USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Palmer > Town Annual Report of the Officers of the Town of Palmer, Massachusetts 1912 > Part 6
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51.00
1.00
·52.90
1,897.30
Fuel and Light .
606.52
737.27
502.98
658.26
427.31
67.66
3,000.00
Contingencies
537.03
573.75
176.71
227.67
211.14
176.81
250.74
2,153.55
Medical Inspection
25.00
25.00
50.00
50 00
25.00
25.00
200.00
Repairs
.
160.68
86.36
35.68
66.49
21.47
128.56
499.24
Equipment
169.00
185.22
59.10
86.68
500 00
Text Books, Supplies .
621.09
547.41
188.95
175.11
158.85
86.73
21.86
1,800.00
Commercial
1,999.99
1,999.99
Insurance
37.50
328.00
66.25
11.35
443.10
TOTAL
$10,784.07|
$ 8,887,52
$ 5,762.75
$ 4,754.64
$ 4,406.51
$ 2,918.56
$ 2,545.90
$40,060 21
Average Membership . Cost per Pupil . . .
140.48
441.29
301.19
213.64
239.89 $ 18.79
92.6
$ 76.77
$ 20.14
$ 19.13
$ 22.26
$ 31.51
1,429.08 $ 28.03
Based on average membership
Tardiness Compared for Two Years. 1911-1912.
Sept.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
Jan.
Feb.
Mar.
April May
June
Total
High
6
5
14
11
13
7
15
3
5
6
85
Palmer
15
10
9
10
13
4
5
9
5
3
83
Thorndike
9
2
5
1
5
1
3
1
3
1
31
Three Rivers
4
5
1
1
1
2
1
1
16
Bondsville
24
28
32
13
14
15
7
S
7
5
153
Districts
74
63
73
41
58
32
31
23
20
16
431
TOTAL
.
1910-1911.
High
5
25
25
39
26
39
19
56
45
48
327
Palmer
4
17
12
24
24
27
19
15
12
26
180
Thorndike
1
7
15
14
13
15
10
4
17
8
104
Three Rivers
2
12
19
26
24
18
13
2
31
10
157
1
-2
1
3
10
1
1]
6
4
39
Bondsville
·
15
10
19
18
7
19
7
9
5
109
Districts
TOTAL ·
*
13
78
82
125
105
116
81
95
120
101
916
.
* School was in session two weeks.
Percentage of decrease -all schools, 52₺ per cent. Percentage of decrease: High, 74 per cent .; Palmer,
54 per cent. ; Thorndike, 70 per cent. ; Three Rivers, 60 per cent. ; Bondsville, 60 per cent. Percentage of increase : Districts, 40 per cent.
16
13
12
5.
12
3
1
1
63
.
Appendix
A FINANCIAL STATEMENT TEACHERS' SALARIES. HIGH SCHOOL ·
Lee T. Gray,
$1,600.00
Genevra F. Clark,
696.50
Pauline C. Melius, 689.50
Jennie M. Linton,
280.00
Eleanor F. Toolin,
680.00
Mary E. Dolbear,
81.25
Alice E. Wyman,
420.00
Clarence W. Lombard,
577.50
$5,024.75
DEPOT.
Elizabeth I. Heenchan,
$604.80
Florence M. Heenchan,
168.00
Agnes I. Mahoney,
477.40
:1
Margaret Bradley,
140.00
Beatrice L. Dillon,
404.00
Susan M. Ballou,
494.00
Hazel B. Caryl,
442.00 .
Jennie C. Roche,
491.40
Marie J. Knobel,
442.00
Rose A. Duffy,
404.00
Ruth Elvin,
232.00
S. Leola Franklin,
240.00
Elizabeth Dempsey,
240.00
$4,779.60
11
·
THORNDIKE.
Katharine M. Twiss,
$608.00
Florence I. Sampson,
404.00
Bridget Griffin,
442.00
Julia G. Daley,
182.00
Natalie Jackson,
108.00
Mary E. Murdock,
494.00
Mary I. Hartnett,
240.00
Deborah Healey,
240.00
$2,718.00
BONDSVILLE.
Jennie C. Twiss,
$608.00
Lucy Fitzgerald,
369.20
Marie West,
221.00
Cora Clark,
182.00
Mary E. Quirk,
255.20
Bessie M. Donnelly,
399.60
Zilpha Sturtevant,
176.00
Genevieve Reilley,
240.00
Rena Hemenway,
122.40
$2,573.40
THREE RIVERS.
Annie E. O'Connor,
$608.00
Luna Whitlock,
481.00
Clara Holmes,
154.00
Nellie L. Twiss,
442.00
Lucy B. Twiss,
490.10
Mae C. Fitzgerald,
382.00
Flora Morey,
442.00
Bertha L. Pulsifer,
246.00
Grace A. Walsh,
240.00
Clara L. O'Connor,
180.00
$3,665.10
DISTRICTS.
Margaret Scannell, $465.40
12
May Mahoney, 491.40
Maude V. Foley,
442.00
Genevieve Reilley,
202.00
Mary Quirk,
140.00
Elizabeth Shea,
180.00
Clara T. O'Connor,
60.00
$1,980.80
SUBSTITUTES.
Kathleen Quirk,
$2.00
Agnes Carmody,
2.00
Mrs. Ella Ogle,
2.00
Mrs. L. E. Chandler,
4.00
Cora B. Clark,
2.60
Mary Blake,
48.00
Katharine Dolbear,
32.50
Sophie Rice,
132.00
Mildred Loftus,
174.00
$399.10
INSTRUCTOR OF PENMANSHIP.
Harry Houston,
$27.07
INSTRUCTOR OF READING.
Amelia M. Young,
$13.00
SUPERINTENDENT.
Clifton HI. Hobson,
$1,833.36
SECRETARY.
Florence M. Healey,
$440.00
JANITORS.
Charles Johnson,
$1,000.12
William Smith,
458.00
Patrick J. Sullivan,
393.00
Charles Fuller,
396.00
Mrs. Charles Walker,
70.00
Nelson St. John,
15.00
Rufus Bacon,
15.00
Charles Damon,
7.50
Frank Jacunski,
5.00
$2,362.62
13
MUSIC. .
Miss J. V. Cantwell, instructor, $500.00
The Cable Company, music, 4.50
American Book Company, musie books, 1.53
J. L. Hammett Company, supplies, 16.50
C. C. Birchard & Co., music books, 5.30
James A. Chaffee, tuning piano, 2.50
Silver Burdette & Co., music books, 2.68
Ginn & Co., musie books and supplies, 66.92
$599.93
CONTINGENCIES.
J. L. Hammett Co., general supplies, $290.97
Remington Typewriter Co., supplies for Commercial Department, 54.54
Smith Premier Typewriter Co., type- writer ribbons, 3.00
William Kerigan, labor, 36.00
C. B. Dolge & Co., sweeping compound, 18.00
George D. Mooers, freight charges, 1.73
N. E. Tel. & Tel. Co., telephone rental and tolls, 55.69
American Express Co., express charges,
17.71
E. A. Buck & Co., janitors' supplies,
40.85
G. F. Garland, book, 1.25
C. Arthur Hanson, tuning piano,
2.00
Palmer Water Co., water rent,
175.28
John F. Mansfield, truants, 6.00
M. J. Sullivan, truants, 1.00
George A. Bills, truants,
16.50
Edward F. McKelligett, truants,
9.50
J. J. Manning, truants, 28.00
A. F. Bennett, truants, 2.50
Palmer Trucking Co., trucking, 31.01
Parker-Hamer Electric Co., batteries, bells, labor, etc., 65.94
14
William Smith, care of children at Three
Rivers, 27.76
Johnson's Bookstore, supplies, 10.20
W. L. Shaw, postage stamps and box rent, 41.41
C. E. Fuller, freight charges, 3.44
W. E. Stone & Son, cheese cloth, etc., 6.14
Meekins, Packard & Wheat, cabinet sup- plies, 10.70
Milner Mfg. Co., drinking fountain,
10.00
Mrs. G. H. Damon, cleaning Forest Lake School, 1.00
W. F. Fillmore, rent of Opera House, 20.00
Bay State Drug Co., laboratory supplies, 9.91
Boston Duck Co., water rent, 12.62
Palmer Journal, stationery and printing, 138.38
Samuel M. Phillips, rent of chairs, 8.48
E. M. Leonard, ribbon for diplomas, 2.94
Charles Johnson, caring for children at Palmer Grammar School, 20.30
Milton Bradley Co., diplomas,
33.70
Cordley & Hayes, refuse receptacle, 1.13
Whitcomb & Faulkner, labor and ma- terial, 6.26
E. C. & G. C. Gardner, for professional services at High School, 15.00
J. P. Lynde, laboratory supplies, 3.65
Ellen S. Leach, water rent, 3.00
J. J. Kelley, supplies, 2.38
S. H. Wright, sharpening tools, etc., 1.30
F. K. Twiss, trucking, 1.50
T. D. Potter, supplies,
3.17
E. S. Brooks, clocks and repairing,
63.75
E. Brown & Co., labor and material,
81.44
Patrick Sullivan, labor, 10.00
Francis L. Jones, labor and material, 126.92
C. N. Ellithorpe, labor and material, 11.15
Nelson St. John, labor at Shorley School, 40.47
15
M. St. John, labor at Forest Lake School, 5.00
American Seating Co., furniture, 75.20
F. W. Simonds, 3.00
Horace Kehoe, labor at Forest Lake School, 1.50
Silver Burdette & Co., books, 2.36
G. A. Authier & Son, 31.32
L. E. Knott Apparatus Co., laboratory supplies, 13.68
Benjamin H. Sanborn & Co., book,
.79
Ellis Publishing Co., book, .60
Ginn & Co., books,
10.64
E. E. Babb & Co., books, 7.55
Gregg Publishing Co., books,
16.10
S. A. Ramsden, labor, 5.50
Charles D. Holden, supplies, .30
Daniel Horgan, census enumerator, 60.00
George E. Clough, drawing up a contract, 1.00
R. L. Bond, water rent, 30.00
Houghton, Mifflin Co., books,
4.62
D. C. Heath & Co., books,
24.69
American Book Co., books,
3.23
Unit Press Co., poems,
5.35
Public Speaking Review Co., magazine for English Department,
2.25
S. H. Hellyar, supplies,
1.88
J. P. Flaherty, labor, 3.10
Palmer Mill, water rent,
1.00
Horace Paine, fumigating school build- ings, 6.00
Rufus W. Bacon, repairs at Palmer Center, 1.00
George B. Robbins, Disinfectant Co., dis- infectants, 4.50
Ducy & Keir, labor and material at Thorndike, 16.17
James Wilson, supplies, 3.81
Palmer Coal & Grain Co., coal, 226.14
$2,153.85
16
TRANSPORTATION.
D. E. Marcy, .$742.50
Springfield Street Railway Co., 1,140.00
Fred Lamarine, 12.40
Clifton H. Hobson, 2.40
1
TEXT BOOKS AND SUPPLIES.
J. L. Hammett Co., general supplies, $1,029.76
Atkinson Mentzer & Co., books, 21.74
E. E. Babb & Co., books, 68.67
Marine Biological Co., laboratory sup- plies, 1.25
Schoenof Book Co., books, 7.30
D. C. Heath & Co., books, 76.50
Johnson's Bookstore, books, 6.20
Silver Burdette Co., books, 11.60
Ginn & Co., books, 115.27
Mary E. Dolbear, laboratory supplies, 7.45
Remington Typewriter Co., office supplies, 9.00
Houghton, Mifflin Co., books, 7.98
J. P. Lynde, office supplies, 3.50
R. II. Smith Mfg. Co., rubber stamps, 11.40
American Book Co., books, 35.81
L. E. Knott Apparatus Co., laboratory supplies, 5.19
Charles Scribner's Sons, books, 1.35
Bay State Drug Co., laboratory supplies, 2.97
12. J. Barnard & Co., rebinding books,
59.12
West Disinfecting Co., disinfectants,
7.50
Kenney Bros. & Wolkins, furniture,
131.50
Palmer Trucking Co., trucking
26.40
D. Appleton & Co., books,
14.26
The Walcott Cameron Co.,
15.35
T. D. Potter, cement and spikes,
6.06
Allyn & Bacon, books, 13.50
Palmer Mill, paint, 1.93
$1,897.30
17
Parker-Hamer Electric Co., bells and bat- teries, 8.25
J. A. Lyons & Co., books, 6.16
Sibley & Co., books,
1.22
Benjamin H. Sanborn & Co., books,
18.79
Henry Holt & Co., books,
6.30
H. R. Huntting Co., books,
10.80
C. E. Fuller, freight on books,
3.76
W. E. Stone & Son, cheese cloth,
2.25
C. B. Dolge & Co., sweeping compound;
33.00
Library Bureau, cards,
8.75
The Davis Press, books,
2.14
$1,800.00
REPAIRS.
Whitcomb & Faulkner, repairs at High
school, Palmer Grammar and Dis- triet sehools, $138.34
William Kerigan, repairs at Forest Lake, 1.50
M. B. Flaherty, repairs at Bondsville, 2.50
T. D. Potter, cement, lumber, and plas- ter for Shorley, 54.25
Parker-Hamer Electric Co., labor and material at Palmer, Thorndike, and Bondsville schools, 23.05
Palmer Mill, labor at Three Rivers, 1.49
S. W. Lyon & Co., plumbing at High school, 40.31
Nelson St. John, labor at Shorley Dis- triet School, .50
C. N. Ellithorpe & Son, labor and mate- rial at Thorndike, 31.12
Thorndike Co., paint, 3.36
Ducy & Keir, repairs at Thorndike and Bondsville, 28.76
Marcy Lumber Co., lumber for Shorley, 4.90
M. J. Dillon, labor at Shorley, 52.80
18
Palmer Grain Co., cement and lime, 1.70
Francis L. Jones, repairs at High school, 75.00 F. W. Simonds, repairs at Three Rivers, 34.66
Patrick Sullivan, labor at Bondsville, 4.00
F. B. Graham, labor at Three Rivers, 1.00
$499.24
INSURANCE.
Arthur W. Warriner,
$160.00
Arthur E. Fitch,
103.75
Roy E. Cummings,
95.35
Ernest E. Hobson,
84.00
$443.10
EQUIPMENT.
Walcott Cameron Co., furniture, $24.45
Forbes & Wallace, curtains, 8.00
G. A. Authier & Son, tinting walls,
11.00
W. E. Stone & Son, shades,
21.16
Kenney Bros. & Wolkins, furniture,'
303.60
Francis L. Jones, new room at Palmer Grammar School, 120.61
Nelson St. John, refitting Shorley School, 11.18
$500.00
MEDICAL INSPECTION.
Dr. C. H. Giroux,
$50.00
Dr. H. A. Dunphy,
50.00
Dr. S. O. Miller, 50.00
Dr. J. P. Schneider,
50.00
$200.00
MANUAL TRAINING AND DRAWING.
Anna D. McAuliffe, instructor,
$780.00
Charles D. Holden, rent, . 29.95
S. H. Wright, sharpening tools, 2.50
Hampden Lumber Co., lumber, 46.50
J. L. Hammett Co., supplies, 190.71
19
H. B. Stone & Co., supplies, 4.14
A. L. Bemis, supplies, 1.05
Whitcomb & Faulkner, labor and material, 89.65
Ginn & Co., supplies,
1.02
Anna D. McAuliffe, patterns, etc.,
4.48
$1,150.00
FUEL AND LIGHT.
W. F. Fillmore,
$980.73
Palmer Coal & Grain Co.,
644.58
F. J. Hamilton,
508.89
Brown Bros.,
392.52
Central Mass. Electric Co.,
169.68
T. D. Potter,
16.10
Thorndike Grain Co.,
231.50
Worcester County Gas Co.,
8.50
C. W. Darling,
40.00
William Kerigan,
7.50
$3,000.00
COMMERCIAL ACCOUNT.
Rufus W. Clement, head of Commercial
Department,
$1,231.25
Carrie J. Fish, assistant,
420.00
Grace A. MeGrath, assistant,
276.50
J. A. Lyons & Co., books,
8.32
J. L. Hammett Co., supplies,
2.30
Remington Typewriter Co., supplies,
25.06
Smith Premier Typewriter Co., ribbons,
1.50
A. N. Palmer Co., books,
.96
The Phonographic Institute, books,
4.03
Palmer Trucking Co.,
7.19
Kenney Bros. & Wolkins, furniture,
15.75
Ginn & Co., book, .73
$1,999.99
American Book Co., books, 6.40
20
BALANCE ACCOUNT.
Accounts.
Appropriated. Expended. Unexpended.
Salaries,
$25,000.00
$23,454.18
$1,545.82
Janitors,
2,400.00
2,362.62
37.38
Music,
600.00
599.93
.07
Manual Training and Draw- ing,
1,150.00
1,150.00
Transportation,
1,900.00
1,897.30
2.70
Fuel and Light,
3,000.00
3,000.00
*Contingencies
2,153.85
2,153.85
Medical Inspection,
200.00
200.00
Repairs,
500.00
499.24
.76
Equipment,
500.00
500.00
Text Books and Supplies,
1,800.00
1,800.00
Commercial,
2,000.00
1,999.99
.01
Insurance,
550.00
443.10
106.90
Total Expenditures, Balance Unexpended,
$40,060.21
1,693.64
$41,753.85
$41,753.85
*Appropriation
$500.00
Dog Tax, Tuition and Merrick Fund
$1,653.85
Total
$2,153.85
Report of the Superintendent of Schools
To the School Committee of the Town of Palmer :
GENTLEMEN : I herewith present my second annual re- port as Superintendent of the Schools of Palmer. This is the twentieth in the series of reports issued by the superin- tendents of the town. The writer craves your kind indul- gence in submitting this report, because he had to dictate all of it, owing to personal illness. A dictated report cannot equal in quality a carefully written one.
In this report, the statistics in regard to attendance, un- less otherwise denominated, refer to the school year from Sep- tember, 1911, to June, 1912.
INTRODUCTION At the time of writing this report, the present Superintendent of Schools has been connected with the Palmer schools for one and one- half years. He has made many hundreds of visits to the various school rooms in town. He has kept himself very closely identified with the work of these rooms. He has be- come familiar with the various and varied conditions which surround these schools and has formed a close acquaintance- ship with the teachers and pupils of the town. Consequently, he feels that he is in a position today to speak with authority regarding the work and policy of our schools.
With this short preface, we will plunge into the heart of this report and speak briefly and specifically regarding those things which have been accomplished and which we hope to accomplish. There is so much that is of real interest to the
22
citizens of the town regarding their schools, so much that has been accomplished, so many changes that have been brought about, that it is a difficult task to select, and speak concisely regarding the most pertinent.
SUPERVISION A successful superintendent of schools must possess three attributes. He must be a good educator, a good business man, and a good diplomat. In order that the schools under his supervision may benefit most, he must possess these qualifications in the order named. He should be, primarily, a man who thoroughly understands school work and who can supervise intelligently. This, in my opinion, should be the chief requisite demanded in a superintendent. Furthermore, he should be a good bus- iness man in order to place the school system upon a firm bus- iness basis, and to be able to so wisely administer his duties and expend the school appropriation that the town may derive the greatest possible benefit for the expenditure involved. In order that the right kind of harmony may exist between citi- zens, parents, teachers, and pupils, the Superintendent often has to possess a great deal of tact and diplomacy. No public official is more subjected to criticism and fault-finding than is the head of a school system. A man who can meet this criti- cism patiently and good naturedly is, indeed, a happy indi- vidual. Yet diplomacy does not necessarily mean that a su- perintendent must agree with every one who hurls criticism at him or his system. Oftentimes a Superintendent uses what he calls diplomacy to his own injury. Every self-respecting citi- zen admires the man, no matter what his position may be, pub- lic or private, who has the manhood and stamina to stand for a principle. More superintendents are wrecked upon the rocks of diplomacy than upon the breakers of proper self-assertion.
Many an individual would reverse the above order in which I have placed the three essentials of a superintendent. He would place diplomacy first, business ability second, and qualifications as an educator third. Nevertheless, the present incumbent regards them as he has outlined them above; con- sequently, in his work as superintendent, he endeavors to em-
23
ploy the major part of his time in actual supervision of school work. He tries to visit each building often and to spend a considerable length of time in each individual room. In this way only can he become thoroughly acquainted with the strength and the weakness of the individual teacher. It is his desire to commend her for her strength and to try to strength- en her weakness. This, he is in a position to do very often, because of his close observation of so many teachers, for he can observe the strong and weak points of each individual instructor. He can know that one teacher is strong in one es- sential and weak in another. He knows of other teachers who are weak where others are strong. He can see why each is weak and why each is strong in certain lines. He can carry the strong points of the strong teacher to bolster up the weak points of the weak teacher. This exchange of ideas is one of the most helpful suggestions that a superintendent can give to his teachers. Oftentimes, in order that the teachers may profit most by these suggestions, an inter-visit of our own teachers is planned. Certain teachers, who seem to have peculiar adap- tability in assimilating and successfully carrying into oper- ation certain suggestions, are visited at the wish of the Super- intendent. The visiting teachers are told exactly what to look for. This has proved to be a very successful method in our schools. This method has more than commended itself to us this past year and a half, particularly in our lower grades. About a year ago, a change in the scheme of primary reading was instituted. Some of the teachers some became very profi- cient in the work in phonics. A visit by all of the primary teachers in the rooms of these successful ones increased the efficiency of all our primary teachers many hundred per cent.
In addition to these many visits, many outlines of the work by grades have been typewritten and placed in the hands of each teacher. In this way, each teacher knows exactly the work that her grade is supposed to cover within the period of one school year. Not only is the work for the year specified, but many helps and suggestions for the most efficient teaching of certain important principles are given in these outlines.
24
'These outlines are specific, yet pliable. Plenty of latitude is allowed the teacher for the exercise of her own individuality and ingenuity. The result thus far has been that much better work is now being done in the grades in the subjects that we have been enabled to outline. Any teacher with good teaching and disciplinary ability and a fair amount of adaptability can- not help but do good work with aids of this sort placed in her hands. Within the last year and a half, some few thousand typewritten pages have been placed in the hands of the teach- ers. Supervision of this sort, if wise and intelligent, means much for the good of the schools. In fact, too much emphasis cannot be placed upon its real value. It is my own personal belief that many superintendents fail to utilize, to the largest possible extent, the manifold opportunities that fall to their lot for increasing the efficiency of their own school systems. because they do not become personally acquainted with their teachers and their pupils as .they work day by day in the schoolroom. I honestly believe that a superintendent can raise or lower the standards of any school system in this country by his own individual supervision. The imprint of his personal- ity, the contagion of his vim, the impress of his enthusiasm, -- all of these, and much more, cannot be effected without fre- quent personal contact. These impressions can make any school system awaken from whatsoever lethargy it may have fallen into.
BUSINESS The office work of the School De- partment has been placed upon a firm business basis. Our system of keeping "track" of our appro- priations cannot be bettered ; in fact, the accountant, sent here by the state to become familiar with the system of keeping ac- counts of the Town of Palmer, with the view of suggesting a change of the same, visited our office last May, without any previous knowledge of his coming, upon our part; and spent about an hour going over our accounts. He found everything in the best of shape, found that we agreed exactly with the Town Treasurer, and commended us very highly for the ex- cellent manner in which we kept the same; in fact, he said that
25
we were the only department in town that kept its books in such excellent shape. He said further that any change of sys- tem that he might suggest would, in reality, change our scheme but very little. As a matter of fact, the only change will be a different classification for accounts.
By means of our card ledger, our books are kept posted every day, and, within a few minutes, we can tell exactly where we stand. We keep very close watch upon our appro- priation accounts and render a monthly statement to the School Committee at each meeting. We also have kept, this past year, an expense account with each individual school so that we can tell exactly the cost of each school under each ap- propriation. In this way, we are enabled to carefully study the cost per pupil. In case one school seems to be more expen- sive than another in any one account, or in all, we can readily ascertain the reason for the same. All of this, of course, would be impossible, had not the School Committee wisely seen the advisability and actual economy of employing a clerk. Dur- ing the past year and a half, the salary of the clerk has been more than saved by the much more careful attention that has been given to the business end of the office.
ATTENDANCE Much emphasis has been placed upon attendance by the present school authorities. We realize, having seen it from the inside, the vast importance that it bears upon the entire school work. Non-attendance affects a school system in at least three ways : First, it has an economic effect. If the town of Palmer is spending $40,000 per year for the education of her children, and five per cent are absent on an average, it simply means that one-twentieth of $40,000, or to be more specific, $2,000, is being expended without any return. Of course, when we niake this statement, we realize that a certain part of this five per cent of absence is due to just causes, as illness, death in the family, etc. ; yet if no importance is given to the matter of attendance, if stringent efforts are not made to carefully inves- tigate each case of absence and to minimize all needless ab- sences, the per cent of inexcusable and unnecessary absences
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would be extremely large. We are, therefore, interested in attendance from an economic standpoint. It, furthermore, has a marked effect upon the child mentally. The average pupil who is absent much soon becomes the pupil who must be kept back. In other words, he becomes too old for the grade and loses interest in all school work and, eventually, drops by the wayside. In fact, a large percentage of non-promotion is attributable to poor attendance. In the third place, poor at- tendance affects very materially the child morally. In all cases of needless absence, the child is forming a habit which will prove detrimental to him in later life. A child who at- tends school only when he desires is not apt to become a man who will look upon life seriously. He will become a man who will constantly fail to meet the responsibilities which are his and to embrace the opportunities that come his way, and will every pupil forms the right sort of habits which will increase his manhood and efficiency.
ported for the purpose of increasing the efficiency of our cit- izenship, it is the bounden duty of those in charge to see that thus become a poor kind of citizen. If our schools are sup-
This is likewise true of tardiness. The habit of being tardy is more pernicious, to my mind, than that of being ab- sent. I believe that the average parent does not look upon it as such. Many, I know, feel that, if a child is only a minute or two late, no harm has been done. We will agree with them to a certain extent in this assertion ; namely-that no serious harm has been done to the school. This is true to a certain de- gree. We are not as interested in the amount of harm done to the school as we are in that which is done to the pupil. I be- lieve that the pupil who is allowed to be tardy is bound to be late in doing everything throughout life, unless sometime, somewhere, and somehow, something sufficiently ."jolts" him to awaken him to his own responsibilities in life. I say that when we allow a pupil to be tardy we are positively injuring the child. Indirectly, the matter of tardiness injures the school, in that no school which is run on a business basis, and which stands for efficiency and proper education can allow
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