The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1924-04-24

thfu dennlte remedial work directed
by the supervisor.
There are so many stumbling blocks
in the path of progress in school that
1t takes an expert coming in to help
lind Johnnie's particular difficulty and
to help remove it.
Perhaps his trouble is with his tea
cher-she may not plan her lessons;
she may not assign the next days
lesson in way to interest the child
rem or to help them preapre it we'll;
she may not lead all her pupils to
take part in Rotations; she may
spend too much time in nature study
and too little on penmanship. ANY
fault in school management the su-
pervisor sees and tries to correct.
! Some one may say, Let the teach
erS hold themselves up to high stand
ards of teaching" They cannot hold
themselves up to the highest stand
ards without help. No one can see
himself "as ithers see 'im." All of
us, If we were teachers, would need
the supervisors help. The best teach
ers need the stimulus and inspiration
that come from working under
helpful, guiding eye. The inexper-
fenced and incompetent teachers sad
ly need guidance in their struggles.
| Though correction may seem hard
when it is made, our teachers them
selves come to see how much easier
teaching is when their mistakes are
rectified.
We should not expect complete
Transformation of our schools at once.
We should remember that great num-
bers of our teachers have had very
few educational advantages and have
not yet learned the very difficult art
! of teaching.
But real progress is being made.
Definite aims are clearly stated and
are kept continually before every
teacher in the county. This definite
ness OF purpose indicates advance.
Not all at once, but little by little.
standards of teaching are raised. AS
soon as the teachers show that they
are capable of taking a step forward
the supervisors suggest the step.
Then the tests, used not alone in
Garrett county or in Maryland but in
the whole United States, show that
our children are developing in
achievement rapidly.
"Well," you may say, dear reader,
progress is being made and definite
plans for progress are now begin
ming to show results. But super
vision costs too much"
Does it cost too much? Even if the
salary of the supervisors had to come
directly out of the Garrett county
pocketbook-as it does not-would
supervision cost too much?
The yearly salary of elementary
school teachers in Garrett county is
S163, 800; suppose, on an average,
supervision increases the efficiency
of each teacher 25 per cent (this. by
the way, is a very low estimated: to
our boys and girls supervision is
worth at least S40,S75, which would
pay the entire cost of supervision
several times.
Until the other day l, like many
other people, had thought of super
vision as all cost and no saving. But
the other day l heard about the
county loan library that is circulated
in our schools.
How much has the county spent for
these library books y" l asked one of
our supervisors when l saw her "Oh.
nothing" she replied. "These books
are free sample copies that have been
sent to the Office. gathered them up.
divided them into different groups,
and devised a system of circulating
them"
Then and there the thought came
up; How to obtain sufficient good
reading material for our children and
teachers is one of our great financial
problems. Perhaps the supervisor
saves US money"
l began questioning and discovered
the following facts:
In just one supervisory unit in less
than two thirds of the present school
year the supervisor has been the
means of putting into the hands of
our school children and our teachers
books that cost us nothing but that
are worth at least S1275 to us.
Besides, thru her efforts, CHM &
Company, and several other book
firms and the Metropolitan Life In
surance Company have sent free
books, seat work, maps and charts
worth at least $500 to Garrett county
schools.
Then, too, the emphasis that the
present supervisors are laying on the
care of the county textbooks in each
school has this year in one supervis-
DRY unit saved the county at least
$500.
WORKOUT and discarded textbooks
have been utilized under the super
visor's direction in making seat work
that would have cost 5000 if it had
been purchased.
To sum up--in two thirds of
school year one supervisor has saved
the county at least $2375-more than
her salary for the entire year.
AS one thinks over these facts one
sees why several supervisors are
greater economy than just one for the
whole county. If frequent visits to
each school were not possible super
visor could not raise the quality of
teaching to satisfactory standards;
she could not get right down to your
child and mine and help remove
specific difficulties, she could not eff
feet saving, for instance, thru insist
ing on a careful use of books.
mot an industry in the United
States would send out 1875 people in
different directions to do its work
without supervision. Every railroad,
every business concern considers it
matter both of efficiency and of econ
omy to have specially trained work.
!