USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Quincy > Inaugural address of the mayor, with the annual report of the officers of the city of Quincy for the year 1909 > Part 19
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Efficient digestive organs, a sound heart, stout limbs, a straight frame and clear eyes, as the normal attributes of childhood and youth, will take precedence in the list of what education should bring about, and a proper balance will be struck between what is vitally essential and what is not.
For years it has been the practice of public primary schools to deal with classes of forty-five to fifty pupils, divid- ed into four or five groups for purposes of direct instruction. That means that in the course of the full day, each child was under the teacher's direct instruction only for the time that was assigned to his group, while for long periods of time vari- ous devices of more or less educational worth were utilized to keep him occupied. As a result a great amount of the pupil's time was used to very poor advantage and he acquired habits
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of dawdling inactivity toward which the unaccustomed con- finement for five hours in a school room atmosphere con- tributed to a great degree.
With a one session day, the school numbers not over twenty-five; there are but two groups to a session; the child receives exactly as much direct instruction from the teacher as before; does as much desk work as it is well to demand of a small child and is more than compensated for the indirect benefit that he might possibly receive through association with the school for the added half day, by the greater vitality that he is able to secure from this new freedom.
Experience with the one session school has now been broad enough to show its efficiency on the mental side; ex- tended argument for its efficiency on the physical side would almost seem unnecessary.
The next advance in child welfare should be the restric- tion of the age of entrance to school to six years. It would be a move toward a healthier, happier childhood; it would lead to better schools with more mature pupils, better able to re- spond properly to educational stimuli, and it would also lead to less educational waste. By educational waste, in this in- stance, is meant the great amount of retardation which oc- curs in the first year through inability of the child, generally because of immaturity, to master the work of the year. This percentage of retardation is always notably large among the youngest children of the grade and aside from the expense which this duplication of work causes, the moral effect of fail- ure upon so many children is well worth considering.
Manual Arts
For a number of years the necessity of broadening the manual arts department of the elementary schools has been considered in the annual reports of the Superintendent. For boys and girls who are destined to become workers along man- ual lines there has seemed to be an insistent call for such judgment training as can best be derived from dealing with concrete problems, where the hand and mind must co-operate
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and where their united action works in those materials that are fundamental in industrial processes. Such a procedure to be broadly developmental should take the child at the earli- est opportunity the school affords, and add the manual train- ing element to the training that is already given on the men- tal and physical side. The instincts and cravings for manual activity, that are so marked in all stages of early childhood, must receive adequate direction and encouragement from the first, if a harmonious manual development is to be secured. Consequently the problem of providing an effective man- ual training is not a matter alone of bench work or instruction in any particular medium in upper grades, but is a much broader matter and comprehends the adaptation to the whole elementary system of a series of manual processes which shall be simple; which shall be in line with the processes of com- munity industrial life; and which will have a tendency to train the child to apply individual judgment to the direction of his handiwork. For that reason a sound manual training course for elementary schools waits not so much upon costly equipment and instruction in the upper grades as upon the ap- plication in the lower grades of well selected lines of work which will give deftness of hand and soundness of judgment in constructive activity whether the medium of that activity be paper, raffia, cardboard, clay, metals or wood. In other words our manual arts work should lead to efficient, versatile, broad-gauge workers and that is the only product worth our consideration.
This year it is possible to report that a promising start has been made toward establishing a course in manual arts which will give a fairly systematic development through the elementary schools.
In the first four grades, constructive work with several materials will be given under the direction of the supervisor of drawing to boys and girls alike. In the last four grades of the course the girls are to continue with their sewing as in former years, while an equal amount of time will be devoted to manual work for the boys in several interesting and valua-
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ble lines, ending in the eighth year with regular lessons in wood working every other week. This final year's work should make an excellent preparation for further develop- ment in the High School.
The High School
The High School has had this year an enrolment of about eight hundred pupils. The presence of this large number of girls and boys under the instruction and guidance of the school at a time when they are just upon the threshold of their life's work and when the majority of them are no doubt seriously considering of what nature their life's work shall be, impresses upon school authorities and community alike the responsibility of giving them all possible assistance in their endeavor to find their natural bent, and to fit themselves to make the best possible use of their natural abilities. The High School must mean opportunity for the boys and girls who go there and that opportunity ought to be as broad as the city can possibly make it.
As the small.city may have but one high school, that school must of necessity fulfil the function of both the fitting and the finishing school; that is, with a broad programme, a wide choice of electives, and the assignment of electives to fairly well defined currienhim it should aim to give some pupils adequate preparation for college and at the same time equip others to take np the duties of life at the close of the school course. Pupils of very diverse tastes and interests are looking to the school to provide for their needs and prepare them for their future work, whether that future be in the college or in the industrial world.
The enstom of years and the training of high school teach- ers is apt to be an unconscious force in the interest of the fit- ting school tendency, which is not easily overcome. In ad- dition, the expense, which of necessity is attached to an exten-
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sion of courses outside of traditional lines, is a factor of no small proportions. However, justice requires that within reasonable bounds, there be equal opportunities for all pupils, and it is possible without burdensome expense to make them much more evenly balanced than they now are. Attention is called to the following table which has a bearing upon this matter, as it indicates the present trend of the school and affords interesting comparisons :
HIGH SCHOOL .- Distribution of Pupils by Subjects, September, 1909.
REQUIRED
ELECTIVES
Plane Geometry
Solid Geometry
Review Mathematics
Physiology
Botany
Elementary Physics
Advanced Physics
Elementary Chemistry
Advanced Chemistry
Biology
History
Latin
French
German
Commercial Arithmetic
Commercial Geography
Commercial Law
Stenography
Typewriting
Free-hand Drawing
Mechanical Drawing
Manual Training
Domestic Science
Physical Training
Music
Class Totals
FRESHMAN
Boys
217
96
9
5
38
98
66
60
2 24 104
33
27
98
3
3
10
60 151
142 53
Girls
146
67
10
53
5
35
41 61
2
11 65
16
8
59
1
1
21
2
96 102 111
SOPHOMORE
Boys Girls
84
2
33
2 55
13
1 21
23
34
7| 25
5
40
20
9
4
16 17
1
6
26
60
13
192
108
5
21
10 22
3
35|26
52
5
49
4
61
30
1
3
32| 32
15
1
72|
83
82
JUNIOR
Boys Girls
19
3
10
13
3
8
10
21
2 1 18
6
23 12
8
2 15
10
4
16 18
6.
10
40
8
104
3
8
3
8
20
6 12 19 28 14
12
3 15
3
3
25
23 15
29 40
42
SENIOR
Boys Girls
43
8
15
5
6
8 11
8
1
38
24 14
6
1
10
4
4
13
14
3
2 6
26
12
07
50
18
10
2
12
5
8 34 14
18 12
15 2
9
1
1
23 23 14
1
19
38
34
POST
Boys
7!
4
2
5
2
5
6
9
1
2
1
1
2
1
GRADUATES
Girls
3
1
1
2
1
1
1
3
2
1
2
1
3
3
TOTALS.
Boys Girls
400
101
52
15
32
15 109
23 47 10
3 180 102 147
44: 64 114
99
55
23 106
48 54| 14
75|193
268
86
774
362
72
26
27
77 36
36 5 55 107 94|162
35 87 75 103
42
3 66
84 82 65
4
216 263 269
27
3
1
Penmanship, Spelling and
Business Correspondence
English
Algebra
Bookkeeping
Penmanship
363
19
1
18
(Algebra and Plane Geom.)
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One significant feature of this table lies in the number of pupils electing commercial branches. One hundred sixty-nine of the freshman class, for instance, elected commercial arith- metic, more than fifty per cent. of the number who entered in September; one hundred one pupils of the sophomore class elected bookkeeping, again more than fifty per cent. of the whole number of pupils in the class. In the two upper classes there are more than one-third of the pupils taking commercial courses. Now if this large number of pupils are electing these courses because their tastes incline them in the direction of a business life, the present distribution of pupils as shown by this table is entirely satisfactory. If, however, many of these pupils are electing business courses, because there are no others which seem to have a distinct vocational trend, then these pupils are suffering a positive handicap in their prep- aration for life.
A good proportion of the pupils in every high school un- doubtedly have mechanical tastes or genius. Is it right that their abilities should be arrested in development by their high school course, or that that they be diverted to other fields ? A boy may have the inclination, the inherent skill, the strength to become a first-class artisan, or to become a leader, we will say, in the granite cutting industry, iron-working industry, plumbing, printing, or in any other trade, and he is justly entitled to as good a preparation for his apprenticeship to the work toward which his tastes instinctively incline him, as he would be if his tastes were along commercial lines, and he planned to go into distributing instead of manufacturing in- dustries. But only in rare instances is such preparation afforded. Usually the high school boy with mechanical tastes must either go without adequate preparation for his appren- ticeship or attempt to prepare himself for other occupation. It is this inequality of opportunity which is the present and urgent duty of Quincy to remedy in its high school curriculum. In other words, the opportunities afforded along the line of manual arts need to be increased by installing such equip- ment and establishing such courses as are necessary to pre-
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pare for a career in the factory or the shop, as well as in the store or the office. A boy with mechanical taste who wishes a course in conformity with his tastes and ability is offered un- der the present curriculum in the Quincy High School two periods per week in manual training, restricted at the present time to wood work at the bench, and two periods per week in drawing, a preparation that is on the whole entirely inadequate and rendered more so by the fact that the two de- partments of manual traing and mechanical drawing are in no way connected.
On the other hand, in commercial courses there are offered from seven to eleven periods per week each year so that a pupil so desiring may elect the major part of his work from these branches, thus securing a direct avenue to those lines of industry he may intend to pursue on leaving school.
There are in our High School a large number of boys who display interest and potential skill in mechanical lines. The number electing the limited amount of manual training already offered, and which is excellent so far as its scope ex- tends, speaks for itself. The work in drawing would be equally popular if made practical and of evident value. At the present time, there are sixty freshman boys, six sopho- mores, six juniors and two seniors in this course, a situation that requires speedy correction.
There is imperative need of putting the manual arts depart- ment for boys on a broader, more efficient basis under one department head who would be capable of bringing the draw- ing and mannal training into close co-operation and of allying the whole field of manual arts with the needs of the community. More room, more time, more equipment and more teachers are needed in this work so that instruction may be offered which will afford adequate training for boys of mechanical talent. This is the next step to be taken in making the High School a more efficient force in the community ..
For the girls in the High School, courses in domestic science and cooking are provided , and these are very efficient and practical; the large number of pupils who take
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advantage of them shows that they are appreciated by the community. This work could be carried on to much better advantage if a larger room were provided for the purpose. It would seem advisable to give up the room at present used for the extension of the manual training department and transfer the domestic science department to one of the unused rooms on the third floor. A proper extension of the indus- trial work for our High School calls for the introduction of courses in sewing, the cutting and making of garments and the trimming of hats. This would supplement and round out the work in elementary sewing that is already done in the grammar schools. As a great number of girls after leaving the High School are engaged in wage earning occupations and as a majority of them sooner or later become home makers the expediency of affording some training along the lines men- tioned above can hardly be questioned.
Such changes and additions to the curriculum of High. School as the foregoing would give the city a school of much broader usefulness at a comparatively slight increase in cost. With these additions made, suitable preparation could be given for the college, the normal school, the shop, the office or the home, and no pupil need go through the High School feeling that the vocational interests were not being given proper consideration.
The spirit of the school is excellent-one of ambition and of earnest work, and the corps of teachers, as a whole, is giving the city faithful, efficient service under a wise and well tempered leadership. As the year closed, Mr. Leslie L. Cleveland, for nearly three years head master of the school, resigned his position to accept one of greater responsibility.
Mr. Cleveland's term of service has been a notably success- ful one. He has impressed his own high ideals of scholarship on the school to a marked degree,-a firm and tactful administra- tor, he has conducted the affairs of the school in a dignified and orderly way; while above all he has made an unswerving effort to develop the boys and girls under his charge into worthy men and women, Mr. Cleveland's report for the year follows :
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Mr. Albert L. Barbour, Superintendent of Schools :
I herewith submit my report of the Quincy High School for the year 1909.
The registration has varied little during the last three years, the total number being about eight hundred. The September term saw a number of new faces among the teachers. Three very efficient heads of departments were among those who left last June. Such changes are necessarily unfortunate. A new teacher's first year must be given largely to getting acquainted with conditions. In this process, both teacher and pupil suf- fer, as the desired continuity of development is hindered. The Quincy High School must often see new faces among its teachers because of the small salaries it can pay as compared with those in other schools of similar size. In spite of this however, the school has a fine corps, one that will not suffer by comparison with other schools.
A year's trial of the seven period day has proved it a wise division of time. Each period has a working time of about thirty-five minutes. Very few students will be interested through the whole of a longer period except in the laboratory. Only a strong man can hold the attention of adults for a longer time. Why, then, should boys and girls be asked to give forty- five to sixty minutes of undivided attention to something not particularly interesting to them ? A short period day transfers a boy, before he becomes mentally wearied with a certain subject to another subject or to a study hour. The present system secures better work from both teachers and pupils. It demands, however, a greater number of teachers than did the former day of long alternating periods. . The frequent changing of classes is wearing upon the teacher because she is compelled to handle a greater number of students, as well as to conduct each recitation under increased pressure. Every min- ute of the thirty-five must be used to good effect or the work will not be accomplished. Both teacher and pupil must be wide awake throughout the whole period. This alone means increased efficiency, but it also increases the strain upon the
32
teacher. At present, the great majority are teaching six of the seven periods, and some, even seven. Still greater efficiency might be attained if a number should teach but five periods, using the other two for individual consultation. Every teach- er should have at least one such period.
The year has seen improvement in athletic management to- gether with increased scholarship requirements for members of the school teams. The control of the athletic teams is now placed in the hands of a committee of seven. This committee consists of one member from each class and three masters. One of these masters acts as manager, another as treasurer, while the head master is chairman of the committee. A boy must do passing work in all his studies from the beginning. of the year to be eligible for a team. The athletic committee was organ- ized to secure a more efficient and sympathetic management of an important part of school life than had been obtained by the athletic association. The student members of the committee are boys who have a vital interest in the questions brought before them for decisions. Far too little attention has been given to the athletic interests of many schools. These interests have a very distinct place in any school, if its life is to be normal and healthy. The school is for the student, a fact which should always be kept in mind. Its purpose is to help that student grow strong in all that is good. Learn- ing so much Latin or algebra or chemistry is a means em- ployed to secure that end and not the end itself. All worthy means should be welcomed and placed in their proper relation. There is no one branch of school life that contains greater possibilities for helping than the athletic. Boys will have teams and will play games. School authorities are faced with the question-shall the boys play as school boys under wise control or shall they play independently without that control ? It is not at all a question of having the games or abolishing them, but of controlling or not controlling them. Football, for instance, may be abolished as far as using the school name is concerned, but that is about all. When the school abolishes a game that the boy is bound to play, it de-
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prives him of the very counsel to which his immaturity en- titles him. It is, indeed, unfortunate that few schools have any scientific work in physical training, but that the whole of this branch of work is limited to school teams. This means that the boys who need the most help get little or none. The tre- mendous tension of the twentieth century life puts a great strain upon the physical side of man. The time must come when this branch of education in the public schools will re- ceive equal attention with the others. The Quincy High school has a director of physical training who has weekly classes. This marks a big step in the right direction, but fur- ther advance should be made at the earliest opportunity. The school should have on its staff of teachers a trained man to give his whole time to its students, taking charge not only of regular class work, but directing all school athletic teams. There should also be an equally well trained woman directing the work of the girls. Each year emphasizes the need of a trained athletic adviser, especially in such strenuous games as basketball, football and track sports. The school is at present very fortunate in having among its masters, a man competent and willing to handle baseball. Boys engaged in other sports mentioned, however, should be even more carefully looked after. All admit that a large part of the serious injuries re- sulting are due to lack of proper physical condition. A coach, such as many schools employ, who is hired to make a winning team and has no scientific knowlege of physical development, will do more harm than good. He will subordinate all things to a desire to win. He will make impossible the great ethical lessons the game may teach. A coach should be as wholly un- der the direction of the Head Master as the French teacher, and be an essential part of the school system. The man who looks upon boys, primarily, as coming men whom he can large- ly assist in becoming more manly, who knows their physical strength and weakness, who will not tolerate unsportsmanlike conduct, who knows that a team wins a great victory when it takes defeat well, who appreciates the ethical possibilities in
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his relations with the boys- such a man for an athletic ad- viser must exercise a tremendously wholesome influence upon the whole school.
The registration last September again showed a large pro- portion of the entering class choosing the commercial course. What is the reason for such a choice ? Do so many feel them- selves fitted for that kind of work? Not at all. The com- mercial course appears more practical, a surer path to an im- mediate job. The result is most unfortunate, as it overloads the commercial department with a lot of material wholly unfit for commercial work. The school should emphasize the im- portance of some other so-called practical course. The Quincy High School should greatly enlarge its manual training and drawing departments. The two should be carefully correlated and aim to produce an ability to do some definite thing well. The department should be placed under a man who is thorough- ly alive to the possibilities of his work, who keeps closely in touch with business needs, whose personality attracts young people. Such a man would soon place this vocational depart- ment where it would attract many boys and girls now vainly endeavoring to become bookkeepers and stenographers.
Last spring the graduating classes of the grammar schools were given printed courses of the first year work in the High School. They were asked to select one course if they proposed to enter that school. Parents should take a vital interest in that selection and should allow no departure from it except for urgent reason. Many students dislike doing something diffi- cult. If they can avoid the difficulty by a campaign of com- plaining and loafing, they will do so. A boy should never be encouraged in his desire to drop a subject before that desire has been thoroughly investigated. The boy's wish, unless based upon some ground other than mere like or dislike, should play small part in reaching a decision. No parent has any right to ask a school to graduate his boy with a power to ac- complish if he endeavors to remove all the difficulties of the course. When the parents and schools unite in an effort to
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select the path adapted to the boy's inclinations and then in- sist upon his overcoming the obstacles in that path, both in school and at home, then, and not before, will the boy leave school a possessor of the efficiency that should be his.
Each year a number of graduates return to school to com- plete a college preparation. Such a return should very seldom be necessary. The school furnishes a fine preparation in four years to him who will take it, providing he begins with his first year. Many do not decide, until half way or more through the course, that they will enter college. Such delay usually will cost at least a year and can in no way be blamed upon the school.
The class of 1909 graduated with ninety-six members, seven- teen of whom have entered higher institutions of learning. Sixteen of 1908 were also in school and eight of these are now continuing their studies in college or normal school.
In closing I wish to express my appreciation of the loyal as- sistance accorded by the instructors and my thanks for the advice and support of the superintendent.
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