USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Report of the city of Somerville 1897 > Part 16
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In the primary and grammar schools an earnest effort is being made to carry out the suggestions and requirements of the Revised Course of Study. Large freedom is allowed teachers as to methods, provided they are founded on correct pedagogi- cal principles. Power, rather than knowledge, is the aim. The
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process outweighs the result. The child is taught, rather than the subject. To incite to self-activity, self-reliance, self-help, and self-control is the constant endeavor. Whatever the sub- ject and whatever the method, it is constantly borne in mind that strong and well-balanced character should be the outcome of school influence, to which each day contributes its part. In addition to the power to acquire and the desire to know, emphasis is laid on the fundamentals, a knowledge of which is demanded in the daily experience of life. It is not forgotten that the majority of our school children are to live in a work-a-day world, and that they receive their entire equipment for the practical business of life in the elementary schools. Our courses of study are arranged with this in mind, rather than to satisfy the requirements of high school and college.
By far the greater amount of time and effort is spent upon those studies which have so long constituted the basis of a com- mon school education, reading, spelling, writing, arithmetic, language, geography, and history. The requirements of the law are met in the study of temperance-physiology and hygiene. A due proportion of time is given to physical exercises, the Ling system being followed. Pupils of all grades are interested in the observation and study of the beauties and wonders and phenomena of nature, and have brief but regular lessons in ele- mentary science. Four per cent. of the time is spent in the cul- tivation of ear and voice and taste along musical lines, under the direction of two specialists. What is attempted and accom- plished in drawing may be learned from the accompanying re- port of the supervisor. Weekly lessons of an hour each are given, by special teachers in sewing, to the girls of the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grades.
For more than four years especial efforts have been made in the direction of penmanship, during the last two of which a supervisor has been employed. Throughout the grammar grades a studious and persistent effort has been made to secure writing by a forearm movement, which shall culminate in the eighth and ninth grades in an easy handwriting, executed with rapidity and without fatigue. This result has in a measure been
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accomplished. A majority of the graduates of the grammar schools leave us with a style of penmanship whose chief excel- lence is its rapidity. In the middle grades the two requisites of good writing, form and legibility, are sacrificed or subordinated. Pupils leaving school from these grades, during the process of evolution of a good handwriting, have not acquired a style that is either graceful, legible, or easily executed. Moreover, in every study in these grades there are more or fewer written exer- cises which pass under the criticism of the teacher. While the writing is so crude it is very difficult to secure correct sentence- structure, punctuation, capitalization, and the requisite nicety of arrangement. There is a distinct loss in this direction for which subsequent fluency can hardly compensate. Again, there is another important factor which must be considered. Writing must be taught by the regular teachers. The supervisor is pres- ent, at the most, but one-eighth of the writing time. He may direct and inspire, but the patient, exacting drill work, in this most difficult of all branches to teach, must be done by the class teacher. Few teachers are specialists or experts. Besides, it often happens that one teacher in the line will fail even to hold what has already been gained, and the weakest link in the chain determines its strength. In the primary schools the only per- ceptible gain of recent years is the substitution of the pen for the pencil. The product itself is not much better, nor is there any better foundation for future excellence. On the other hand, the graduates of our schools have a writing habit which is pretty well fixed, and which will be very serviceable to them in the High schools or in business.
When the balance is struck it is very questionable whether the losses do not more than counterbalance the gains. If this is true, we should seek a remedy. It may possibly be found in continuing the present method in the three upper grades and ignoring movement and emphasizing form in grades below the seventh. A more radical remedy lies in the direction of vertical writing, a method now in vogue in nine-tenths of the schools of the State.
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Without stopping to discuss pro and con the merits of verti- cal writing, two things may safely be said in its favor. Young. children learn to write more readily by its use, and their writing is more legible. For most uses, in school and out, it serves fairly well. For school and business purposes, where time is an element, it appears not fully to meet the demand.
The question of trying the experiment of vertical writing in, the six lower grades of certain of our schools, in which the pres -. ent system yields the least satisfactory results, is worthy of care- ful consideration.
As to Discipline .- The general condition of our schools in re -. spect to regularity of attendance and correctness of deportment is commendable. As a rule, there is a cheerful compliance with requirements, a respect for law and order, an interest in the work, and a spirit of respect and confidence between teachers and: pupils. In confirmation of what has just been said, it may be re- marked that there have been but 204 cases of corporal punish- ment during the year, about one to a schoolroom; seventy-five teachers have made no use of it whatever.
One of the most serious difficulties with which we have to. contend is that of truancy. Its prevention seems impossible, and its restriction requires constant vigilance. With all our efforts to. suppress this evil, there have been 110 cases during the year, and eight commitments to the Truant School in Chelmsford. As the large majority of our truants come from homes where parental restraint is lacking and where poverty and intemperance are. found, the remedy would seem to be beyond the reach of school authorities, and within that of the philanthropist or sociologist.
As to Promotion of Pupils .- In all grades of our schools. promotions are determined by the estimate of the teacher as to. the qualifications of the pupils and his ability to do the work of the next higher grade. This estimate is based almost entirely on the work of the pupil from day to day. Occasional examinations given by teachers or principals are a minor factor in the case. Taking the schools as a whole, ninety-five per cent. of the pupils. were promoted in June last, twelve per cent. of whom received a conditional promotion, entitling them to a trial of three months in.
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the next grade. The remaining five per cent. remained to repeat the work of the year. Of those conditionally promoted only ten per cent. were obliged to fall back into the lower grade at the end of their three months' trial.
Promotions from the ninth grade to the High schools are made in precisely the same way. Two hundred and seventy-three pupils entered the High schools from the ninth grade, thirty-nine of these on trial for three months. Of this number, three were dropped out at the end of three months as unable to do the work satisfactorily.
With this general plan of promotion no fault can be found. It gives every pupil a fair chance. The judgment of the teacher is endorsed or overruled by that of the principal, and the decision of both may be reinforced or set aside by that of the district committee and Superintendent.
Principals report 175 promotions during the year of pupils who have gained a year in their course by completing on the average three years' work in two. These pupils are found chiefly in the Bell and Knapp schools, where the plan, suggested two or three years ago by the Superintendent, is in operation. In these schools, the fifth, sixth, and seventh grades each occupy two rooms. Classes are divided according to their ability, and each section is allowed to progress as rapidly as possible, taking up the work of the higher grades when that of the lower is completed. It is found that the first quarter of the advanced half of the class are equal to the accomplishment of three years' work within two years. There is no reason why this plan should not be extended to other schools, unless it be found in the fear of making invidious distinctions in the assignment of pupils and teachers.
The average age of the first grade in September was six years two months. That of the graduates of the grammar schools was fifteen years five months. There has been no variation from these ages, worth mentioning, for ten years. This shows that rather more than nine years is required for the average child to pass through our schools. The inference that time is wasted would be incorrect, for it is believed that every year in the course yields its proportionate part of the profit. Enough children,
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however, should be found able to do the nine years' work in seven years or eight to bring the average age of graduates below fifteen years.
Attention is called to one singular fact for which thus far no satisfactory explanation has been offered. There has been no increase in the number of grammar school graduates for six years, and this in face of the fact that during that time the mem- bership of the High School has increased sixty per cent., and that of the grammar and primary schools ten per cent. There has also been an increase of twenty-five per cent. in the number of grad- uates entering the High schools. We look for a falling off in the upper grammar grades, but the membership of the seventh and eighth grades has increased one-eighth during the time referred to, and it is natural to expect that the superior quality of the in- struction and the relative value of the work done in the ninth grade would prove sufficiently attractive to lead to at least a small increase in its numbers.
As to Supervision -Attention has previously been called to the peculiar organization of our school system, by which five- sixths of all our classes are brought under the direct supervision of masters who have been selected with special reference to their qualifications for this work. While half of their time is spent in teaching the highest classes, each numbering about forty pupils, the other half is occupied in the general management of the school and in the supervision of the work of subordinate teachers in the building. In other words, they constitute a board of twelve supervisors, supplementing the work of the Superintendent, who finds his time fully occupied with a great variety of duties, and who gratefully recognizes their hearty co-operation and efficient service. Some of these supervising principals hold regular weekly or semi-monthly meetings of their teachers for suggestion and discussion as to the interest of their classes, the character of their work, and the employment of the best methods ; they visit their classes daily, and are ready with kindly criticism and helpful suggestion for the new or the inexperienced teacher; their influence is felt alike by teacher and pupil in all the grades. If the value of this supervision is not over-estimated, primary classes
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in tributary schools would share in the benefit. If it is without value, the less we have of it the better, and the time should be otherwise employed.
As to Teachers .- In any consideration of the general con- dition of our schools the failure to recognize their chief factor, the teachers, would be very significant. The Superintendent desires publicly to acknowledge the interest, fidelity, and effort. with which their arduous duties have been discharged during the year. This is said, not as idle compliment, but in a spirit of grateful appreciation which the Board and the public generally most assuredly share. It will not be inferred, however, that all teachers are alike. There are marked differences in natural apti- tude, in education, in training, in experience, in power to control, in freshness, in the professional spirit, and in that subtle sympa- thy and power to influence character which keeps the teacher's memory green in the remembrance of those brought under her instruction. We have teachers who are deficient in one or more of these respects, but, where these limitations are not inherent, or the result of crystallization, or of the mistaken conviction that nothing remains to be learned, or of an inordinate expectation of non-educational engagements, there is a consciousness of need and a striving for better things that give great promise for the future.
That our teachers are appreciated by others is shown by the . losses we have sustained. It is complimentary to our teaching corps that four of the number have recently been called to service . in State Normal schools, that four others have declined invitations to similar positions, and that Somerville still remains the favorite foraging ground for those who can offer larger remuneration. It is gratifying to know that the teachers that remain with us are still rendering cheerful and faithful service, in the hope, that as soon as its finances will permit, the city will give substantial evi- dence of its appreciation of the value of their services. Mean- while, there is satisfaction in the thought that money is not always . a measure of merit, and that the true teacher finds her highest . reward in what she gives, rather than in what she receives.
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MANUAL TRAINING.
The recommendation of the last two reports, regarding the introduction of cooking and manual training for pupils of the ninth grade, is renewed, but under circumstances that render its adoption more feasible than ever before. The merging of the Franklin School into the new Beech-street School, with the con- sequent abandonment of its building, furnishes quarters for both cooking and manual training classes, easily accessible to seven of our large schools. Both of these courses should be elective, and possibly be opened to eighth grades. If the first year work of the present High School manual training could be taken by ninth grade pupils, room would be afforded for the needed exten- sion of the course in the English School. Experience proves. that the present work of the upper grammar grades would be accomplished as easily and as well as now through the added training and power given by shop and kitchen instruction and practice. If the expense is the only obstacle to prevent this very desirable extension, it may doubtless be removed by retrench- ment in other directions.
CRITICISMS.
Never was there greater interest in the public schools than now, in their buildings, their courses, their methods, their cost, their extension, their results. Criticism, advice, suggestions abound. Some of it is based on the intelligent study of the great problems of education, but much comes from those who recognize the social and moral disorders and needs of the body politic, and look to the schools alone for a remedy. It is of great advantage to have the deficiencies and the possibilities of our schools indi- cated by experts occupying different points of view in the wide and diversified field of education. We are yet far from perfection. The ideal school is yet in process of evolution. The changes and improvements of the last half century, great as they have been, may seem meagre in comparison with those yet to come. To the attainment of the ideal, theory, experiment, criticism, success, failure, will all contribute, and should therefore be welcome.
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Even unjust criticism will be helpful, if it shall lead to closer ex- amination and the indisputable justification of the work of the schools.
Among the many criticisms constantly met in current peri- odical literature, two recur with such frequency in one form or another as to demand attention, for doubtless they are more or less correct, and, at any rate, may serve as warnings and lead to efforts to render them inapplicable to our own schools.
The first of them, stated in a general way, is that the gradu- ates of our schools, from elementary grades to the universities, are unable to express themselves in either speech or writing with correctness and precision, much less with grace and fluency. In other words, they cannot speak and write their own language as they should. This, doubtless, will be true of many long in the future. It applies to fewer to-day than it did twenty-five years ago, for those conversant with the facts have seen with gratifica- tion a gradual improvement of attainment and power in this re- spect in all grades of schools. We are nearing the goal, but the race is a long one. It should be remembered that purity and skill in the use of language are an inheritance. Given generations of refinement and culture, and the schools need to do little. The great majority, however, whether foreign or native-born, inherit infelicities and limitations of language. Their meagre natural gifts are developed by influences antagonistic to good English. The "slanguage" of the street, too often the solecisms of the home, the utter absence of good reading, or the corruption of bad, the example of associates, all exert a power for seven-eighths of the time which the schools cannot neutralize in the remaining one-eighth.
These children come to the schools with their limited or corrupt vocabularies, and still always surrounded by the adverse influences we have mentioned. to be developed into ideal talkers and writers. If this were all the schools had to do, there would be some hope of satisfactory results. But the language faculty, although the most important, is only one of many that are to be trained. An almost unrecognized unit in a class of fifty, the child is slowly taught to read ; he struggles with the strange
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intricacies of spelling ; laboriously he learns to write; he does a little talking in detached sentences; he reads a few pages in a school reader ; he is exercised a little while daily in written lan- guage. This process goes on with additions and variations through all the grades. The allotted time has been economi- cally employed; the teacher, not always herself a model, has been earnest and faithful. But how inadequate the opportunities for accomplishing so great a task! The child's environment should be changed so that only good may be heard and seen ; his minutes of time should be extended to hours ; instead of pages, he should read volumes : instead of detached exercises in oral and written language. he should talk and write until the easy and correct expression of thought has been developed into a habit. All these needs teachers recognize, but they cannot supply them. The best possible, however, under the circumstances, is being done. The largest available amount of school time is taken for oral and written language work. Correlation is made with other studies. The quantity of school reading is being increased, and its quality improved. Through the co-operation of the Public Library with the schools-two educational forces which nature has joined together, but which man has long kept asunder-chil- dren are being brought into contact with good literature at school and in the home. A taste and love for it are being developed. In the High schools the work is extended and emphasized. Lit- erature is studied throughout the course, and varied exercises are constantly required in the original expression of thought. Per- sistent efforts are made to reform habits of speech, and correct standards are given.
But with all that is being done, the gain must be slow. To some extent the difficulties are inherent in social conditions, and beyond the reach of the schools. The ability to use language readily, correctly, and gracefully comes only with intelligence and culture, and, to promote these, the schools are always ready to do their full share.
Another respect in which our schools are assailed is indicated in the following quotations : "There has been a startling increase in juvenile crime in the last decade. . . . Is the public school do-
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ing all it can for its repression?" "There appears to be a gradual lowering of moral standards in the community, and a dulling of the public conscience. To what extent are the schools respon- sible?" "The manners of our youth in public places are growing worse and worse. Cannot teachers bring about a reform?"
Without stopping to discuss the truth of these statements as applied either to our own or to other cities, we do resent the impu- tation implied in the questions that accompany them. We assert that the moral influences of the public schools are all in the right direction, and that these influences are as powerful to-day as ever. Not only in the specific instruction and example of teachers, but in the whole trend of their discipline, their requirements, and their work do the schools exert a moral power unequaled by any other single agency.
The following language, used with reference to another city, is quoted as equally applicable to Somerville :-
"The writer, after twenty years of service as supervisor, is convinced that the public schools do more for the moral welfare of the community than all other instrumentalities combined. Of course, good homes are the constant source of positive, restrain- ing, and uplifting moral forces; but there are many so-called homes that are the sources of evil and debasing influences; and even in some respectable homes children are so feebly governed that they are inclined to yield to temptations. The benevolent societies, dispensing sweet charities, exert moral influences that are helpful; but these societies do not reach the sources of evil, and accomplish but little towards building up character. The churches, doing their beneficent and divine work, are a tremen- · dous power for good; but they fail to reach a multitude of children.
" It is the public school, open to all children, that is the great · trainer in morals. It cultivates in its pupils good manners ; forms in them habits of obedience and of industry ; teaches them to re- spect law and order ; presents to them high ideals; and makes them familiar with the best examples of virtue and courage and of devotion to the public good, and prepares them to become vir- tuous and useful citizens."
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The child is in school but little more than one-tenth of his time, and during the remaining nine-tenths he may be exposed to all sorts of debasing moral influences. The relaxing or the ab- sence of parental restraint, the lack of useful occupation, the temp- tations and evil companionships of the street, especially during the two hours after sunset, the unsalutary excitements of society life, the detailed records of crime and brutality presented daily in the sensational press, counteract, to a large extent, the uplifting influence of the school and the home, and are responsible for much evil.
"The ideal school is not only characterized by good order and by vigorous intellectual activity, but it is pervaded through and through by high moral purpose, by the spirit of work, by a solemn sense of duty, by the love of truth, by a devotion to the right."
In the preparation of this report, the purpose has been to present fully and fairly the condition and workings of our schools. Were it possible to set forth in figures or words what has been ac- complished by the patient effort and application of teachers and pupils during the year, it would gladly be done. In large meas- ure, the results are now intangible, invisible. They will appear, however, in the intelligence and character, in the prosperity and happiness of later years. It may seem that the views taken are too optimistic, but they are thought to be fully warranted by the facts. We do not speak, however, as though we had already at- tained, or were already perfect. Those directly engaged in school work, more than any others, realize the largeness of the field, and the immense opportunities it presents. They are conscious of needs and limitations, and are striving earnestly for more light, a broader outlook, better methods, grander results.
But is not optimism justified by the conditions? Generous appropriations are annually made ; material accommodations and appliances are freely furnished; requirements are especially adapted to local needs ; parents are sympathetic, anxious, helpful ; children are prompt, docile, obedient; teachers are enthusiastic,
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