USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Report of the city of Somerville 1910 > Part 11
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Having discovered at least some 'of the causes which pro- duce this evil, what steps should be taken to overcome it? First, it would seem desirable to revise the course of study so as to make the requirements for each grade such as can be met by the pupils of the age which is normal for that grade. Second, in measuring the work of pupils and the value of their efforts, and in rating their progress, account should be taken of the development of power, the manifestation of willingness to work, the ability to deal with a new task, as well as with the acquiring of knowledge. This is especially to be desired in the lower grades, where the greatest retardation shows itself. Third, special classes should be provided for pupils who have unusual difficulties in meeting the requirements of the schools. When all of these plans have been faithfully and sympathetically followed, it may be confidently expected that the amount of retardation will be greatly reduced. A high rate of mortality in a community is not the best proof of high standards in the health department of the community so affected. Can it be as- serted with pride that a large number of repeaters in a school system is irrefragable evidence of ·a high standard of scholar- ship therein? Quite the contrary would seem to be the case. Where all are working naturally and happily and with high hope of success, there may high scholarship most reasonably be expected. Therefore it would seem to be wise resolutely to undertake the task of overcoming to a large extent the phe- nomenon of retardation by removing the conditions which cause its existence.
COURSE OF STUDY.
A revision of the course of study for the elementary schools is under way. New outlines have been provided in
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English and in nature study, and others are in preparation. Before the end of the present school year it is hoped that all will have been revised. In addition to the revision of the course of study already planned, it will be necessary to dis- tribute the work of each year in two divisions to correspond to the first and second semesters. One aim in altering the courses of study is to provide a training in eight years equiva- lent to that heretofore furnished by the curriculum of nine years. To do this is not altogether a matter of the content of the courses of study; it is very largely a matter of motive. Shortening the course by a year need not necessitate the sac- rifice of educational values. The knowledge content can all be conserved and even extended throughout the courses of study. By better placing in the course of study things to be done,- by closer correlation, by elimination of some needless and time- consuming work, and by the centring of attention upon the growth and development of pupils, there may be secured in eight years a training at least equal to that which has been here- tofore attained in nine years. It cannot be seriously contended that the amount of formal knowledge which a child can get be- tween the ages of five and, six years will be consequential in the total acquired in the next eight years.
In carrying out this aim, it is desirable to establish clearly the principle of evaluating properly the progress of pupils. Reference has been made to the proposition concerning prog- ress in school laid down by Dr. Gulick. It is interesting to note that our own rules on this matter are liberal enough to allow teachers to properly determine the progress of pupils in full harmony with this criterion of success. Section 136 of the Rules and Regulations provides that in the high and grammar schools the basis of promotion shall be the teacher's estimate of the oral and written recitations and effort of the pupil. The teacher's estimate of the progress of the pupil is the basis of his promotion. When teachers realize that the progress of a pupil is to be determined by such criteria as, What is best for the pupil? and Has he the ability to do the work of the succeeding grade? then flexibility will be provided sufficient to ensure the promotion of all those for whom promotion would be a benefit, and when that shall have been accomplished no reasonable ground for reproach will remain. The welfare of the pupil will have been substituted for the fitting of the child to the system as a determinant of progress. In this connection it is well to mention again that ungraded classes in every large school building, or at least in every school district, would be a boon to pupils and to teachers alike. Through the means of such classes many of the most difficult problems of promotion can be successfully solved.
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INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL FOR BOYS, DAVIS SCHOOL BUILDING, CORNER TUFTS AND GLEN STREETS,
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INDUSTRIAL, EDUCATION.
An industrial school for boys was opened in September in the Davis School building. Courses in wood working and in metal working were. provided. Opportunity to enter this school was given to boys fourteen years of age who had the necessary physical and temperamental qualifications. While no scholarship limit was established, it has been found best to admit boys who have had at least the equivalent of the first six years of the elementary school training. Although the school was not fully equipped when it was opened, there was a ready response to the opportunity, and the school had a satisfactory enrollment from the start. Interest in the school has grown since its establishment, and there is a steady demand for ad- mission to it. While the work of putting the school into suc- cessful operation was in progress, application was made to the State Board of Education for approval, in order that the school might be placed upon the list of approved industrial schools, and might receive the benefit of the co-operation of the state in its support. This application was considered by the Board of Education and passed upon favorably at its meeting on De- cember 9, 1910. In this way was consummated the purpose of the School Committee after a year devoted to plans and in- quiries. A history of the school and a description of its equip- ment will be found in the Appendix, as well as a statement of the principal showing the work of the pupils up to date. At this point it is only necessary to add that the school is well es- tablished and gives every promise of a success even greater than was anticipated.
While the industrial school for boys has been thus firmly established, steps have been taken to create an industrial school for girls. An investigation has been conducted in this city under the direction of the State Board of Education to find out the conditions which affect the employment of working girls. This investigation has confirmed beyond possibility of doubt the belief that insufficient opportunities now exist for the girls who must leave school at the earliest possible moment to go to work. The details of this inquiry are shown under a sepa- rate heading in the Appendix. It seems therefore to be wise to go forward with the plan to establish an industrial school for girls. Encouragement is given to this purpose by the fact that a suitable location has been provided through the purchase of the property adjacent to the Carr School building. Here is a house adequate for the beginnings of this enterprise. At a small expense necessary rearrrangements can be made to ac- commodate the various activities of a trade school for girls. Apparently it will be wise to do in this case the thing corre- sponding to that done at the trade school for boys, namely, to select basic trades as the foundation of this school. Millinery,
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dressmaking, and related trades would afford the best oppor- tunity for the largest number, and would furnish a foundation for a school adapted to meet the needs of the girls of this com- munity.
There still remains an opportunity for further development of industrial teaching in the night schools. Much of the instruc- tion given in the evening high school is vocational in character, and is such as ought to be found in any fully-equipped evening vocational school. It is possible, however, to add without great expense courses in other subjects which would give indus- trial training to groups not now receiving it. Dressmaking and millinery can be taught to women in evening classes, and cabinet-making and machine-shop work can be taught to men. Evening classes in these subjects ought to be offered to the adults of this city as soon as the industrial schools are suffi- ciently well established to be run at night as well as during the day.
SPECIAL SUBJECTS.
Atypical Class. A class for atypical children was opened in September in the Bell School, and is now conducted there with an attendance of sixteen pupils. This class was provided to give an opportunity for special instruction for children of less than normal mental development. Such children are to be found in small numbers in the schools of any community. They are the unfortunate children, who without special care are compelled to struggle with the conditions of life poorly equipped to meet its demands, helpless to overcome their diffi- culties, and impeding the progress of other children with whom they are associated. It is wise policy, both on account of others and for their own good, to segregate these children where they can receive the attention and nurture which their particular characteristics render necessary. The task of teaching these children is one of singular difficulty, calling for a teacher of patience, of sympathetic temperament, and of great insight into the workings of these slowly-developing minds. It is fortunate that such a teacher was available for this work. Under the care of Miss Mary A. Holt, this class has been suc- cessfully established, and much good has been accomplished for the children committed to her care.
Ungraded Class. At the Hanscom School an ungraded class designed for children of the second, third, and fourth grades has been in operation for a few weeks. The purpose of an un- graded class is to provide a place where children who are not properly graded may receive individual instruction. Some- times through this means children in a few weeks can overcome deficiencies and resume their places in the regular class, thereby avoiding repeating a school year. By the same means
INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL FOR BOYS, METAL-WORKING MACHINE ROOM
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others can be helped to advance faster than the normal pace. This ungraded class will this year be used by children from the Hanscom, Edgerly, and Prescott Schools. It has already jus- tified its existence. It is believed that schools of this type should abound throughout the city, and it is hoped that it may be found possible to provide others before the close of the pres- ent school year.
Vocational Guidance: In its efforts to prepare the child to take a place in the affairs of life, the school is confronted with a new problem. The transition from school to a place in the work of the world is not easy for the child, nor is it well defined for him. Thrown upon his own resources after leaving school, often with no intelligent help, many a child must pass through a period of bewilderment and indecision while trying to find his place in the new order of which he must become a part. With- out definite aim and without clear knowledge of his own powers and aptitudes, he becomes too often the victim of circumstances and fails to find his proper place. This condition calls for a remedy. Formerly the home provided the advice which the child needed in this critical period, and to some extent it is able to do so now, but for many pupils other assistance must be provided. To know himself and to gain some knowledge of the world which he is to enter is an essential part of the educa- tion of the child. Hence the school has a direct relation to the problem.
What can be done to meet adequately the need here pre- sented is a problem which calls for study and investigation. The organization of the school is such as to afford better con- tact with the child than with the affairs of the world. The school can give to the child the training which he needs for this exigency whenever it is able to draw from the activities of the world the teaching which the child needs. On this side of the problem the organization of the school is at present deficient. Recognizing this fact, the School Board has wisely established a committee to investigate the problem herein defined. Through the investigation of this Committee on Vocational Guidance there may be expected to come such'a knowledge of the relations of the world of work to the youth in school as will give the basis for constructive measures to meet the need. I commend this movement to the thoughtful consideration of all who are interested in the welfare of our schools, believing that it presents possibilities of great significance.
Dental Inspection. In February the School Committee re-
ceived an offer from twenty-five dentists of Som- erville to give their
services without charge to the city for the treatment of school children who could noi pay for having such treatment at the expense of their parents, After a short time devoted to plans for organiz-
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ing, a room in the Proctor School was opened for this service. Before the end of the year several children from each of the elementary schools were treated at the dispensary. The suc- cess of this effort has been such as to demonstrate the value of the work and the need which exists for treatment of this kind. In the fall the dispensary was re-opened and is now in opera- tion. Difficulties have arisen which have limited in some ways the advantages obtainable from the plan, but notwithstanding this fact, the work is going on and is achieving good results. In another place are given the details of the organization and some facts about the extent of the work. While this effort is highly commendable and its results are very gratifying, it is nevertheless to be doubted whether the work is now on a per- manent basis. It seems probable that it will be necessary for the School Board to co-operate in some elements of expense if the undertaking is to be made permanent and thoroughly satisfactory.
Changes of Teachers. Seventeen teachers left the service during the last year. Five resigned to be married, eight left for better pay elsewhere, one left to go into business at an increase of a thousand dollars a year, and three left for 'other reasons. Nine teachers have been elected to fill new positions, and seven in the places of teachers resigned. Great care has been given to the selection of new teachers, investigation of the school history, including preparation and experience, having been made in every case. Promising teachers have been se- cured, and all of them are now giving evidence of ability to serve the city efficiently.
While the selection of a new teacher was under considera- tion at the Latin School, at the earnest request of the Com- mittee on High Schools, Mrs. Isabel G. Higgins took tempo- rary charge of the classes in mathematics formerly taught by Miss Mary Cliff, who resigned just before the opening of schools in September.
Pay of Teachers. The ideals of public education herein ex- pressed are high ideals. They cannot be reached by indifferent or mediocre service. In the last analysis much of the effective- ness of any system of schools will be dependent upon the char- acter of its teaching. Merely mechanical performance of the duties of a teacher's office will not secure the best ideals of edu- cation. Whole-hearted, sympathetic work is needed. This means that the teacher must give of her strength and her emo- tions. The value of such service. as this is more than can be measured by the teacher's wage. Yet she has to have a wage, and that should be such as to ensure her giving her best to her pupils. The teachers of the elementary schools have presented to the Board a respectful petition for an increase of pay. With the increased cost of living, the maximum salary for these
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teachers is no longer sufficient to provide for their needs and to relieve them from anxiety for the future. If means can be found for giving to these deserving workers for the city an in- crease to help them bear the strain placed upon their resources by the increased cost of living, I hope that it will be done. Money spent upon good teaching for her youth is a good in- vestment for any community.
SEMI-ANNUAL PROMOTION.
The School Board has approved the plan of semi-annual promotions in the elementary and high schools and admission of pupils to the kindergarten and first grade in February, as well as in September. As this plan will go into effect next February, a statement of its purposes and advantages may well be made. Under the system of admission only at the beginning of the year, and of re-grading only once a year, certain well- defined consequences follow which are disadvantageous to many children. Beginners who are unable to enter at the time prescribed at the opening of the school year are required to wait nearly a year before another opportunity to enter school arrives. This is a hardship for all children so affected. Again, pupils who are unable to keep up with their classes are obliged to drop out of school or to repeat a year's work. It is not al- ways clear that the pupil needs to take a whole year to over- come his deficiency. A shorter interval in most cases would be sufficient. One of the remedies for retardation suggested by Dr. Ayres is shown in this quotation from his book on "Laggards in Our Schools" :-
"The first step toward mitigating the bad effects of failure is the system of half-yearly promotions, by which the pupil who fails has only to repeat half a year's work instead of that of an entire year. There is little doubt as to the desirability of this . plan. It is in successful operation in dozens of cities, and is rapidly spreading, but it is a matter for surprise that it is still rather the exception than the rule."
Again, promotion only at the end of the year does not afford sufficient opportunity for the pupil of exceptional ability to accelerate his progress in the schools.
Inasmuch as the change from the plan of annual promotion to one of semi-annual promotion is a radical one, I would like to quote the opinion of one who for many years, as United States Commissioner of Education, exercised a profound influ- ence upon the thought of those engaged in the work of educa- tion in this country. The late Dr. William T. Harris, in com- menting upon the report of the Committee of Twelve, said :-
"It happens, therefore, that the chief care in the manage- ment of the work of instruction in a system of city schools is to grade or classify the pupils in such a manner that the inter-
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ests of some are not sacrificed for those of others. The effect
of placing pupils of different degrees of advancement in the same class will be to urge unduly the backward ones, while the pupils in advance of the average in the class will have too little work assigned them. When bright scholars are kept back for When
dull ones .they acquire loose, careless habits of study.
pupils of slower temperament are strained to keep pace with
quick and bright pupils they become discouraged and demoral- ized. Even when pupils are well classified at the beginning of the year, differences begin to develop from the first day, and, after two or three months of good instruction, a large interval has developed between the advancement of the slow ones and that of the bright ones. Besides differences in temperament,
sickness and family necessities; these things affect the rate of there is difference in regularity of attendance on account of
progress. Moreover, the degree of maturity and the amount of previous study develop differences. Classification in a school is never absolute. No two. pupils are exactly of the same degree of progress. There are, probably, no two pupils alike in ability to do the daily work of the class. From this it
that class to the next class beyond. After such promotion has into the class above, and a few promotions from the best of should be promotions of a few of the best ones from below is evident that there should be frequent re-classification. There
average, and poor scholars, together with a few of the best from the lowest, each class will find itself composed of fair, been made through all or a portion of the classes of a school
from the next lower class, in place of the few that each has lost by promotion. New hope will come to those pupils who were before the poorest in the class, and there will be new stimulus
class, for they will have to work earnestly to attain and hold a given to the best pupils, who have been promoted to a higher
good rank in the new class. But the quick and bright ones thus promoted will gradually work their way toward the top of the class again. The slow ones in the class may be passed by successive platoons of bright ones introduced into the class from below, but they will pick up new courage on every occa- to lead them into too fast a pace. This sifting-up process, as by the process of transferring the bright ones who had begun sion when they find themselves brought to the top of the class here described, corrects the disease known as 'lock-step' in the graded schools. The yearly promotion plan leads to careless
teaching on the part of the teacher who has to adapt his in-
struction to the average of the class; knowing, at the same
the reason that they lack the insight which a half-year's more secondly, that it is too difficult for the least advanced pupils, for cause they are already familiar with the subjects, and knowing, time, that such instruction lacks interest to the best pupils be-
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study has given to the pupils of average advancement. City schools, village schools, and rural schools that grade their pupils with intervals of a year between the classes are to be criticised chiefly for this fault. They are called 'stiflers of talent' because they do not provide sufficient work for the ablest and brightest pupils, and keep them marking time with the less advanced pupils. Moreover, they discourage the slower pupils by requiring more work from them than they can accomplish.
"The best city grading is 'flexible' and 'elastic' because the intervals between classes are small-only ten or twenty weeks. It is easy to promote the brightest pupils over such a small interval. When they begin to show a power to do a much larger amount of work than the majority of the class, they will find it possible to keep up with the average of a higher class.
"All schools at work need constant readjustment of classi- fication, and this can be made when the intervals between classes are at their minimum. Thirty classes between the first year and eighth year are possible in large schools in cities. That all cities do not avail themselves of this possibility is one of the most serious defects in American school supervision.
"It is a terrible arraignment of the schools graded on the one-year interval plan to accuse them of stifling talent in the bright pupils and of discouraging the dull pupils until they lose their self-respect. The old ungraded school did not commit this error of destroying the habits of industry in bright pupils by yoking them with dull ones, or destroying the self-respect of the dull ones by constantly provoking comparison between them and their companions unequally yoked with them."
PLAYGROUNDS.
In June the Board of Aldermen committed to the School Committee the expenditure of the unexpended balance of an appropriation of $1,000 for playgrounds. Formerly whatever money had been appropriated for this purpose had been ex- pended under the direction of the City Engineer. When the change was made there was to the credit of this account $911.72. The playgrounds of the city were conducted during the season of 1909 under the joint control of the City Engineer and the Playgrounds Association of the City of Somerville, the latter being a private organization formed for the purpose of fostering the playground movement. This association raised a considerable sum to help carry on the work during the season of 1910. When the 'expenditure of the appropriation made by the Board of Aldermen was entrusted to the School Commit- tee, plans for some of the activities of the playgrounds had al- ready been determined. Supervisors had been engaged and
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ANNUAL REPORTS.
the places where supervised play should be carried on had been selected. Under these conditions the part remaining for the School Committee was to co-operate in the wisest way in carry- ing into successful operation the plans already laid out.
A committee of the School Board was formed for this pur- pose, with the Superintendent of Schools as its executive offi- cer. Under this organization the playgrounds were conducted during the months of July and August. Supervised play- grounds were established in ten places. In charge of these grounds were five men and ten women; one woman was em- ployed as supervisor of the playgrounds for girls, and one man as a director of the playgrounds for boys. The plan of conduct was to have playgrounds open every week-day except Satur- day from nine to twelve in the morning and from two to four in the afternoon. Organized games were conducted on all the playgrounds. Some manual occupations, consisting of sewing. basket making, and weaving, were provided for the girls and small boys. Some of the apparatus for the boys' grounds was installed by the labor of the boys. At intervals classes both of boys and of girls were taken to the bathing beach for instruc- tion in swimming, and occasionally excursions were made by the children of the playgrounds for girls and small boys. On these occasions the teacher accompanied the children and had charge of their doings.
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