USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Hatfield > Hatfield Annual Town Report 1945-1950 > Part 9
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32
Kathleen H. Deinlein, Fitchburg Normal School (Substitute teacher) 10 0
6
Supervisors and Special Teachers
Maude E. Boyle, Supervisor of Music, Nor- thampton School of Music, Skidmore College (1) Private studies 20 19
William L. Rinehart, Supervisor of Penman- ship 0
Mary Beitzel, Teacher of Nature Studies, Dickinson College 0
Figures in parentheses indicate number of courses pursued at each institution.
32
88
Superintendent of Schools
January 20, 1947.
To the School Committee of Hatfield :
I herewith present my fourth annual report as super- intendent of the public schools of Hatfield.
Entrance Age to First Grade
From the number of parents who have sought to have under-age children admitted to the first grade, it has become apparent that entrance age to the first grade is a subject that requires some explanation and discus- sion.
In the first place, a most significant finding of mo- dern child psychology has been the lack of correlation be- tween calendar age and mental, social, and emotional age. Parents, who have had more than one child, are aware of the great differences between children in the same family. It is noted with interest that as positively as one child may walk at eight months of age, another child may not take his first step before eighteen months; and as posi- tively as one child may talk fluently at fourteen months, another child may not even be monosyllabic at twenty- four months. In a like manner, one first-grader may be ready to read at five and a half years, while another may be unready at seven years.
There is general agreement among research workers in the field of early primary education that children are most successful in learning to read under ordinary
89
schoolroom conditions when they have reached that de- gree of learning represented by a mental age of approxi- mately six years to six and one-half years.
Dr. Lawrence A. Averill, Head of the Department of Psychology, Worcester State Teachers College, has written a monograph entitled, "School Readiness, School Admission, and First Grade Objectives". In this mono- graph, Dr. Averill refers to an investigation, conducted in Summit, N.J., as follows :
"The findings'in a New Jersey study, reported in 1934, have been widely accepted and may be relied upon with some confidence. In this in- vestigation, undertaken by the Child Guidance Department of Summit, N.J., the conclusion was drawn that, if chronological under - sixness is compensated for by mental over - sixness to the extent of at least eight months, yielding a mini- mum I.Q. of 120, the child is practically assured of creditable first grade participation.
On the other hand, the Summit returns indicate, if chronological under-sixness is correlated in a child with mental under-sixness, or with an I.Q. much below 120, successful first grade partici- pation becomes increasingly improbable as the I.Q. falls below that point. Even children whose chronological age is as high as 6.4 years at the time of school entrance, but whose mental age falls below six, have little chance of success. A basal, minimum age of six years appears to be advantageous for first grade success, and those lacking it will often require a longer time than the conventional year in the grade. A child of 5.0 years chronologically would have to have an I.Q. of 120 in order to possesss a mental age of 6.0. Certainly hardly more than 10% of five year olds would rate this high.
90
Notwithstanding the low correlations found among chronological age, mental age, and read- ing readiness, it is a regrettable fact that child- ren continue to be admitted to the first grade of school almost universally on a chronological age basis of six years or under."
In the second place, while the table presented below indicates that the Massachusetts picture is somewhat similar to that of the nation at large, it is true that our entrance age to first grade averages definitely lower than for the whole country.
School Entrance Age in Certain Cities And School Entrance Age in Massachusetts*
Established Age For
Entering Grade One
In the 59 Cities Studied %
In the 351 Mass. Cities and Towns
%
· Between 5 yrs. and 5 yrs., 5 mos.
7
15
Between 5 yrs., 5 mos., and 5 yrs., 9 mos.
60
73
Five yrs., 10 mos. or above
33
12
*Chart taken from, "School Readiness, School Admission, and First Grade Objectives", by Lawrence A. Averill, Ph.D.
Need For A Kindergarten Indicated
Most children are ready to profit from the social experiences of school long before they are ready for in- struction in the skill subjects of the elementary school.
I beleive that most of the parents who have ap- proached me, about having under-age children admitted to the first grade, have done so from a genuine desire to have their children profit from the social experiences of school. There seems to have been no superficial inclina- tion on the part of our parents to have their children begin reading at an early age.
91
The principal business of the primary school child is growth-physical growth, mental growth, and social or emotional growth. The public schools must be concerned with all these different phases of growth, and modern educational practice demands that provisions for growth of the "whole child" be included in the curriculum.
In Hatfield, the entrance age to first grade is five years and six months to be attained on or before the first of September. This entrance age is far too low to be fair to the children, and it is too low to be fair to the school in terms of what parents can reasonably expect the schools to do for their children.
The introduction of kindergarten experience for our children would help the work of our schools tremendously. If we could admit children to the kindergarten at five years of age, and raise the first grade entrance age to six years, then we could really begin to do a much better job of primary education, and this better work would be re- flected throughout the rest of the school grades.
Replies to a Massachusetts questionnaire, regarding the values of the kindergarten experience, brought the following responses from Dayton, Rochester, N.Y., Sac- ramento,, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Dallas, Albany, Detroit, and Hartford :
"Definitely better prepared for first grade"; "are better adjusted"; "have a wider vocabu- lary"; "have better work habits"; "have an in- creased attention span"; "take responsibility more readily"; "average 10 to 15 points higher on reading tests"; "are more readily promoted from grade one to grade two, etc."
Establishment of a properly organized kindergarten could give Hatfield children most of the benefits quoted
92
above, but there is much more to be considered before the simple decision of whether or not to have one can be made.
Factors To Be Considered
In considering the establishment of a kindergarten, there are many factors to be considered that do not ap- pear at superficial consideration. I believe that thought- ful persons will recognize that the following factors appear as obstacles to be surmounted in the beginning of a kindergarten.
1. A trained kindergarten teacher-The first con- sideration in any educational program is the training, ability, and personality of the teacher. Such teachers are hard to find.
2. Adequate space for play and rest-A kindergar- ten room must be much larger than the ordinary school classroom. Space must be provided for vigorous play and more leisurely activities. Space and equipment for rest periods also should receive consideration.
3. Special equipment for indoor and outdoor play- There is need for a wealth of materials for in- door use as well as playground equipment de- signed to harden and mature young muscles.
4. Provisions for physical examinations with parent conferences aimed at correction of de- fects before formal school training begins.
5. A check on the nutritional needs of each child, and provision for lunch at school-One obstacle that Hatfield has already surmounted.
Careful consideration of these factors will indicate, I believe, that much ground work remains to be done
93
before anyone can come to the simple decision that it is possible for us to have a kindergarten in Hatfield schools. However, it is something that is really worth working for.
Parents Can Be Helpful
For some time, I have been giving consideration to the idea of having a council composed of the parents of our Hatfield school children. Such a council could be helpful in many ways.
The principal problem in the formation of such a council would be either the one of getting most of the parents of our children to attend, or the one of getting a representative group of parents from the entire body. In this connection, I invite the opinions of interested parents as to just how such a group could be brought together in the interest of educational problems in our community. My thought has been that any such movement would be very successful if it grew out of an expressed need on the part of parents themselves.
In one large Massachusetts community, parents and the schools have worked to make the transition from home to school easier for pre-school youngsters. Parents in this same community expressed interest in such topics as: rules concerning absence and tardiness, the type of report card for reporting pupil growth, school signals, health examinations for pre-school children, toilet facil- ities, communicable disease control, general health ser- vices, washroom facilities, safety precautions, and how the home can help in the academic preparation of the child.
After a short time had elapsed, the community mentioned above noticed the appearance of many desired outcomes. Both parents and teachers have expressed satisfaction with the project. The parents feel much
94
more secure, and school staff members feel that articula- tion between home and school life has improved consider- ably because of their council work.
The size of the community has little to do with the functioning of parent's groups : where there is genuine interest ; success is assured.
Physical Education Again
The school committee report for the year ending December 31, 1944, began with a review of our difficulties with reference to the having of a proper program of physical education for all grades. Those interested in physical education and sports should review the 1944 report because those difficulties and obstacles are still with us in, if anything, a more aggravated form.
The facts clearly indicate that we are not doing our duty in this vital area of present-day education. Phy- sical education is inextricably linked to child health and happiness, and our schools fail to measure up to modern standards when they neglect physical education. Better child and adolescent developement is the result of proper physical programs.
Mr. Jakobek, Mr. Jenness, and I have conferred on the problem of providing adequate programs of physical education for grades one through twelve. We are agreed that the teaching time could be arranged at no additional cost to the town. Equipment and proper facilities would have to be provided as outlined in the 1944 school com- mittee report.
From a carefully planned and executed program of physical education, we could expect the following benefits :
1. Exercise and development of muscles of normal children.
95
2. Emphasis on maintaining good posture.
3. Broad participation in group and intra-mural games.
4. Corrective measures for youngsters having phy- sical defects.
5. Improvement in the quantity and quality of par- ticipants in our varsity athletic teams in the high school.
6. Better follow-up of needs of individual children based upon recommendations of the school phy- sican.
A Program of Standardized Tests
Growth data for appraising pupil growth, adjust- ment, and learning is essential before we can make a fair appraisal of either the needs of individual pupils, or before we can evaluate the relative effectiveness of our local schools to achieve their objectives.
We, in Hatfield schools, aim to use tests as diagnostic tools, that is, to discover whether or not the desired learn- ing has taken place. From the earliest days of school, inadequate and wrong learnings occur. If the measure- ment of learning is made an integral part of the learning process, the likelihood of such an outcome is materially reduced.
Teachers that are doing a real job of teaching recog- nize that it is not the course of study, but the pupil, that will determine how much is to be learned. The same teachers know that the only sound justification for the use of any test is the improvement of their own work as well as that of the school.
In general, the tests chosen for use in Hatfield schools have been chosen after careful evaluation to determine their usefulness in terms of our local conditions.
96
School Enrollment Center Elementary Schools-By Grades
I II
III
IV
V
VI
VII VIII
1943
32
27
24
33
23
38
32
36
1944
27
27
32
27
25
32
27
36
1945
30
24
29
28
29
26
32
21
1946
24
28
24
28
33
31
27
33
Comparative Totals for Center Schools
Year
1946
1945
1944
1943
1942
Total Pupils
228
219
233
245
264
Smith Academy Enrollment-By Classes
Freshmen Sophomores Juniors Seniors Total
1942
40
28
16
19
103
1943
35
26
22
20
103
1944
36
26
22
20
104
1945
30
29
21
19
99
1946
20
27
24
20
91
Totals for Hatfield Public Schools
Year
1946
1945
1944
1943
1942
Totals
319
318
337
348
367
Community School Lunch Program
With the opening of the school lunch program in September, our staff members remained the same group that had carried on during the previous school year.
Shortages of certain major food items and rising costs of food were the principal problems encountered during the fiscal year 1946.
97 .
While the lunch program operated at a loss, it must be remembered that the cost of the stove and a few other small equipment items were purchased, and these items appear included in the total expenditures.
The following statistics concerning the operation of our school lunch program are submitted for examination :
Number of Days and Number of Meals Served
Month
No. Lunch Days
No. Meals Served
January
22
4,634
February
15
3,123
March
20
4,493
April
16
3,446
May
22
4,848
June
10
1,696
September
19
4,241
October
22
4,823
November
18
3,941
December
15
3,468
179 days
38,713 meals
Financial Summary
Expenditures :
From S.L. Res. $2,084.00
From C.D.
Wages
$2,296.50
Total $4,380.50
Food
4,109.76
1,075.43
5,185.19
Misc. Supplies
132.50
37.25
169.75
Fuel
42.00
42.00
Totals
$6,368.26
$3,409.18
Stove purchase
$350.00
$9,777.44 $10,127.44
98
Income : Receipts from sale of lunches
$5,037.25
Claims on C.D. fund
3,316.94
Total receipts
$8,354.19
The school committee has realized that our expenses were accumulating faster than the income, but they have felt that the cost to children should not be increased if it is possible to avoid this move.
The Elementary School
Arithmetic: Understanding Vs. Mechanical Repetition
Arithmetic, as we use it, is a development that man has made for measuring and counting the numerous ob- jects which abound in his environment. This develop- ment of arithmetic, as a tool to be used in the every day life of man, is a development that took countless ages of time to perfect. The modern world is full of activities involving quantitative relationships, and these relation- ships can only be understood and dealt with properly through a thorough mastery of arithmetic.
What man has taken ages to perfect, we attempt to teach in the first eight grades of our elementary schools. Arithmetic consists of the understanding of many related facts. However, these facts are complicated to a child, and we must not expect that he will thoroughly under- stand any one of them the first time that the fact is taught. A child's progress is dependent upon many fac- tors, among which individual mental ability on the part of the pupil and skill on the part of the teacher are most important.
Skill in the use of arithmetic is a process of growth. Each skill attained by the pupil grows out of the use of previously mastered work. All of the failures in the
99
lower grades amass to present real handicaps in the upper grades and in high school. Because of individual dif- ferences, many pupils in the lower grades fail to grasp the skills in arithmetic because of mental immaturity. They seldom learn a new skill the first time or even the second time it is taught. We believe that teachers in the upper grades must assume the task of correcting deficien- cies as well as to present the new work of their particular grade.
Drill on fundamental facts is important, but drill alone is not enough. Preceding drill should come understanding of concrete situations which underlie the use of the abstract symbols. The primary grades, especially, must be rich with work in concrete number situations used in the everyday life of the primary child. Too often in the past, we have thought that a child under- stood his multiplication facts as soon as he could repeat them like a miniature "talking machine". Use and under- standing, rather than sheer repetition, determine the permanency of learning. If skills and facts are taught with meanings that grow out of using them in real, every day situations, there is greater possibility of generalizing knowledge so attained to other situations.
Quite often, failure in our arithmetic programs may be due to the following factors :
1. Pupils may not have been mentally mature enough to master work as difficult as was at- tempted.
2. Pupils may have been taught the procseses mechanically by rote, without understanding.
3. The teacher may fail to recognize that learning is an individual matter.
100
In Hatfield schools, we are making a sincere attempt to overcome these difficulties which are common to all schools over the country. We trust that the individual difficulty of each pupil will be diagnosed and that proper remedial work will solve the ever-present problem. Where the truth is honestly sought after, the right method can usually be found.
Uses of Radio in Schools
Our Massachusetts Department of Education now has an "Office of Radio" which is set up to originate edu- cational broadcasts and to advise the schools concerning which radio programs may fit into social studies, science, and other subjects within the school.
During the past fall a radio series entitled, "Let Freedom Ring" has been broadcast each Monday morning at 9:15 a.m. by WBZ and WBZA in cooperation with the Department of Education and the New England Commit- tee on Radio in Education. The department estimates that more than 30,000 children of the seventh, eighth, and ninth grades have benefitted from this series. Eight hundred fifty teachers in these grade levels used the hand- books prepared by the department staff.
Each one of our schools is now in a position to make use of these broadcasts with equipment we now have in our schools. A new series entitled "The American Ad- venture", will begin on January 27. We plan to use the teacher's handbooks in an initial trial of this program recommended by our State Department of Education.
The High School Trends in College Entrance
The Massachusetts High School Principal's Associa- tion has indicated that definitely new patterns of college
101
entrance procedure appear to have been evolved by the colleges and universities of our country.
Colleges indicate that they are not so much concern- ed with subjects as with evidence that the prospective undergraduate has scholastic ability. The trend is away from rigid requirements and toward a flexible program.
The fact remains, however, that most colleges require the fifteen units of high school work, and these units are expected to cover certain definite areas. Most of the col- leges do not stipulate individual subjects, but they do specify fields in which the work must have been done.
Most colleges now require work in the following five areas: social science, natural science, foreign language, English and mathematics.
In 1900, fifty per cent of the colleges insisted on Latin and thirty per cent on Greek, but today only a hand- ful (thirteen per cent) list Latin as prerequisite to ad- mission and only one per cent expect Greek. Less empha- sis is placed on languages in general. Some Colleges do not require language and some allow substtiutions of mathematics for language. High school grades are still a very important factor in college admissions, and the recommendation of the high school principal is an im- portant factor.
There is little likelihood of a return to the old type college entrance examination, since reports show that the new type tests predict success in college better than the old ones.
Conclusion
The function of Hatfield schools is to serve this com- munity in any program of education required by the groups which make up the community.
102
The community must support the schools in thought, in word, and in action. The benefits move both ways. When community schools have proper staff, plant, and equipment, they can adequately serve the needs of a pro- gressive community
I thank all who have helped to make our schools better, and I urge everyone to be concerned about the needs of education, in order that education may make its. maximum contribution to Hatfield.
Respectfully submitted, GILBERT D. BRISTOL, Superintendent of Schools.
103
Principal of Smith Academy
To the Superintendent of Schools and the School Committee of Hatfield: .
I hereby submit my first annual report as the Prin- cipal of Smith Academy.
The 1946-1947 school year opened September 4 with ninety-one students. Since then two students have trans- ferred to Smith Academy and seven have left to go to work. One veteran has recently enrolled in the school as a post-graduate student. The school population is eight- seven at the present time.
There have been a number of changes in the school staff during the year. Miss Margaret Connelly resigned her position as the Household Arts teacher to accept a similar position in the South Deerfield schools. Mrs. Robert Day, a Massachusetts State College graduate, has been named to succeed Miss Connelly. Mr. Bert, the Agri- cultural teacher, resigned to accept a position as a junior chemist. Mr. Wallace Hibbard, a graduate of Massachu- setts State College and practical farmer, has been elected to fill Mr. Bart's position.
While maintaining the high academic standards of Smith Academy, a program has been introduced to more adequately prepare our student to take their places in so- ciety. A determined effort is being made to inculcate the students with the responsibilities as well as the privileges of citizenship in this country. A guidance program has
104
also been institued to acquaint the students with the mul- titude of opportunities available to them as well as to en- courage the students to pursue the fields of endeavor in which their interest and aptitudes lie.
The following pupils received diplomas in June :
·
*Joan Bangs Carolyn Kosior Shirley Betsold Shirley Labbee William Mullins
Joseph Blyda
Jennie Cackowski
Velma Omasta
Shirley Eberlein
Robert Pelc
** John Holich Laurence Stoddard
Bernard Kacenski
*Marie Korza
Nellie Korza
*Evelyn Szewczk Barbara Tobacco Pauline Widelo
Victoria Zawacki
*Honor Students
** Completed credits in the U. S. Marines
Respectfully submitted, JOHN C. JAKOBEK,
Principal
105
Principal of Center School
To the Superintendent of Schools and the School Committee of Hatfield:
Sirs :
In my report last year I emphasized the fact that we were in the process of building a library from a vacant class room. The room is furnished and classes have opened on a part-time basis.
Mrs. Theresa Godin, the librarian of the public libra- ry, loaned us three tables at which the children work.
We received an unexpected windfall in the form of a gift of eight-two dollars and forty-seven cents. This sum was raised at a hobby show presented in the town hall. The show was sponsored by the Real Folks Society with all of the womens' clubs in town assisting. The money aid- ed us in the purchase of twenty steel framed chairs. A radio and electric record player have been added to the furniture of the room. These latest additions offer us a chance to have a taste of finer instrumental and vocal music. The large space of floor, free from desks, makes the room a fine place for club meetings and rehearsals. Thus, the room has become the site of many activities. This is as it should be.
Two paper collections were held during the year but the amount of paper collected was not large. One more drive will be held in the spring in order that we may help
106
stock our shelves with books. Twenty books have been purchased with funds obtained from paper drives and eight more are on order. There are twenty-one dollars and seventy cents remaining in the book fund.
It is our desire to make this reference library where pupils may find an adequate supply of source material for school use. Therefore, only books having historical, geo- graphical or other factual materials have been chosen.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.