The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1902-03-12
EDUCATIONAL COLUMN.

A brief reveiw of some reports of
town superintendent for the year
shows, in a general way, the state of
affairs concerning the schools Of the
towns which is worthy of considera-
ton in this column
Nearly all deplore the irregularity
of attendance and more than one SUI
perintendent plainly intimates that
the salaries paid in many small schools
are insufficient to secure teaching
force of a high standard.
Permits are often given to the limit
of the law and, not infrequently, to
those who have had no experience
whatever All this points toward
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES schools and more
efficient service.
The usual comments on irregularity
of attendance and lack of interest on
the part of parents are made. The
general sentiment is clearly voiced in
the following quotations from the re-
port of Hon. u. S. Stanton, superin-
tendent of schools, in the town of
Roxbury.
In regard to the general efficiency
of the schools he says; cit is only
the ill-informed that can say, Our
schools are not as good as they used
to be- They are four fold better and
if pupil will avail himself of all
that may be obtained in our schools,
he can go forth into the world with
fair, practical education-a much bet
ter one than the average district school
teacher of thirty years ago, possessed. "
He speaks in strong terms of irregu-
glar attendance and of the apparent ut
ter disregard of the children's own
best interests by those who should
have them most at heart-the parents.
He says 81 am not asserting this is
the case with the majority of those
sending pupils to our schools, but it is
the case with too many. Threats of
prosecution, calls upon the truant Off
Ger, and personal appeals have to be
used to prevent children being robbed
Of their best worldly estate--a good
education.
GA single days non-a attendance is
fruitful of more harm than can easily
be estimated. It's loss may not be
remedied during the term. It's dam
age to others in the class cannot cas-
lily be measured.
Nothing but sickness - real, not
feigned-is the only excuse that ought
ever to be allowed for children not
attending school.
Again, there is a manifest DISPOSE
ion..when pupil arrives at the age
of fifteen years to consider that he is
graduated, When the period arrives
that the law has fixed when school at
tendance is not compulsory, books are
laid aside Nothing is more productive
of ignorance than such course.
Very often the capacity for real work
to master the studies in our schools
cannot come to those younger than fif-
teen. Before that age, with good
training, great preparation may be
made for future advancement, but after
that age the pupil can be taught to
think, to realize, to know better than
before. -
Some of the readers of this article
will remember when the village teach
er with an enrolment of sixty or less,
pupils of all ages and in all stages,
from the a, b, C, class to the aspiring
mathematician who had been through
the arithmetic" who yet, managed in
some way to instruct classes in high
er mathematics, and, occasionally,
even in Latin.
We would not say that in doing this
the younger ones must have been neg
lected, for we know that at that time
the older pupils often aided the teach
or by hearing Rotations and in other
ways, but it is true, not only that few
teachers are prepared to teach success
fully the higher branches, but that the
demand upon teachers time and fen