Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1913-02-06
Favors School Supervisors.

10 Ine EulIOF. Win all due
respect for our honorable coun-
ty judge and ye editor,
should like 10 write a few lines in
answer to the communication OF AR.
Sturgess in regar9 to our school SUI
pervision. OF course, everyone has
right to his own opinion, but form
ing too hasty an opinion is fault
everyone should avoid.
To judge the work of supervisors
by the notes read at the Parent
Teachers meetings would be as I'M
fair as to judge the merits of lee
ture by the notes jotted down Dy
some auditor, as In both case; the
notes were brief and to be used SIM
ply as reminders OF the fuller and
more compete work.
Su>ely, no ore would thin that
children w9Ie of less value tlaI,
fruit trees or roads, yet we have
fruit inspectors and road supervisors,
so why not have school supervisors?
No one would think of letting an m
experienced person go to work on
their place without watching aud in
structing them, so why should we
allow inexperienced teachers ~ go
into our school rooms and gain ex-
perience at the expense of our chill
dren, when by intelligent school
supervision, the supervisor, who has
been a successful teacher, could cor
rect their mistakes before any dam
age was done and give them valuable
hints which prove of value to both
teacher and pupil. Then, too, he
sees that each district receives the
benefits of the o. A. c. literature
and U. S. Department of Agriculture
bulletins without any expense or loss
of time.
Would Mr.. Sturgess, who is or was
a road supervisor, hire some stran-
ger to work on his road and pay him
wages without going to see how
much or how we'll the work was
done? No! He would simply laugh
at the idea. Does he infer that the
children are of less Importance than
his roads?
To be sure, as Mr.. Sturgess OBJ
served, we should all know enough
to have our children's drinking cups
scalded with lye water, because none
of us would wish our children to
drink after children who have skin
or blood trouble, but as far as that
is concerned, man knows he should
work well to draw good wages, but
will they all do so if they know that
no one will know whether they work
or not? 1t is the same with a teach
er. When a teacher knows that the
directors seldom if ever visit her
school or inspect her work, what is
to prevent her becoming lazy or care
less?
Mr.. Sturgess says pictures do not
bring in any money, but if you are
simply looking at monetary values,
neither does music nor many of the
other studies, but who would wish
to live without music, art and litera-
ture? AS | understand education,
it is the means by which a person
is fitted to go into the world, min
gle with people and be able to con-
verse intelligently on all subjects of
common interest. Could he do so
did he not know, at least, few of
the worlds most noted artists and
their work? Who would wish to
have their children to be dumb and
embarrassed in company of per-
sons who were speaking on subjects
everyone should be familiar with and
have them realize they might have
been conversant with the subjects
had their parents or school directors
allowed these subjects to be taught
when the supervisor advised the bet
| ter method by which they might be
taught? | cannot see why anyone
who has thoroughly investigated the
matter should in any way object to
our system of school supervision.
GLADYS E. MILLER.
Central Point, Ore