USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Report of the city of Somerville 1929 > Part 14
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3. A survey of the physical condition of the elementary schools with a view to replacing during the next ten years those which are least safe and most out of date.
CHANGES IN THE EDUCATIONAL FORCE
The happiness naturally attending the conclusion of a successful year of accomplishment in the schools was tempered with sadness by the departure of several beloved members of the school organization, three being relieved of their duties by the Great Master and eight by the provisions of the retirement act.
On the eve of the forced retirement of John Sherburne Emerson, Supervising Principal of the Knapp, Perry, and Bax- ter Schools, which was to have occurred at the close of the school year, the community received a severe shock by the announcement of his sudden death on June 9. Mr. Emerson had served the city for a period of thirty-five years as principal of the Knapp and Northern Junior High Schools, and after- wards as Supervising Master of the Bennett and Knapp dis- tricts. During this time he was evening elementary school principal for a period of twenty-five years. By his untimely demise the community was deprived of the able, efficient, and unselfish services of a scholar and a gentleman.
Early the next morning came the sad news of an even more sudden death, that of Nora F. Byard, who had also served efficiently and well in this city for a period of forty-five years as teacher, principal, and master's assistant. It was twenty-four years ago that the Proctor School was opened with Miss Byard as principal.
Grace Shorey, who was for thirty-seven years a first grade teacher at the Forster School, was called from her duties by death on May 13. It is remarkable that Miss Shorey spent her whole thirty-seven years of public service in the one school.
A. Laura Batt, High School, Annie L. Brown, Burns School, Elizabeth F. Clement, Forster School, Eliza H. Lunt, Lincoln School, Elizabeth L. Marvin, Prescott School, Annie Sanburn, Brown School, Mabel T. Totman, Cutler School, and Lillian M. Wentworth, Lincoln School, all of whom had given their utmost to the education of the youth, laid down the reins of duty through retirement. Letters of appreciation for their devoted services, which covered periods of twenty-three to forty-five years, were sent to them by the School Committee
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with best wishes to all for many more years of happiness and enjoyment.
Of the remaining twelve who left the service, six left to be married or to give more attention to their home duties, while five left to take teaching positions in other communities.
Of the latter, James S. Thistle, Master of the North- eastern Junior High School, was called without contest by the Wellesley School Board to take charge of the Alice L. Phillips Junior High School of that town. Considerate of the feelings and interests of all those with whom he came in contact, he was a man of excellent character, firm and decisive in manner, aggressive, scholarly, and laboring always to broaden his knowledge with reference to his problem. These character- istics and his untiring devotion to his work resulted in making the Northeastern one of the oustanding junior high schools in the country. His personal success therefore was the cause of our loss.
The School Committee chose as Mr. Thistle's successor John J. Norton, a young man of excellent character and broad education, who has devoted his energy without stint to the service of children, and who is a fine example of the product of the Somerville schools.
Catherine Sweeney, formerly teacher and principal and later Master's Assistant at the Perry School for twenty-eight years, was wisely promoted to be Master of the Knapp, Perry, and Baxter districts. The School Committee by this action has recognized the services of a woman of fine character, person- ality, and successful experience.
MEMBERSHIP AND ATTENDANCE
The unusually large increase in membership of 501 re- ported last year was followed by a decrease of about 200 for the corresponding date this year. This is due in part to the natural fluctuation in the number of pupils entering the lower grades annually, and in part to the increase in the member- ship of the excellent parochial junior high school in East Somerville.
The High School, after making a gain in membership of 88 last year, reports a continued increase this year amounting to 77. The Continuation School also shows a gain. The over- crowded conditions in certain elementary schools caused a con- siderable amount of adjustment to be made when these schools opened in September. In order to accommodate the large num-
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ber of beginners at the Cutler School, it was necessary to trans- fer a sixth grade to the Highland School. The Glines and For- ster Schools also continue to show increases, giving further evidence of the need of the new Grimmons School on the Ten Hills Farm property.
The attendance record which has always been exception- ally high in past years in comparison with the records of surrounding cities and towns has, during the past year, shown a decided increase. The average per cent of attendance for the state during the last school year was 93.83. Somerville's percentage was practically the same as the average. During this last year the percentage for the first quarter was 95.8. This figure, of course, decreased somewhat during the winter months, giving a percentage well above the average for the year. The quarter just closed finds the high school with a 95.8 percentage, the junior high schools with 96.6 per cent, and the elementary schools with 96.5 per cent, making a percentage of attendance for the entire city of 96.5. This is a remark- able record and is equal to the percentage of attendance of the city obtaining the highest rating in last year's report.
ACTS OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE
The School Committee, during the year now closing, has given careful and serious consideration to many important matters in the interests of the schools of the community. A few of its important acts of the year are as follows :
Authorized participation in the Summer Round-Up of children of pre-school age in accordance with the plan outlined by the State Department of Public Health.
Authorized-giving credit of two points in the High School for physical training work, thereby increasing the total number of points necessary for graduation to 56 from 54.
Changed the salary schedule so that the entering salary of academic men teachers holding a bachelor's degree and having one year of experience be increased by $100 for a master's degree and another $100 for a doctor's degree, these degrees already having been earned previous to employment in Somerville in any capacity.
Established a Summer School to be operated under the direction of the Superintendent of Schools in accordance with plans adopted at the December meeting of 1928.
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Established a new method of selection of candidates for the position of teacher and cadet in the schools, in accordance with a plan recommended late in 1928.
Authorized the re-establishment of group music instruc- tion in elementary grades 4 to 6 and an extension of the plan providing for group music instruction in special and unusual instruments in the junior and senior high schools.
Authorized the extension of kindergarten privileges in three other buildings in the city.
Changes in the Rules and Regulations were made as follows :
Section 50 of the Rules was amended so as to read, "The marriage of a woman teacher of the School Department of the City of Somerville shall operate as an automatic resignation of said teacher ; no married woman not now in the service of the Board shall hereafter be elected as a permanent teacher unless conclusive evidence proves that she is living apart from her husband legally and receiving no financial assistance from him; or that the husband through permanent mental or phys- ical disablity is unable to provide for her support; or that she is a widow."
Section 4 was amended to provide for a regular School Board meeting in August so as to read, "The regular meetings of the Board shall be held at 8:15 in the afternoon of the last Monday of each month excepting July."
ORGANIZATION
A very comprehensive statement was made last year con- cerning the organization of the system and the special activ- ities carried on in the schools, including
Adult Education English for Immigrant Children
Opportunity classes
Classes for the Mentally Retarded
Instruction in Music
Sight Saving Classes
Lip Reading Thrift Visual Education Health Education
Attention will be called at this time only to a few items of interest which are of special importance or are new activities inaugurated during the past year.
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Summer School
One of the most valuable and important undertakings of this year has been the establishment of the summer school under the control of the School Committee. Two important and pressing needs were to be met by the school : first, a pro- vision whereby those children who, from sickness or from other agencies beyond their control found their progress in school interrupted and their prospect of continued promotion con- siderably in danger, might under capable and directed teach- ing overcome those deficiencies; and, second, a means to lend scholastic strength and confidence to those children who have faced somewhat of a crisis in their school career but have passed it sufficiently well to be promoted to the next grade but not with the confidence that would naturally follow through hav- ing made a conspicuous success of their work.
The degree to which both of the objectives referred to above were successful may be ascertained from the figures which follow. Approximately 500 children attended the school, after having received recommendations from teachers and principals. About three quarters of the number working for a trial pro- motion obtained it. The other 365 who were attending to strengthen their work were successful. It is probable that only six of the pupils promoted on trial are doing such poor work as to justify their demotion.
Many children have failed in ordinary grade work be- cause of bad habits of study with the concomitant of bad con- duct and an out-of-tune feeling, which later may develop into. what is commonly called an inferiority complex. The summer school has definite limitations, focuses the work, eliminates the. conduct factor, and attempts to build up the success habit to; the point where a child's faith in himself is restored.
The success with which pupils meet their requirements: upon being returned to their classes depends to a great extent upon how much change has been caused in their attitude to -- wards school by the disciplinary treatment of the summer school and the loss of the privilege of a vacation with their parents. In many cases, the value of the school in a child's mind is dependent upon the amount of sacrifice that he has to make to attend it and enjoy its work. Success is fostered by confidence, and a new field of endeavor, with a clean slate, with definite and well-understood goals to attain, with the issue directly held before the pupil, places him on his mettle and this causes a new and a more wholesome attitude which tends to prevent the response to the old bad habits .. .
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There are certain elements of the organization of the first summer school that may well be mentioned. Parents, teachers, and masters have co-operated in providing the school with the type of pupil and pupil attitude which made easy the ac- complishment of the school's objectives. The teachers, at con- siderable expense of time and energy, devised courses of study suitable for their use which have been of inestimable value. These courses of study have received favorable comment and are now the basis of intensive study to determine the materials of teaching for the next year. When these data from this study are completed, the school will base its teaching on sound funda- mentals and the teachers will have available considerable in- formation about the pupils attending the school and the factors which are affecting their success or failure.
Two interesting aspects of this undertaking bear men- tion : first, that the extension of the school year to two hundred school days, either by lengthening the school year or by pro- viding a summer school, is receiving a great deal of attention by all progressive school systems; second, that children are increasingly more cognizant of the value of schooling. This latter is shown by the exceptional eagerness and happiness with which children attack their studies under weather condi- tions which are uncomfortable.
At the present time, a study is under way by the principal of the school (1) to ascertain the best possible means of fitting the instruction to the needs of the pupil, (2) to determine the procedure by which a child becomes a member, and (3) to dis- cover the reasons for success or failure in the summer school and the factors which prevent the student from making a success of his trial promotion, following his attendance at summer school.
It is hoped that such a study will give us authoritative material which will enable us to make more efficient plans for children who have been unsuccessful in their regular school work.
Clerical Practice Course
A need was apparent in the commercial curriculum in the high school for more pupils to be especially prepared for cleri- cal positions since the demand for clerical workers is yearly increasing. A large number of pupils not adapted to the tasks peculiar to a secretary or stenographer find good opportunities to make use of their talents by combining typewriting and a knowledge of clerical work.
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A course is now being offered which affords opportunities to specialize in this work. The equipment includes individual sets for the study of filing and various machines now quite commonly used in business offices, including neostyles, adding machines, calculators, and dictaphones. Three capacity classes are now in operation.
Kindergartens
Although nine kindergartens have been maintained in, but not as a part of, the elementary schools of the city for some time, it became evident in September that the provisions for the pre-primary children of the city were inadequate. With accommodations for one hundred at the Cutler School, prac- tically one hundred and fifty eligible children were registered. The Glines School was not suitably situated for the accom- modation of the large number of children from the Winter Hill district who wished to attend the kindergarten. It was, there- fore, voted by the School Committee to establish new kinder- garten facilities as follows :
"a. An afternoon kindergarten during this school year from 1:30 to 4:00, in the so-called Music Room at the Western Junior High School building, for the purpose of accommodating the forty-four children eligible for the Cutler kindergarten but not now in school.
"b. A morning kindergarten during this school year from 9:00 until 11:30 in the so-called Room 4 of the Continuation School, located in the Forster School district.
"c. A kindergarten in the Burns School if the Building Department can make certain building changes which have been proposed."
Equipment and materials have been ordered for the kindergartens and the rooms at the Cliff and Forster build- ings have been made ready. It is expected that the furniture and other materials will be delivered so that the facilities will be available for use when schools open following the Christmas recess.
The establishment of the kindergarten at the Burns School is dependent upon some building changes which as yet have not been undertaken. It is hoped that this work will not be long delayed.
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Thrift
A tangible evidence of the efficiency of thrift education manifests itself in the banking activities of the pupils. Com- parison of some statistics under the present system with those of the year previous to its inauguration will show the response which has been made to the fundamental principles promul- gated in the thrift movement. In 1924-25, 40 % of the enrolled pupils participated in the school banking and a total of $51,148 was deposited. Last year 88% of the pupils were enrolled as depositors and the sum of $97,573 was deposited. More signifi- cant than either of the foregoing is the fact that in 1924-25, only 8591 individual deposits were made while in 1928-29 there were 288,444 deposits and 104 schoolrooms maintained 100 % deposit records for the year. This would indicate that saving is being developed as a regular habit among the student body. The thrift program aims to teach the pupils the value of money, how to earn and save it, and also how to spend it wisely. They are to be educated to a conception of the comprehensive nature of conservation in all phases of life, so that they will learn to prepare for the future while they enjoy the present use of all energies and all materials. Character building is the ultimate aim. A teaching body interested in the full-rounded develop- ment of the character as well as the academic aspect of the pupils' training is bending every effort to bring about the desired result.
Art
The tremendous growth of the productive ability of chil- dren whose interests have been properly aroused and directed into a field which calls forth from their innate capacity feel- ings which cause them to express themselves in the form of pictures which are designed with definiteness and good taste has been no better exemplified than in the study of art in this city, under the direction of the Supervisor of Art.
A layman, unartistic, cannot but appreciate the happy faculties of knowing what colors go together, what a sense of proportion is, and how to analyze a picture to understand its merits. To a greater degree than ever before, the pupils in all the grades are being taught these things, not that they may become artists but that they may have a deeper appreciation of what is artistic and a deeper knowledge of what to do to make their surroundings more pleasing to themselves and to others.
This work was carried to completion with an exhibition, which was held in all the libraries throughout the city, of drawings done by the pupils in the first six grades. The ex-
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cellence of the work, the enthusiasm of the pupils, and the fine interest displayed by the teachers in developing these drawings evoke commendation of the highest calibre.
I commend to the citizens who perchance enter our schools the examination of displays of papers of any kind whatsoever.
Evening High School
For many years the evening high school has been unable to meet the demands of the increasing number of students for commercial subjects, particularly typewriting. Especially un- fortunate has been the condition of being unable to provide typewriters for the entire evening to women who did not wish to take other subjects or who are already well schooled in those subjects. With the additional typewriting room which is now available, the evening high school can provide these people with the opportunity which has been lacking heretofore. This has succeeded in eliminating a great deal of confusion which gen- erally has attended the school's opening; it has provided the school with an excellent nucleus of older students and has in- creased the membership beyond that of other years.
There has been added a class in lip reading in which the students are people whose hearing is not as acute as formerly. This experiment has developed so well that this class can now be considered a fixture in the evening high school. Apparently it fills a much needed gap and the demands for admission are numerous and more than can be provided for at this time.
As has been noted in former years, owing to economic factors and recognition of the value of education, the type of student that now takes advantage of evening high school oppor- tunity is becoming increasingly better; consequently the in- struction offered is becoming more advanced.
Special Classes
The work in the special classes has progressed well and the lives of the children have been exceedingly happy. The ad- dition of simple cooking for the class of pre-vocational girls is contemplated, by which it is hoped to teach correct habits of eating, cleanliness, and the proper care of person and home. When this is done, it will provide us with a rather well-rounded course of instruction for all special class children, under con- ditions which are full of promise to make this work more use- ful to children. So enthusiastic have the girls become in the entrancing possibilities of home making that they are contri-
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buting considerable from their small supply of pocket money and are endeavoring to make such linen and other appurten- ances as go with a well-kept and well-ordered table and house.
Lip Reading and Sight Saving Classes
Those children who have handicaps of poor vision or loss of hearing are now receiving instruction fitted for their needs, the time and length of instruction depending upon the amount of handicap they have. All children have had their hearing tested by means of the audiometer and at the present time 57 children are receiving instruction in lip reading at least once a week and some times as often as twice a week, forty-five minutes each time.
The School Committee is at a loss to understand why parents are so neglectful of the important faculties that these children must have to be a success. Many of the cases which have developed into seriousness might have been prevented by attention at the time the teacher sent notices home to the parents. There is hope that this year some means will be found to so present to the parents the horrible outcome of a child's lack of ability to participate with full senses in the enjoyments of childhood that they will realize the necessity of immediate attention and prompt treatment for the possible prevention of blindness and deafness ; and that the citizens of the community will become increasingly aware of the extent to which they are providing opportunity for these children to enjoy a life without limitations.
Health
The addition of two school nurses has helped to render our work in the promotion of health more immediate and re- curring. Few people realize that the work of the nurse is really one of individual attention, the results of which are never known except to the parties involved.
Our three nurses, assigned to general school work, have thrown themselves into their tasks this year with a new zeal which has accomplished astounding results and which creates the opinion that next year will be one full of promising activity in this field.
In general, the following things have been accomplished : Each child has been weighed at least once, those needing it twice ; records have been sent home to the parents informing them of their child's weight; teachers have instructed the chil-
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dren and encouraged them to eat what they should to make up deficiencies in weight and in many cases have paid for milk to accomplish this purpose. The nurses have visited the home and ascertained at first hand conditions which they felt might be remedied by suggestions from them.
Through the co-operation of the Board of Health, under whom all the school nurses work, the fourth nurse has been employed this year for the purpose of examining and treating children under the so-called Chadwick Clinic. The early pre- vention of the dread disease of tuberculosis is certainly the easiest way to accomplish its removal as the present worst scourge of the people. This very important work has begun and no doubt will be very productive of good.
With the assistance of the school dentists, all the teeth of the children in the first three grades have been give a thor- ough examination and parents have been urged to have dental treatment for their children from their own dentists, those un- able to afford such being treated by the school dentists.
The work of the dentists and the nurses has been cor- related with the work of the teachers and the Sargent School girls in an endeavor to make children aware of the desirability of being well nourished, of taking care of their teeth, and of standing and sitting properly. Teachers did much by means of class instruction to advance these ideas and the children seized upon such instruction with avidity. All of this work culminated in the annual May Day, at which time all children whose physical characteristics were such as to receive merit were given tags which they were allowed to wear and which permitted them to participate in certain games and plays upon that day.
Important as this work is and great as the energy devoted to it by the various persons concerned, it always remains a matter of conjecture if more ought not to be done and if a great deal that might possibly and easily be done is not left undone. An examination of the teeth alone shows a pressing need for the education of parents in the proper care of their children's teeth.
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