The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-03-18
TUESDAY, MARCH IS, 1902.
AIEAkHEK,s ADVICE.

A TEACHERS ADVICE.
ono OF the best articles on the public
school question that We have seen is that
by "A Country School Teacher" in last
Sundays Times. The views Of this wo-
man arc entitled to consideration, because
she has, according to her own account,
built up a fine school under the most adj
start, for she had been prepared at the
State Normal School for her work. and
when she took charge OF this country
school she knew just what to do with it
First of all. she induced the patrons OF
the school to Join her in getting up an
entertainment, and In this way she raised
sum Of money sufficient to put the
school building into habitable condition,
to purchase necessary school furniture
and to have the house painted. She made
the school-house attractive and then She
made the school itself attractive. as any
intelligent teacher can do. and the school
soon grew into such proportions as to
require an assistant teacher. She signi-
lcaatly adds: THE next session the
trustees gave me money to order patent
desks, which did with delight; and also
gave us a s35 chart, containing a little
of everything
In discussing this question. we have
more than once expressed the opinion
that the poor attendance OF this school
and that is to be attributed to poor
~.
children much good. parents soon dis
cover tho fact for themselves and think
that the children might as well be at
home But good school will attract pu-
pills, whether it Ire private school or
public school, We say, therefore, that
the way to improve the attendance is to
Improve the schools.
This woman, who modestly calls herself
D ''Backwoods Teacher has also given
Some general suggestions as to how the
schools may be improved, which are
worthy OF attention. First of all. she
recommends that ignorance and politics
be eliminated from the educational board
Of the several counties. This done she
suggests school trustees as well as school
teachers, be subjected to an examination
before being appointed. She thinks that
I'm order to get good schools the trustees
themselves must be not only unselfish,
but must be educated.
So long as there is pubic-school fund
to be distributed there will be more or
less of politics in the public-school sys-
tenn. 1t is srni,ly impossible to eliminate
politics. The best that We can do is
to reduce the evil to the lowest terms.
1t would be better, as our correspondent
suggests, il our school trustees were all
educated men, but that is impracticable;
nor does it by any means follow that
man is incapable of making a school trus-
ice because he has not had a college
efficient school boards composed of men
who have mot had such advantages. IL
every county had a board Of trustees
composed of men who were genuinely In
terested in school work, the schools would
be improved, whether the members were
educated or not i ne great Difficulty
is that trustees often use the school
funds for their own selfish purposes-use
1t as a sort OF spells fund and make the
school itself a matter of secondary con-
eideration. 1t is a notorious fact, as has
been repeatedly pointed out by our CORE
epondent, that teachers are often appoint
ed because they are faNorites, rather than
because they are competent. That is the
worst abuse, we believe, in the whole
system.
But this can be largely remeded. AS
was suggested several years ago by the
State Board of Education. and recently
by Messrs. Casl1ie and Glass. of Lynch
burg, If examinations We're conducted
simultaneously in ali parts of the State
and every examination paper sent to a
centralized committee TO lie passed upon
and graded, then it would pc impossible
for the trustees to appoint favorites who
were incompetent to teach. In our opin-
lon, no ono thing would do so much to
Improve the personnel Of the Virginia
teachers as the adoption of such sys-
TEN of examination. 1t Is surprising to
us that this proposal, which was made
several years ago by the State Board OF
Education, was not adopted by the Legis-
iaturc.
EIs