USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Report of the city of Somerville 1873 > Part 5
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2987.
Primary Schools,
. 1401.
93
EXHIBIT OF THE SEVERAL SCHOOLS.
SCHOOLS.
TEACHERS.
Average whole Number.
Average Attend- ance
Per Cent of Attend- ance.
Number Tardy.
Number Di»mis- sed.
High ..
Geo. L. Baxter.
171.1
167.4
97.8
209
373
Forster.
Geo. R. Bradford ..
41.5
40.4
97.4
39
57
Anna M. Snow.
40.4
38 7
95.8
23
47
Frances M. Guptill.
42.4
40.1
94.6
29
29
Edith C. Long ..
39.6
37.2
93.9
61
66
Helen E. Magoun.
40.7
37.7
92.6
109
45
66
....
...
66
...
Ella F. Lears.
47.5
39.7
33.6
134
75
Prescott.
G. A. Southworth.
46.0
44.6
96.9
68
65
66
Isabel S. Horne. .
35.3
33.7
95.4
61
56
Harriet N. Sands
33.3
31.9
95.7
61
61
66
.. .
Anna A. Hall ..
42.1
40.1
95.2
154
63
42.7
40.1
93.9
149
186
48.6
45.8
94.2
98
95
66
......
.....
.... .
60
. .
Mary E. Hartshorn.
58.3
51.8
88.8
159
78
66
Grace A. T. Wilson.
66.7
58.1
87.1
181
29
66
Fannie R. Morse.
60.5
53.8
88.9
35
24
Augusta M. Cowles ..
48.0
44.9
93.5
72
68
Amelia Sears.
40.0
36.1
90.2
256
104
Anna L. Prescott.
61.8
53.7
86.9
183
66
Clara M. Bagley.
54.1
46.2
85.4
149
66
Samuel C. Hunt ..
42.5
41.6
97.8
32
28
Frances L. Child.
35.9
34.9
97.2
23
57
66
Caroline S. Plimpton ..
41.3
40.4
97.8
33
23
66
Ellen M. Gooding.
40.5
38.7
95.6
25
52
66
Lydia L. Gordon. Clara Taylor ...
47.0
44.2
94.0
17
7
66
...
54.9
51.9
94.5
134
8
66
Augusta A. Roberts
84.6
77.6
91.7
357
153
Brastow.
Sarah E. Pennock ..
48.1
46.1
95.8
114
84
66.9
57.1
85.3
70
83
Bennett.
Helen Tincker ..
48.7
45.8
94.0
103
95
66
Adeline Sanderson.
44.7
41.5
92.8
114
35
66
Georgiana Stevens. Mary B. Currier.
56.9
49.5
87.0
214
46
Lizzie W. Shelton.
44.0
42.1
95.7
204
68
66
Maria Miller.
41.2
38.7
93.9
159
81
66
Rebecca F. Woodberry.
58.2
52.6
90.4
211
16
66
Lizzie J. Hamilton.
58.8
54.6
92.8
204
47
Webster.
Ada L. Sanborn.
37.9
36.1
95.2
189
59
66
Agnes M. Cox.
43.1
38 5
89.3
113
39
66
Annie L. Savage.
40.4
37.7
93.3
88
33
Union. .
Fannie W. Kaan.
45.5
42.9
94.3
189
156
Harvard.
Emeline A. Dane.
57.6
53.5
92.9
143
32
Morse ..
Wm. B. Allen ..
37.6
34.7
92.3
124
133
66
Nellie P. Nichols.
32.6
30.6
93.9
134
69
66
Helen W. Chapin.
49.6
45.8
92.3
206
123
66
Anna E. Sawyer.
38.0
33.4
87.9
249
131
Beech Street.
Harriet H. Weld.
46.3
42.2
91.1
197
65
*
66
Mary A. Haley.
60.0
53.7
89.5
85
15
Franklin.
Jane E. Clark.
42.5
39.6
93.1
135
112
66
Lizzie C. Howe ..
42.0
38.9
92.6
222
56
66
Lilian E. Woodward.
46.3
42.8
90.2
211
48
Louisa M. Wilde.
48.0
45.0
93.7
154
61
Lincoln
H. P. Makechnie.
19.9
19.0
95.4
87
108
Ella L. Burbank.
27.1
24.7
91.1
96
73
66
Georgiana Cutter.
37.1
34.1
91.8
196
161
66
P. Jenette Teele.
45.5
38.5
84.4
338
97
Cedar Street.
Alice Simpson.
47.4
41.4
87.3
70
55
66
Lizzie J. Conwell.
35.0
34.0
97.1
75
16
Total,
3216.5
2972.7
92.4
8505
4761
High School
171.1
167.4
97.8
209
373
Grammar Schools
1698.7
1600.2
94.2
4395
2987
Primary Schools ..
1346.7
1205 1
89.5
3901
1401
Total.
3216.5
2972.7
92.4
8505
4761
* Organized in September.
# Organized in May.
# Organized in April.
66
...
..
66
...
...
Agnes Woodberry
47.5
43.7
92.0
63
47
+
66
Martha H. Pennock.
42.0
37.1
88.3
64
34
66
......
Nancy W. Procter.
M. Ellen Eddy.
48.5
45.7
94.2
131
44
Catherine T. Brown
51.2
47.7
93.1
125
+
Beulah A. Hill ..
47.7
43.0
90.0
53
56
Edgerly
66
... .
Lydia J. Page.
42.7
40.3
94.3
60
51
66
. .
Ada C. Bennett ..
50.0
46.0
92.0
217
66
Harriet J. Williams.
54.4
48.1
88.4
155
68
66
Pauline S. Downes.
37.5
36.5
97.3
41
52
40.8
38.2
93.6
31
86
Abbie C. Hunt.
66
. .
. .
. .
...
*
. .
Jackson.
Prospect Hill.
Abbie M. Bigelow.
66
94
Taking the average attendance as a basis, we obtain from the foregoing table, the following items :
The High School has contained 5.63 per cent of all the pupils.
The Grammar Schools have contained 53.83 per cent of all the pupils. The Primary Schools have contained 40.54 per cent of all the pupils.
Average number of tardinesses to each pupil in the several departments during the year :
High School, 1.25 or once tardy in 156 sessions.
Grammar Schools, 2.74
66 " 142 66
Primary Schools, 3.23 66 " 120 66
In nine of the Grammar Schools, the number of tardi- nesses for the year has been less than the number of pupils.
Average number of dismissals to each pupil in the several departments for the year :
High School, .
2.18
Grammar Schools, .
1.86
Primary Schools,
1.16
Per cent of attendance in all the schools, and in the several departments, for the last three years has been as follows :
1
1871.
1872.
1873.
All of the schools,
93.4
92.8
92.4
High School, .
97.7
96.9
97.8
Grammar Schools,
92.4
93.8
94.2
Primary Schools,
91.3
91.
89.5
95
Our summary shows that the number of different pupils connected with the schools in May last was 3355, including 226 over fifteen years of age, and that the school population was 3352. The average whole num- ber for the month of May was 3071; the average attend- ance was 2835, and the per cent of attendance was 92.2, corresponding very nearly to the per cent of attendance for the entire year.
From these data we determine with a good degree of accuracy, that the average attendance of pupils in all the schools, between the ages of five and fifteen years, dur- ing the entire year, has been 84.5 per cent of the num- ber of children in the city between those ages.
We would respectfully invite the attention of parents to the large number of tardinesses and dismissals during the past year, and earnestly solicit their co-operation in efforts to reduce it in the coming year.
Expenditures from January 1, 1873, to January 1, 1874.
Teachers' Salaries,
. $51,997 07
Superintendent's Salary,
2,000 00
Janitors' Salaries, .
2,234 03
Fuel,
4,241 66 .
Sundry repairs,
5,085 86 .
Furniture,
1,082 70
Heating apparatus,
1,356 97 .
Rent,
1,049 78
Finishing ward-room in Prescott school-house, 650 00
Enlarging Cedar Street school-house, .
1,100 00
Altering and repairing Beach Street school-house, .
700 00
Grading,
945 50
Sidewalks,
1,492 11
Miscellaneous,
·
3,570 74
$77,506 42
.
·
96
PRIMARY SCHOOLS.
The increasing interest in the primary schools, the im- portance attached to them, and the earnest desire man- ifested to place over them teachers largely endowed with all requisite qualifications, must be regarded as matters for congratulation.
In December there were 1479 children in the twenty- five schools of this grade, or about two-fifths of all the pupils in the city, giving to each teacher an average of fifty-nine pupils.
There are but two regularly organized classes in the primary schools. Below these are the alphabet and pri- mer classes, which constitute what, in our summary, is called the third class.
Children are admitted to the primary schools at all seasons of the year, consequently they are in various stages of advancement, at all times, in the alphabet and primer classes.
In the early part of the school year more than half of the children in these schools are below the second class, but as the year advances the first and second classes are increased by frequent promotions, and, usually, at the end of the year a majority of the pupils are in those classes.
It requires about three years, ordinarily, for children, who enter these schools at the age of five years, to com- plete the work assigned to them, and to be able to meet the requirements for promotion to the grammar schools, which are as follows :
97
1. An ability to read the primary reading books with a good de- gree of fluency. 2. To spell the words in the reading lessons and those contained in the first five lessons of Sargent's Spelling Book. 3. To count rapidly by twos, threes and fours to one hundred forward and backward : to be familiar with the Roman and Arabic numerals to 1000, and the tables of multiplication and divisionto 12 × 12 and 144 : 12. 4. To have a knowledge of the punctuation marks ad the use of capitals as they occur in the reading lessons, and the abbre- viations as found in Sargent's Spelling Book. 5. To write capitals and small letters and to combine them into words and short easy sentences ; and to draw plain figures upon the slate.
Teachers in this grade are required :
1. To give special attention to the sounds of letters, to distinctness of articulation and to correctness of pronunciation. 2. To intersperse much oral instruction upon matters of general interest and advantage to their pupils. 3. To correct all inelegant and improper expres- sions. 4. To cultivate in themselves and in their pupils a quiet de- meanor and cheerfulness of countenance, tone and manner. 5. To encourage habits of order ; to cultivate good manners ; to inculcate moral duties and obligations.
Singing and physical exercises must occupy a portion of each session of the school.
No exercise in this grade should be continued more than fifteen minutes.
It should be the constant aim of teachers in each department of the schools to cultivate in their pupils the habit of close, undivided attention to the subject under consideration. This is best secured in the primary school, by short, brisk and spirited recitations in which the mind of every pupil is kept upon the alert. Listlessness should be scrupulously guarded against.
We can hardly over-rate the importance of this depart- ment of our schools. The wise master-builder looks well to the foundation upon which he is to rear his super-
I3
98
structure. It is in the primary school that the foundation of an education is laid. The child here receives an im- pulse, a direction for good or for evil, that will influence, materially, his entire future course. If, therefore, imper- fect teaching must be tolerated in any department, let it not be in this, where every pupil is so keenly sensitive to the influences about him.
Teachers of primary schools should have a natural fondness for children, should be in sympathy with youth- ful hearts, should have tact to manage and ability to control without recourse to the rod, should have patience that never tires, quick sensibilities, cheerfulness, and a deep sympathetic nature. Add to these, knowledge, experience, enthusiasm, and success is sure. To such teachers the primary school is a delightful place for labor.
GRAMMAR SCHOOLS.
Five new schools, of this grade, have been organized within the year. At the present time there are forty-one grammar schools, which contained, in December, 1716 pupils or 50.77 per cent of all the pupils in the several schools at that time.
It requires a year for pupils of average ability and industry to accomplish the work assigned to each one of the six classes in the grammar schools; and the require- ments for admission to the High School are based upon the expected attainments of pupils when they graduate at the grammar schools. .
These requirements are as follows :
1. An ability to read, write, spell and define well. 2. A good knowledge of English Grammar. 3. A general knowledge of the History of the United States. 4. A thorough acquaintance with Warren's Common School Geography or its equivalent. 5. A thorough acquaintance with Walton's Intellectual and Written Arithmetic.
99
The schools of this grade are required to observe the following General Directions.
Reading. - Give special attention to correctness of pronunciation, and distinctness of articulation - avoiding that which is measured and mechanical ; to fluency of utterance ; to accent, emphasis and inflec- tion. Read all the pieces within the prescribed limits.
Spelling. - Spell and define the words in the columns of the Reader ; write, daily, sentences from the reading lessons from dicta- tion ; spell all new words in every lesson. The lessons in the spelling book should be read by the class when they are given out for study.
Writing and Drawing. - There must be, at least, four lessons in writing and two in drawing every week ; each lesson to occupy thirty minutes, exclusive of time required for preparation.
Insist on correct position and the proper manner of holding the pen. Much attention should be given to movement exercises.
Composition. - Once in two weeks, by all the classes, on some topic embraced in oral instruction, and adapted to the age and capacity of pupils. In the first class, business papers, such as letters, orders, bills of purchase, receipts, promissory notes, drafts, advertisements, invita- tions, etc. Quackenbos's First Lessons in Composition to be used as a text-book. 1
Declamation. - Once each month, by the boys in the first and sec- ond classes.
Vocal Music shall form a part of the daily exercises in all the schools ; and a lesson of one hour shall be given each week by a teacher specially employed for the purpose.
It is recommended that, in the arrangement of the studies and reci- tations, those which most severely task the pupil, be assigned to the forenoon.
100
At the close of the school year, the following named pupils, graduates from the grammar schools, passed the required examination for admission to the High School :
FROM PRESCOTT SCHOOL.
IDA CUTTER.
CHAS. H. TENNEY.
MINNIE CUTTER.
SIMEON N. METCALF.
FANNIE G. TOMPKINS.
CHESTER D. PARSONS.
NELLIE C. POLLARD.
FRANK H. BOWERS.
FRANCES M. KIRKPATRICK. ORVILLE T. CURTIS.
MARIA B. MONROE.
CHAS. M. HEMENWAY.
CARRIE E .. SAYLES.
GEO. A. WEST.
EMMA F. OLIVER.
ARTHUR H. HOUSTON.
MARY C. BATCHELDER.
WALTER R. CROSBY.
ALICE R. FITZ.
HERBERT W. PAGE.
EVA H. MORAN.
GEO. S. MORTON.
S. FRANCES BARNARD.
WM. M. MULLAY.
WM. T. PATTEN.
Average age, 14 years, 8 months.
MORSE SCHOOL.
EMMA W. KAAN.
LOUIS B. CARR.
MINNIE W. MORSE.
ALBERT L. HASKELL.
JOHN F. BACON.
THOMAS H. TALBOT.
LULU E. RYMES.
HENRY D. HOWIE.
AGNES SHUTE.
HENRY D. BULLARD.
CARRIE S. KEATING.
JOHN E. KELLY.
MARY E. FITZHENRY.
FRANK H. MORSE.
MARY E. LAREY.
WILLIAM O. FREEMAN ..
NETTIE S. PARK.
JOHN F. DAVIDSON.
ADA E. TOWER.
WILLIAM L. McGARR.
NOEY F. BYARD.
CHARLES P. LINCOLN.
Average age, 14 years 9 months.
101
FORSTER SCHOOL.
ELLA R. MAYNARD.
WILLIAM H. COTTER.
LIZZIE M. MOREHOUSE.
ROBERT W. BELKNAP.
ALICE E. FURBER.
WILBUR D. WASHBURN.
GEORGETTE K. Dow.
EMERY H. AVERILL.
GEORGIANA T. LEARS.
FRED NORCROSS.
HATTIE ABBOTT.
AUGUSTUS W. RING.
LILLIE F. GARVIN.
FRED L. KEYES.
HATTIE MORRIS.
JOHN M. HOWARD.
ALMA L. BACON.
J. ALBERT HUTCHINSON.
Average age, 15 years 1 month.
PROSPECT HILL SCHOOL.
MARY E. BERRY.
MATTIE A. VINAL.
LOUISE STURTEVANT.
NELLIE E. HARRINGTON.
CARRIE W. HAYWARD.
EMMA TAYLOR.
NELLIE TUTTLE.
PHILIP ABERLE.
LILLETTE WHITTEN.
HORACE LOTHROP.
NELLIE A. BRADSHAW.
WILLIAM H. CLEAREY.
Average age, 15 years.
LINCOLN SCHOOL.
MARY E. PIERCE.
CARRIE M. SNELLING.
ALICE BYRNES.
FRED A. FISKE.
JULIA A. BYRNES.
FRED T. KINGMAN.
NELLIE E. LACOUNT.
CHARLES G. LEONARD.
LILLIE E. CLANCEY. WALTER A. Dow.
Average age, 15 years 6 months.
RECAPITULATION.
Prescott School, 25
Morse
22
Forster
18
Prospect Hill
12
Lincoln 66
10
Total, .
87
Average age 14 years, 11 months.
102
Ninety-seven per cent of the graduates from the Gram- mar Schools applied for admission to the High School, and ninety-two per cent of the applicants passed the re- quired examination.
HIGH SCHOOL.
Whole number of different pupils during the year, . 261.
Largest number present at one time, 190.
Number admitted during the year, 85.
Number graduated, 28.
Whole number at the present time, 186.
Number in course preparatory for College, . 22.
Number at the present time over 15 years of age, . 141.
The class that graduated in June last contained 59 scholars on entering the school in September 1869.
No. of 1st Class on entering the school, 65, present No. 26.
2d 66
66 59,
34.
66 3d 66 66
66 74, 66 44.
4th "
66
66
83, 66 82.
Number of the 1st Class January 1, 1873,
33.
66
66 2d
66
66
50.
66
66 3d 66 66
66
69.
It has been our constant endeavor to render this school of the highest practical utility to the community, by making it accessible to the largest number of pupils from the grammar schools; by maintaining a high standard of scholarship; and by giving to the several courses of study a range sufficiently broad to meet the wants of every pupil whatever may be his anticipated pursuit.
103
The manner in which our graduates enter the colleges of their choice, and the position they sustain with stu- dents from other preparatory schools of the highest order, is good evidence that a high standard of scholarship is maintained in the school. That the range of studies is sufficiently broad to meet the wants of those pupils who are looking forward to some industrial pursuit, as well as of those who intend to pursue a college course, is evident from the very small number of persons in the city who patronize any other school. That the school has strong attractions is evident from the earnest desire manifested by the graduates from the several grammar schools to enter it, and from the constantly increasing length of time which they remain as members of it.
1
Could pupils bring to the school higher qualifications and greater maturity, they would pursue the prescribed course of study with greater ease, would take a broader view of the subjects investigated, and derive much more advantage from the instruction imparted to them. But this desirable result can be secured only by elevating the character of the preparatory schools, by placing over every primary and grammar school a teacher of superior professional skill and enthusiasm.
Diplomas were first awarded in 1862. Since that time 188 persons have graduated. Males, 57. Females, 131.
Number graduated in 1862, 6. Number graduated in 1868, 16.
66
66 1863, 6.
1869, 25.
66 1864, 11. 66
66 1870, 16.
66 66 1865, 10. 6: 6. 1871, 33.
1866, 9.
66 1872, 21.
66
1867, 7.
1873, 28.
104
NAMES OF GRADUATES WHO FITTED FOR COLLEGE; THE COLLEGE ENTERED; AND THE TIME OF ENTRANCE.
Name.
College.
Time.
Geo. C. Brackett .
*Edward E. Edgerly .
Harvard Tufts Harvard
1863.
Geo. S. Littlefield
1866.
Edward C. Booth .
66
Theophilus G. Smith Wm. E. Story .
+ David Heald, Jr.
1868.
Chas. K. Cutter
Tufts
Frank M. Hawes .
Chas. A. Russell .
Roswell C. Downer
Harvard
1869.
Frederic W. Story
Jas. L. Tyler, Jr.
WVm. S. Marston
1870.
Louis P. Davis .
Tufts
Edward P. Elliott
Harvard
1871.
Frederic W. Stone
Arthur S. Eddy .
1872.
Nathan A. Taylor
66
1873.
Edwin N. Lovering
.
6 .
John L. Nichols .
Caleb B. Underhill .
* Died, May, 1870.
¿ Died, Sept., 1878.
1867.
Michael J. Canavan
66
1860.
Saml. N. Cutler
105
TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL EXHIBITION OF THE HIGH SCHOOL,
MONDAY, JUNE 30th, 1873.
ORDER OF EXERCISES.
MUSIC. Edmand's Band.
1. SINGING .- Chorus, "In light tripping measure," (with Orchestra). "Cinderella."
Chorus, "Come with the Gipsy bride," (with Orchestra).) "Bohemian Girl."
2. SALUTATORY IN LATIN. Samuel Newton Cutler.
3. READING-"Was he hen-pecked ? " Mary Louisa Sanderson.
Phoebe Cary.
4. ESSAYS .- Patchwork and Mending, Song,
. Jennie Holland.
Ellen Frances Hardy.
5. READING .- "The Pilot's Story. Atlantic.
Abbie Mead Moore.
6. SINGING .- Chorus, "Gaily our boat, &c." Gould. Duet, "Voices of the Night." Glover. Semi-Chorus, "The Nightingale." Mendelssohn.
7. Translation into English, "Robespierre to the French," (Original.)
Joseph Neal Damon.
8. READING .- "The Jackdaw of Rheims."
Barham.
Annie Kate Paul.
9. Translation into Greek from "Hamlet." (Original ) Edwin Nathaniel Lovering, John Loring Nichols, Caleb Brooks Underhill.
10. READING .- The National Anthems received in response to an advertised call, with criticisms by Orpheus C. Kerr.
Emma Susan Dow.
11. SINGING .- Song, "Star of Love." Wallace. Chorus, "May-day."
Neithart. Chorus, "Back from his morning chase," (with Orchestra.) "Cinderella."
12. READING .- "The Piano Mania." Jennie Fune.
Emily Anne Russell.
13. ESSAYS .- Travels in Greece. Sarah Bunker Freeman
Out-door Studies.
. Mary Anna Gross. Omens.
Ada Florence Hughes. MUSIC.
RECESS.
I4
106
14. SINGING .- Cavatina and Chorus, "O Italia," (with Orchestra.) "Anna Bolena."
15. READING .- "Our Country Saved." .
Lowell. Anna Parker Vinal.
16. FROM "LE BOURGEOIS GENTILHOMME." Moliere. .
Adeline Cooper Smith. Anna Adella Tower,
17. READING .- "Marguerite." . Whittier.
Ella Florence Pratt.
18. ORIGINALS.
19. READING .- "The Maiden Martyr." ·
Anon.
Charlotte Isabelle Houghton.
20. SINGING .- Chorus, "Dream on." German. Quartette, "Blue Danube," (with Orchestra) Strauss.
21. READING .- "From the Heart of Mid-Lothain." Scott.
Almira Hollander.
22. POEM .- (Original). Isaac Marion Story.
23. READING .- "Contentment."
. Holmes.
Clara Almira Richards.
24. FROM "HENRY VIII." Nora Agnes O'Leary.
. 25. ESSAYS-A Tea Party. Grace Caroline Brown. Highways and Byways. Mary Elizabeth Wiggin.
26. FROM "THE TALE OF A TRUMPET." Hood.
Part 1 .- Frank Winchester Downer. Part 2 .- Samuel Newton Cutler.
27. VALEDICTORY. Margaret Dardana Barter.
28. Presentation of Diplomas by the Chairman of the School Committee. MAYOR GEORGE O. BRALTOW ..
29. PARTING HYMN.
MEMBERS OF THE GRADUATING CLASS.
MARGARET DARDANA BARTER,
GRACE CAROLINE BROWN,
EMMA SUSAN DOW, SARAH BUNKER FREEMAN,
MARY ANNA GROSS,
ELLEN FRANCES HARDY,
JENNIE HOLLAND, ALMIRA HOLLANDER,
CHARLOTTE ISABELLE HOUGHTON, ADA FLORENCE HUGHES, ABBIE MEAD MOORE,
NORA AGNES O'LEARY,
ANNIE KATE PAUL,
ELLA FLORENCE PRATT,
CLARA ALMIRA RICHARDS, EMILY ANNE RUSSELL, MARY LOUISA SANDERSON, ADELINE COOPER SMITH, ANNA ADELLA TOWER, ANNA PARKER VINAL, MARY ELIZABETH WIGGIN, SAMUEL NEWTON CUTLER, JOSEPH NEAL DAMON, FRANK WINCHESTER DOWNER, EDWIN NATHANIEL LOVERING, JOHN LORING NICHOLS,
ISAAC MARION STORY,
CALEB RROOKS UNDERHILL.
107
DRAWING.
A school for instruction in Mechanical and Free Hand Drawing under the direction of Prof. Lucas Baker, was sustained during the winter. The whole number of names registered was sixty-two, including several young ladies.
On account of the extremely inclement weather on several evenings when the school was in session, the average attendance was reduced to thirty-five. But for this disadvantage, the result of the school would have been highly satisfactory.
Previous to the close of the school year, the upper classes in the grammar schools were instructed in drawing by the Misses Woodward.
At their meeting held September 12th, the Committee voted to employ Prof. Baker to give instruction in draw- ing to all the teachers in the grammar and primary schools, one hour each Saturday, from the middle of September to the middle of December, and during the months of April, May and June. They voted also, that the school sessions, on the days specified for giving in- struction to the teachers, shall be two hours each without intermission.
For a temporary arrangement to meet the immediate wants of the schools, this seemed the wisest that could be adopted. Instruction in drawing is now given, in all the schools, by the regular teachers, and the results are satisfactory.
The frequent changes in our corps of teachers, will render the requirement indispensable, that all applicants for situations as teachers, must be able to give instruction in drawing to the extent that it is pursued in our public schools.
108
MUSIC.
At the beginning of the present school year, arrange- ments were made with Mr. Hadley, the teacher of music, to give instruction in the several schools during the school hours of each forenoon.
Under the present arrangement all the schools in each department receive instruction in music one hour each week. The regular teacher of music gives a lesson of one hour to the High School and the two upper classes of the Grammar Schools. The remainder of his time is divided as equally as possible among the other schools, and his instruction in those schools is supplemented by that of the regular teachers.
The results of the present mode of instruction more than realizes our expectations. The interest and progress of pupils -even the youngest -in this important branch of instruction, is exceedingly gratifying.
TRUANCY.
One hundred and nineteen cases of truancy have been reported by all the teachers, during the year, sixty-nine of which were in the primary schools.
We wish to express our thanks to the Truant Officers for their vigilance in preventing truancy, and for the prompt and gentlemanly assistance rendered to the teachers whenever it has been solicited.
109
COURSE OF STUDY.
In the preparation of our Course of Study, we endeav- ored to adapt the work to be accomplished to the average capacity of the pupils composing the schools : presuming that they would be punctual in their attendance at school, faithful in their studies, and would receive the instruction of competent teachers.
In the apportionment of the work, we labored to bring the different classes and departments so nearly together, that pupils would pass from one class to another and from one department to another with the same ease that they pass from the lessons of any day to those of the next succeeding day.
We would not have our schools with their thirteen classes resemble a terraced garden, each independent section of which can be reached only by an abrupt ascent, but rather like a plain rising with uniform grade, so that the advance of pupils in their studies, from their intro- duction to the primary school to their graduation at the High School, may be easy and gradual, keeping pace with the natural growth and development of their men- tal faculties.
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