USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Merrimac > Town Annual Report of the Officers of the Town of Merrimac 1888 > Part 3
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What a responsibility then rests upon the teacher of the
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SCHOOL REPORT.
Primary school ? How necessary that she should be of sterling character, should possess knowledge of the best methods of instruction, and have the natural aptitude to teach, and withal have that sympathy which prompt her to exercise almost pa- rental care over her pupils.
DISTRICT SCHOOLS.
There are four ungraded schools in town. These schools, excepting that at Bear Hill are very small, and many of the scholars live at such a distance from the school house that it has been deemed inexpedient to continue the fall term more than three months, thus giving but six months schooling during the year. Notwithstanding this disadvantage, these schools do excellent work, and there are many bright scholars here, who in deportment and scholarship rival their more favored mates in the graded schools. The only practical way at present, it seems to us, to secure to those in these districts their full share of school advantages, is for the town to make an appropriation for the conveyance of scholars in these districts to and from the more central town schools. A statute law permits towns to provide for such conveyance.
Would parents in these districts favor such an appropria- tion and will they take measures to secure it?
The Bear Hill school numbers forty-nine scholars, and the terms correspond in length with the graded school. A great drawback to this school, and one which affects all ungraded schools of large size is the large number and great variety of its classes ; and this is an evil which it is impossible in any great measure to remedy. The labor of the teacher by reason of the large number of classes is very arduous, but is cheerfully performed and with very satisfactory results.
MUSIC.
During the winter term of 1886-7, as an experiment, Mr. Joyce taught vocal music in his own school, and with so good results that he has continued his instruction to the present time.
In all the other graded schools and in the school at Bear
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SCHOOL REPORT.
Hill, weekly lessons in this branch have been given by Miss Hill through the year. In most of these schools, instruction by the regular teacher of music is supplemented by daily exer- cises in singing. We believe that music should be continued as a permanent branch in our schools. It enlivens the mind of the pupil, relieves the monotony of school routine, and is elevating and refining in its influence.
Considerable advancement has been made by all the schools during the year. The coming year an outlay of about seventy-five dollars should be made for music books and charts.
SUPERINTENDENCE OF SCHOOLS.
The matter of school supervision has been brought to the attention of the town.
Your committee realize the importance of intelligent, con- tinuous, and systematic oversight of the public schools. In nearly all the cities and larger towns of this state a superintend- ent of schools is annually chosen by the school committee, whose duty it is to devote himself to the study of public educa- tion ; to visit the schools, and carefully examine them as to their progress and condition ; to advise the teachers upon the bes methods of instruction and discipline ; to hold stated meetings with the teachers ; to conduct the school examinations ; to pay particular attention to the classification of the schools that a uniform course and system may be pursued ; and, generally, to have the care and supervision of all the schools and school buildings, under the direction and control of the com- mittee. These superintendents are usually men who have specially devoted their life to the cause of education, and have fitted themselves for the performance of their duties, as for a distinct profession.
The sentiment of all leading educators and friends of our common schools is a unit in favor of thorough supervision of the schools ; and an effort, sanctioned by the State Board of Education, is now being made to obtain from the present legis- lature, an act designed to render pecuniary assistance to small towns in aiding them to employ a school superintendent.
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SCHOOL REPORT. .
Last summer a proposition was made to the committee, that Mr. Joyce, our High school principal, be permitted to devote a part of his time in supervising the schools at the Center; and this seems to be favored by a considerable number of parents. Against this proposition it may be urged, firstly, that the perfor- . mance of his duties as supervisor would materially interfere with his duties as teacher ; and, secondly, that all the schools in town need supervision as well as a part of them. On the other side, it might be urged that the benefit to schools super- intended would be so apparent that. the town would be con- vinced of the importance of extending supervision to all the schools. As the committee had not been authorized by the town to employ a superintendent, the movers of the measure were recommended to submit this question of supervision to the town at its annual meeting.
Your school committee know that they have not given that personal attention to the schools which they demand, and which would be expected of a superintendent ; but they have specially endeavored to place in charge of your schools, teach- ers who are competent, and devoted to their work ; who strive to make teaching a profession, and to become familiar with new methods; and who aim to keep pace with the constant advancement in the art of teaching generally. In this, we believe we have in a good degree succeeded; and that, as a whole, our corps of teachers is excelled in but few, if any, towns of its size in the state.
While we submit to the town, the question whether the committee shall be authorized to employ a superintendent, we would earnestly urge upon all parents and friends of the schools to act as superintendents themselves ; to visit the schools ; to make suggestions and criticisms; to confer with the teachers and the committee; and to manifest the interest and the solicitude which we know they feel. We believe that this course would inspire teachers and scholars, and would have an effect almost magical.
SCHOOL HOUSES.
Last summer the much needed repairs of the Bear Hill
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school house were made. A new floor was laid; the north side of the roof was shingled ; and the outside of the house thor- oughly painted. A new fence was also built, to take the place of the old one, which had become greatly dilapidated, and to- tally unfit for the purpose for which it was made. The house is now in good condition, and with its improved surroundings, presents a neat and comely appearance. We hoped to be able to paint the walls of the school room, but the appropriation would not permit. The larger school house at Merrimacport needs some repairs which should be made the coming season. The Primary room at the 'Port is in similar condition as the Primary rooms at the Center, which will be spoken of further on.
Additional school accommodations should be provided at the Center. All the rooms in both houses are well filled, and some of them are taxed, to their utmost capacity. The growth of the town is evidenced by the steady increase in the number of its school children. In the summer of 1883, the Plains school house was completed, in which, in the fall of the same year, two schools of good size were established.
There are now eighty-two more school children in our town than in the spring of 1884; and the increase has been mostly in the Primary schools at the Center. The number of enrolled scholars at the 2d Primary school in the Center house is fifty-six, and at the lower Primary in the Plains house, fifty- seven. If as many new scholars apply for admission to these schools the present year as entered them last year, there will be nearly or quite seventy children for each of these schools. What are the Committee to do with them? The Center First Primary school has forty-one scholars ; the Plains First Primary, forty-nine; the Center Intermediate, forty-five ; and the Grammar, thirty-eight. There is no opportunity therefore to provide for this surplus of scholars in the lower schools by advancing a class from one room to another. Ad- ditional school room must be provided, and this means a new school-house.
We wish here to call attention to the Center school house.
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SCHOOL REPORT.
This house has five school rooms and a recitation room. Two of the school rooms are located in the front part of the build- ing, and are in very good condition and passably suitable for the purpose for which they are used. The other three and the recitation room are in the rear or old part of the building and arc altogether unfit for school rooms ; they are low, cheerless, inconvenient and unattractive. On cold days it is impossible, with the present facilities for heating, to make them comforta- ble. During the past winter the janitors have faithfully per- formed their duties, working early and late, yet on some morn- ings the temperature of the two Primary rooms can be raised scarcely above the freezing point; so schools must be dis- missed or the children remain to suffer by the cold to the se- rious danger of their health.
There are no means of ventilating the rooms in the rear part of the building, except by the doors and windows. Of course, in warm weather a free supply of air can be obtained in this way, but the children are exposed to draughts and are liable to take cold.
The school room where so many hours of our children's life are spent should be so constructed that an education - may be gained there without endangering health and life, and not be a place where the seeds of disease and death lurk to take root in their tender lives, perchance to bear bitter fruit in after years.
We believe that many of the ills which afflict school children and which are usually ascribed to hard study, are caused by breathing and re-breathing the poisonous vapors of our unventilated school rooms. To show that we are not pre- senting a picture which exists only in imagination, here are facts. One of these rooms, the second Primary, and this is a fair sample of the three, and the Primary room at Merrimac- port, is 32 feet long, 32 feet wide and 81/2 feet high, In this room there are 8704 cubic feet of air. The school in this room numbers fifty-six scholars.
Physiologists tell us that a person needs ten cubic feet of air to breathe cach minute. In less than sixteen minutes the
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SCHOOL REPORT.
air in this room has been deprived of much of its oxygen, its life, and carbonic acid, a fatal poison, has taken its place. But what is done when sixteen minutes have passed? This poison which increases with every respiration, is inhaled instead of life giving oxygen. The children become restless, their heads ache, and they are unable to study ; their blood is poisoned. Walk into one of these rooms from the pure air when school is in session, on a day when it is too cold to use the ventilators (?) we have provided, the doors and windows ; and you will not need the aid of a physiologist to convince you of the truth of these statements. These are grave evils which should be speedily eradicated. The remedy is beyond the reach of your committee, and they have directed your attention to them, sole- ly from a sense of duty and feelings of public interest.
If this building is to be used for a school house, immedi- ate steps should be taken to properly heat and ventilate it. But is it in pursuance of a philanthropic or even of a wise bus- iness policy, to make so large an outlay upon this house? A new school house must soon be provided for the overplus of scholars.
Experience has proved that it is not true policy to build school houses of one or two rooms scattered about the town, for the accommodation of those children who reside in their vicinity. When this is done the schools cannot be properly graded, and they inevitably become subject to the many evils of the old district system. It seems to us that the time has come to make a radical change in our school accommodations. Suppose a house is now built for the accommodation of one or two schools. How long will it be before another will be needed? Is it not better to use the money which must be expended in buying the land and building a small house and in improving the Center house, in erecting a strucure which will be a credit to the town, and meet its educational demands for years to come ?
The private residences of Merrimac are an honor and an ornament to the town ; and in outside appearance and interior arrangement are evidence of the thrift of its people, and of the
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SCHOOL REPORT.
culture and intelligence of their owners. But this cannot be said of our school houses, in which and about which, so many children spend a large proportion of their life. Our town is steadily increasing in growth ; and its growth and prosperity should be encouraged in every way ; and how can this be done more effectually than by pursuing a liberal educational policy ?
APPROPRIATIONS.
Last year the town generously appropriated $6500 for general school purposes and $125 for repairs of Bear Hill school house. These sums with the dog money, school fund, and amount received for tuitions, books and other sources amount to $7132. 16. By means of the increased appropriation we have been able to lengthen the sessions of the graded schools to nine months. They should be continued as long next year, and to do this the appropriation should be the same as last year, $6500.
Respectfully Submitted, 1
THOMAS H. HOYT, CHARLES E. ROWELL, JOHN W. HOBART,
School Committee.
Merrimac, March 1, 1888.
MERRIMAC HIGH SCHOOL,
GRADUATES 1887. 2
NELLIE MARY BARRY, LULU WARD BOSWELL, EMILY STICKNEY CLOUGH, ANNIE NYE FOURTIN, LAURA PEARL PATTEN, MARY SARGENT PRESCOTT, MARY FRANCES ROWELL, SUSIE IDA SAYRE.
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SCHOOL REPORT,
TABLE No. 1. STATISTICS OF SUMMER TERM.
SCHOOLS.
Number of
Days in term.
Number of
Scho.ars.
Average
Number of
Scholars.
Average
Attendance.
Number of
Times Late.
Number of
Teacher's
wages
per month.
High, 66
(Principal)
60
54
54
55
47
10
$105 26
(Assistant)
50 0
Center Grammar,
60
31
28.6
41
13
50 00
Intermediate,
60
41
39.7
38.5
26
9
40 00
66
1st Primary, .
60
39
38.5
34.77
80
45
30 00
Plains Ist Primary, .
60
41
42 5-12
40 23-40
15
21
35 00
2d
66
60
60
52 11
47
66
17
30. 00
Merrimacport Grannar,
56
23
20.
11
S
· 50 00
66
Primary,
60
39
34
31
46
36
35 00
Bear Hill,
60
37
34
32
54
10
40 00
Landing,
60
11
11
10
3
24
22 00
Birch Meadow,
1:0
20
14
56
7
22 00
Ilighlands, .
TABLE No. 2. STATISTICS OF WINTER TERM.
SCHOOLS.
Number of
Days in term.
Number of
Scholars.
Average
Scholars.
Average
Attendance.
Number of
Times Late.
Number of
Teacher's wages
per month.
fligh,
(Principal) (Assistant)
130
56
53.5
50.3
75
18
$105 26
66
Intermediate, .
120
45
40.3
37.9
23
19
40 CO
1st Primary,
120
42
41.2
38.8
80
12
35 00
66
2dł
66
120
55
48
0
137
53
35 00
Plains Ist
66
120
56
49.81
42.9
48
37
35 00
Merrimacport Grammar,
66
Intermediate,
120
29
28
25
26
28
35 00
Bear Hill, .
120
49
45
36
231
=
40 00
Landing,
60
10
10
9
15
45
14
25 00
Highlands, .
60
15
14
34
25 00
---------
60
25
25
22
24
35 00
Intermediate,
60
12
=
10
38
22
50 00
Center Grammar,
120
38
36.4
2 .
25
50 00
120
48
4613
411%
67
23
35 00
66
114
24
. 0
16
50 00
Primary,
115
24
67
30
25 00
Birch Meadow,
60
19
17
16 35 00
66
60
51
50
43
Visitors.
Visitors.
35 00
Number of
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