Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1900-02-23
WHAT is
THE MATTER
With the Free Schools
of TazeWeII.
CHANGE IN EXAMINATIONS.
The Lack Of Christian Train
ing-The Church Must Ed


sgitatlng the minds of our county
superintendent, school officers and
tax payers. Twon.y years obser-
vation OF the free school system, in
Tazewell, entities us to a hearing
on this subject. During all these
years we have paid our propotion
OF school tax without receiving q
dollars worth OF benefit there from.
We real lIzed that TO depend upon
the public school to educate our
eight children was to lean on o
broken stick. In our judgement
there is greater waste Of public
money incur school system than
any wbereelse.
School teschlng is q high and
sacred calling. In this age and
country it is not second to the gss-
pei ministry. 1t stands equal TO
the highest and greatest of all
professions. None but the best
qualiied in heart and head should
be employed to teach i'm our public
schools. We perfer that our chill
dren should grow up without edu-
cation, than to commit them to
unsanctified teachers How shall
We obtain good teachers? BY pay
ing them not less than $4,000 per
month .salasy. Employ these ten
months In the year. Reduce the
number OF schools by half.
We dare say there is not q single
teacher IN Tazewell today who is
no making it a stepping stone to
some more lucrative position.
Teaching must be recognized as a
profession. This cannot be until
man can earn a aliving as a teach
or. Let us hope that this penny
wise, pound foolish system will be
speedily abolished and that people
will recognize that it is as impor-
Iporant to commit our children to
trained, experienced teachers as it
Is to employ efficient trainers for
our horses.
A change is also demanded in
the examination and licensing of
teachers. Some ofthe best quail
fed teachers in the county tailed
to pass the examination, while
their interiors obtained certificates
ane schools. Old and comparative
ly successful teachers are often
replaced by novices. 1t Is absolute
ly ridiculous to license or refuse
to license n teacher upon the num-
ber of technical questions he may
answer or fail to answer. If sOr-
ry unworthy lmcOmpent person
happens to have a better memory
than Ond who is a more capable
teacher, the one with good
memory supplants his more worthy
competitor. Every man that
knows anything knows that ones
ability to answer q let OF technical
questions Is q very poor test of his
ability TO teach. On one occasion
wesax with our own eyes, o boy
who had never taught school, aud
who had never been beyond propo-
tion in arithmetic, obtain q second
grade certificate, while a gradu.
ate OF Emory and Henry College
who had taught successfully for
several years barely squeeze
through aud obtain second grade
certificate. These two men sat
side by side in the class of teachers
being examined. Some of the b, ct
teachers in TazewelI could not
obtain . 4th grade certificate on
the examination prescri bed while
young boys and wirls with q good
memory could carry OF the highest
lprize.
! One happy result OF christians
unity will be that the church Will
no longer commit her sick and in
digent members to the county
poor house for main tainance, aud
her childrea 81 :he 8 ate schools 10
be educated. The church must
educate or suffer The consequence.
One OF the pr NE causes VI the
present waning interest is the lack
, OF christian training oil our chil-
dreu IN tho schools. Education
being q necessity, tue means 70 sc
ICurs II should lie IA Il in cnmo,ou