USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Norwood > Norwood annual report 1908-1911 > Part 54
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Balch-Mr. Jewett, Mrs. Lane.
Committee Meetings.
The regular monthly meeting of the School Committee is held at the School Committee rooms, 22 Sanborn Block, at 8 p. m., on the first Thursday of each month.
Superintendent of Schools.
Austin H. Fittz, 1 Marion avenue.
Telephone number, Norwood 202-3.
The office of the Superintendent is at 22 Sanborn Block. Office hours: 8 to 9 a. m., school days.
Telephone number, Norwood, 133-2.
5
SCHOOL CALENDAR, 1911.
Winter Term.
First half: Monday, January 2, to Friday, February 17. Second half: Monday, February 27, to Friday, April 21.
Spring Term.
Monday, May 1, to Friday, June 23.
Fall Term.
Wednesday, September 6, to Friday, December 22.
1912. Winter Term.
First half: Monday, January 1, to Friday, February 16. Second half: Monday, February 26, to Friday, April 19.
Holidays.
October 12, Thanksgiving Day and the following Friday, Good Friday, April 19, May 30, June 17.
6
No Session Signals.
The hours at which the signals will be given for no session of the schools in stormy weather are at 7.15, 8, and 8.20 a. m .; 12.30 and 12.50 p. m.
A signal at 7.15 indicates no forenoon session of any schools.
A signal at 8 a. m. indicates no forenoon session of any grades below the High School.
A signal at 8.20 a. m. indicates that there will be a fore- noon session in all the schools excepting the primary grades, (first three grades).
A signal at 12.30 p. m. indicates no afternoon session of any schools.
A signal at 12.50 p. m. indicates that all schools will be in session excepting the three primary grades.
7
REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
To the citizens of Norwood:
The School Committee herewith submit their report for the year ending January 31, 1911.
The receipts and expenditures have been as follows:
Receipts.
Appropriation,
$50,050 00
Tuition,
70 52
Sale of school tickets,
14 04
Sale of incidentals,
8 60
$50,349 66
Expenditures.
Teachers,
$35,383 75
Janitors and sweepers,
3,733 71
School books and supplies,
2,882 03
Incidentals and repairs,
4,638 66
Heating and lighting,
2,758 86
School tickets,
200 00
School physician,
$50,322 01
$27 65
Balance,
Special appropriation to meet unpaid bills from 1909-10,
$1,206 75
Expended, Balance,
1,198 31
8 44
206 50
Sale of school books and supplies,
725 00
8
Of the $2,882.03 spent for school books and supplies, $1,692.43 was expended for books and $1,189.60 was spent for supplies; of the $4,638.66 spent for incidentals and repairs $1,541.33 was expended for incidentals and $3,097.33 was spent for repairs; of the $2,758.86 spent for heating and lighting $2,701.45 was expended for heating and $57.41 for lighting.
During the past year the Guild School has been painted inside and out, the furnaces in this building have been taken down and repaired thoroughly so that the furnaces now in use are practically new, the exterior of the High School has been painted, snow guards have been placed on the roof of the Win- slow School, one of the rooms in the Everett School has been furnished with adjustable seats and desks, and sanitary drink- ing fountains have been put into all the schools.
During the coming year it will be necessary to paint the East School, to put new tubes into the boiler at the High School, to lay new floors at the West School and to alter this building by cutting into one of the sides for additional window space so that the rooms may receive sufficient light for school purposes.
The present accommodations at the High School are in- adequate, and in another two years the attendance will have outgrown the capacity of the building. The ventilation in the smaller rooms, occupied as they are for several periods each day with classes far too large for the available air space, is exceedingly bad. The drawing classes have been crowded out of the building and are meeting in a room at the Guild School. It is not at all unlikely that even this room may have to be taken for other purposes in September, 1912. For two years, now, because of cramped quarters, it has been necessary to refuse pupils permission to study typewriting.
The present building offers no opportunity for broadening the program of studies. The courses of study in drawing and the commercial branches cannot be extended. There is no room for the introduction of vocational training and domestic science.
The seating capacity of the building is limited. Estimates
9
based upon the rate of increase in membership during the past three years and upon the percentage of pupils graduating from the grammar school who have remained during the successive years of the high school course indicate that the membership in September, 1913 will be between two hundred and five, and two hundred and twelve pupils. Over one hundred of these pupils will be members of the entering class and the available rooms will not be sufficient to accommodate the increased number of divisions that will be made necessary by this large influx of pupils.
The opening of the West school in September will afford temporary relief for the present congested condit ons at the Winslow and Guild schools. This relief, however, will be only temporary; for how many years it is impossible to say. One- third of the membership of the Winslow school is from the Balch district and an increasing population in that district means that a new building in that part of the town will be required before many more years.
The Everett school is antiquated and unsuitable, ought to be abandoned, and undoubtedly will be in the course of time.
We wish to urge upon the voters the advisability of in- creasing the salaries of the teachers. Such an increase cannot take place without a larger appropriation for the schools. During the past year your committee has deemed it wise to pass a rule raising the standard of the requirements that must be met by an applicant for a position in our schools. This rule requires that candidates must be either college or normal school graduates, or have demonstrated by experience that they have acquired the equivalent of such training, and that they must have had at least one year of experience in teaching. This rule is in the interest of progress in our schools. The passing of this rule means, however, fewer low-salaried teachers, and a consequent increase in the amount necessary for salaries.
Our best teachers are not being paid what their services are worth. They are entitled to more money, can get more
-
10
elsewhere, and many of them will go elsewhere unless we meet the competition of other communities. Higher salaries for teachers capable of earning such salaries would mean a larger choice among candidates, longer retention in the service, and increased efficiency in teaching. More than any other single educational agency does a good teacher make a good school. We earnestly commend this matter to the attention of the voters as the most important question connected with the adminis- tration of our schools.
During the past year your committee has employed a school nurse to have general supervision over the health of teachers and pupils. Results obtained so far demonstrate the desirability of such work and the need of a nurse if the work of the school physician is to be made effective and the law in regard to medical inspection is to be carried out in spirit as well as in letter.
Several important changes have been made in the rules and regulations. One of these changes has already been re- ferred to-that of increasing the requirements that must be met by candidates for employment as teachers in our schools. The superintendent has been authorized to work along the line of changing the school system over from a nine-grade basis to an eight-grade basis. The sessions for the first grade have been shortened. The school calendar has been revised so that the school year after Christmas has been divided into three eight- week periods with two vacations of a week each. These changes are in accordance with the best practice elsewhere and have been adopted only after thorough investigation and careful consideration.
For a detailed statement concerning the progress made in the work being done in the schools we refer to the report of the superintendent submitted herewith.
11
We recommend the following appropriations for the ensuing year :
Teachers,
$37,500 00
Janitors and sweepers,
3,850 00
School books and supplies, 3,000 00
4,000 00
Incidentals and repairs,
3,000 00
Heating and lighting,
700 00
School tickets,
200 00
School physician,
$52,250 00
This recommendation constitutes an increase of $2,200 over the appropriation of last year. Of this $2,200, $2,000 is for teachers' salaries. This increase for teachers' salaries is neces- sary, partly because two additional teachers will be employed at the West school in September when that building is opened; and partly because of increases in salary among teachers already in the service of the town. The increase of one hundred dollars for janitors and sweepers is made necessary by the opening of the West school. The appropriation for school tickets has been exceeded this year; hence, the necessity for increasing the appro- priation for school tickets above the amount allowed last year. The amount required for incidentals and repairs would be less if it were not for the repairs and alterations at the West school. The recommendation submitted is based upon a conservative estimate of the expenses for the ensuing year.
EDWARD W. JEWETT, HARRIET W. LANE, ALFRED N. AMBROSE, EMILY C. FISHER, GEORGE H. SMITH, CORNELIUS M. CALLAHAN.
School Committee.
12
REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT.
-
To the School Committee of Norwood:
I have the honor of presenting the report of the superin tendent of schools.
Nominally, the report of a superintendent of schools is addressed to the school committee; actually, such a report is intended to acquaint the public with (1) the nature and scope of the progress made in the work of the schools, (2) opportuni- ties for improvement. The report submitted herewith will summarize results already accomplished in the development of an educational policy for the schools of the community; and will outline the nature of that policy.
To do good work, the schools must be effectively organized. An organization, to be effective, must have a specific aim. The aim of the public schools is to prepare children for complete living and through such preparation to promote social progress. To live completely, a person must be an efficient member of society. Hence, the work of the schools is to train individuals for social efficiency.
The specific aims of the elementary school course are to acquaint the child with what he does not know about the nature of his environment, physical and social: (1) so far as his environ- ment can be rendered intelligible to him, (2) so far as a knowl- edge of his environment will be serviceable to him in life; to develop all his powers, mental, moral, aesthetic, manual or structive; to conserve and promote his physical well-being. The function of the secondary school is to discover to the youth his possibilities; that is, to lead him to see what
13
part of the world's work he can do with a maximum of satis- faction to himself and a maximum of service to others.
A well-planned program of studies is fundamentally essen- tial to an effectively organized school system. During the past year progress has been made toward the development of such a program of studies. A list of suitable reading material has been carefully worked out for each of the first four grades. Lists for the upper grades are practically complete. Pro- visional courses of study in history, elementary science and hygiene have been put into the schools. At the present time committees of the teachers are formulating courses of study in geography, arithmetic and grammar. After these committees have completed their work the courses of study prepared by them will be fully discussed at a general teachers' meeting. Finally, the superintendent of schools will go over the courses and make such changes as are necessary.
The advantages of having the teachers work on these courses of study are several. In the first place, such courses will be based upon results obtained in the actual experience of teaching. In the second place, the teachers will gain a greater insight into the educational values and limitations of the sub- jects discussed. In the third place, when the teachers come to present the subjects in the classroom they will have a better understanding of aims to be sought and methods to be followed.
The program of studies that is being worked out is based upon an eight grade system. There is no good reason why a normal boy or girl cannot obtain the essentials of a common school education in eight years. Nine years means a year lost. Eliminate waste from the grades, prune away all non-essentials, and the work of the elementary school course can be done and well done in eight years.
The program of studies in the high school should be broad- ened. The present organization of the high school ignores the boy or girl who wishes to become something in life other than a
14
bookkeeper, a stenographer or a college graduate. Our high school is doing effective work in preparing for college and for clerical positions in the commercial occupations. This program, however, is not broad enough. The program of studies should include vocational training and instruction in domestic science. Until the high school program of studies is broadened in the ways indicated it must be frankly admitted that the high school is not fulfilling its function of fitting the boy or girl for the work in life he or she can do best.
It will not be possible, of course, in a community the size of Norwood to prepare boys and girls for several different vocations. A scheme of cooperation can probably be worked out, however, whereby different towns, situated not far apart, will undertake different lines of training; in fact, the details of such a scheme are now being considered. If it becomes clear that such a scheme is practicable, the advantages that it will offer in the way of enabling boys and girls to choose the kind of training that will fit them for occupations suited to their tastes are obvious.
The sessions of school for the first grade have been short- ened. This change is in accord with the best practice els where. The children have had more time for play out in the fresh air, useless busy work has been eliminated, more intensive work has been done with less wear and tear on the teachers, and the children have advanced in their studies as rapidly as have for- mer classes. The results obtained in the first grade justify shortening the sessions in the second grade another year.
The departmental plan of work followed for a. number of years in the ninth grade has been extended to the seventh and eighth grades. The advantages of this arrangement are (1) economy of the teacher's time and effort in preparation; (2) more skilful teaching; (3) the possibility of closer supervision.
The seventh and eighth grades have been organized into A, B and C divisions. The pupils in these two grades have been distributed among these divisions according to their ability.
15
Transfers among the divisions have been frequent and the rigidity of the ordinary system of grading pupils by yearly promotions has been lessened.
The discipline being maintained in the schools is of a high order. Much has been accomplished in the way of improving the conduct of the pupils while going to and from school. Snow- balling has been checked, the practice of stealing rides on the trains and electric cars has been practically eliminated, and trespasses on private property have been lessened in number. While he lived, Mr. M. D. Creed, who served this department faithfully and efficiently as truant officer for over a decade, rendered the superintendent of schools great assistance in main- taining proper standards of conduct by the children while on the street.
Excellent progress has been made in caring for the physical welfare of the children. The school nurse came to us in Sep- tember. Between the time of the opening of the schools and January 31 she had examined 3,132 cases. Of these cases she found 1,125 needing medical treatment. She has taken fourteen cases to the hospitals and has visited fifty-five homes.
These statistics, brief as they are, give a general idea of the extent of the work accomplished. The children of the schools and many of the homes are in a better condition to-day because of the presence in this community of the school nurse. She has exerted an excellent moral influence among the pupils and has succeeded in breaking up cases of cigarette smoking that other agencies have not been able to reach. She has in- structed parents how to care for illness and has brought about an improvement in the diet of a number of children who were coming to school improperly nourished. She has followed up cases of defective vision until the glasses needed were provided. By guarding the health of the children of to-day the energy and efficiency of the men and women of to-morrow are being con- served. This is the educational significance of the work of the school nurse.
1
16
At the Winslow School the experiment is being tried of providing at cost warm lunches for those children who other- wise would have to eat cold dinners. Results obtained in New York City and in other places indicate that a lunch counter in a school building brings about great improvement in the health of the children served.
The teachers throughout the grades are now making play a part of the regular daily program. This plan is being followed in Lowell, Quincy and elsewhere with excellent success. A short let-up in the strain of the schoolroom at times when the pupils are fatigued means fewer occasions for discipline by the teacher, better attention in the recitation by the pupils, and more intensive work by the class.
The importance of play as a means of promoting the edu- cational development of the child is being recognized more and more. The time will soon come when every well-organized school system will have a physical supervisor who will direct play in the schoolrooms and on the school grounds as a part of the regular school program; who will conduct gymnasium classes in the school buildings; and who will have general charge of the playgrounds in the community.
Out of two hundred and thirty-nine children examined by the school nurse one hundred and seventy-one have teeth needing dental treatment. Sound teeth are an aid to good digestion and good health. Per contra, decayed teeth mean poor health. If the schools are to prepare for complete living by promoting social efficiency some effort ought be made to save the teeth and to conserve the general health of the eighty per cent. of our school children who are not now having their teeth cared for by a dentist.
Effectiveness of organization is for the purpose of promot- ing efficiency in administration. Effectiveness of organization alone, however, will not produce efficiency in administration. Efficiency in. the administration of any undertaking depends upon the spirit of the workers.
17
The schools are a community enterprise and as such they must enlist the support and cooperation of the public. During the past year several parents' meetings have been held. These meetings have been conducted for the purpose of bringing the schools and the homes into closer touch with each other. What is desired is to promote an understanding between the home and the school that will be helpful to both. The school nurse was engaged partly for this purpose. Through the courtesy of its editor, articles giving educational information and weekly reports of items of interest concerning the work of the schools have appeared in the local paper. A parents' association organized to consider topics vital to the welfare of children, would prove of inestimable value to the progress of the schools.
The final test of the efficiency of any school system is the character of the work being done by the individual teachers. During the past year every possible effort has been made to secure good teachers; that is, teachers who not only know their subjects, but who know children, sympathize with and aspire for them. Scholarship and training are essential to success in teaching, but the most vital element of all is soul. It is a certain indefinable spirituality, an ability to interpret and express the best in life that makes the real teacher.
An increase in the salaries of our best teachers would do much to promote efficiency of the school system. Such an increase would help in three ways: (1) such salaries would attract to the town the stronger class of teachers; (2) such salaries would result in our holding our best teachers for a longer period of service; (3) the incentive of the opportunity to earn such salaries would be a powerful stimulus throughout the teaching force as a whole.
Respectfully submitted, AUSTIN H. FITTZ, Superintendent.
APPENDIX.
.
21
REPORT OF TRUANT OFFICER AND CENSUS ENUMERATOR.
To the Superintendent of Schools:
I herewith hand you my report. This report covers the period since the opening of schools in September.
Number of cases investigated,
24
Truants,
11
Want of proper clothing,
Parents at fault,
2
Sickness,
Respectfully submitted, JAMES W. LAVERS, Truant Officer.
To the Superintendent of Schools;
I take pleasure in submitting my report as Census Enumer- ator for the year 1910. I have taken a house to house canvass as required by law:
Number of children between 5 and 15, 1417
Number of boys between 5 and 15, 693
Number of girls between 5 and 15, 724
Number of boys between 7 and 14, 526
Number of girls between 7 and 14,
547
Respectfully submitted,
GLADWIN M. NEAD, Enumerator.
8
22
ENROLLMENT AND ATTENDANCE
TEACHERS
SCHOOLS
Grades
Enrollment
Boys
Girls
Number under 5 years
1 Nathaniel A. Cutler
High Everett
10-13 9
190
72
118
0
ยท 3
Flora B. Reed
9
46
26
20
0
4
S. Louisa Rhodes
"
8
46
23
23
0
5
M. Josephine McGrane
8
39
17
22
0
7
Bertha E. Hinchliffe
7
46
24
22
0
8
Julia E. Danahy
Guild
7
48
28
20
0
9
Mary L. Reid
7
48
29
19
0
10
Anna L. Brown
66
6
46
24
22
0
11
Martha R. Taylor
5-6
*40
17
23
0
12
Margarita E. Burns
5
52
25
27
0
13
Mary W. O'Brien
4
50
23
27
0
14
Julia I. Drummy
3-4
*23
*9
14
0
15
Estelle M. Mahoney
66
3
40
21
19
0
16
Fannie M. Thorne
2
54
25
29
0
17
Alice S. Houston
1-2
*3
1
2
0
18
Lillian G. Duncan
1
51
31
20
0
19
George W. Allen
Shattuck
6 5-6
36
17
19
0
21
Martha E. Mahony
5
37
15
22
0
22
Florence Hill
4
39
17
22
0
23
Alma L. Arnold
3
40
23
17
0
24
Fanny F. White
2-3
35
16
19
0
25
Maude A. Woods
2
33
15
18
0
26
Emma F. Niles
1
36
22
14
0
27
Katherine L. Carbee
Winslow
6
55
29
26
0
28
Ruth B. Sears
5
42
20
22
0
29
Lizzie E. Hadley
4
37
17
20
0
30
Marguerite E. Mahoney
66
4
46
*24
22
0
31
Bertha L. Brown
66
3
41
18
23
0
32
M. Louise Mahoney
3
41
16
25
0
33
Annie G. Scherer
2
42
19
23
0
34
E. Louise Ward
66
1
43
21
22
0
35
Ethel G. Hubbard
East
2-3
31
16
15
0
36
Martha B. Parker
1-2
30
16
14
0
37
Maude E. Dalton
Balch
2
40
22
18
0
38
A. Agnes Curtin
1
38
23
15
0
1677
810
867
+0
2
Maud B. Kennerson
50
23
27
0
6
Mary G. Feely
8
*32
10
22
0
*31
16
15
0
20
Ada B. Campbell
"
1
*Apparent discrepancy between enrollment and membership due to enrollment of sev- eral children in another school.
23
STATISTICS FOR SCHOOL YEAR 1909-10.
Number over 15
years old
and 15
Number between
7 and 14
Average
Membership
Average
Attendance
Per cent. of attendance
Number of Tardiness
Pro rata of Tardiness
Number of Days in
Aggregate Days At-
tendance of all
Pupils
136
54
15
169.10
163.00
95.90
122
0.70
187.0
30445.0
3
47
32
48.78
47.68
97.74
35
0.72
184.0
8542.5
18
28
12
40.33
37.79
93.70
70
1.73
184.0
6968.0
2
44
33
38.06
35.45
93.14
81
2.12
185.0
6584.5
4
35
21
35.22
33.67
95.59
56
1.59
185.0
6241.0
6
26
14
*33.10
30.99
93.60
20
0.60
185.0
5716.5
0
46
39
43.30
40.48
93.48
87
0.21
184.5
7463.0
0
48
36
39.28
36.66
93.33
25
0.63
0.42
185.0
7955.5
0
48
45
45.74
43.00
94.01
19
0.86
185.5
7538.5
0
46
43
42.95
40.63
94.59
37 32
0.72
185.0
7691.0
0
52
51
46.23
44.06
95.30
26
0.56
184.0
8107.5
0
50
49
45.56
42.64
93.59
12
0.26
185.0
7889.0
0
23
23
*23.78
22.32
93.86
66
2.77
185.0
4131.0
0
40
40
37.73
35.94
95.25
10
0.26
183.5
6595.5
0
54
24
41.21
38.20
92.68
31
0.75
183.5
7107.0
0
3
2
*31.97
29.67
92.65
26
0.82
111.0
3277.5
0
51
10
39.72
37.18
93.60
31
0.78
182.5
6786.5
0
31
31
*31.23
29.60
94.70
86
2.40
185.0
5327.0
0
35-
34
33.00
31.37
95.05
65
1.97
184.0
5771.5
0
37
37
29.10
27.44
94.32
25
0.86
184.0
5049.5
0
39
39
36.74
35.09
95.50
27
0.71
185.0
6632.0
0
40
40
36.63
34.88
95.21
38
1.03
182.0
6348.5
0
35
31
34.18
32.56
95.23
30
0.88
182.5
5954.0
0
33
13
30.54
0
36
4
29.13
27.22
93.04
71
2.44
182.5
4968.0
1
54
51
44.78
41.72
93.16
9
0.22
184.0
7718.5
0
42
42
39.54
36.83
93.15
11
0.27
184.0
6776.0
0
37
36
31.61
0
46
46
39.99
37.28
93.21
18
0.45
184.0
6859.5
0
41
39
37.29
0
41
38
38.92
35.42
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