USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Ipswich > Town annual report of Ipswich 1916-1918 > Part 8
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We have begun in the lowest grades. The children them- selves are taught to make problems, from single-type models furnished by the teacher. These are all within the limit of his abstract number work and are drawn from sources with which he is familiar. He is allowed to present these to the class in competition with others, and the interest and enthusiasm of the whole class is secured. The teacher guides and directs; the class does the work.
The difficulty of the problems and the sources from which they are drawn are increased and varied as the grade of the pupils demands. Effort is made to keep the work a little in advance of the mental capacity, so that the trend may always be upward.
With the fifth and sixth grades the pupils are taken to the lumber-yards, the wood and coal-yards, and, by the courtesy of the proprietors, are allowed to measure and weigh these differ- ent commodities and to compute their value by practical bus- iness methods. Only the best boys have this privilege, and they furnish the rest of the class with the problem material. New groups are taken from day to day, and fluctuations in price are noted. In this way interest is secured and some practical knowledge gained of business ways and methods. And so the work is advanced and extended to other lines of activity, until the subject is completed.
Too much stress has been placed upon method. There is no method that will reach every pupil in a typical class in a
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single recitation. The lecture method will do for college stu- dents and for upper classes in high schools. But it is not per- fectly adapted to children in the grades. More individual work must be done here, or the class cannot be held together; more pains must be taken with the slow pupils.
There are three important steps in all good teaching: Prep- aration, presentation and penetration. While I have no inclina- tion to minimize or belittle the first two, I do wish to emphasize the last. Roughly speaking, I have named them in the order of their value. No matter how thoroughly the teacher prepares herself, nor how fully she presents the subject, if she neglects to acquaint herself with the results of her efforts, she fails. This should receive her undivided attention. She should know just what portion of her class, what individuals in that group, failed to get a clear understanding of the lesson taught. Here is the
weak point of the system. Just here, too, is the cause of serious
waste of time and effort. We should have more individual oversight and work by the teacher, more checking up of results, a more frequent "stock-taking."
This is the practice with the upper classes in high schools. Why should it not prevail to a reasonable extent in the grades? It is useless for a teacher to assign work that is above the heads of fifty per cent. of her class. Wherever this has been the prac- tice, it should be discontinued. f
Yet this is just what she too often does; and all unconsciously, too. From her last test she learns that the average per cent. of her class is 78, we will say; and the showing comforts her. But does she realize that in a class of 40, with 70 as the passing mark, that nearly three-fourths of the class might fail of promo- tion?
Would it not have been better, and would not the inform- ation gained been in a more usable form, had she found what per cent. of her class had done all the work perfectly? To
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obtain the average in the example given, it would not be neces- sary for a single pupil to reach the 100 mark, and there is the possibility of but only eleven of her class ---- a little over one- fourth --- being promoted.
Had this second method been employed, assignments of work would have better suited the ability of the class and more thorough work would have been done. Weak points would have been located and the specific remedy applied.
This is a purely hypothetical proposition, I admit, and these same figures may be made to show very different results. But it answers the purpose and shows that in the assignment of work we must not place too much dependence upon general aver- ages. We need to rely upon a more selective process.
More care should be devoted to the arrangement of the pu- pil's work. He should be taught to have all his material at hand and ready for use when his recitation is called; to arrange his work carefully and neatly upon the paper, and learn to use the same economically. In many ways the training so received will be of greatest value to him in after life.
There is still another factor which must not be overlooked. A law without a penalty has no force. The boy, at the very outset, must be made to realize that he is to be held to a strict accountability for the work assigned him, and that there is no escape from this decree. Let him but understand that his work must be done at the time and in the manner prescribed, or his freedom is to be forfeited, and he will put forth some effort. In nine cases of ten there will be no occasion for the use of harsh measures, Firmness and persistence will do much better; and, after a little training, he will swing into line and become a wil- ling, cheerful, and dependable bov. His progress will become noticeable wherever the pressure of this firm, guiding hand is felt, and it should be and must be felt all along the line. I have seen so much real good accomplished by this method, and so
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many terrible failures from its opposite, that I am forced to be- lieve that training and discipline are not only the ultimate aim and purpose of all teaching, but they are also its greatest help.
Just to summarize a little before leaving this subject, I would advise:
More drill on the fundamentals.
More emphasis on mental work.
More work on problems.
More training in the methods of attacking problems.
More emphasis on the teaching of principles.
More frequent application of these principles.
More review work.
More use of diagrams and graphs. -
More drill in the methods of systematic work.
More firmness in holding the pupils up to their work.
Spelling.
In spelling, the amount of the work has been doubled. The pupil has been allowed to make his own selection within given limits, and thus to assume the responsibility of right selection and failure as well.
Spelling matches and tests are frequently given, and quite a little competition has arisen between the same grades in differ- ent schools and different grades in the same school. This pro- motes a lively interest in the subject and furnishes some very good team-work also. I am expecting to give the tests used by Dr. Leonard P. Ayres of the Russell Sage Foundation. This will enable us to make comparisons between the schools of other places with our own and to determine our average of standing.
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Penmanship.
We are extremely fortunate in having so large a number of really good penmen in the grades. Many of them hold certif- icates, and the others will be required to qualify within a reason- able time.
In some of the grades the work is exceptionally good, and from all of them we should have most gratifying results before the end of the year.
I have been tempted to have one or two of these teachers supervise the work of penmanship in the other rooms, but I have not come to a full decision as yet. The question needs to be thought out very carefully, as what you would gain in one direction might be more than offset in other ways. But if all written work done in school is conducted on the basis of a writing lesson, the improvement will be most satisfactory. In
exercises outside of the regular writing lesson, the teacher is not apt to insist upon position and movement. If this were done, both position and the free arm movement would become habit- ual to the pupil, and his penmanship would show marked im- provement in a very short time.
A few teachers still forget that position and movement come before form, and by reversing this order accomplish nothing towards correct training in this very essential branch of our ed- ucation.
Composition and other written exercises should be marked on the basis of good, clean work in penmanship as well as that of the subject under examination.
History. .
In history, the pupils have been urged to make larger use
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of books of reference found in our Public Library, and to draw their information from every reliable source. The work in this subject is to be supplemented by visits to our own Historical House, the Peabody Institute at Salem, and if possible by visits to Lexington and Boston. We hope also to make use of the stereopticon, and to have the study become a source of enter- tainment to the parents and others who are interested in histor- ical work. We have arranged for several lectures to be given later in the season.
Grammar and Language.
It is well settled conviction among those qualified to speak that technical grammar should be eliminated from the grades. They openly declare that to begin the subject earlier than the freshman year in the high school is a sheer waste of time.
The trouble is that we have taken this advice too literally, and so this subject makes the poorest showing of any in the whole list. To be sure, some portions of the subject may and should be eliminated; but, in a modified form, it still has a nec- cessary place in the grades.
If we postpone this subject until the pupil enters the high school, what is to become of the great majority of pupils who never enter the high school? So far as these pupils are con- cerned, the subject may as well be postponed until the first year in college.
They will derive no benefit from it, and they will be com- pelled to go through life conscious of the lack of something that might have been supplied. It seems to me that, if there be any value in the subject at all, these pupils whose educational ad- vantages are extremely limited, should have this benefit at the earliest possible moment. They should be taught how to
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correct errors in speech and be able to give a reason for so doing.
And what about the boy who does enter the high school? Would this previous acquaintance with the subject be helpful to him? I have talked with a large number of high school teach- ers on this point --- teachers of modern and ancient languages --- and they invariably declare that it would be helpful. They point to this as the one great obstacle in the way of their pro- gress.
There is another point of view to be considered in connec- tion with this subject: The modern trend and tendency have been to bring the high school subjects down to the grades. For example, algebra, geometry, bookkeeping, physiology, Latin and many others have been given a place in the upper grades of the grammar schools; while English grammar, which deals with the structure and uses of the mother tongue, has been pushed for- ward, out of the reach of the majority, into the high school. The whole subject should not be so treated.
The industrial and educational value of a pupil's time, with- in reasonable limits, depends upon the age and maturity of the pupil. This has been conclusively proven by numerous sur- veys, made in different parts of the country and covering many varieties of industrial conditions.
Other things being equal, the high school graduate far out- strips the graduate of the grammar school by reason of the dif- ference in ages alone, and he holds his job for a longer period of time for the same reason. Now, if there is to be any waste of time permitted, the earlier in the life of the pupil it is al- lowed, the smaller will be the resulting loss.
I recently visited a class in the High School. It was one of the largest we have. Ninety-nine per cent. of that class would never go beyond this school, and many of them would not complete the full course. Here was a class of boys and girls,
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the end of whose school life was in view, indulging in the bliss- ful occupation of selecting and naming the different parts of speech in the text before them. Needless to say I was deeply impressed with the sheer waste of time.
As I have said before, a modified form of technical gram- mar may still serve some useful purpose in the grades, and I have some excellent authority to support this contention. At present I am formulating some simple outlines of this subject, to the end that a large majority of our pupils may get a little knowledge of the structure and usages of the English language.
It should not be inferred from the foregoing that all the emphasis is to be placed upon the grammatical side of the sub- ject. Far from it. The greatest stress has been given to oral and written composition work. The pupil is constantly admon- ished to "say it in good English." He is required to look upon all his recitations as a feature of language work, and is encour- aged to speak easily, naturally, and correctly.
In addition to this, much time is devoted to readings from the best authors, and not a few selections are committed to memory. We feel that all possible should be done to assist these young people to acquire a taste for good literature, and I think we are doing a good work in this direction.
Reading.
In reading, most of the work is good. The pupils are get- ting an amount of information from their reading books today that was not even dreamed of ten years ago. The only danger here is that the thought is engaged more in the accumulation of knowledge than in giving correct and pleasing expression in the rendering of the paragraph read.
The spirit of commercialism with which all seem to be so
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thoroughly imbued has dictated too much, perhaps, the type of reading matter to be used. Some modification of this selection may result in an improvement in this direetion, so that reading aloud and good reading may not wholly become lost arts.
With the exception of geography, which is begun in an in- ductive: way by the lowest grades, and carried along much in the same lines as is the study of history, I have taken up each subject taught in the grades. I feel that this is the place for a beginning, and consequently I have given more space and atten- tion to this part of our school system. As a last word on this part of my report, may I ask that the parents exercise the utmost diligence and care in keeping their children in school, and to give their fullest sympathy and support in co-operation with the efforts of the teacher. Nothing can repay you better, except, perhaps, a personal visit to the school.
The High School.
Our High School is working under a very severe handicap. The school opens at 8:30 a.m. and closes nominally at 1:30 p.m. Many of our pupils use the electric cars which arrive at the Square at the same time the school opens. Of course this makes it impossible for these pupils to get into the school and take part in the opening exercises, and much confusion and tardi- ness result from this cause. To add to these difficulties, some of the High School pupils are transported by barge along with others who attend the lower grades. The grades open at 9 o'clock, and teachers are required to be in their rooms not later than 15 minutes before the time of opening.
In order to have the pupils at the High School on time, the children of the grade schools are obliged to remain out of doors or to accept such shelter as they can find until the teacher
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arrives at 8:45. This means from twenty to thirty minutes ex- posure for little children who have already made the journey from Castle Hill Farm on the east, or the Topsfield line on the west.
This is as shameful as it is cruel; and though I interested myself to have schoolroom doors opened in season for these little people, the privilege was so flagrantly abused by the chil- dren and others living nearby, that I was forced to instruct the drivers of the barges to postpone their time of starting thirty minutes. This aggravated still more the condition at the High School. But it was simply a choice of two evils, and I adopted the one that seemed to be the more humane.
At present, pupils and teachers are scattered throughout the building during the first ten or fifteen minutes of the morning. Now this is all wrong and every teacher in the building deplores such a situation. Every pupil and every teacher should be in their proper places in the upper hall on the first signal, as a compact student body. What chance is there for developing a fine, strong school spirit?
No wonder we fail to find material for athletic teams in such scattered groups! There can be no good school feeling under such conditions, and they should not be allowed to exist.
At noon, too, the school is obliged to dismiss a few min- utes before the schedule time to allow the pupils to take the car in the Square at 1:30. This is not conducive to a serious- ness of work, as the pupil's attention and effort are centered on "catching the car." He feels aggrieved if he is asked to remain to complete his work and his plea is, "I shall lose my car." This, too, is all wrong. Such a tremendous waste of time in any bus- iness or manufacturing establishment would drive the concern into bankruptcy forthwith. The efficiency of our schools de- pends upon the same economic principles as does any business proposition, and we must be governed by them if we are to
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succeed.
To bring this school under good working conditions and to give it a fighting chance to rank high with other schools, some changes should be made that at the present time will seem rad- ical. Mr. Marston, I understand, attempted a solution of this problem by putting the opening hour ahead to 8 o'clock. This he found was objected to by the parents as being too early, and the idea was given up. If you put it forward the domestic ar- rangements will be disturbed, and this must not be tolerated.
It is rather humiliating to be forced to admit that the use- fulness of our schools and the high esteem in which they have invariably been held are to be jeopardized or endangered by such trifling matters as car-time and dinner-time. If the school is to have first place, as it should have, then let the school dom- inate, and let these others fall back into second place where they belong. This question is for the parents to decide.
The only solution of this problem that promises anything that will be satisfactory and permanent, is to have the opening for all the schools fixed at one definite aod stated time, either at 8:45 or 9 o'clock as may be found best adapted to local condi- tions. At noon the children should be allowed twenty or twenty-five minutes for lunch and to have something hot with it -either a cup of hot cocoa or a bowl of hot soup, or the like; or they should go home to their dinner. By the first method, our needs could be supplied by the Domestic Science Depart- ment at cost, and much of the time and effort of the pupil be saved. This plan would eliminate the supervision of the noon hour. Work could be resumed with slight interruption. Pupils could remain after school and complete their work. There would be no coming back to make up as at present, and teach- ers and pupils would be free to utilize their time to the best ad- vantage. Mr. Marston and some of his teachers return to the school every afternoon in the week but Friday, for make-up
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work. They have borne all this uncomplainingly for a long time, and I think that some relief should be afforded them. The second method would be a return to the two-session plan that was recommended by the State Board of education two years ago. (See School Report for 1915, page 64, 2nd paragraph.)
In view of the fact that the question of a six-hour day for high schools is being so generally discussed, that it has been already adopted in many places and is likely to be fixed by legislative enactment, it would seem better to postpone for the' present any change in schedule. But the remedy should be ap- plied soon.
There is too much duplication of work in this school. Teachers are obliged to spend too much of their time in drilling upon fundamentals. This occurs mostly with commercial sub- jects; but, I am sorry to say, it is not confined to this group alone. These subjects should be taken here for the benefit of a hurried review of principles and to acquire a higher degree of speed and accuracy. A good foundation should have been laid before reaching the High School. When this is done, pro- gress in this school will be much more rapid.
An unusually large number from the present senior class are preparing for higher schools. Five are to go to college, eight or nine to normal schools, and six or seven to commercial schools. This is setting an excellent example to the lower clas- ses, and we hope it may bear much fruit.
The usual courses of lectures on physiology and hygiene for the freshman has been given by Dr. F. L. Collins, who has succeeded in holding the interest of the class from the very be- ginning. Much valuable information outside the technical re- quirements of the subject has been imparted; and the pupils have been given every encouragement to ask questions and to enter into discussions of subjects within their grasp. Some no- tions relative to old superstitions have been given a death blow,
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and a better knowledge, of "germs," infection and preventive measures has been gained. Emphasis has been placed upon the proper foods, exercise in the open air, the required amount of sleep for young people, and upon all those things which pro- mote growth.
Sanitation, care of the teeth, and the rational treatment of the body as a whole have received a good share of attention. Proper clothing, bathing and many of those things that tend to give the body immunity from disease have been gone over very carefully. The value of a sound body to the individual and to community, the larger capacity for usefulness and happiness furnished by such, have been made topics of deepest concern. Finally, self-control --- the holding in check of the appetite and the passions --- the personal element that makes so largely for success in life, has been driven home with a good deal of force, and we feel that much benefit will be derived from the way in which the whole subject has been treated.
Shall the High School Be a Preparatory School or Not ?
I have requested Mr. Marston, Principal of our High School, to furnish me a list of pupils who, after graduating here, have attended some higher institution of learning, especially a col- lege of recognized standing. He willingly complied and here is the list:
Ralph H. Grant. Harvard 66
Ralph A. Hatch
Curtis E. Lakeman .
Henry Joyce. .
Francis P. Ross.
Lamson Glover
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IPSWICH SCHOOL REPORT.
Alice E. Perkins
Boston University
Alice M. Brown.
Fannie Goodhue
Roscoe Vining
Marion Morton
Charles E. Goodhue
Helen Blodgett 66
Arthur S. Lord .
University of Maine
Charles Kelley, Jr
66
Herbert Pickup.
Hermon Kyes.
Henry Spaulding Mass. Institute of Tech.
Roland Willcomb
66
Leander Hills. 66
1
E. Mark Sullivan Boston College
66
Thomas Broderick
Edith M. Daniels Mt. Holyoke
Lucy Harris. . 66
Marion P. Ross. Wellesley
Dorothy Hudgens Radcliff
Harriet Robinson Simmons
George Holmes .Amherst Agricultural College
Nearly a score and a half, and all during the principalship of one man. These are all known to us. We are acquainted with the different callings in which they are engaged and with the substantial success which they have already won.
But why not others? Is it the fault of the school? These did not find it so. Six of them entered Harvard, the highest in- stitution of learning in the whole land, one of the very few col- leges that will not admit upon certificate, and, as I understand, nearly all passed without condition.
66
George K. Perley
66
66
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And what of the other colleges? There's not a school in the whole list that one need be ashamed to own as his Alma Mater. A diploma from any one of them is a guaranty of splendid effort and successful accomplishment. Furthermore, it is a passport into the highest and best social and intellectual circles. Its possession is its holder's best asset. It gives him prestige in the most direct way and in the shortest time. It helps to greater and richer rewards. Next to character, it is the one thing needful for a full equipment.
Why do not more strive to secure these advantages? It is not the fault of the school, as has been already shown. It can- not be for financial reasons. There never was a time when financial aid for such a purpose could be more freely obtained than now. Men of means everywhere make the matter of pe- cuniary assistance to young men trying to complete a college course a considerable part of their benefactions. As the chair- man of our School Committee told us in his address to the 1 school, he knew of one man who was assisting twenty-five young men through college each year, by loaning them money at a very low rate of interest. We commend his wisdom and his charity, and we rejoice to know that he is not alone in this good work. The Grange offers to finance four boys through college each vear. Not the Agricultural College alone, bụt any college in good standing. The pupil makes application for the loan, furnishes the required evidence of scholarship and char- acter, and, if these are satisfactory, gives his note for the amount loaned at two per cent. interest.
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