USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Braintree > Town annual report of Braintree, Massachusetts for the year 1895 > Part 6
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The monthly pay roll of janitors is for a year of twelve months, except for the Pond and Union schools, and includes the washing and renovating of the houses during the summer vacation. This arrangement is general throughout the state, and it has been so satisfactory in every way that it should be established for all the schools. Every consideration dictates that the expense of janitor for the Pond school should be made a part of the appropriation for janitors.
In the accounts of text books, supplies, incidentals and schoolhouses, the following classification has been observed : Text books, all books and pamphlets printed in any way and used by the pupils individually for study ; supplies, all materials not text books used in the class rooms by pupils and teachers, in- cluding paper, pencils, pens, chalk, reference books, charts, out- lines, etc .; schoolhouses, all expenses in providing schoolhouses properly furnished, ventilated and cleaned and provided with light and water; incidentals, all other expenses of the schools not otherwise classified. I do not know that this is the best classifi- cation that can be devised ; it is the one which has been observed in keeping the accounts during the past year.
The reason for desiring greater definiteness in this matter is apparent. The school accounts of the past ten years reveal the fact that all classification has been disregarded, the same item of expense being charged at random in the various departments. Without doubt the same condition exists in school accounts throughout the state, so that it can readily be seen that all com- parative statistics of expenses are of little value except in their totality. I would recommend that the appropriations for text books, supplies and incidentals be made as one appropriation and that its division based upon the classification given above be shown in the annual report of school accounts.
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There are some items in the fuel account which are clearly outside of the annual expense of fuel for the present school year, the expense of coal at the Jonas Perkins school $119.97, and the warming of the kindergarten at Braintree $54, during the spring of 1895, total $173.97. This amount subtracted from $1,375.95, the whole amount paid for fuel, leaves $1,201.98, which is a fair estimate of the expense of fuel for the school year beginning September 3, 1895, and will serve as a basis for future estimates if the prices of coal continue to be as low as they were last summer.
Attention is called to the list of teachers and janitors and statistics of enrollment, membership, attendance, ages of pupils, etc., and the inventory of school property at the end of this report.
CONCERNING TEACHERS.
In April, Miss Mary G. Osborn, assistant in the High school resigned to go to the Pawtucket (R. I.) High school, and was suc- ceeded by Miss Florence W. Davis, Dorchester, a graduate of, Wellesley College. At the close of the year Miss Davis resigned and Miss Myra I. Bean has been appointed to take her place. At the close of the school year in June Miss Estelle Robinson and Miss Martha W. Lock of the Jonas Perkins school and Miss Anna K. Mckellar and Miss Charlotte E. Hobart of the Union school, resigned. Miss Martha J. Ambrose, a graduate of Bridge- water Normal school and Miss Mellie M. Kyte, a graduate of Northfield (Mass.) Seminary and with two years' experience, were appointed assistants in the Jonas Perkins school, and Miss Elizabeth B. Pray, a graduate of our High school and of the Kin- dergarten Normal Class, Boston, with one year of training, was appointed to Miss Hobart's place. Miss Mckellar's place was not filled, as the Union school was organized so that four classes occupied three rooms. In August Miss Annie M. Brooks of the Pond school asked for a leave of absence for one year, and Miss Frances P. Ayer, a graduate of McGaw Normal Institute, (N. H.,) with one years' experience, was appointed a substitute in her
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place. Miss Julia Ellsworth of the Monatiquot school, declined a reappointment and Miss Amy W. Cottle, a graduate of the New Britian (Conn.) Normal school and with three years' experi- ence in teaching, was chosen as her successor. In September Miss Ambrose of the Jonas Perkins school, resigned to take a school in Revere,' and was succeeded by Miss May A. Wilson, a graduate of the Bridgewater Normal school and with one years' experience in teaching. In October Dr. Frank W. Brett who had served as principal of the Monatiquot Grammar school for more than four years with eminent success, resigned to enter upon the practice of medicine, and he was succeeded by Mr. Joseph A. Ewart, a graduate of Boston University and with two years' experience as principal of a grammar school. Miss Bean, the new assistant in the High school, is a graduate of the Lyndon (Vt.) Institute with five years' experience, and has been a special student at Chicago University.
There has been among the teachers a commendable effort to improve. Some of them have pursued special courses of study at educational institutions. Through the generosity of Mr. Wat- son, the chairman of the committee, the teachers have received two courses of lessons during the year, one in April and May in Mineralogy by Mrs. Ella F. Boyd, the other in November and December in Meteorology by Mr. Robert De C. Ward of Harvard University. October 9, a teachers' institute was held at the Monatiquot school. It was organized and directed by Dr. John T. Prince, agent of the State Board of Education and was attend- ed by the teachers of the neighboring communities.
The great body of parents are highly sensible in requiring that teachers shall be first men and women in the fullest and best meaning of these terms, that they shall possess kind, gener- ous and sympathetic natures and high ideals of manhood and womanhood, that they shall be patient, tactful, courteous and refined in all relations, that they shall be able to secure the children's interest through a skilful presentation of the work, that they shall understand the formation of character so that every experience of the school room shall contribute to desirable impulses and habits of activity, that they shall possess enthu- siasm and that they shall exercise such intelligence and firmness a's will stimulate their pupils to desirable effort. A teacher with
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much knowledge and experience even, but without all these qualities, is of very little value. We have teachers in our schools who possess these valuable qualities and we can well af- ford to be generous in expressing our appreciation of them.
The following letter by Hon. Frank A. Hill, State Superin- tendent, to one who wishes to become a teacher, describes with excellent taste the desirable qualifications of teachers :
" My Young Friend : May I advise you about preparing yourself for your chosen work ? You are thinking, perhaps, how you can best earn a livelihood. I am thinking chiefly how you can help the schools. Really, however, the interests of the teacher and those of the school run together. The better the teacher, the better the school; and the better the school, the greater prosperity of the teacher.
" Whether in deciding to become a teacher you have chosen wisely or not, I do not know. But now that your choice is made, you owe it both to your future pupils and to yourself to become as good a teacher as possible.
"It is true there are good teachers who have not been normally trained; it is also true that there are poor teachers who have been normally trained. If you attend a normal school, it does not follow that you will become a successful teacher. This is because so much of what is essential to success is a matter of happy native endowment, and, therefore, not in the power of the normal school to give. Physique, presence, health, temper, scholarly power, tact, patience, ambition, moral spirit, lovableness, -the basis of all these things comes not from schools, but from ancestry and surroundings. This foundation wanting, no normal school can make it good. This foundation present, you can, with the aid of the normal school, build more rapidly and securely up- on it than would otherwise be possible. The normal school will give you a quicker insight into the nature of education, put you earlier upon right methods, save you from many mistakes,-in short, furnish you with the great lessons that have come from the study of the teaching process and from the history of teaching in the past; for you need as a teacher to begin where the successful experience of the world has left off. It is a clear waste for you to spend years in discovering what is already known. Moreover,
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you have no right to gain at the expense of your pupils what you should gain beforehand at your own expense.
" If your aim is to teach in some grade below the high school you need, before going to a normal school, a good high school training,-as good a training as the best high school, with the best. teachers, and the best equippment, can give you in a four years' course. If, however, it is your aim to teach in a high school, neither you nor the high school should be content with any academic preparation that falls short of a good four years' college course."
SCHOOLHOUSES.
Storm windows have been placed on the Pond schoolhouse, the north, west and south sides of the Union, and on the west, north and east sides of the Monatiquot. The houses have been easily and satisfactorily warmed, except the Pond and Union on a few mornings, when it has been clearly the mistake of janitors in adjusting the fires. Even on the two unusually cold days the first of the present month when nearly all schools in this part of the state were closed, the Pond and Union buildings were easily warmed when the fires and dampers were properly ad- justed.
During the past three years much care has been exercised in adjusting the desks of the various schools to suit the needs of the pupils ; but while they are generally satisfactory at the pres- ent time, in some cases it has been found impossible to make satisfactory adjustments. It would seem necessary that some desks be put aside until they shall be needed in other grades and that new desks be put in their place. School hygiene seem to require that all new desks should be adjustible with tops that can be brought towards the pupils and placed at an angle of about sixty degrees.
Nearly all the class rooms are supplied with desks, not to their full capacity as is the usual custom, but with only enough for the present number of pupils. The natural increase of schol- ars and the re-adjustment of classes through promotion or other- wise, makes necessary at times the re-adjustment of old desks or the expense of new ones.
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The value of school life could be enhanced much by the adornment of the school rooms with objects of art. Those who in youth learn "to love all beauty whether of Nature or of Art," increase many fold the chance of achieving worthy objects of existence. May we not hope that the excellent halls in the Monatiquot and Jonas Perkins schoolhouses will be fur- nished soon, so that they can be used for much needed educational purposes.
The new systems of ventilation and sanitation are working admirably, but it has been sufficiently demonstrated that they must be controlled with intelligence and care.
During school hours the atmosphere of the class rooms is kept sweet and pure. This is accomplished through the rapid changing of the air, which necessitates an increased expense of fuel; and with much reason, many people, wish to know if it pays. The decreased death rate of children of school age, the general good health of the pupils, the many instances of marked improvement in health, our perfect freedom from epidemics, the increased energy on the part of both teachers and pupils gener- ally, and the consequent increased accomplishment, seem to answer this question.
COURSE OF STUDY.
The present condition of public sentiment calls for the clear- est possible explanation of the present standard for courses of study. For some years in civilized countries there has been un- usual educational activity which has been attended by rapid progress corresponding to, but in no way exceeding, advance- ment in other lines of human activity. The form and methods of education must keep pace with, and answer the needs of, the prevailing social and industrial life. Herbert Spencer says, " Progress is not an accident, but a necessity." This increased interest and broader conception of the power of education have recently brought about the organization in this country of two independent commissions composed of the ablest men interested in this subject. They have issued printed reports, highly · practical and full of common sense, explaining in detail the pres-
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ent standard of education in the best schools. Their conclusions are represented in a graphic and suggestive way in the following table :
Branches
1st year
2d year
3d year
4th year
5th year
6th year
7th year
8th year
Reading
10 lessons a week
5 lessons a week
Writing
10 lessons a week
5 lessons a week
3 lessons a week
Spelling lists
4 lessons a week
English Gram'ar
Oral, with composition lessons
5 lessons a week with text-book
Latin
5 les- sons
Arith- metic
Oral, 60 min- utes a week
5 lessons a week with text-book
Algebra
5 lessons a week
Geog- raphy
Oral, 60 minutes a week
*5 lessons a week with text-book
3 lessons a week
Natural Science, Hygiene
Sixty minutes a week
U. S. History
5 lessons a week
U. S. Constitu- tion
*5 ls
General History
Oral, sixty minutes a week
Physical Culture
Sixty minutes a week
Vocal Music
Sixty minutes a week divided into 4 lessons
Drawing
Sixty minutes a week
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Branches
1st year
2d year
3d year
4th year
5th year
6th year
7th year
8th year
Manual Training Sewing Cookery
One half day each week
Number Lessons
20plus 7 daily exer.
20plus 7 daily | exer.
[ 20plus õ daily exer.
24plus 5 daily exer.
27plus 5 daily exer.
27plus 5 daily exer.
- 23plus 6 daily | exer.
23 plus 6 daily exer.
Total Hours of Rec'tion
12
12
11 2-3
13
16 1-4
16 1-4
17 1-2
17 1-2
Length of Reci- tations
15 min.
15 min.
20 min.
20 min.
25 min.
25 min.
30 min.
30 min.
*Begins in second half of the year.
The number of branches enumerated should not mislead one. They are only phases of broader divisions and are given here for the sake of emphasis. The successful teaching of essay writing involves the teaching of spelling, grammar, writing and reading. The processes of arithmetic and algebra are identical, with this difference in method that algebra employs an easier form of reasoning in the solution of arithmetical problems. History, government, science and geography are intimately and complete- ly interwoven. For the sake of economy and effectiveness these essential relations of knowledge must be recognized in education. Each subject to possess its highest value, must be taught in its proper relation to all other subjects.
Education should aim to make one at home in, and give him power over, his enviroment. We live in the presence of a varied life and activity with manifold interests and relations, ethical, industrial, social, political and æsthetical. The nature and ex- tent.of these determine the measure of personal power and value. The best form of education will prepare for the largest life of service and enjoyment, service in proportion to opportunity among varied interests and relations in the universal processes of production and exchange, and enjoyment, through apprecia- tion, of truth and beauty in nature and art.
In a sense it is true that even the graduates of the schools are lamentably inefficient, but this inefficiency is due to defective training, and not to a lack of sufficient emphasis upon any
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branch of study, and especially the one which has occupied so large a share of the pupils' time for so many years. A knowledge , of any study is of very little value unless it is accompanied by power which comes from developed capacities and trained faculties. In far too many cases the form of training results in decrease of power and harmful habits. A teacher's ability, through interest and personal power, to stimulate children to their best efforts, is a sure test of fitness. Every experience of the school should contribute to desirable habits, such as industry, neatness, cheerfulness, obedience, politeness, integrity, etc. Every opportunity should be used to train accurate observation, memory and judgment, and clear and distinct expression. The imagination and the rich possibilities of the emotional life should be considered, and the will strengthened through ethical ideals. All the criticisms that one hears concerning education come from inadequate training and not from the improper content of studies. The thought is emphasized in this quotation from a letter by the head of a large business house: "We look upon cleanliness and neatness in personal appearance as the prime qualifications in the boys we like to employ ; then they must be civil, obedient, move quickly and noiselessly, and when told to do anything do it correctly and at once. We find that these quali- ties in a boy are always backed by intelligence sufficient to carry him along."
These three educational ideals, the recognition of the natural interdependence and the practical value of all studies and the importance of right training, formed the basis of the work of these commissions. Nothing can be more practical than this. Education cannot prepare for mechanical routine, for this would not be education ; but it should develop power and character which are the only adequate preparation for the varied exigencies of life.
We are beginning to recognize more clearly the reasonable interrelations of the various branches of instruction, to place more emphasis upon their practical value, and to broaden and improve the form of training. All changes in the content of studies have been gradual, so that the training quality of the in- struction should not be injured.
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In the interest of economy and directness vertical writing has been introduced. For some years it has been tried through- out our country and Europe with highly satisfactory results. It is more hygienic, more legible, more easily written and more natural for the children. In the sloping writing only one in a great many becomes a good penman, while in the vertical system nearly all become good writers.
More attention should be given to the manual or physical side of education. Drawing and modeling, the basis of manual training, have been fully established and good results are being obtained. It is a mistake to put so much emphasis upon mental development or " book learning " to the exclusion of all manual interests, when four-fifths, at least, of all the pupils will pursue manual occupations. When we come to see clearly how inti- mately thought production and will development are connected with muscle culture, how doing is a form of knowing and " pre- forms the soul," we shall see what a mistake this one-sided education is. In child life thought and activity are mutually dependent. The "sit still " and "stand still" schools are the source of many kinds of nervous diseases. Certainly, a part of the time and expense now given to other branches, ought to be given to manual training, and we should all improve every op- portunity for making the change.
ORGANIZATION.
The schools are now excellently organized with nine grades below the High school, the same number as in nearly all the school systems of the state. It will be noticed that the average age of those who entered the lowest grade in September last, was four years and ten months. They are sufficiently developed to receive vigorous mental training and are given a most desirable preparation for the next grade. The best teachers of children " would have them fill nearly the whole of the first school year, with no reading and writing, to ensure enough knowledge of real things at the start, that subsequent labors be not wasted in . cultivating a desert. What is wanted is to turn the full, deep
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current of life and out-of-door interests into the school activities, and to familiarize children with book language always separated by a wide and deep interval from their own." This preparatory work permits the gradual raising of the standard of scholarship through all the grades above, so that those who enter the second grade without the preparation of the first grade, are as a rule unable to accomplish the work of the second grade in one year, and the chances are that they will lose another year later in the course. The work of the several grades is being more complete- ly cordinated so that the pupils meet no abrupt changes in the work in passing through all the grades.
IN CONCLUSION
I wish to emphasize the thought of the intimate relation be- tween the form of education and the quality of civic life. This is of great and vital concern in a country in which each citizen is a unit of sovereign power. Education must not only prepare one " to live as a smart and successful citizen," but in a positive manner nourish and strengthen the ethical, æsthetical and spiritual life, to become a civic safeguard. From an economic standpoint there can be no better place of investment than in education. Dr. Harris, the U. S. Commissioner of Education, says : "No other state is giving so much education to its people as Massachusetts, but even this state is not over educating. While her citizens get nearly twice the national average amount of education, her wealth-producing power as compared with other states stands almost in the same ratio." So, in the strenuous competition for commercial and industrial position among the suburban communities of Boston, the result will depend largely upon the form and quality of education. We should all strive to make this education intensely practical in all its phases.
I wish to thank the members of your board for the uniform encouragement and support which you have given me. To the teachers who have rendered such noble and faithful service, and to the parents who have been so reasonable, patient and helpful, I am a grateful debtor. My increasing appreciation of the beauty
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1 and possibilities of child life has been inspiring and full of in- terest. I only hope that I may be able to express my apprecia- tion and gratitude in faithful and intelligent service for the im- provement of the schools. I have spared no time and expense in bringing to them the best educational ideals.
Respectfully, IRVING W. HORNE, Superintendent.
Braintree, January 27, 1896.
Historical Address
Of Samuel A. Bates, Esq., at the Dedication of the Jonas Perkins School.
The first subject mentioned on the records of the town of Braintree shows to us the inestimable value placed by our an- cestors upon the public schools. It is a deed of the "School land," the income of which has been used for 254 years for the support of public schools in this town. The town was incorpo- rated May 13, 1640, and on July 10, 1640, a period of only 58 days after it became a town, delivery and seizing of this land was acknowledged by Richard Wright, agent of William Codding- ton, and it was formally taken possession of by " turf and twig." This land has been used as a school fund from that time to the present.
Soon after 1640 a schoolhouse was built on the borders of what was called " the Town Brook," now within the limits of the city of Quincy. For more than seventy-five years this house was used for a Latin school, and for seventy-five years more another building was used for the same purpose, from which graduated such men as Quincy Adams, Rev. William Vesey, first rector of Trinity Church, N. Y., and many other distinguished men who were taught by graduates of Harvard and other colleges.
In 1716 the first schoolhouse within the limits of the present town of Braintree was built. The cost was about $80.
,
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The first school in East Braintree was in 1752, and was taught by Mrs. Mary, widow of Jonathan Hayward. Where it was taught I do not know, but probably in some front room in a farmer's house. About 1756 the inhabitants of this part of the town raised by subscription a sum of money sufficient to build a new schoolhouse. The list was headed by Dea. Thomas Allen, and was probably placed on his land, near the present Iron Works building.
From that time to the present the children of this part of the town have enjoyed the privileges of the common school in their midst.
We have no account of another schoolhouse being built until 1831. On Jan. 20, 1831, amidst a raging snowstorm, the school- house was burned to ashes, causing terror throughout the vicinity, some thinking in consequence of the redness of the sky and snow that the end of the world had come.
But the ensuing year another building was erected, and the school went on as usual.
Thus the old ironwork district remained intact until April 7, 1845, when the town set off the portion adjacent to the town of Weymouth into a separate district to be known as the East. Through the instrumentality of Caleb Stetson, a resident and na- tive of Braintree, a school of a high grade was established in con- nection with the public schools which was continued until 1858, when the town brought into existence the High school. This school was supported by taking their portion of the town appro- priation, the balance of the expense being borne by Mr. Stetson.
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