The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-08-14
ERROR OF WAKE TEACHER
In Haste Arouses State Officials in the
Hours of Night,
HAS TO HURRY TO SAMPSON COUNTY
The Law That Pubic School Teachers Must
Attend Teachers Institutes is 'mpera-
tive and All Teachers Should
obey II.

Ignorance of the school law of the
State has caused a Wake county teacher
much. trouble.
A record of this is made, that it may
be read by other teachers and save them
from much trouble and much expense,
perhaps loss of their right to teach for
year.
At the Teachers Institute for Wake
county held in Raleigh last week there
was one teacher absent. This was Mr..
j. d. Champion, who has charge of the
school at Willow Springs, in Middle
Creek township, who taught his school
while the institute was going on.
Superintendent Clements noted the fact
on Friday in speech to the teachers and
said that when the salary voucher of
this absent teacher came in he would
not endorse it for payment. This news
reached Mr.. Champion. and caused him
much concern.
He telephoned to Raleigh, but was told
that the law requiring every teacher to
be present at a county institute was i'm
perative, and that the only excuse was
a providential hindrance from attending.
The penalty for not attending the in
stitute is a forfeiture of the right to
teach for one year, though teacher may
be allowed to make this up by attending
an institute in another county
Mr.. Champion sent a pupil to Raleigh
to see the State Superintendent and ask
if he might not be excused. The reply
was sent him that this was impossible.
This message was delivered Monday af-
ternoon and at ten o'clock that night the
troubled teacher was in Raleigh.
He called on Prof John Duckett. chief
clerk of the Educational Department, at
his home. Captain Duckett had retired,
but got up and talked with him, telling
him it was imperative that he should go
to some institute, and that the law
would have to be enforced. Mr.. Cham
pion called on Superintendent Joyner at
the hotel and woke him at twelve o'clock
to talk over the matter. Again at six
O'Clock yesterday morning he awoke Prof.
Joyner to get things straight, but the
answer was that the law must be COM
piled with.
At nine o'clock he called on Prof. Duck
EFT at the superintendent office. He
acknowledged that he was in fault. that
he did not know the law. Prof. Duckett,
thinking there was to be an institute in
Harnett county, wired the county sup
erintendent there, asking about it. No
reply had been received at 10 o'clock and
at 1890 Mr.. Champion left for Clinton,
where an institute is being held for
Sampson county this week.
Yesterday afternoon Prof Duckett had
letter from the superintendent of Har-
nett saying that an institute would be
held there the first week in September,
but the letter came too late as Mr..
Champion had left He comes from
Chalk Level. in Harnett county, and has
tendent there. He is teaching in the
summer to continue his course at Chapel
Hill, and the loss of this time and SAL
airy would have been hard on him. bur he
has now closed his school for a week
to comply with the law by attending a
Teachers Institute.
Letters to the State Superintendent
from Mecklenburg say that teachers
there are absenting themselves from the
institute. 1t may be that this is the case
in other counties. If so all public school
teachers should read the law and be
guided by it, for it says that to hold a
certificate or teach public school a
teacher shall attend the institute.
Failure to do so forfeits his right to
teach for one year.