USA > Wisconsin > Buffalo County > History of Buffalo County, Wisconsin > Part 36
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Criticism, then, is a habit, and sometimes it is very thought- lessly applied. The system of town superintendency had a good many faults, one of which I have already hinted on. Another was the local pressure which could so easily be brought to bear upon a neighbor if he refused a certificate to a favorite school ma'am. Then, of course, it was a post of honor, hence without pay, and naturally more of an annoyance to the possessor than
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anything else. Experience finally showed the folly of the system, and in 1861 the legislature created, by Chapter 179 of the General Laws, the office of county superintendent of schools. The changes contemplated and in time produced by this law were as follows:
1. It abolished the town superintendency, and substituted the county superintendency of the public schools.
2. The school district clerks had now to report to the town clerk, and he to the county superintendent, who, in his turn, had to report to the state superintendent.
3. The division of towns into school districts and what per- tained to that, was transferred from the town superintendent to the town board of supervisors.
4. The examination of teachers was more definitely specified, both as to quality and time, and was made a public affair, at least in general.
5. The county superintendent had jurisdiction over the teach- ers and schools in general, but none, not even in case of an ap- peal, on formation of districts.
6. A minimum salary was determined by law, and compe- tent men found at least some compensation for the time and pains bestowed upon the office of county superintendent of schools.
Aside from the fact that the new system was manifestly better in its whole organization, it was especially an improvement in re- gard to selection among so many more. In a whole county, ex- cept, perhaps, during the time of its organization and early settle- ment, there was a much greater possibility of finding a competent man, and a greater probability of actually electing him, than in single towns .- In the same proportion the county superintendent was removed trom local influences. He must live in some one town or corporation, but would not live in more than one at a time.
With the extended circle of jurisdiction and operation an in- creasing experience was furnished, by which greater perfection in the practical capacity of any incumbent of the office might follow. The objectionable point in the law was that it did not provide for a sufficient salary to allow a man to spend all his time in and for his official work. This has since been remedied.
The successive incumbents of this office will be found enum- erated in the chapter on Organization, among the other county
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officers. To analyze the work of each, to praise or to blame, can hardly be expected of me, for of the number all but two are still residents of this county, and probably all of them are yet alive. Having had the longest terms of all, I may be excused from crit- icising myself and my predecessors and successors. Like every- thing else education had some beginning in this county bnt it did not grow so very fast at first. The reasons for this delay I indi- cated above. Inquiries at the office of the State Superintendent showed:
1. That there was no report for 1855.
2. That the first report was made for 1856. In brief it was:
Number of districts 3.
" children, male 102. 66 " female 88.
Total. 190. The districts were distributed as follows:
Belvidere 2; one whole and one joint district. Buffalo 1.
The location of the joint-district does not clearly appear, but it being reported for the town of Belvidere, the school house must have been in that town. After this beginning school districts multiplied rapidly and the report for 1866 is as follows:
Number of districts 52.
" children, male 1,300. 60 female 1,145.
Total 2,445.
It appears from this that during the ten intervening years 49 new districts had been formed or almost 5, on an average, each year.
Ten years later; 1876, the report is: Number of districts 74.
" teachers required 81.
" male children 2966.
" female 2899. Total number of children 5865.
Of these 3753 were registered as attending school, which is 62.2 per cent. of the whole number.
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Comparing the school population of 1866 with that of 1876 we find that it increased very nearly 140 per cent during the ten years or nearly 14 per cent. in every year. This decade marks the greatest increase in the school population although in the general aggregate of the population the increase was but 13 per cent. per annum for the first, and only 6 per cent. per annum for the sec- ond half of the decade from 1865 to 1875. This may seem para- doxical, but it may be satisfactorily explained by reference to the tables given under the chapter of " Population." To do this here I think rather unimportune, and leave it to those who are fonder of statistics than most of my readers. The statistics of our schools for 1885 are as follows:
Number of districts 82.
" teachers required 92.
" male children ... 3,145.
" " female ... 3,032.
Total number of children 6,177,
The reported attendance for this year was 3,798 or 61.4 per cent. of the whole number.
For 1886 the statistics are as follows:
Number of districts 82.
" teachers required 92.
6 male children 3,240.
66 " female 3,111.
Total number of children 6,351.
Reported attendance 3,977 or 63.9 per cent.
Comparing the school population of 1876 with that of 1886 we find an increase of only 485, or but little over 8 per cent. for the whole decade. There was, however a period in it when for three, and perhaps four years, the school population decreased.
Most people will understand that the difference between the number of school districts, and the number of teachers required to teach the schools arises from the fact of there being a number of graded schools. I can not tell exactly how many, if any, graded schools were established in 1866. But in 1872, at my first visit to the schools as County Superintendent there were only two, one in Fountain City, with two teachers, and one in Alma, with
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the same number. But in 1876 we find that it required six teach- ers more than the number of districts.
I think the division of these six teachers was as follows:
Alma one district. 3 teachers.
Fountain City one dist .. 3
Mondovi one dist. 2
Waumandee dist. No. 2 2 66
4 districts. .10 teachers.
I state that from memory and may be, though not necessarily, mistaken. In 1885 and 1886 the number of teachers required ex- ceeds that of school districts by 10, of which the distribution is as follows:
Alma, one district ...... 5 teachers. Fountain City, one dist .. 4 " Mondovi, one dist. 3
Waumandee, Dist. No. 2 2
4 Districts 14 teachers.
For the ensuing year 1887-88 the number of teachers will re- main the same, but the distribution will be as follows:
Alma 6 teachers.
Fountain City 4
Mondovi 3
3 Districts 13 teachers.
District No. 2 Waumandee has, I understand, temporarily abandoned the practice of employing two teachers during the win- ter term.
The foregoing explanations show the advances made towards a higher grade of schools, according to the requirements of the in- crease in the school population and the elevation of the popular standard of education.
A school needs a house, at least in our climate, and the school- house is in fact the first visible effort at education in most districts. Every reader remembers some one or more of the primitive schoolhouses in our county. The schoolhouses were somewhat in keeping with the other houses of the period, and no one will blame the builders of either class of houses, for we know why they were no better, and we also know, that that generation felt as happy in
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them, as we do now in the better and stylish ones. Yet we would not return to them, nor do we believe that either then or now such good results in instruction, and in education in general, could be obtained in the old schoolhouses with the old benches and the three by four feet blackboards. Of course, we know that some good scholars were educated or started in education in very poor schoolhouses and under very unfavorable conditions. But while we admit this and on the other side do not claim that our superior houses and arrangements will make first class scholars of all pupils, we are nevertheless proud of our improvements.
I will not go further back than my own first experiences with the schoolhouses of this county in 1872. What I found then had been constructed during previous years.
Alma and Fountain City had brick houses, Mondovi a large and rather stylish frame building. Out in the country there were more log-houses than others though Waumandee had one school- house of brick, and frame houses began to appear, especially where large timber was scarce or boards conveniently procurable. A log house properly built s by no means a despicable structure even for a schoolhouse, but in most schoolhouses, and in most other houses built of logs, at least as far as my observations went, there was neither skill nor diligence enough expended to make the edi- fice a success. In most places, however, there was a desire to patch and mend so as to keep the room at least warm, but this was not always possible, and now and then totally neglected, in which case ventilation prevailed to an uncomfortable degree. And then the long benches, which among many uncomfortable qualities had the one, especially annoying, to compel the whole school to get into a commotion when a class of three or four pupils was wanted upon the floor. Usually those benches had not inade any acquaintance with a smoothing plane and to write a decent line in a copybook, if indeed writing was practiced at all was a feat not to be accomplished without great caution and care. The temperature of the schoolroom was very variable, both as to the parts of it and as to the time of the day. Near the stove the pupils were almost roasted, in the corners and along the walls they shivered. In the morning it took a full hour or more to get the fire up to efficiency, about noon the heat grew stifling, especially if ventilation was poor or totally neglected, and at that heat the room was kept during
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the whole afternoon, the only reduction occurring at recess. Of ventilation we will say nothing, we will not waste our breath about what never had any existence in most schoolhouses, not- withstanding the stereotyped report of numerous townclerks that all their schoolhouses werc properly ventilated. But as I said, I do not wish to be too severe in my judgment upon schools and their surroundings as I found them. I do not, however, feel so lenient, when I remember the struggles I had with some of the district boards in trying to do my duty in advising and urging im- provements. It is impossible to go into particulars, and it would be useless to cite cases of that kind by town and number, but I remember one district which had pre-eminently the meanest schoolhouse in the whole county, and which had been threatened with condemnation of the same by my predecessor. That district begged and hesitated, expostulated and prevaricated during six long years, until finally, just as I went out of office, the new schoolhouse was up, but not yet ready to be used.
I would not be fair to the people of this county, if I would not state, that, although during the period of three consecutive terms, or six years, I had never actually attempted to secure the condem- nation of any schoolhouse for being unfit for its purpose, I yet had the satisfaction of seeing many new schoolhouses built and others greatly improved. My successor had two schoolhouses con- demned, the only instance on record of such proceedings. At present, after a period of 15 years, there is but one old and one new building constructed of logs used for school purposes. As a matter of history I will mention, that the city or rather school dis- trict, of Alma has this year built a new schoolhouse according to the best known model, with furnaces and ventilation according to the Ruttan System. That a new schoolhouse was needed hardly any one will deny. Years ago, in 1882 it was found necessary to employ a fifth teacher. As there was no chance to construct a fifth room in the old schoolhouse, the little Singers' Hall was bought, and the primary department instituted therein. But that room was entirely too small, and for no more than 48 pupils seats could be provided in it, in which I actually counted at one of my visits 74 pupils, there being in the neighborhood of 100 on the register. The cost of the new schoolhouse and all its arrangements I might easily state, but I will leave that to be ascertained by
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those, who can not value anything except by dollars and cents. A high school department has been introduced and six teachers are now employed at the school.
The schoolhouse at Fountain City too has some years ago been greatly improved, both as to light and ventilation.
Another fight was that for the introduction of better furniture. Patent furniture was indeed in earlier times so high in price, that the objection to its purchase was excusable. But it was not long so.
Regarding books there was some trouble to effect a uniformity in some districts, mostly because of the carelessness of the district boards, but such cases were so rare, as not to be particularly re- membered.
Maps, blackboards and other apparatus were sometimes want- ing at other times defective and in most cases neglected. There isa curious experience in regard to such matters, and it shows, how little most school-officers are capable of discriminating in their purchases. Some times maps, charts and other things are sold by agents in almost every district, even regardless of price, then again it is almost impossible to sell anything of the kind. One instance of a prodigious sale of such a character deserves to be mentioned Some time in 1872 or 73 an agent went around with tablets of arithmetical formulas issued by one Wood, pretending to teach arithmetic perfectly by their use. There were some thirty or more tablets mounted on pasteboard, both sides, and at some places they were sold for $30.00 at others for less. The double tablet, if the formulas had been reliable would have been worth about 25 cents, but as this condition was not observed the whole of them were not worth even that.
As a remarkable instance of a formula from these tables I give the following:
To find the area of a piece of land:
Multiply the length by the width and divide the product by 160.
Every one knows that this is true only when the measure- ments have been taken and expressed by rods, in all other cases it is false, and even when rod measure has been used, the division by 160 will only give the acreage and not the area of a piece in general.
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But it is useless to say more about it, and it is only mentioned to show the gullibility of some schoolboards, and their readiness to throw away money at useless things, while they are but too often short of funds, when competent authority recommends im- provements.
In this connection I may mention school libraries, of which we find a few, the only ones of some importance being at Foun- tain City and Alma. While the library at Fountain City and the mineral and other collections attached thereto have been growing in number and value every year, the one in Alma has almost dis- appeared and the books in it are few and neglected. In connec- tion with collections at Fountain City I think that many valuable specimens in the same have been donated by Mr. William A. Finkelnburg, Attorney at Law, now at Winona, Minn., but form- erly a pupil of the school at Fountain City, his birthplace. On the whole it is a credit to the schoolboard and the successive principals of the school to find the library in such good order and completeness. Let others take an example. Besides houses, furniture and other requisites, schools need teachers. In fact the other paraphernalia might be accidentally absent, and a teacher, one who deserves the name, present, a school would be in oper- ation as soon as the teacher would meet pupils. This, however must not be contorted into the assertion that a good teacher is all that is wanted, on the contrary the best teacher, though capable of working effectively with the least arrangements and apparatus and other auxiliaries, is well aware of their usefulness, and always eager to have, and to use the best of them.
Not only in the history of new settlements, but everywhere we find that mankind makes use of the material on hand much rather than look for better. This applies very forcibly to the em- ployment of the first teachers in our county and certainly in any new county. The school teacher, who in such places does not have more than three or four months of employment during the year, and poor pay for that time, can not be expected to represent the highest type of the profession, if, indeed, a professional teacher happens to lose himself into such a place. But schools are to be taught, and so the person who offers to teach, is usually employed without asking many perplexing questions. Most of the town superintendents were equally innocent of any intention of bother-
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ing the teachers in that way. But-these primitive times of happi- ness of schoolma'ams and schoolmasters were not destined to last forever. With the introduction of the county superintendency a change of system, a more vigorous examination and supervision began to prevail. It was, of course, impossible to change every- thing at once, and to recast the old material into new forms and to make it available in these forms. Nor was the county superinten- dent placed into the position to enforce the laws in their apparent strictness. The "private examination" and the "limited certifi- cate" afforded the sly and indolent one or the other chance to escape from the dreaded ordeal. Indeed, the material had yet to be imported or to grow up. Imported material had to be tried, the growing material had to mature. All this required time. The people, also, required time to get familiar with and accustomed to the county superintendency. Personally I did not make any acquaintance with that institution during the time I was teaching at Buffalo City, being under the superintendency of the City Superintendent Chas. Schaettle, sr., Esq. But the system began to tell upon teachers and schools for the advantage of either. The annual examination, though by no means a perfect criterion of a teacher's actual efficiency, compelled all alike to come up to at least some medium standard, or to let people know by their cer- tificate that they were unable to reach it.
The law creating the office of county superintendent does not specify the branches of instruction over which the examination had to extend; hence it is to be supposed that a law in that regard existed for the direction of town superintendents. There was, however, as I know from documents, a practice of granting first, second, and third grade certificates, before 1872 upon much the same examinations as now, but in 1871, after the 1st day of Sep- tember of that year, examination in the Constitution of the United States and of the State of Wisconsin was added in all grades of certificates and made obligatory. A standard of attainments was really never determined and superintendents were left to the indications of the partial digest of the school laws published with these laws from time to time. A standard of a different kind, how- ever, prevailed. It was required for full third giade to answer correctly at least one-half of the questions in each branch or fifty per cent. This seemed to me insufficient, and I required 65 per
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cent for full third grade certificates, and 80 per cent in common, or third grade branches, for either second or first grade certificates, besides the extra branches demanded for the higher grades. This created at first a sort of panic among applicants, but the jus- tice of the deman ! was finally acknowledged and the standard so fixed has been retained ever since. This enabled the superin- tendent also to fix a minimum standard for limited certificates, which was equal to the old standard for full grade, at 50 per cent.
Although I set my face from the beginning against private examinations, it took some years until people understood, that such would not be granted if they could be refused, (and in most cases they should and could be refused), and applications for such became fewer, and at last nearly ceased. Whatever may have been the intention of the law in creating third grade certificates, it must be confessed that the permission of a difference in these, some being limited, made this class r grade the general standard. In fact there were but very few schools in this county, in which a teacher was required to teach any of the branches in which he had to be examined for a second grade certificate, and it was of superior im- portance to have teachers well qualified to teach the common branches. A significant example of how a teacher with a second grade certificate might prove incompetent in teaching these com- mon branches, I had in a gentleman holding such a certificate when I went into office, and to whom at first I granted one of the same grade myself, but was finally compelled to refuse any certificate on account of his flagrant deficiency in orthography and gram- mar. It is not necessary to give his name, but some of the older teachers will know him from this description. The legislature of 1885 passed a law requiring physiology and hygiene to be taught in every school, with especial reference to the effects of stimulants and narcotics upon the human body. This law, injudicious as I consider it, required an examination in these two branches, which, however, as very closely connected, I considered as one and the same. This is the present status of examinations as far as quan- tity is concerned. My own views of examinations in general I have so often laid down in the Educational Column of the "Journal" and the "Republikaner" that it will be sufficient to mention them here but very briefly. Examinations are necessary, and they have under existing conditions been the means of elevat-
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ing the standard of scholarship among teachers, and in turn of the schools. That they are as efficient or sufficient for all purposes as they should be, I doubt, but I do not therefore agree with the crude and antiquated notions of those, who think that a minimum of scholarship with a knack of governing a school, is all that should be demanded of a teacher, insinuating thereby, that a high grade of scholarship is rather unfitting a teacher for his duties. My maxim is, and always has been, that no one can teach any- thing which he has not learned, and that a more perfect knowledge enables any person to teach more perfectly.
Without flattering, or without intending to detract from the merits of teachers of other counties, I think I am justified in say- ing that the teachers of this county are at present as well fitted for their duties as those of any adjoining counties, and that even the pupils of some Normal Schools might find their match among them. We have some among them too, who have been at the Normal School at River Falls in this state.
As everywhere in this country we have a number of persons among our teachers, who do not intend to make teaching a pro- fession, and for whom it does not pay to spend much more money in the preparation for their duties as teachers than it will cost to furnish them a thorough common school education. This is per- haps to be deplored, though it has some redeeming features, espe- cially in preventing the profession from becoming too pedagogical or rather pedantic, and in furnishing a number of young people a valuable experience. Applicants for certificates, aud also for situa- tions as teachers, were always numerous enough, usually about 120, but in 1886 there were 139 in spring, and every year about 60 in the fall. In the spring examination there were always some pupils of the common schools, who did not so much desire to re- ceive certificates, than to see what they were able to do towards earning such. Admitting that this has sometimes been rather an- noying to the superintendent, especially as some crowded in who had no business to come, it was encouraged as a means of emula- tion. In connection with teachers and the improvement in their attainments we must mention the Teachers' Institute. The law organizing the county superintendency requires every superinten- dent to liold at least one Teachers' Institute during each year. I have heard of but one short institute having been held previous
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to 1871. The great impediment to these institutes was that neither superintendents nor teachers in the new western counties had much of an idea what was to be done. It was found neces- cary to assign the lead in the institutes to some persons who had been practically engaged at normal school work.
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