The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-11-06
SCHOLASTIC CORRUPTION.
Conditions Described by One VINO
Has Taught for Eighteen Years.

Conditions Described by One VINO
Has Taught for Eighteen Years.
To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN-Sir: the
editorial article in THE Sun compInin-
ing of the poor products turned out py
the Board of Education at such q rich
outlay !s perfectly just. but II your q
less editors were 50 unfortunate as W
serve on the board they would be con
fronted with conditions that might init.
gate the severity Of their plea and
compel them to temper justice win
mercy.
What makes the army, the navy and
the police departments ineffcient IL
summed up In the catchwords. "Be iovai
to the system" The basis Is the un-
ethical standard that q person must be
more loyal to his order than TO the state
at large. Secrecy IN tlre watchword.
and any violation Of this secrecy ID
visited with condign p~untshment. Ihe
Mason who by his testimony sends a
brother Mason TO jail Ia an outcast. Inc
man who expose the unpreparedness OF
the ANY IL killed politically. Inc onlcer
who exposes the Annapolis examination
frauds is disciplined. while the man VINO
uncovers the corruption In a police de-
part n,ent or labor union IL murdered.
SO II is in the educational department
Secrecy percolates the system from the
top to the bottom. The pupil. the raw
material sent to the educational factory,
naturally brings with him the code OF
tho gang and will not "snitch.' He
masters a system of communication IN
examinations that outgenerals any yet
conceived in the fertile brain of the ron
vict. II the teacher does not condone
his ofYence in order TO gst good marks
from the principal he will be fooled any
how. The pupil Is often unht Tor ms
grade. but he will not complain, ana
as he has no guardian nd Item TO pro-
tect his interests NE falls a willing VIC
tim to predigested methods OF teaching.
Of frills n fads. only to find, TOO late.
that he must attend night school to
make up the instruction denied him in
the grades. What with uhie and the
frequent padding OF class registers by
teachers who fear to be dropped the
taxpayer faces u pretty bill. Not IN
ured 10 work. the pupil drops from the
schools INTO the ranks OF the unsk He'd
and disc"ntented unemployables and en-
poses our nation to domestic perils
greater n foreign dreadnOughts.
scholarship is not an essential re-
uuist to of some teachers. The ability
Ia answer such questions as What is
sc1llosis ?" equips one to enter the hrst
degree Of the order of Pedagogues. This
ability can be developed by the 'cOaoh."
u necessary evil OF t0e SNbteNf. ~
| quote from a coaching schools letter 10
aspirants who wish to teach IN the
high schools
The examinations have become so highly
technical that the services OF an expert
coach are we'll nigh Indispensable. Some
Of the very best photographers have failed
20 pass simply because they did not know
now" They were not familiar with
the methods. the procedure. the kind OF
questions and the type 81 answers ex-
pected by the Board of Examiners. Mr.
p Is In a position 10 show you HOW.
Is it any wonder that men who do
not believe in the attack on their pocket
books fail to pass and many others re-
fuse to come INTO the system?
To be a successful teacher one must,
Ike Atalauta. neglect his ideal and stoop
TO pick the golden apples that tempt
him.. which are the positions OF head OF
department., principal and superinten-
dent. He will win the approving marks
from his principal If he Is loyal to atll-
ietics and If he keeps his mouth shut.
In disciplining his pupils his motto is
Punch. brothers. punch Punch with
care" and the ingenious methods OF
hurting the children without ~telltale
marks would. had they been adopted BY
the ignorant orderlies on B~lackwclls
Island. have saved many of them their
jobs.
There are very few men teachers of
my acquaintance who do not heat the
children. hut If the teacher is loyal" u
prinCipal will oover UP such a little In
friugement of the bylaws. There are
quite a few principals and teachers who
can't control the children without cor
IOnl punishment. but they are not
going 10 take the public unto their con-
iidence and ask Dor the restoration of
this sometimes much needed discipline.
The ~watchword is Secrecy"
Barring some few exceptionally good
men, | find that the principal is a imam
among children and "A child among
men" He clubs his teachers into taking
up outside school ctvities' by threat
eniuE those who do not comply with low
ratings. and he forms OF them a pyra-
superintendency. He may he unpatri.
he Will be whitewashed II any dare
bring charges against him. Teachers
and i~duitors are sometimes dismissed
hut principals and superintendent ma
II convicted he transferred.
Thus the merry game goes on. and
meanwhile THE hungry sheep look vi
and are no fed"
Does the board know OF these things
Hardly. Any one who dares to speak
the truth is usually discredited. bounded
fined, transferred and marked down, bu,
| think times are changing for the bet.
ter. and the agitation about the 'un.
preparedness" of the pupils will produce
good results. CHRISTOPHER j. LANE.
NEW YORK, October 2S.