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have been partially successful, as there is much
more feeling and interest taken in our district
schools. The inhabitants of school districts are
beginning to see the importance of procuring
teachers qualified for the business; they see
that it is not economy to employ teachers whose
only recommendation is that they will keep the
school cheap. The situation of their schools is
more frequently the topic of conversation, and
they appear to realize the necessity of bestow.
ing upon them a greater amount of their per-
sonal care and attention, in order to raise the
character and elevate the standard of their com-
mon schools.

NATHAN TIDD,
Dep. Sup. of Chemung Co.

REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY-NORMAL

SCHOOLS.

The following ordinance of the Regents is one of the most important measures yet adopted for the improvement of our common schools. We confidently anticipate from it, the establishment of institutions for the education of teachers, which shall accomplish the object of their creation and merit the generous patronage of the state; and we hope from their influence a rapid and general diffusion of those thorough methods of culture, which shall give new dignity to the profession of teaching, and greater usefulness and popularity to our district schools.

We trust that the plan now adopted will be carefully matured and immediately carried out; and that no academy will be deemed worthy of holding this sacred trust for the people, that will not make the education of teachers for common schools, its prominent and leading object.

in duration and secondary in importance; and so
long as they retain such a character and are held
in such estimation, the object for which they
were established, will of necessity, be only
But by reducing the
partially accomplished.
number of departments to four, and increasing
the annual appropriation to each from $300 to
$1200, their relation to the academies in which
they are established, will be reversed, as they
will then, instead of being as now secondary, be-
come primary objects of attention and regard;
the principals of such academies, in consideration
of such endowment, will, it is reasonable to pre-
sume, be selected with special reference to their
qualifications to conduct such departments, and
the students who attend them without being sub-
ject to any additional charges, will have greatly
increased advantages for improvement.

The committee therefore propose that an ordinance be adopted to carry out the plan proposed in the communication above referred to, and they have accordingly prepared the draft of an ordinance, which is herewith submitted:

ORDINANCE, &c.

Academy. Academy. - Academy. Academy.

Be it ordained by the Regents of the University of the state of New-York, that the Departments for the educa tion of Teachers of Common Schools heretofore established by this Board, be reduced to four; to be established as follows: One in the Southern, one in the Eastern, one in the Northern, and one in the Western section of the state. That the following named academies be and they are hereby designated for the establishment of said departments, that is to say: For the southern section of the state, For the northern section of the state, For the eastern section of the state, For the western section of the state, But inasmuch as such departments when established by the Regents of the University, are by law placed under the direction of the Secretary of State as Superinten dent of Common Schools, the designation of the acade mies above named, for the purposes above stated, is made on condition that the trustees of the said academies, so designated, on receiving notice thereof, shall, in consideration of the appropriation to be made to them as hereinafter stated, and so long as such appropriation resolution under their corporate seal, to establish and conduct said departments, on such a foundation, and in such manner as shall be prescribed and required by the said Superintendent of Common Schools, to whom it is relation to such consent and agreement, and to report thereon to this Board at some future meeting.

We shall return to this important subject in a shall continue to be made to them, consent and agree by future number.-ED.

April 11, 1843.

The following report and ordinance were una-hereby referred, to correspond with auid academies, in nimously adopted, and ordered to be published: The committee to whom was referred the communication from the Secretary of State, as Superintendent of Common Schools, recommending a reduction in the number of academies in which departments for the education of Common School teachers are established, respectfully report:

And be it further ordained, that all future appropriations of that part of the income of the literature fund, intended for the support of departments for the educa tion of common school teachers, shall be made exclu sively to such academies as are or shall be designated under the preceding section of this ordinance, and the whole amount authorized to be so appropriated, shall be either equally divided among such academies, or in proportion to the number of teachers instructed by them, as shall be hereafter determined. Nothing in this ordinance shall be deemed to extend to, or in any manner affect, any department for the education of teachers of common schools, which the Regents of the University are required by law to have established in every academy which receives a share of $700 in the general distribution of visitation. $40,000, annually made among academies subject to their

That they concur with the Superintendent, in the opinion expressed in his communication, that the appropriation of that part of the income of the Literature Fund intended for the support of departments for the education of teachers, ought to be limited to four academies, to be designated by the Regents of the University, in the manner proposed by the Superintendent. The number of academies in which such departments are now established being sixteen, and the amount of public money annually appropriated to them being only $4800, the money allotted to each ($300) is so inadequate to accomplish the object of the appropriation, that the departments, under their present organization, are generally considered and treated by the several academies in which they to get the most of the teacher's services.

The Regents reserve to themselves the right of altering, modifying or rescinding the preceding ordinance, or any part thereof. (A copy,) T. ROMEYN BECK, Sec'y.

are established, as mere appendages, temporary

the above academies at an early period in the enIt is expected that the Regents will designate suing autumn.

The parent that visits the school most, is sure

Advise your teacher, but do not slander him.

DISTRICT SCHOOL JOURNAL.

FRANCIS DWIGHT, EDITOR. OFFICIAL-TO SCHOOL OFFICERS.

$50,000, and creates in their stead eight hundred and thirty-two town superintendents, possessing the same powers, but under increased responsibilities to the people for the right application of the public money.

It provides for the faithful discharge of duty by county superintendents;-by giving the state superintendent power in certain cases, to withhold the

from office, should neglect or violation of duty make it necessary.

The next No. of the Journal will be issued by the 15th inst., and will contain the official exposition of the new school act, and the form of the bond to be given by Town Superintendents, togeth-state's moiety of their salary; and also to remove er with such explanations as may be necessary. The county superintendents, are directed to call the attention of the proper town officers, to the It gives the right of appeal, in the first instance, provision requiring the appointment of a town su- to the county superintendent;-that district difficulperintendent on the first day of June. It is an im-ties may be settled at home, where they are best portant office, and its incumbent should be selected understood, and the expense and delay prewith much care. S. YOUNG, vented of carrying up every petty question to the Sup't of Com. Schools, state superintendent for adjudication.

THE NEW COMMON SCHOOL ACT.

It establishes three grades of certificates for teachers;-that a generous emulation may be awakened among the educators of our youth, to secure the highest evidence of qualification from the

By the strong vote in the Assembly of 79 ayes to 24 noes, and the UNANIMOUs assent of the Sen-hands of the state superintendent. ate, this most important bill of the session has become a law; thus making many beneficent reforms in the administration of the schools, and recognizing and sustaining as the settled policy of the state the admirable system of supervision by county superintendents.

We congratulate our fellow citizens on this triumph of the great cause of education. Though uncalled for and unheeded by those who are lost in the hurly burly of party politics, still there are many, who looking indifferently on the scramble for office, will rejoice at the success of these great measures of educational reform, in which alone lies the hope of our country. For they feel that the heart of the people must be reinforced by a higher and sterner morality; that the common mind must be enlightened by a wiser and better culture; that our schools must teach virtue as well as knowledge, must develop and cherish principles to control and habits to protect the life, or universal corruption and dishonesty will make the name of American a scorn throughout all coming time. And it is in view of these considerations that we rejoice in this new and great measure of social amelioration. It is a giant stride forward in the path of true civilization.

It prolongs the term of office of trustees to three years, one trustee going out each year;-to secure a more systematic administration of the affairs of the districts, and prevent thos numerous difficulties arising from the ignorance of the trustees of the arrangements of their predecessors.

It directs that the teacher's money shall remain in the hands of the town superintendents, until the written order of a majority of the trustees of any district is presented, when it shall be paid to the teacher entitled to receive the same. This provision was called for by many trustees, who found the custom of drawing the public money and dividing it among themselves, a cause of frequent embarrassment. It was called or by public policy, as in many cases the school money has been lost by passing into the hands of insolvents. It was called for by justice to the teacher, who has often been compelled to wait month after month for his hard earned pay, and sometimes forced to compound by taking anything but the money so justly his own. This provision was not objected to by any member of the legislature.

It perpetuates our admirable library system; authorizing, however, the districts in certain cases, to purchase maps, globes, and other school apparatus.

IT DOES NOT ADD to the powers of the county superintendent except in the matter of appeals, leaving that officer as now, to accomplish the great objects of his mission by an earnest and zealous devotion to the cause of the schools; his powers being advisory, and appeals lying from all his acts to the department.

The Act, which will be found on the first page of this Journal, embodies the principal amendments recommended and vindicated by the State Superintendent in his annual report; and is not only a great measure of educational, but also of economical reform. Its leading provisions are powerfully advocated in the extract from Mr. Hulburd's Report, which we give in this number, and which makes any general remarks of our own It authorizes the continuance of the subscription unnecessary. We shall therefore merely indi-to a School Journal on grounds of economy and utilcate its prominent features. ity;-inasmuch as through its columns those laws, It abolishes forty-one hundred and sixty petty offi- decisions, and regulations of the common schools ces, whose annual charge on the people exceeded are sent to every district, which would otherwise

at a greatly increased expense,need to be published and forwarded in pamphlet form, as their general diffusion is essential to the constant and harmonious progress of the system.

Such are the main provisions of the ACT AMENDATORY OF THE SEVERAL ACTS IN RELATION TO COMMON SCHOOLS, and we feel encouraged to believe that the time is near, when our schools shall under this efficient system, become the means of more widely diffused blessings than ever before alleviated the lot of man.

It will be noticed that the law takes effect on the first day of June next.

COUNTY CONVENTIONS.

Since our last notice of these meetings, numerous common school conventions have been held throughout the state.

We see

In Orange, a thorough county organization has recently been established, which will, if efficiently carried out, make reform easy, rapid and safe. In Yates, successive conventions met, in January, February and March, and their proceedings show a constantly increasing interest. with gratification, that the reports and discussions are published at length in the Yates County Whig. Its columns could not be devoted to a better object, than the diffusion of sound views on this neglected but paramount interest of society.

We regret that we have been unable to republish the proceedings of Yates and Orange, instead of giving so meagre a notice of such important and encouraging movements.

[From the Common School Journal.]

SCHOOL ORDER.

First, the classification of a school. This is a point which, at the opening of a school, demands immediate attention. I have known a school kept in confusion all winter from the want of an early and good classification of the pupils. Young teacher, let me call your attention a moment to this point. It is a matter of no little importance. It has more to do with your comfort and your success in school than you may imagine. Suppose you found yourself to-morrow morning in the school-room for the first time, with from fifty to eighty scholars,what would be your first business? To classify your school. This, in towns where the system of a gradation of schools has been adopted, will be comparatively an easy task. When scholars are nearly of the same age and attainment, two or three divisions will comprise all the varieties. But I will suppose you are in a common grammar-school,—such as most of our winter schools in the country are,-of from for ty to eighty scholars; and all the varieties of age and attainment which may be found be tween four years and twenty. Here the process for classification may be something like the following, viz:

Having previously prepared a sheet of paper after the form here given,

phy. Names of Age. Parents' Reading. Spelling. Arith-Gram | Gogra- Algebra His-Physi

scholars.

names.

metic

mar

toryology.

proceed to call your pupils fer examination in alphabetical order; i. e., say to all those whose surnames begin with the letter A,-(or, if you please, you can take two or three letters, A, B, C,)-arrange yourselves upon this seat, (or in any convenient part of the room, as the teacher may choose.) Then proceed to take their names and ages, and their parents' names.Then examine them, each one in order, in reading, spelling, or in any two or three of the various branches; but do not examine them in all the branches at this sitting. It would make the exercise too long; and the other pupils would grow uneasy. It would be better, after getting through a part of the branches, to dismiss this division, and call the next in rotation, D, E, F, and so on through the alphabet. After going once round, call the first division again; examine them in the remaining branches, or in two or three of them; then the second, and so on until the whole examination is finished. And all this, especially with the skilful and experienced practitioner, may be a much shorter process than most would imagine. A half dozen lines, for instance, in reading, and a few words of common use, of marked character, and not among our most difficult combinations, selected for spelling, such as believe, receive, separation, supersede, infallible, grammar, would give the discerning teacher a good, yea, almost a certain clue to the scholars' real knowledge in these branches; and so of the rest. examine, on your paper and under the proper head put down the degree of excellence from one up to four, five, or six, according as you please to extend the scale of gradation.

As you

When you have got through; what have you as a reward for your labor? You have before

the scholars were allowed to move along in a confused, noisy and boisterous manner, when entering or retiring from the room at the commencement and close of school, or when passcation of the want of order, which I have never known to fail in a single instance. And it is not only an indication of the want of order, but an absolute hindrance to it. The boy who is allowed to enter the school-room blusteringly, will, almost imperceptibly to himself, feel that he has permission to bluster through the whole day. Some teachers, on the contrary, exercise a needless restraint on this point, and make the scholars go about singly and on tip. toe. There is a happy medium more favorable to good order than either extreme. Let every teacher aim to secure this. When school is dismissed, or classes are called, let the scholars advance with a light step,-not all in a body— but by seats, or in small companies.

you an alphabetical list of your scholars, and of their parents,-a very convenient matter for reference, and you have formed, by means of this examination, some acquaintance, you have obtained some valuable insight into the charac-ing to and from recitation seats. It is an inditer of every member of your school; all this at the outset, almost before you have commenced operations. What an immense advantage it gives you! It is like chart and compass to the mariner, about to launch into an unexplored sea. It is a knowledge whose value you will feel all your journey through; and which may save you from many a school disaster, and possibly your character as a teacher from utter ruin. There are other methods in which the classification may be made. If the school has been long in existence, and under pretty judicious discipline, you may venture to tell the scholars to arrange themselves in classes in their usual manner. But even then I would proceed to take names in alphabetical order, and examine just as before. The particular mode of getting at this preliminary acquaintance with your school is not essential; it is the thing itself. This I insist upon. Without it, a week, month, or even half the term, may slip away, before you have the school arranged, before you know what each scholar can do, and where he can work to most advantage. After this general arrangement, or classification, in the progress of the school, it will, no doubt, be necessary to make sundry changes and transfers, from time to time, as further acquaintance and more minute examination reveal to you more clearly the true position of every pupil. But this is very different from attempting to go on without any classification. It is all the difference between a plan somewhat short of perfection, and no plan at all,-utter confusion.

It may be asked, on what principle should the classification proceed? Should it be found ed on age, or attainment, or both? I reply, chiefly on attainments; but let some respect be paid to age. On this point, I have somewhat modified my views in later years. I would not put a large boy of sixteen into a class with a little girl of six or eight, because he can read no better than she. His backwardness, it may be, is his misfortune, and not his fault. His position would be mortifying to his self-esteem. It would make him uncomfortable, and he would not learn so much. We do not like, any of us, to have our own self-esteem disturbed. Let us have some regard to that of others. He will thank you in his heart for thus regarding his feelings, will be a better scholar, and you and all the school will be the happier for it.Let him go in with those who are more his equals in years, even though they should be somewhat further removed from him in attainment. Again, in making your classification, should you pay any respect to existing prejudices and peculiarities prevailing in the school or neighborhood; or to the customs and ways of former teachers? I think you may, when you can so do without compromising principle. And you would, doubtless, arrive at your own purposes, by so doing, easier and quicker than in any other way.

It is easier and safer, and often more expeditious, to ascend an inclined plane than to go up at once a perpendicular steep.

I never knew good order in a school where

I have now said what I have to offer, on school order,-its importance and the mode of preserving it. At some future period I may give my views on the proper mode of teaching some of the common branches.

REPORT.

We shall return again and again for further extracts from this admirable report. It is written with much power, exhibiting untiring industry in collecting important educational statistics, and using them with great effect in enforcing and i!. lustrating the arguments of the committee in behalf of a system of thorough and judicious supervision. We ask attention to the following exposition of the proposed amendment of the system, as more immediately interesting in connection with the action of the Legislature.—ED.] The committee on colleges, academies and common schools, on petitions for, and remonstrances against, the repeal of so much of the act relating to common schools as directs the appointment of deputy superintendents. Mr. Hulburd, from the committee on colleges, &c. respectfully asks leave to make the following UNANIMOUS Report:

The committee have looked through the numerous petitions presented asking the abolition of the office of deputy superintendent, to find some method proposed to remove these existing evils. To cure acknowledged defects, no substistute is offered other than to fall back upon the old dispensation of town inspection. The theory of that system was, in itself good; but in the lapse of time it has become effete; its practical operation, or rather its want of practi cal operation, is a hindrance to the advance of common schools. The addition of the county system renders the whole machinery complicated and burdensome. There are now about 33,000 district trustees, about 11,000 district clerks, about the same number of district librarians; 4,160 commissioners and inspectors. The services of the three first classes are gratuitous, the two latter may receive one dollar for every day necessarily "devoted in their official capacity;" the aggregate amount paid yearly for this devotion," exceeds $50,000; add to this the

"

elevate and improve their schools-is abandoned. It was the remark of M. Van den Ende, who is said to have done more than any other man in all Europe to promote the education of the people, "take care whom you choose for inspectors; they are a class of men who ought to be searched for with a lantern in one's hand." (Cousin's Ed. in Holland, page 31.) Let us see how we have made this selection. A visiter in Catta

entire expense of the county deputies, say $28,000, and it gives $78,000 as the annual cost of the local administration of our schools. The committee propose instead of this expensive and inefficient system, to abolish the offices of commissioner and inspector, and devolve upon a new officer to be designated "Town Superintendent of Schools, "all the duties now imposed upon those two classes of officers. This subtracts from the number of town officers under pay, thirty-threeraugus county, says, "our commissioners and hundred and twenty-eight; reduces the amount of taxation in all the counties for school officers, more than ten times that number of dollars. It is also proposed to authorize and require the county superintendent to hear and determine all appeals from the decisions and acts of the town superintendent, and from his decision to allow an appeal to be taken to the state superinten-ence is the employment of incompetent teachers. dent. This system will be more in consonance with our legal proceedings; every person feeling himself aggrieved by the act of his district, of his trustee, or of his town school officer, will have the right to one examination at least, in his own town and county and in the presence of his peers.

66

inspectors are elected so much in view of party,
that many can be found among them who know
not the first rudiments of an English education.
(Ass. Doc. 1840, No. 307, p. 25.) In relation to
Oneida county, a visiter reports. "in very ma-
ny of the towns the inspectors are elected with-
out the necessary qualifications; the consequ
A teacher who had taught six or seven years,
informed the visiter that never in his recollection
was his school visited by an inspector." (Ass.
Doc. 1841, No. 153.) A visiter in Putnam coun-
ty remarks, many of the inspectors, and I
might say a large majority of them, are either
wholly incompetent to perform properly the du-
ties of that office, or pay little or no regard
to the requirements enjoined by the statute."
Similar extracts might be made from the reports
from almost every county in the state. Is it to
be wondered at that the Legislature of 1841,
should in the view of such a state of facts, be
disposed to look with favor upon a system, the
main features of which had worked so well in
Holland and Prussia?

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It is further proposed that this sole school of ficer shall give adequate security for the faithful accounting of the public money with which he is intrusted. The general policy of the law has been to require bonds whenever public money was to be received and disbursed; town collectors and constables are required to give this indemnity to the public, and even the collectors of school district moneys may be compelled to give satisfactory bonds; yet the school commissioner, The official reports of the deputies are filled often receiving five or ten times the amount as- with the imperfections of the present system of sessed in the school district, has by law been inspecting teachers. In the county of Schohapermitted to receive the public funds on his per-rie, the deputy found that inspectors had "given sonal integrity. This safeguard has not always certificates to teachers, who could not do a sum protected the town from loss. In 1836, the su- in simple substraction;" in Chenango, the depu perintendent, in his report, says, during the ty says the number of teachers employed in last three years it has repeatedly happened that this county, whose qualifications are adequate a commissioner has absconded with school mo- for their important station, is very small, many neys to a considerable amount in his hands, and of the teachers do not understand arithmetic," the entire loss has fallen upon the school dis: in one town of Cortland county the deputy found tricts." These incidents are becoming more and it necessary to reject every candidate as unqua. frequent. The committee have been able to dis-lified to teach; in Fulton county, cover no good reason why the fidelity of a schoolers had been found who had been guilty of imofficer is more trustworthy than the fidelity of moral conduct, profanity, drunkenness, &c.: an other town officers; they therefore recommend, inspector of that county, granted in one instance, that this dangerous anomaly in our fiduciary a certificate to a man who was known to be system be abolished. certificate became beastly intoxicated; and soon intemperate, and the same day he obtained his after the inhabitants elected that teacher an inspector of schools; a deputy of Jefferson county found some experienced teachers, holding two or three town certificates, who did not know one half the marks and pauses used in writing; in Orleans county, the deputy met with many teachers who were very young boys, sixteen and seventeen years of age, hired for twelve dollars per month-girls, fifteen and sixteen, who were hired for one dollar per week-in three instances, he found young men engaged in school, who were of abandoned characters, addicted to profanity, gambling, and other dissipation, and not only setting a fearful example before their pupils, but using every art to entice them into the

Nineteen counties have, by their boards of supervisors, passed upon the deputy system; sixteen remonstrating against its abolition; three petitioning for it, either on the ground of expense, or of unfitness in the person appointed. Many who have signed petitions for the repeal of the law creating the office, seem to labor under the mistake that the state moiety of these officers' salaries, is paid from the Common School Fund, and diminishes, pro tanto, the amount appropriated to the several districts. This is an error; half of their salaries is paid out of the surplus of the school fund, from which appropriations have heretofore been made to colleges hospitals, &c. There only remains the expense of the other half, about $14,000, chargeable upon the counties; can this be saved to the people without impairing the efficiency of the school system? It cannot, unless the system of inspection-that impelling power so much relied upon in Germany and Prussia to

same immoralities.

66 a few teach

Can any one after reading such revolting, yet not isolated items, desire to return to a system of inspection that not only tolerated but certi

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