USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Palmer > Town Annual Report of the Officers of the Town of Palmer, Massachusetts 1893 > Part 3
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The Englishi work of the school needs reconstruction. As now arranged, it lacks coherency. In another year when progress has been made in English in the lower schools, the course in the High School should be arranged so that all the English from the primary through the High, shall be connected and logical.
GRADED SCHOOLS .- To change a system of schools from their old methods of work to new, and to increase the amount of work gradually, so that the friction shall be reduced to a minimum, is a matter of slow accomplishment. The following changes have been made :
READING .- Much stress has been put upon this subject. It is the foundation of all other studies. The development has been along the line of thought-getting and then thought-expressing. To this end, the reading has been first silent and then oral. In the silent reading the pupil is striving for the thought, just as he will read in all future life. After the thought has been acquired, it must be stated in a tone which is clear, of conversational pitch, and as spir- ited as the thought demands. Besides this, the work aims to incul- cate in the pupils, a taste for good reading. Much of the reading of the upper grades is chosen for this purpose.
The reading list for this year is as follows :-
Script Primer, Normal, Davis and New Franklin Readers, Friends in Feathers and Fur, Æsop's Fables, Neighbors with Wings and Fins, Geographical Readers, Nos. 1 and 2, Seaside and Way- side, No. 2, Anderson's Fairy Tales, Beginners American History, Hawthorne's Wonder-Book, Burrough's Birds and Bees, Franklin's Autobiography, Longfellow's Miles Standish and Evangeline, Whit- tier's Snow-Bound, Scott's Lady of the Lake, Irving's Sketch-Book. Memory gems : little poems in first four grades ; 150 lines of good poetry in the next two grades ; quotations from the reading and declamations before the class, in the last three grades.
49
Methods : Oral, for pronunciation, fluency and expression ; silent, for information and cultivating the taste ; sight, for testing the thought, ability, and thoroughness.
LANGUAGE .- Next to the thought-getting is thought-expressing ; this may be oral or written. Much effort has been made to gain in the oral, correct expression and correct pronunciation ; and in the written, correct expression and correct spelling. Progress in this is very slow and often discouraging. To accomplish anything, the pupil must write and talk a great deal during the school hours.
The work begins in grade one, by copying sentences from the blackboard and primer, and passes through all the stages of copying, dictation, reproduction, picture and action stories, description of objects, all forms of letter writing, narration, sketches from history and geography, and description of places and scenery. Besides this, the two books by Miss Hyde are used. They can be completed readily by the end of the 8th year, and a more difficult book like Southworth's Elements of Grammar and Composition should be used.
WRITING .- Allied to the written language is penmanship. Every written exercise should be an exercise in writing. No hastily writ- ten, scratchy, scrawly paper should be accepted by any teacher. The best is none too good. The sooner a pupil recognizes that penmanship means more than the twenty minute exercise in the formal copy- book, the sooner he will learn to write. And by writing is meant not the copy-plate style, but the easy, legible, business writing he will need in later life. Not enough is made of this point. Exer- cises are accepted from pupils, which should not be tolerated for a moment, and which are premiums on haste and carelessness. Time and patience will remedy this difficulty.
Pupils begin to write with pencil as soon as they enter school. They should begin to use ink the second year. This has not been possible in all the schools, but ink-wells are now being supplied to all the desks and the work can be pursued in proper order very soon.
The excessive amount of slate work done in the lower grades, is a detriment to writing habits. The amount of force necessary to make legible marks upon a slate, produces a habit in pencil and pen holding, which can hardly be broken up in all the succeeding years of school life. While slates cannot be abolished in the lower grades,
50
they should be used much less than now, and more work should be done with paper. After grade three the slate should be discarded.
ARITHMETIC .- While all school work has been changed somewhat, the methods in arithmetic are perhaps the most marked. Pupils as far as possible gain their knowledge objectively. To this end, each building has been furnished with tin and wooden measures, scales and weights, foot-rules, yard-sticks, and tape-measures, and all facts between gill and gallon, quart and bushel, ounce and pound, inch, foot, yard, and rod, with all their applications, are learned from their actual doing. An effort has been made to advance this work along the first three or four grades. with very encouraging results. In another year the work can be advanced three grades more. Above the fourth grades, the main change has been in emphasizing the busi- ness relations of arithmetic. After a clear and accurate knowledge of the four fundamental processes has been obtained, there is no excuse for arithmetic work except as it touches our every day living, For this reason common business methods should be taught in a busi- ness way. To assist this, blank bills, notes, checks, receipts, and drafts have been used freely ; samples of business papers have been furnished for study, and problems have been given and results re- quired in accordance with business principles.
In another year the work should have progressed so far that sin- gle entry bookkeeping can be taken during the ninth year, twice per week. The arithmetic outline is as follows :
Teach it objectively to fullest extent. Aim at knowledge, accuracy, and rapidity. Give plenty of mental work and abundant practice in small numbers.
Grade 1. Teach 1 to 10. Fractions 3, 3, 4. Coins ; cent. two- cent, nickel, dime. Measures ; gill, pint. quart, gallon ; foot. yard. Roman numerals to X. As soon as pupils know 5, give plenty of little problems in place of much of the usual figure work.
Grade 2. 10 to 25. Notation to 100. Fractions 3, 4, 3. 3, 1-6, 1-9. Measures ; ounce, pound ; quart, peck ; dozen, score. Coin, quarter-dollar. Roman numerals to XXV. Time by the clock. Tables 1 to 5. Constant and rapid drill in all combinations ; little business problems.
Grade 3. 25 to 144. Notation to 1000. Fractions 1-5, 1-7, 1-10. Simple reductions, small mixed numbers, and improper frac- tions. Tables 6 to 12. Coins ; half-dollar, dollar. Read dollars
51
and cents ; use as two place decimals ; add and subtract, multiply and divide by small numbers. Make many business problems. Measures ; build liquid measure ; simple reductions. Teach second, minute, hour, day. Rapid addition with columns of two figures. Much multiplication and division with multipliers and divisors not larger than 12. Buy, sell and make change.
Grade 4. Numbers 144 to 10.000. Much practice in the four processes, with multipliers and divisors not over two figures. Frac- tions ; add and substract simple fractions, multiply and divide by one integer. Measures ; build long, dry, and time measures. Teach square inch, and square foot, objectively. Extend work in two place decimals. Teach 25, 50, 333, 100 per cent. Teach bills.
Grade 5. Numbers 10,000 to 1,000,000. Four processes thor- oughly reviewed and drilled. Multipliers and divisors not over three figures. Factoring by inspection. Fractions ; all operations, using no denominators above 20. Simple cancellation. Decimals ; continue work, using multipliers and divisors of one or two places. Measures ; build square measure and avoirdupois weight. Teach cubic inch and cubic foot. Apply square measure to surfaces by actual measurements. Apply decimals to simple percentage and simple interest, without time element. Make bills.
Grade 6. Complete notation and numeration of integers and dec- imals. Drill in four processes for accuracy and rapidity. Extend work in cancellation and factoring. Complete fractions ; show rela- tion of common and decimal fractions ; change from one to the other. Build cubic measure. Practice in surfaces and simple solids, finding area and contents. Teach all simple forms of percentage. Teach profit and loss, and simple interest using years and months.
Grade 7. Review fractions and compound numbers, teaching parts not previously used. Apply compound numbers to practical work, floors, walls, ceilings, measurement of wood, contents of bins, cellars, cisterns, etc. Extend percentage to commission and broker- age, insurance, trade discount.
Interest, one method only.
Grade 8. Occasional drill on all previous processes. Remaining points of interest, bank discount, partial payments (U. S. rule only,) taxes by using Town Report, simple partnership.
52
Teach business terms and forms used in the above, writing notes, drafts, checks, with their endorsements.
Continue measures, finding surfaces of triangles, parallelograms, and circles, and the contents of all rectangular solids.
Grade 9. Simple forms of stocks and bonds. Ratio and simple proportion. Square and cube root by inspection, with simple appli- cations. Systematic review of the whole subject. Metric system, briefly. Single Entry Book-keeping.
Hints. In all grades teach, drill, test. Each lesson should be two-thirds new, one-third old ; a constant review. Mental work in all grades. Business applications in all grades. Drill in comprehend- ing problems. Drill in forecasting and approximating results. Let the pupils get their data from practice. Drill the eye in estimating distance.
GEOGRAPHY .- Very little change has been made in methods in this subject, as it was thought that too many changes would lead to confusion and the advance would be less marked. Next year the methods should be somewhat modified and the time abridged. Too much time is now put upon this subject. It should be practically completed in the eighth year and give time for other work.
HISTORY .- More working material has been furnished for this sub- ject. By exchanging old books, new ones were supplied, so that in place of one book, four are now used. Montgomery, Sheldon, Eg- gleston and Higginson. The work is done more topically and pupils gather information from all the books; it destroys the tendency to memorize.
Next year the subject should begin in grade 4. with stories of lo- cal history, and stories of patriotic days and prominent characters, to arouse historic interest. In the next two grades considerable read- ing should be done in historical readers, the formal study should be- gin in grade 7, extend through grade 8 and part of grade 9. In the last half of the ninth year, the simple elements of Civil Government should be taught that pupils may know something of the principles of government. as well as its history.
FUTURE CHANGES .- The above subjects are the commonly estab- lished ones, and changes were needed only in time, quality, methods of presentations, and working materials. Theydo not meet the re- quirements of the state law however. The acts of 1885 provide that "physiology and hygiene, which, in both divisions of the subject,
53
shall include special instruction as to the effects of alcoholic drinks, stimulants and narcotics on the human system, shall be taught as a regular branch of study to all pupils, in all schools, supported wholly or in part by public money." The subject as now treated in the schools hardly meets the requirements of the law, and a scheme of work should be adopted to begin next September.
The state law also requires drawing to be taught. This is a spec- ial subject and good results are seldom obtained except under the direction of a special teacher. I would not recommend its introduc- tion in any other way ; but such arrangements should be made towards the future, that as expenses are reduced in other directions, this and other subjects may be added at very little increase to the to- tal outlay.
In the same way, music should become a part of the school sys- tem. This was tried in Three Rivers a few years ago as an experi- ment, and later some books and charts were put into two other build- ings. Results were meagre. It is a subject which requires special direction. There are in the buildings in good condition, about $125 worth of music books and charts. It would cost about $100 more to equip all the schools with materials. A teacher would cost $300 per year. To equip the schools for drawing would cost $200 the first year and $125 each year after. A teacher would cost $300. If possible, one of these subjects should be introduced in September and one the year after, that pupils may be touched upon the culture side.
Nature study is being largely introduced into the schools through- out the state. This does not require any additional time or expense, but is largely used in conjuction with language and drawing, in- formation reading and geography. It serves as an eye-opener and brain-opener ; it trains seeing and thinking ; and gives the pupils a knowledge of the common things in nature. It is proposed in the spring term, to make a slight beginning in this work, and gradually increase it as conditions allow.
DISTRICT SCHOOLS .- What has been said of the work in the graded schools, applies in a limited sense to the district schools. Several things cause this limitation. (1). In each district school, after all the union of classes possible, there still remains too many things for the teacher to do well in the time of the school session. While the teacher of the graded school can give 20 to 30 minutes to the teach-
54
ing of a subject, the district teacher can find only 10. The first lim - tation is time. (2). While the town can afford to supply the many weights and measures, etc., to a building of 150 to 250 pupils. it cannot afford to supply them to a school of 6 to 12 pupils. The second limitation is materials. (3). In a class of 10, 20 or 30 pu- pils, competition stirs the blood, and awakens interest. A pupil is on his mettle, and works harder and accomplishes more because of this rivalry. In the class of one in the district school, there is none of this. The third limitation is lack of interest on the part of the pupil. (4). The teacher who has to teach everything for seven grades, cannot make the preparation she would for one or two grades. The work becomes drony. The fourth limitation is lack of enthusiasm on the part of the teacher. (5). The fifth limitation is the attendance. It is very irregular. The attendance tables do not show all the evil, because under a new law, a pupil is dropped from the rolls at the end of five days absence. Table D shows the de- tailed attendance of one school. (6). A sixth limitation is teach - ers. For $28 a month, only inexperienced high school graduates can be obtained. They experiment upon the pupils. If they develop into teachers, they soon seek other fields ; if not they do the pupils no good. In any event the pupils get the worst of it, and make little progress.
ATTENDANCE .- While the general attendance through the town has been good, and in some parts excellent, it needs improvement in some sections. A glance at table A will show where the great- est non-attendance occurs. It is one of the school duties to teach the pupils regular and systematic habits. Regularity cannot become a fixed habit among those who dawdle to school or absent themselves for trivial reasons. Parents should aid the teachers to the fullest extent, but the matter rests very largely with the teachers. The state law allows two weeks of unexcused absence during the school year. When any pupil gets beyond this limit, the teacher should follow up sharply and persistently, each and every absence there- after. If the parents will not cooperate, then and not till then should the truant officer's services be sought. Teachers by seeing the parents and by making school life attractive, can exert a very potent influence for regular attendance. Cases are rare in towns, where an officer's services are really needed.
Cases of actual truancy have been infrequent, yet a time may
55
come when we shall have a confirmed truant ou our hands. As far as can be learned the town has never taken the necessary steps to enable such truant to be sent to a truant school. The matter should be attended to against a time of need, as per Sec. 10, chap- ter 48, and by-laws as recommended by the State Board of Educa- tion should be presented to the town for their action.
Teachers should make every reasonable effort to check tardiness. Many cases occur from simple negligence on the part of the pupil and often on the part of the parents. Promptness needs to be inculcated as well as regularity.
DISCIPLINE .- In most of the schools the discipline has been very good ; in a few there has been great improvement. Few cases of corporal punishment have been reported. Some errors of judgment have occurred as to methods of punishment, notably under the rule of the committee which allows suspension " for violent or persistent opposition to authority," but on the whole the schools have been controlled in a quiet and efficient manner. Discipline is for the pupil not the teacher. That form should be chosen then, which will prove most beneficial to the pupil, not that which is easiest for the teacher. As a general thing, an abundance of work in a live school under a live teacher precludes much outward show of discipline. It becomes purely incidental.
PROMOTIONS .- Schools the same in name are not the same in quality and quantity of work. Promotions should be very carefully made at the end of the year. While no pupil should be prevented from proper advancement, a great many can be benefited more by remaining in their present positions than by going into the next grade. Some are already in grades beyond their abilities, and some have lost their opportunities by much absence. The monthly reports which have been used since September, and on which promotions should be based, enable parents to note the work done by their children.
BUILDINGS .- The condition of the different buildings is known to the committee. The care which they have received has been uni- formly good. There have been few times this year when the build- ings have not been comfortably warm. If there is any point for criticism, it is overheating rather than underheating.
Ventilation is a serious question in most of the buildings. In all the district schools and in the buildings at Thorndike and Palmer,
56
there is no way of ventilating except by means of the doors and windows. This is dangerous alike to pupils and teachers.
The light in the older buildings is poor. The window space should be one-sixth of the floor space. None of these buildings ap- proach this condition. As the windows are arranged, the light in many rooms comes from both sides and the rear, causing very try- ing cross lights. The lights should come from the rear and one side. preferably the left, and the windows should extend to the ceiling, as it is the light from the top which extends across the room.
The painting of the rooms in Thorndike is too dark, and tends to lessen the amount of light. Walls and ceilings of a school room should be slightly toned from white.
Most of the furniture is passable. Double seats are not so good as single, but when they are in good condition, should not be changed for a mere sentiment. In the Palmer building, the furniture in grade 1 room is very poor. The desks are loose and the chairs are loose and broken. On the upper floor, the furniture of the room opened this fall is old, worn, rickety, and badly scarred. In the other two the seats are too large for the pupils. When the high school was moved to the new building, the seats which they had used, were left, for the pupils of the grammar school. Seats designed for pupils 14 to 19 years of age, are now used by those 12 to 14. They are too high, and prevent the pupils from doing their work properly. It has serious results on the physical growth of the pupils. For similar reasons. the seats used by grades 5 and 6, are not adapted to them. Sich changes should be made this summer, as will seat the pupils properly and safely, by exchanging some of the furniture already in the rooms, and by selecting from the seats of the old Bondsville building, this could be done at small cost. Probably new furniture would be needed for two rooms.
The yards around the buildings are not attractive. They should be put in good condition, graded. grassed, and made attractive. Pupils take delight in such a condition after it is once established. It has a good influence on them, and it certainly adds to the school property .
The outbuildings have been kept in fair condition. They have re- ceived some markings, and some abuse. Vigilance is demanded here of the most faithful and unerring kind. Teachers and janitors should keep a sharp watch, and stamp out the first attempts at abuse.
57
In conclusion, I wish to thank the Committee for the support and confidence they have accorded me, and the practical unanimity with which my suggestions have been adopted.
The usual tables of statistics follow.
Very respectfully. W. H. SMALL, Supt. of Schools.
TABULAR STATEMENT OF SCHOOLS.
AVERAGE MEMBERSHIP AND ATTENDANCE.
Grade.
1st Month.
2d Month.
3d Month.
4th Month.
5th Month.
6th Month.
7th Month.
8th Month.
9th Month.
10th Mouth.
ship for Year.
Average Attend-
Per cent of attend-
ance for Year.
Enrolled Number.
-
77
72
72
72
73
73 2
74 8 73 5
76 74
75 5 71 5
75 4
74
71 8
97
78
High .
75 6
69 9
70 9
69 2
71 9
71 2
Palmer.
41
41 7
41 2
54 6
41 3
37
37
37
36 5
40 8
38 5
94 5
46
Mrs. E. E. Cady ..
38 3
39 2
39 7
51 6
39 7
36
34 8
33 3
34 5
40 3
39
36
43
41
34
35
36
34
37 5
34 9
93
47
36 1
34 6
33 6
41 2
38 7
32 7
32 2
33 6
31 5
29
29
26
28
29 8
31 5
31
30 4
32
29 6
27 9
94 2
35
26 5
27 5
24 7
36 7
27 7
30 4
29
28 4
30 2
35 6
33 7
94 6
1
39
40
42
44 7
36
33
5 36 2
136 7
34 8
37 9
35 9
38 8
43
35
33 2
35 5
34 2
33 2
48 3
52 7
50 7
41
45 4
50
47 7
52
50 4
Miss L. F. Brown.
1
44 6
45
37 8
37
42 4
46 6
43 2
44 4
42 7
Three Rivers.
17 5
15 5
15
17 3
31 5
32
28 7
28 3
28
G. A. Adams ..
16 5
14 3
15
15 9
29 7
31 1
27 2
26 6
27
Miss A. L. Walker.
20 1
16 2
19 4
28 3
30 8
30 9
27 3
29 7
29 9
22 5
20 8
92 4
31
Miss M. J. Sedgwick.
4-5
22
22 9
22 1
16 2
19 7
24 8
25 4
24 3
20 7
22 20 6
18 8
20 1
21 5
3
17 5
22 7
24 3
22 8
19 4
17 2
18 4
20 5
Miss K. M. Twiss.
2
26 9
33 1
33 8
:22 6
21 6
25
22 2
25 4
126 5
38
50 5
55 5
41 7
135 9
37 9
36 4
40 3
.39
41 6
38 4
92
71
Miss A. B. Crane ...
1
35 7
45
52 2
39 1
132 1
36 2
31 4
,38 2
135 4
.
7-8
. 5-6
3-4
34 4
'33 5
33 9
33
7
34
2-3
.7-9
23
21 9
:22 2
29 5
31 5
32 3
29 6
31
28 1
26 1
93
36
24 8
24 5
23
17 6
Miss C. B. Clark.
21 9
20 4
93 1
28
29 2
35 6
35 5
23 4
23 6
26 3
24 7
27
27 5
28 1
26 3
93 6
50
35
35
35 5
36 7
36
Miss M. J. Sedgwick
38 1
36 3
92 2
47
Mrs. E. S. Leach ...
48 7
42 7
87 6
75
23 8
22 6
95
24
32
4-6
.
8-9
Miss A. J. Wallace.
Miss H. E. Robinson.
Average Member-
ance for Year.
SCHOOLS.
TABULAR STATEMENT OF SCHOOLS-(Continued) .
Thorndike.
.
H. M. Dean ...
17 9
14 4
14 2
24 9
25 7
25 20
21 2
119
21
23 7
20 7
87 3
34
24 9
24
24 3
19 6
19 1
18 7
18
38 6
38 5
40 4
35 5
31 7
89 3
40
.26 4
21 5
22 1
38 2
32
37 3 47
35 45
45 2
45
49 1
44 9
91 4
83
41 5
57 9
57
39 8
38 7
45 7
41 2
41 6
42 2
16 7
15 5
13
25 2
18 8
27
27 7
25 5
26 5
Miss M. E. McFarlane.
:14 3
113 8
12 5
24 6
16 5
25 7
24 7
23 3
24 3
2 44 5
37
7
45 8
43 5
33 2
41
43 5
39 8
43
1-3
42
35
43 9
42 3
26 8
39
37 9
35 6
40 1
Bondsville.
HI. E. Fuller.
25 6
22 1
21 8
28 5
30 2
28 7
27 4
25 9
27 7
27
29 3
28 2
30
29 7
30 6
30 1
30 1
29 2
27 3
93 5
32
27 1
25
25 4
27 2
28 7
28 5
29 2
27
27 5
14-5
·
30
25
20 1
27 5
26 9
27 6
29 5
28
28 1
2-3
.
32
29 8
24 2
33 6
33 2
35 4
7
30 9
31 3
39
43 2
22 5
37 8
41 5
42
38 6
35
35 7
37 2
33 1
89
59
Miss M. A. Martin ..
1
33 8
37 2
17 6
36
38 6
40 2
35
29
31 1
Districts.
1-7 27
24
19
24
22
25
19 9
20 6
20 3
Center
24 5
12
14 5
21 8
18 8
23 9
17
17 1
18 6
1-7 13 4
20 2
26 7
25 5
23 5
21 7
21 8
21 1
12 5
20 7
17 1
82 6
31
Wire Mill.
10 3
15 9
19 5
23 5
20 5
19 2
18 3
16 3
10 9
14 2
12 4
8 1
15 7
12
13
11 5
9
9
11 6
8 6
74 1
23
Blanchard.
6 9
7 5
5 8
13 6
6 3
11 7
10
8
4
3
9 5
9
10
9 6
8 4
7 4
7
3
4
2
Shorley ..
8 9
8 8
8 7
8
8
7 9
51
5
4
3
9
Mason.
6 6
5 5
4
1
7 2
7 2
5 4
8 5
6 9
4 5
4 2
5
8
3
55
8 9
7 8
8
6 1
5 1
83 6
12
·
2 9
2 9
3 7
6 9
2 6
4 4
7 8
6 1
6 4
22 8
21 3
93 4
23
8-919
16 6
14 7
26 4
26 6
26 2
25 8 23 7
25 121 9
25 2 23 8
.32
30 3
27 3
21 2
21 2
Miss M. R. Painc.
5-7
..
31 6
27 7
27
40 2
36 5
38 9
36 3
37
50 9
62 9
60 1
42
44
Mrs. M. E. Murdock.
1
4-7
8~9 26 5
:24 8
22 5
29 3
31 4
29 4
28 4
24 9 22
27
27 1
25 8
95 2
30
Miss J. E. Shea
6-7
32 5
26 6
:21 2
128 7
28
28 7
31
30 7
30
28 6
26 9
94
36
33 3
33 5
35
35 4
35 1
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