The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1907-02-21
MATTERS EDUCATIONAL.
Column Conducted By The Garrett
County Teachers Association.

VINO should contribute an article to
this column. Why delay longer?
Every instructor who is ambitious
should take advantage of this OPP
portunity for self-improvement as
we'll as for helping the schools of
the county. Only few weeks re-
main before the contest will close.
The atlantic Educational
Journal" is very liberal this month
in its praise of this column which
is devoted to education. That
publication says the movement
will surely make better schools
throughout the county; for these
articles are sure to influence the
teacher to be better fitted for his
work and in bringing before the
parents each week some thoughts
dDOul our SCHOOLS,
The following article has been
receive for publication in the
series:
WHO is THE BACKBONE OF THE
SCHOOL?
1t was pointed out a few weeks
ago in this column that the teach
er shoulders only a small part of
the responsibility for the success of
the school; he or she feels that
their allegiance is to the school
board, The following week it was
shown that the trustees are not
expected to bt the main-stav of
the school; for the trustee who
does all that is expected Of him
does only a very little towards the
real effectiveness ofthe instruction.
In this article, therefore, it is the
purpose to try and show upon
whom does rest the responsibility
for the success Of the school. And
this article will be a failure if at
the close the reader does not agree
that the real success depends upon
the parents, and that they there
fore are the backbone OF the school
if there be any backbone at all.
In the majority Of the schools of
Garrett County the parents leave
the work wholly to the teacher
and to the trustees, neither of
whom are concerned half as
much as the parents should be in
the future success of their children.
The concern of the parents natural
ly extend farther than that Of the
others connected with the school,
for they have a duty in seeing that
their children are educated 50
that they will be worthy and safe
citizens, Too mapy parents take
no interest at all in the schools,
with the result that the children
often are educated so that they
are more dangerous to the country
with an education than without
one; they have been educated in
the wrong way with the result
that they are dangerous citizens.
The parents neglected their duty
in not seeing that they were being
educated in the virtue rather than
in vice. A son or daughter I'M
properly educated is as much the
heaviness of their parents as is an
ignorant one. Let the parents
look after the school and see that
their children have the proper as
sociations and are being taught
honesty and righteousness as we'll
as history and reading.
We would not have the reader
infer that the parents never take
an intesest in the schools. Such a
conclusion would be false, for when
there is trouble in the school
some student proclaiming that he
has seen partially shown in the
school, or some other affair has
taken place, then the parents will
storm the school house and will
jump into the fray with all their
weight, adding oil to the fire. The
teacher is not worth his salt unless
he will,do everything in his power
to keep out of unnecessary trouble.
The modern pedagog fears a fight
as much as a dog does a boy with