ABSTRACT

The divine right of head masters is a conception which has spread through secondary education to its great disadvantage. It is obviously difficult to select a short list from a large number of applicants, when the qualifications and experience of a considerable number of them are approximately equal, and here troubles begin. Even in cases where there can be no suspicion of abuse, non-educational reasons frequently influence the choice. It seems that little attention has been paid to the solution of this problem and yet it is obvious that head masters will have a very great importance in making or marring the secondary schools of the future. In the first place, a course of training ought to be compulsory for every intending teacher. Secondly, the fact must be faced that the standard of living of the schoolmaster is not high enough to attract to the profession some of the abler men who would otherwise be interested.