Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1915-02-24
A NEW SCHEME FOR EXAMS


member of society until one has actu-
ally shared responsibilities and has
been through the mill. In other words,
one cannot be taught how to be re.
sponsible, for in this instance expert
ence alone is the only teacher.
Perhaps no phase of student life
offers the pupils better opportunity
to develop character than the period of
taking the mid-year and final examina-
tions. At such times the pupils are
called upon to organize their thoughts
while disregarding their surroundings,
especially the written efforts of their
gone through the ordeal of taking
examinations can fully appreciate the
temptations that beset the pupils at
these times. Could the pupils be
placed in position more vexing, more
trying or where the responsibility of
the Individual is more exactlng and
real?
Secondary schools ands colleges
| throughout the country have tried out
numerous schemes for holding examina-
tions and we believe that the success
or failure of these schemes Or bungIe-
some arrangements has been princi-
pally dependent upon the attitude of
the examiner to the examinee No
realizes that he is not fully trusted.
AS a matter of fact there is a tendency
among the pupils as whole to "put
something over on teacher who
hedges his or her pupils about by limi-
tations concocted with the avowed
frank intention of preventing one pupil
stealing or cribbng from another dur
ing the examination period. Not that
pupils want or crave to do something
in violation of their conception of
honesty, but because there turks in
every one of us. whether we admit in
or not the desire to get even with him
who will not allow Us to show that we
are naturally honest and not dishonest
How it smarts to think that in this
we are not to be be trusted.
At Dartmouth the fellows take their
examinations in the gymnasium in the
. presence Of proctors who hold posi-
tion rot very far different from the
the sentries in the boxes along the
barricades at AndersonviIle in the days
! of the Civil war. Perhaps a few
, students have been caught in the act
of cribbing, certainly they deserve
nothing better than immediate expul
! sion from college, and this they get
, when they are found stealing during
, examinations. But isn't such system
a practical admission that the institu-
tion in which it is found is unable to
, train its students to become responsible
members of society? What other con-
clusion can one S sane judgment lead
, one to?
> When the boys who journeyed to
: Chester few days ago, stopped off at
, Hanover to visit Dartmouth. w. Gray
Knapp, secretary to President Nichols.
, said in answer to the query as to why
! it is that the so-called honor system
. has not been introduced at Dartmouth,
that he knew of no college where that
= system had been successfully carried
out. But the boys from Wesleyan on
the Connecticut will loudly protest
that under that the present form of
student government, the honor system
has been quite successful. Admitting
that there are students here and there
who will take advantage of any scheme
of examinations. does this of itself
! condemn the honor system? We be
j lieve not
At first it was intended to hole
examinations at the school on January
\ 18th and 10Th. A schedule of examina
tions was to have been made out anc
( care taken that pupils should be pre-
vented from knowing the nature oi
v hour for that particular examination
e arrived. Then, too, care was to have
e been taken to prevent any pupil from
being unduly Influenced by his neigh
n bors during the test period. Immedi
e ately opposition to this way of holding
this way of holding the mid-years
5 arose in the following various forms
4 (a) Would not such scheme give the
pupil the impression that we could not
J. fully trust him? (b) Would this moi
e be an excellent opportunity to demon
strate that principle which says that
q nine times out Of ten boy is sure to
do the square thing if he believes you
are confident he will play square? (c)
Would this not be a. good time tc
demonstrate to other schools that such
: a scheme is practical and will work!
s I'd Such scheme will demand g
v good deal of work on the part OF
s faculty to arrange such schedule OF
ex aminations that conflicts will
i not arise, and that all tests may be
$ run off in the time allotted.
8 1t was decided that the tests should
!. not take more than one day. Thursday
the 18th, thus allowing the pupils
Friday off as a day of rest and the
teachers day more in which to make
out the grades. No test was to take
less nor more than an hour and a half
= The examinations were scheduled to
:, come in the order of the regular daily
recitations, two being allowed in the
forenoon, the others being taken in
K the afternoon.
1t is needless to say that the scheme
, was hailed with delight by the pupils.
: Perhaps you will say that this is due
to their anticipation of holiday Be
n that as it may. The schedule was run
off without hitch. AS the teachers
had been assigned to different rooms
] where they were to hold their tests,
: the pupils passed from room to room
as they took one test after another.
PuL lis were requested to be as bust
o nesslike as possible in their work and
d placed upon their honor No special
d limitations We're nlaced not to con