The Washington herald., 1907-08-05

for every change of textbooks means
course Of experiments with the minds of
the pupils These experiments are prev
alent to an alarming extent.
This duty falls nearly always upon the
school board and is the cause OF more
friction and insubordination than any
other feature of the school Organization.
In view of the requirements necessary to
pass Judgment upon the competency of
an applicant, this duty should belong ex-
clusively to the superintendent and his
immediate assistants. That any one else,
who knows nothing about the subjects
that enter into a teachers examination.
should be willing to shoulder the re-
sponsibfity OF choosing the teaching force
Of a school is quite in keeping with the
foregoing experiences. and furnishes an
other striking example of the harm that
can be done through an improper dlvi-
sion of the functions pertaining to the
school system.
ShOrtness of the School Term.
At present the school term is a little
more than eight months It should be
ten. or at least, nine full months, The
schools usually open September Is. and
close June Is. period of nine months,
but something over two weeks is used
up for holidays. and one week in the be-
ginning OF the term for organization
and getting into running order. After
June Is comes the long vacation, when
all the damage is done. for It is gen.
orally acknowledged by experienced
teachers that the pupils lose enormously
during the three months Of vacation. Why
this should be tolerated and continued is
hard to explain. Some say the children
cannot study during the heated term. To
this Il may be answered that the heat of
the schoolrOoms is not as great as the
heat I'm the tenement houses. Besides,
there Is no need for teaching n whole
day. If the school term could be extend
ed from June Is 20 August l. and three
morning hours devoted 10 a thorough re-
view Of the work Of the winter. great
deal Of good could be accomplished, not
alone by strengthening the child mentally,
but also by indirectly benehting him
morally by keeping him out Of the streets.
Six weeks of vacation Is sufficient for
| rest and recreation. especially since, with
a longer school term. the mental strain
has not been so great, and better results
have been accomplished
school, Examiners.
There should be school examiners, just
as there are bank examiners. We know
nothing Of the mental assets and liabili-
ties of the pupils except what we hear
from the teacher. and the teachers report
on his own work is inclined to be self
laudatory There was one instance when
| the schools Of Washington were examined
by outsiders. It was p the time Of the
Investigations institute by the United
States Senate, at the motion of Senator
Stewart.
To test the efficiency Of the Washington
/ schools, it was decided to hold an exami-
| nation Of all the pupils of the first year
of the high schools. The examination
was not on high school studies. nor on
eighth grade work, but, 10 make II fair
and not too difficult, the work OF the sew
enth grade was selected as a basis. The
questions were prepared under the direc-
tioa OF the chief examiner OF the Clvn
Service Commission. and submitted to the
principal OF the high school. who pro-
ncunced them satisfactory. The pupils
had no notice OF the proposed examlna-
ton. The total number Of those examined
was LIS.
In arithmetic only fifteen pupils solved
ali the problems correctly. and arithmetic
had been the principal study in the Wash
ington schools. In United States history
not a single pupil answered all the ques-
tions correctly. and the examination in
the other branches showed similar la
mentable results. Now, during the years
previous 70 this examination we had the
annual reports all filed with praises of
the wonderful work Of the schools and
the magnificent results attained.
If we read the reports on the schools OF
the past FIVE years, we find the same san
guine spirit and the same self-glorifica-
tion. We can only hope that ii is all true,
but we do not know II.
Let us. therefore. have school examiners
who are not connected with the school
system, for no man is capable of judging
his own work.