USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Report of the city of Somerville 1903 > Part 14
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To keep a million dollars' worth of public buildings of any kind in proper repair requires a large annual outlay. This is more especially true when these buildings must be kept in perfect condition as to all forms of sanitation. This is the primary aim, to which other repairs are very properly subordinated.
It should, however, be borne in mind that schoolhouses are educational, not only in use, but in character. The school build- ings of a city and their surroundings show the thrift and public spirit and aesthetic taste of its citizens. More than this, in their exterior as well as their interior, they are silent educators. If
attractive and beautiful, they refine and elevate. It is for this reason they should receive constant care, not simply to keep them from falling into decay. Their adornment and beauty, as well as their comfort and cleanliness, are rights which the children may justly claim.
· Most of our schoolhouses are in themselves a proper source of pride, but the surroundings of many of them neutralize this sentiment. The cultivation of a simple grass plot in front of the Cummings and of the Durell schoolhouses this year has added greatly to their attractiveness. Why should not school janitors take as much pains as railroad station agents with the grounds under their charge?
The importance of this side of the matter leads me to call special attention to certain urgent needs. I am aware that it is not possible to accomplish all we wish in a single year, but if effort is focused on a few things each year, before long all we wish may be attained.
1. The English high school is eight years old. Its walls have never been tinted. They are grimy and dust-stained. The enterprise of its pupils has provided $2,000 for pictures and other decorations. Whatever else is done, the walls and ceilings of this building should be made worthy to receive them.
2. The Davis building needs a thorough interior renovation.
3. The limited yard of the Bennett should be curbed and concreted, and a brick walk should be laid about it.
4. Certain portions of the Knapp yard should be concreted, and the rear of the lot curbed. The interior of the building should be thoroughly renovated.
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SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.
5. The space in front of the Baxter should be grassed over.
6. Curbing should be provided for the Perry school yard, a brick walk laid, the lawn should be put into condition, and flower beds made.
7. The interior of the Bell school is greatly in need of com- plete renovation.
8. The Carr school, in many respects the best building in the city, only needs to have the walls in rooms and corridors tinted to be made very attractive.
9. The walls in rooms and corridors of the Morse school should be colored.
10. The interior of the Highland school needs full reno- vation.
11. What has been said of the English school is true in part of the Hodgkins. All the walls and ceilings urgently de- mand attention.
I have thus in detail brought these matters before the com- mittee, that its influence may be enlisted early in the year in se- curing appropriations that will be sufficient to accomplish the more important, if not all, of these improvements.
Administration. I approach this subject with some hesi- tation because the personal element may seem to enter too largely into it. It will be easy to impugn my motives. Never- theless, I speak in the interests of the schools, and as far as pos- sible with the personal factor eliminated, and assume the risk of misinterpretation.
Somerville has twice the population, twice as many school children, and twice as many teachers and schoolrooms as it had fifteen years ago. It spends more than twice as much money for schools as it spent in 1889. All this indicates a great increase of work in the administration of school affairs. And yet the ad- ministrative and supervisory force remains unchanged. It con- sists now, as it did then, of the superintendent and his clerk.
The city clerk now has five assistants instead of the one that sufficed fifteen years ago. The city treasurer requires five regu- lar helpers where two formerly were enough, and in busy seasons eight or nine are needed. The same increase is observable in other departments of the city government. These changes re- sult naturally from the growth of the city, and surprise no one.
The present business of the superintendent's office covers three distinct lines of work, usually put in charge of three sepa- rate departments in cities as large as Somerville.
First, by the terms of the city charter, the superintendent is made the secretary of the school committee. As secretary, he attends all meetings of the board and of its standing commit- tees, and records and reports their proceedings ; he examines and approves all bills, makes up the pay-rolls of bills and of teachers, and keeps a full and detailed account of all expenditures con- nected with each school; he has charge of all the statistical re-
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ANNUAL REPORTS.
.ports of the schools, preparing and supplying suitable blanks therefor, and making returns to state and national officers.
Secondly, the superintendent acts as supply agent, under the direction of the standing committee on supplies, orders all text- books, stationery and supplies of every sort needed in the schools, and sees that they are duly delivered at the schoolhouses and re- ceipted and cared for ; he prepares annual inventories of the 110,000 text-books in use, and lists thereof for the committee, and looks after the rebinding and renewing of all books; and fills the requisitions that are constantly being made for material of one sort or another needed from kindergarten to high school.
Thirdly, the legitimate and most important business of the superintendent is that of the inspection and supervision of the work done in the schools and by the teachers. It has to do chiefly with questions of organization, classification, courses of study, methods of instruction, distribution of pupils, attendance, condition of buildings as to sanitation and convenience, the ap- plications and employment of suitable teachers, assignment of substitutes, direction of teachers' meetings, conferences with parents and teachers, and other duties directly pertaining to the efficiency of the schools. In addition to the day schools, evening and vacation schools demand his attention. He is to direct the truant officer, to see that the school census is properly taken, to issue age and schooling certificates to all between fourteen and twenty-one, and to aid in securing the enforcement of attendance laws.
All these various duties, and others not detailed, naturally increasing from year to year, are being discharged by the present superintendent to the best of his ability, with the aid of his effi- cient clerk. Whether it is best to continue under existing condi- tions, or whether the general interests of the schools demand some sort of change, are questions for the decision of the school committee. As bearing on the subject, I call attention to the fact that Cambridge employs a superintendent and an assistant superintendent, who has charge of primary schools; a supply agent, who acts as secretary of the board and has charge of the evening schools, vacation schools, statistical returns, truant offi- cers, and employment certificates. In addition, there are two women clerks and a porter. £ Springfield, a city of almost the exact size of Somerville, employs a superintendent, an assistant superintendent, a secretary and supply agent, and four women clerks.
A superintendent's time should be spent mainly in school supervision. He should have opportunity of coming constantly in contact with the vital forces of the schools. He should visit the schools and study the systems of other cities. He should attend conferences of his fellow superintendents. If he does this work as it ought to be done, the care of certain material interests of the schools should devolve upon some one else.
183
SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.
By reference to my notes, I find that I have made 274 visits to different school buildings during the year, besides forty-four visits to evening and vacation schools. Some of them have necessarily been brief. Some buildings have been visited more frequently than others. I have not seen every teacher at every visit. To spend an hour with each teacher in the city would con- sume three months of school time, to the exclusion of all other business. I can sit at my desk and talk without expense to any school principal or teacher in Everett, Malden, or Revere. To confer with principals or teachers in Somervillle requires a per- sonal visit to the schoolhouse and an hour's time, more or less. The installation of telephonic communication with every school principal would be a great convenience, and furnish an up-to-date method of doing business. I urge that this be done.
In Conclusion. This report has dealt mainly with the mate- rial and financial side of the school question,-the visible and the tangible. It is fitting to ask whether the work done and the re- sults achieved in the schools are commensurate with the expendi- tures and efforts so generously made. Some facts have already been presented, from which deductions may be properly made concerning this matter.
Regularity and punctuality of attendance are signs of interest on the part of both pupils and parents. They are essential to good work. The harmonious relations between schools and homes are evidence of mutual confidence and co-operation,-vital forces moving towards the same end. The decrease in the num- ber of corporal punishments indicates a growing moral power on the part of teachers and a self-governing power on the part of children. The atmosphere of most schoolrooms shows a spirit of mutual good will and helpfulness in their occupants. All these are necessary elements in the attainment of the ends which we seek.
It would be as interesting as it would be unjust to imitate the custom of early town school reports in which each teacher was mentioned by name, and the character and results of her labors analyzed with all the acumen of an old-fashioned commit- teeman. Such an attempt would reveal no perfect school, for no one has yet attained the ideal. It would doubtless disclose here and there a perfunctory worker, or an unprofessional teacher en- grossed with outside cares, or one temporarily serving in the hope of a change of lot, or an unsympathetic one in whom the milk of human kindness has long since soured, or an ill-tempered one given to intemperate speech, or a self-satisfied one with nothing to learn. All these types would be reflected in their classes. But in the great majority of schoolrooms we should find growing, enthusiastic, faithful teachers and interested, busy, well- behaved children. We should find in the main good teaching, modern methods, freedom from restraint, cheerful, happy faces. We should see constant efforts to stimulate self-activity, to de-
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ANNUAL REPORTS.
velop power, to foster the spirit of civic loyalty and service, and to lead towards that highest goal, the attainment of noble char- acter.
Much remains undone in the evolution of the ideal system of education. The era of experiment has not yet passed. Strong men are at work upon the great problem, and each year sees con- stant advance and brings the solution nearer.
At the magnificent meeting of the National Educational As- sociation last summer, President Hyde, of Bowdoin, drew a sug- gestive picture of "what our educational system would be if it were everywhere as good as the best that has been anywhere at- tained," or "if it contained all the elements which are now present at isolated points."
He said :-
"We should have small boards of education composed of the best citizens, devoted exclusively to legislation, employing trained experts to carry out their measures. We should have trained teachers, whose at- tainments are years in advance of the stage at which they are teaching, granted, after careful selection and adequate probation, permanent tenure at salaries proportioned to their efficiency and length of service.
"We should have in the elementary schools kindergarten ideas, man- ual training, literature, and nature study; yet all in due subordination to the old-fashioned idea that the individual must master with the greatest economy of time the symbols of human knowledge and human inter- course.
"We should have attractive buildings, situated in spacious and beau- tiful grounds, used both summer and winter, day time and evening, by both children and adults, in the service whenever needed of social as well as of intellectual ends.
"We should have the length of each stage of education determined in part by individual performance, instead of by a rigid time-table imposed on all alike; so that, without lowering the standard of any single stage, a bright scholar might pass through them all in a substantially shorter time."
There are very few of these ideal conditions that we have yet attained. Some are beyond our reach at present. To others we have approximated. All will doubtless be realized in the good time coming. Let us all speed its coming !
For the wise direction and courteous consideration of the members of the board and the hearty co-operation of supervisors, principals, and teachers throughout another year of service, the superintendent offers his grateful acknowledgments.
Respectfully submitted,
G. A. SOUTHWORTH, Superintendent.
December 28, 1903.
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SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.
In Memoriam.
At a meeting of the board held October 26, 1903, the follow- ing memorial was adopted :-
Professor Benjamin G. Brown, recently deceased, was an honored citizen of Somerville for forty-six years, during all of which time he was connected with Tufts College as instructor in mathematics. Between 1872 and 1894, with patriotic and unselfish fidelity, he served the city for more than seventeen years as a member of the school board. Admirably qualified by education, experience, predilection, and association, he dis- charged the duties of the office with signal ability and devotion to the highest interests of the schools. Uninfluenced by personal considera- tions, he brought to the conduct of affairs a clear sense of justice, an in- dependence of judgment, and a wisdom of action that made his services of the highest value to the city.
As a Christian gentleman, affable and courteous; as a friend and asso- ciate, loyal and true; as a citizen, interested and active in every good work; and as a public servant, courageous and conscientious in the dis- charge of duty, he had the respect and confidence of all who knew him.
The school that bears his name will perpetuate the memory of a ser- vice and a character worthy of imitation by every citizen who may re- ceive his early training within its walls.
In grateful recognition of his long connection with the educational interests of the city, the school board places on its permanent records this tribute to his memory.
.
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ANNUAL REPORTS.
In Memoriam.
At a meeting of the board held November 30, 1903, the fol- lowing memorial was adopted :-
Dr. Horace Carr White, for nearly thirty years an honored citizen of Somerville, was born in Bowdoin, Me., January 26, 1836, and died in this city November 26, 1903.
From 1881 to 1893, a period of twelve years, Dr. White was an in- fluential member of the school board of this city. His early struggles and training, his wide experience, his practical good sense, his ready tact, his knowledge of the needs of the schools, his largeness of view, his wis- dom and independence in action, his strong convictions and high stand- ards, and his unselfish public spirit admirably fitted him to render efficient and valuable service in behalf of the schools. In the discharge of his responsibilities in wider fields to which he was called either by his own patriotic ardor or by the confidence and suffrages of his fellow citizens, he was conspicuous for his unselfish devotion to public interests and his unswerving fidelity to the high trust committed to his charge.
His frank and genial manner, the loyalty of his friendship, his tender and skillful ministrations to the sick and suffering, his warm and helpful sympathy with the needy, the generous impulses of his large heart, and the manliness and purity of his private life won for him the respect and affection of hosts of friends, and make the memory of his character and deeds at once a benediction and an inspiration.
In recognition of his worth as a man, and of his service in promoting the educational, philanthropic and civic interests of Somerville, its school board places upon its permanent records this memorial tribute.
187
SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.
Amendments to Rules. The following amendments have been made to the rules since the last compilation in 1902 :-
Section 41 has been amended to read as follows :-
Section 41. He shall, at his discretion, in very stormy or excessively hot or cold weather, strike the signal on the fire alarm bells for the omission of the next session of the schools.
Section 3 has been amended by adding "(20) vacation schools" after the word "supplies."
The following paragraph has been added to Section 31 :-
"The committee on vacation schools shall have in charge the organization and conduct of vacation schools, and the gen- eral supervision of the same."
The following has been substituted for the last sentence in the first paragraph of Section 52 :-
The salaries of teachers shall be payable in ten equal install- ments.
The second paragraph in Section 56 has been changed to read :-
The supervisor of penmanship shall receive a minimum salary of $1,000, to be increased $100 annually until a maximum of $1,500 is reached.
The third paragraph on page 18 has been changed to read :-
The superintendent's clerk shall be paid $650, to be in- creased $50 annually until a maximum of $750 is reached.
Section 50 has been changed to read :-
Section 50. Teachers of high, grammar and primary schools, and supervisors of departments, and other employees of the board, shall be nominated by the standing committee having charge of the same. Whenever, in the opinion of said standing committee, it is thought best not to nominate any such person for re-election, such person shall be notified by the committee in writing of their decision at least one month before the April meeting of the board. Any appeal by the aggrieved party from this decision to the full board must be claimed in writing within two weeks after receiving the aforesaid notice. Pending such appeal, no new nomination shall be made by the committee.
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ANNUAL REPORTS.
ORGANIZATION OF SOMERVILLE SCHOOLS.
Information concerning our schools is frequently sought by citizens or by school men in other localities. Following are the principal facts concerning them. Additional knowledge may be gained from the rules and regulations :-
Kindergartens. The city supports four kindergartens, in the Hanscom, Bennett, Baxter and Glines schools. Vaccinated children between four and five years of age are admitted to the kindergarten nearest their residence during the months of Sep- tember and April, and may remain until the July following their fifth birthday. Sessions from 9 to 12.
Head kindergartners receive $600. One trained assistant is allowed when the number exceeds thirty, at a salary of $275, $350, or $425, according to experience. Kindergarten teachers give five hours daily to their work, the afternoon being employed in visitation, preparation, mothers' meetings, and the like.
Primary Schools. Our elementary school course covers nine years, the first three of which are spent in primary schools. We have no exclusively primary school buildings, the ninety-one pri- mary classes being distributed among twenty-two schoolhouses.
Vaccinated children five years of age, or who will reach that age on or before the first day of October, are admitted during the month of September only, provided they have never attended school before. Children able to enter existing classes will be ad- mitted at any time. Applications for admission should be made to the principal of the school.
Only trained or experienced teachers are employed, the sala- ries being $300, $400, $500, $600, or $650, according to length of service. Normal training is equivalent to a year's experience, and experience in other places is counted in determining salary.
First-grade teachers, with classes numbering fifty, are al- lowed an assistant, who is paid $200, $275, $350, or $425, accord- ing to years of service.
Grammar Schools. The grammar classes are found chiefly in eleven large buildings, of twelve rooms each. The course covers six years, and includes only those studies which the statute requires, with the addition of music, sewing, and elementary science.
The salaries of grammar school teachers are the same as those of primary teachers. Masters are paid $1,900, and their assistants $725. Other ninth-grade teachers are paid $700.
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SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.
Promotions. Promotions in all grades, from the first to the thirteenth, are made in June by the regular teacher and the prin- cipal, with the approval of the superintendent and district com- mittee. They are based on the estimate of the pupil's daily work made by the teacher and recorded bi-monthly. An occasional brief, unannounced, written test is a factor in this estimate.
Where there is reasonable doubt of a student's fitness, he may be promoted on a trial of three months. In such cases the parent is notified and kept informed of his child's progress. At the end of this probationary period he may be returned to his for- mer grade, provided it seems for his interests. In 1903 less than ten per cent. of those promoted on trial fell back.
Children capable of more rapid advancement may be pro- moted one or more grades at any time. Seventy-eight were thus promoted in 1903.
Fitness for graduation or for admission to the high schools is determined in precisely the same way. Diplomas are given in grammar and high schools to those who have satisfactorily com- pleted full courses.
Latin High School. In September, 1895, in the forty-third year of its existence, the Somerville high school was divided, the classical, or college preparatory, departments remaining in the old building, erected in 1872, and the English departments occu- pying a new building, erected in 1894-'95.
Some facts concerning the Latin school are presented in the following table :-
School Year.
Average Number Belonging.
Number Entering.
Gradu- ates.
Cost of Instruction.
Per Capita Cost.
Teachers.
Pupils to a Teacher.
1895-6
257
69
50
$11,702
$45.57
9
28.6
1896-7
262
81
51
11,840
45.19
9
29.1
1897-8
273
86
55
11,921
43.67
9
30.3
1898-9
264
78
51
11,935
45.21
9
29.3
1899-0
245
65
48
12,491
50.98
9
27.2
1900-1
271
104
56
12,676
46.74
9
30.0
1901-2
314
114
56
12,583
40.13
10
31.4
1902-3
358
125
46
14,170
39.58
11
32.5
The object of the school is, primarily, to furnish a suitable preparation for those pupils who desire to pursue either a regular or a special course of study at higher institutions of learning, but the school is open to all pupils who wish to take the courses of study offered.
The regular time for completing the course is four years. Pupils, at the request of their parents, can make the work of each year easier by taking five years for the course. Those who are
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ANNUAL REPORTS.
capable, and have good reason for shortening the time of prepa- ration are allowed to complete the course in as short a time as their ability will permit.
Graduates of grammar schools are admitted to either high school on presenting a certificate of qualification signed by a master. All other pupils are admitted by an examination in grammar school studies, given usually on the Saturday preceding the opening of the schools in September.
The tuition for non-residents is the per capita cost for the year, payable in advance. The sessions of the school are from 8.30 to 1.30. The salaries paid high school teachers are given on later pages of this report.
English High School. This school was organized in Septem- ber, 1895. Information concerning it is found in the following table :-
School Year.
Average Number Belonging.
Number Entering.
Gradu- ates.
Cost of Instruction.
Per Capita Cost.
Teachers.
Pupils to a Teacher.
1895-6
456
213
67
$20,102
$44.13
21
21.7
1896-7
531
235
70
23,010
43.33
21
25.3
1897-8
535
224
75
24,843
46.44
22
24.3
1898-9
575
231
86
26,159
45.49
23
25.0
1899-0
669
316
83
31,322
46.82
27
24.8
1900-1
691
249
97
32,739
47.35
30
23.0
1901-2
738
294
108
35,989
48.74
34
21.7
1902-3
747
64
135
36,843
49.32
33
22.6
The course of study covers four years. Graduates are ad- mitted to special courses when the conditions are favorable. Candidates for technical and normal schools take specific pre- paratory work.
The wide range of elective studies is a distinctive feature of the school. The choice of the first year may be one of the fol- lowing: Latin, French, German, biology (botany and zoology), manual training, and mechanical drawing. To these physics is added for the second year, and chemistry, geology, and astronomy for the third and fourth. After the second year two or more electives may be taken.
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