a person who has had special training
along that line; also one who can de-
vote his whole time and thought to ed
vocational matters. Town superinten-
dents generally have some other occu-
patton which demands much of their |
time, and their pay is not such that |
they can afford to give to school mat
tiers the attention which they require.
Let US hope our next Legislature will
give us a law whereby the State will be
divided into strcts, each one super
vised by competent person.
On the subject of the length of
the school year, Rev. George E.
Ladd, superintendent of Waterbury
schools, writing on the length of schools
in the hill or ungraded districts, which
have only 2S to 30 weeks in the year, as
against 80 weeks in the village or grad
ed districts, with force aud reason says:
81 fail to see any justification for
this discrimination. The graded schools
have naturally certain advantages.
But why shonld the amount of school
ing offered to children in the village so
far exceed that provided for children
at the center or on any of these hills?
Many of these children will have no
opportunity to attend school elsewhere.
Some of the older ones can go only in
the winter. The present short year
does not meet their needs. In the
school at the Center, for example, there
are thirty pupils with an experienced
teacher; why should they not have
equal advantages, a. least in this re-
spect, with pupils in this village? l
would urge the lengthening of the year
by at least two weeks for each ungrad-
ed school this coming year, with an
other increase year or two later.
These considerations are not local.
They apply in towns other than Wat
erbury. They are of general applica-
ton and public attention is accordingly
directed to them. On the subject of
teachers Mr.. Ladd is clear in his ideas
and strenuous in his recommendations,
and these, too, have general spplica-
ton, and are worthy of general atten-
ton. He says:
My recommendation is this, and l
would urge it strongly: Experienced
teachers and those who are highly rec
commended should be secured as far as
| ha
if the directors will look for them early
enough. And teacher who is doing
really efficient work should be encour-
aged to remain by being given larger
salary, perhaps without a request from
her and even before she resigns.
A teachers success or failure is de-
termined very largely by her efforts
or lack of efforts-to learn and to fol.
low the best methods, and to make her.
self successful teacher. Teaching is
an art, and it is not well done unless il
is done according to the most approved
methods. If, during her first term, the
teacher puts forth little or no effort
along these lines, being content to fol-
low the dry routine of question and
answer from the text book, she is Ger.
tainly giving o promise of success, and
the town cannot afford to retain hel
services. In my judgment there is toe
great tendency in this town to keep
teachers after they have demonstrated
conclusively that they are not, and are
not likely to become, successful. TIC
retain a poor teacher when a good
teacher can be found for the place, i:
not the policy which think this town
wishes to follow.
There is small excuse on the part OF
any teacher for ignorance as to the
best methods of teaching. There are
few good books on methods in the
town library within easy reach of all
and they are not expensive to buy
Educational papers can be had. Sue
cess anywhere calls for hard work. Nc
one who if not ready to make the mos
of the helps within her reach can ex
pect to be competent teacher.
These superintendent all enforce
the need of frequent parental visits t6
the school and complain of the isola
ton of the scholars in respect of such
visitations. They speak much truth
of many local evils, plainly and with
fidelity recommend reforms that the
communities to whom their reports are
immt diately addressed should hasten
to institute. In general way the
noteworthy features of these report;
are the strong appeals for expert super
vision, the lengthening of the schoo
year, and the employment of teachers
skilled and having experience in theil
profession.