The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-12-16

1 fCOnttnued fEkIm Page EtEhH.D
 of office of the State Superintendent l to one term is very unwise. It renders uncertain unbroken development. It l forces the incumbent out of office l about the time when he has become 1 familiar with his duties. It causes many we'll qualified men to hesitate | or to decline to seek the position. So far as I am informed, Alabama is the only state having such constitutional enactment. and I am certain that it has retarded and will retard to some ex- tent the educational growth of the State.
 County supervIsiOn.
 AS important as Is the matter of state supervision, that of county super vision is even more important, because it is more closely related to the work of the individual teacher and the in- dividual school. Some county superin- tendents are well qualified for an effi- cient performance of their duties: some, am sorry to have to say, have not measured up to that standard. Thls state of affairs Is attributable largely to the fact that, in some counties, the | office is regarded as political one. | Such policy is hurtfui. Under the ex- l citement of partisan contests, the mat ter of qualification is frequently over looked The result is inefficient super vision. This office should be removed as far as possible from the influences of what is called partisan or practical politics.
 So long as it is possible for unqual- flied men to secure election to this of fice-men who are not experienced in school management, who know nothing of the history of education, who have not made a study of the theory of teaching. who could not pass credit able examination even for the lowest grade of teachers certificate-just so long will we have here and there in- competent county supervision. So long, too, as we follow for political reasons the practice of forcing out of office at the end of one or two terms com potent superintendents, just so long will the great cause of education be hindered. A qualified county super intendency is one of the greatest of our, educational needs. Local taxation. better buildings. consolidation of schools, proper classification and grad ing. good teaching-aIl depend upon 1t.
 The constitution is defective in that 1t fails to provide an educational and professional qualification for the office of county superintendent 0f education. The superintendent should be chosen by the county board of education. and the selection should not be confined to the county or even the state. The board should be free to select the best qual- flied man available, regardless of his place of residence. And I see no con- vincing reason why women should not be eligible for the office of county sup erintendent of education.
 County superintendents of education should be we'll qualified and should be paid salaries sufficiently large to en- able them to devote the entire time to their work. In the smallest counties even, superintendents should receive compensation sufficiently great to en- able them to live comfortable, to spend an adequate portion of time in making better preparation for service, and to accumulate reasonable competency
 DiStriet Supervision.
 District supervision is of prime irn- portance, for 1t Is there that the super intendent comes into direct touch with pupils, with parents, with trustees, and with all of the other forces that go to make or unmake the school. Upon him rests the arrangement and the ad- ministration of the courses of study, the recommendation of teachers, the classification of pupils, and the en- forcement of discipline. A narrow man. an inexperienced man, a weak man. an ignorant man. cannot meet the de- mands of such a position. The funda- mental law should make 1t impossible for such a man to be chosen for such a work.