The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1914-06-05

institutional MISUNDERSTANDING
the public school system-that he
would designate our public schools as
what they are today dishonest, in
efficient means of separating the tax
payer from his money with no ade-
quate return to his children" Honest
ly, | wonder what manner OF man
he is? What motive, knowledge,
fairmindedness and sympathy actuat-
ed him? What community good did
he hope to accomplish? | regard
such an attack upon the teaching pro-
fession generally and upon Caldwelps
schools and teachers in particular, as
unwarranted and entirely lacking in
evidence and justice. believe that
nothing less than ignorance, or pre-
JUDGE, or both, accompanied, per-
haps, by an exaggerated ambition to
say something unusually forceful,
could inspire any such dogmatic
statements as you make.
AS to the statements made in your
editorial relative to the blank dip
Tomas, | desire to say that they are
gross Misrepresentation both as to
the number of so called blank dip
Tomas and the reasons for issuing
them. Before giving the facts rela-
tive to the graduating classes of 1918
and 1914 | desire to explain the re-
quirements for graduation.
The Board of Education passed a
regulation to the effect that mini
mum Of 81 credits "a credit is given
for satisfactory work done in one
subject reciting FIVE periods per week
Tor one semester, or the eqNivalent)
be required for graduation; provided,
that upon the recommendation of the
high school faculty, pupil may be
graduated with a minimum of thirty
credits. These requirements are diff
ferent from the former requirements
only in that the provision for gradual
ing a pupil with thrifty credits is APP
pended. This additional provision
was made after a discussion of my
own recommendation that such pro-
vision be made. 1t was not the in
tent OF this provision to lower the
requirements for graduation, but to
offer enough elasticity in the admin
istering of the former regulation to
deal with Special cases" as special
cases. To illustrate, a pupil might be
i'll part of the last esmester of his
senior year. Perhaps he might re-
cover in time to complete three sub
jects satisfactorily, whereas, if he
were required to complete the four,
she might not only do poor work in
all OF the four subjects but render
herself physical injustice in attempt
ing to meet the requirements.
Furthermore there has been an i'm
formal discussion and mutual under
landing among the Board members
and myself that should a student of
senior standing be short one or two
credits when the class as a whole
reaches its graduation exercises, he
may be permitted to participate in
the various exercises of the Com
mencement week, but receive his
signed diploma only after earning the
other credits required. This, again,
is not done in secrecy as your editorial
implies. The details are known to all
whose business it is to know. Nor
in such course of procedure taken
with the intend of covering up the
terchers' failures" or browning their
ignominy with dishonesty" as you
state. On the other hand, should
there be a pupil who is thus short on
the maximum number of credits re-
quired, his interests and social re-
latons and school spirit identify him
with his own class-not the class
next below; his required credits can
readily be completed the following
semester; in word, without any
disgrace to the teacher" without any
"indignity to the student" without
any insult to the patrons" the pupil
may be dealt with justly, with the
same degree of reason, good sense
and consistency that ought to charac-
terize any human dealing, You would
have the public think that "the sole
purpose" of such procedure lis to
cover up the incompetency of the
teacher" shall leave the public to
judge whether or not such statement
is characterized by fairmindedness
and justice.
In the handling of the classes of
1918 and 1914, no deviations were
made from our policy as outlined
above. The class of 1918 was COM
posed of twenty-nine members, TWEEN
tyeight of whom each have 81 credits
and have received their signed dip
Tomas. The other member could
could have more than finished his
work the first semester of the school
year OF lol3-l4 had he returned. He
did not return, he never received a
diploma, he is not an alumnus of the
high school. The class of 1914 en-