USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Ipswich > Town annual report of Ipswich 1927 > Part 6
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It may well be asked, What is to happen to these boys and girls who, in spite of entreaty and reasoning and warning leave school just because the momentary whim or fancy pos- sesses them to do so? We know what will happen to them. "Experience teaches a dear school, and fools will learn in no other." Is the above applicable solely to these children? or should we as parents, as interested citizens, or school adminis- trators take to heart something of the seriousness and the magni- tude of the problem that confronts us? We know to what des- tination idleness leads. We know something of the dan- gers that beset the path of our youth today. We know how little of restraint or responsibility is put upon them, and we know that here is the place to apply some check to this ten- dency to delinquency and crime.
It may cost more to keep these boys and girls under the wholesome influence of the school for a little longer time. We may be obliged to change the course of study and introduce more of the mechanical and manual into the curriculum in order to make the proper adjustment ·with present day needs, and to conserve the inalienable right of every pupil to equal opportu- nity in our schools. Even so it would be more profitable in the end Our schools would be enabled to do better work, to perform a larger service, to give our pupils a better and broader training, and to improve the character of our citizenry. And this larger view of the scope and functions of the public school is bound to materialize and to bring forth better fruit.
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IPSWICH SCHOOL REPORT
Let me quote very briefly from The National Association of Manufacturers' Program on Employment of Children:
"The various states have assumed a position of responsibility over the education and employment of children. This respon- sibility should reasonably be extended to at least sixteen years of age. To be effective it may well follow children not only while at school but while at work, and may reasonably insist upon a minimum of four hours a week of continued education
"This continued education may either be in continuation schools or in shops and under shop plans approved by properly constituted state authorities."
Do we not owe this duty to the coming generation? Would it not be a good investment?
TEACHER CHANGES AND SALARIES.
Few of us realize or appreciate the full significance of the annual turn-over that takes place in our teaching force. We are apt to look upon it as something of usual occurrence and nat- urally to be expected. To some, a teacher is a teacher, just an ordinary mortal, one of a great class all of whom have been "tarred with the same brush," and each having about the same appraisal value. A greater mistake could hardly be made.
The educational status of any community may be fairly judged by the collective regard and esteem in which its best teachers are held; and, conversely, the best evidence of this es- teem is the amount of salary that community is willing to pay first-class teachers. We pay our carpenters, our masons, and our plumbers what they ask for their services. Not so with our best teachers. They receive whatever the community in its corporate capacity sees fit to give them. We employ the best of these artisans to do our work and pay them their price,
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because we are convinced that they do better work and that it is more economical in the end. And in so doing we show good judgment. But, again, not so with our best teachers.
Far be it from me to attempt to create or to perpetuate any class consciousness. Such a thing has no place in a democracy. Neither do I wish to commercialize any of our school activities, especially that of the class teachers, and thus put them on a parity with league games and other commercial enterprises. But I do wish that we might have a fuller appreciation of the su- preme value of the child, and a broader and more rational con- ception of the importance of his proper training. Given these, and the good teacher naturally will be given her rightful place in both the school and the community.
Nothing is so demoralizing to a school system, nor so dis- heartening to a school official, as to see those teachers upon whom he had built his hopes for better schools and a better and more virile training in citizenship, taken from him by a slight advance in salary. To add to our troubles in this particular phase of the work (we are ashamed to admit it,) the methods employed in selecting teachers by some of the richer towns is nothing more or less than a highly developed scheme of piracy.
Now what is to be done towards maintaining the standard of your schools under these conditions? It is the teacher that makes the school, and I can do no better towards impressing this truth upon your minds than to quote a passage frpm one of Henry VanDyke's tributes to the Unknown Teacher:
"Famous educators plan new systems of pedagogy, but it is the unknown teacher who delivers and guides the young. He lives in obscurity and contends with hardship. For him no trum- pets blare, no chariots wait, no golden decorations are decreed. He keeps the watch along the borders of darkness and makes the attack on the trenches of ignorance and folly. Patient in his daily duty, he strives to conquer the evil powers which are the
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the enemy of youth. He awakens sleeping spirits. He quickens the indolent, encourages the eager, and steadies the unstable. He communicates his own joy in learning and shares with boys and girls the best treasures of his mind. He lights many candles which, in later years, will shine back to cheer him. This is his reward. The love of knowledge is transmitted only by personal contact. No one has deserved better of the Republic than the unknown teacher."
The only way in which this difficulty is to be overcome is to meet money with money. If a specific sum over and above the amount appropriated for salaries were set aside for this purpose each year, we could still retain some of our best teach- ers. The work of the schools would suffer less interruption and a higher standard of scholarship could be maintained. Wegen- erally get about what we pay for in this world. The schools should assume his obligation o the coming generation of fur- nishing such opportunities whereby each individual has a rea- sonable chance to make the most of himself. The cost will be but a little more, and society as a whole as well as the individ- ual pupil will benefit thereby.
It takes time for the teacher to impress her personality upon the pupils, and the fewer interruptions the more successful her work is likely to be. I hope that you gentlemen of the com- mittee will accept this broader view of the situation, and save our schools from the terrible inroads made upon them each year by this intolerable evil.
The following changes in our teaching force have taken place during the past year:
High School.
Miss Helen M. Kelley and Miss Mary P. Johnson resigned, and their places were taken by Miss Helen M. Streeter and Miss Mary A. Sweet.
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IPSWICH SCHOOL REPORT
Junior High.
Miss Mildred B. Edward's place was taken by Miss Zella Zuoski.
Burley.
Miss Althine L. Hodgkins' and Miss Irma T. Gilman's places were supplied by Mrs. Alice D. Moran, transferred from the Shatswell, and by Mrs. Angelica Burns.
Shatswell.
Miss Josephine A. Hodgdon and Miss Mildred E. Counce resigned. Mrs. Hilda J. Schofield was elected to Miss Hodg- don's place, and Miss Laurinda Parkhurst succeeded to Miss Counce's position. Miss Amy Stanford was transferred to Miss Archer's position. Miss Archer took charge of the room for- merly occupied by Mrs. Moran, and Miss Edna Peabody was given Miss Stanford's former place. Miss Marion F. Whitney, the domestic science teacher, accepted a similar position at Hamilton.
With the exception of Miss Hodgkins and Miss Counce, who embarked upon the sea of matrimony, higher salaries with prospective yearly increases were responsible for every one of these resignations. Some of these teachers had been with us for three or four years and were just beginning to do their most effective work. Their places have been filled by others of con- siderable promise, but they lack that practical experience which alone brings that confidence and skill which characterizes all good teachers.
THE SIXTH GRADE.
This is the pivotal grade of the whole system. Any pupil fourteen years of age and over may, upon the completion of
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the work of this grade, demand his certificate and sever his connection with the school. He is, however, obliged to keep to work until he reaches the age of sixteen.
By referring to a note on a previous page of this report, it will at once be seen how little weight this last requirement car- ries with the average pupil. Whether this is for the best inter- est of the pupil individually or for the good of society at large with some is still an open question. But that does not alter the fact. The pupil, after complying with the conditions of the law, may leave school. The law gives him that privilege (?) and he uses that freedom too frequently to his own disadvantage.
It is recognized that the sixth grade is not a fixed standard, even within the same school system. Teachers in the different schools and classes in the same school will vary from year to year. But, generally speaking, the children who complete this grade should be able to read easily and understandingly any book or magazine article of ordinary difficulty, to have a thor- ough knowledge of and skill in handling the fundamental oper- ations in arithmetic, including fractions and the underlying principles of percentage and interest.
They should also be able to spell correctly the words in common usage, and to write and properly punctuate a friendly or a business letter in a clear legible hand. They should be practiced in making bills, receipts, etc., and have some knowl- edge of history and geography. Moreover he should be made to realize the importance of some of those old-fashioned vir- tues-truthfulness, honesty, industry, and respect for himself and others. For without a foundation of character, all our efforts will be worse than wasted.
I will admit that this program is in advance of what we are producing in our schools today. But is it unattainable? Could it not be accomplished if all our energies were bent in this di- rection? Is it too much to require of one before he is permitted to launch himself upon a world that will judge him solely by
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his abiltty to do something? Society has rights which all are bound to respect. And it is only by the rigid requirement and respect for those rights that either society or the individual will be improved.
I therefore urge that more work should be given in this grade, a more thorough training along fewer lines, and a fuller conception on the part of teachers and parents of our respon- sibilities and obligations to the child and to the community.
Such a course would have a tendency to raise the standard and character of the work in the grades below and give a better foundation for the grades that follow. Instead of becoming the end of his educational road, it might through his conscious achievements stimulate his desires to further advancement in his preparation for the work of life and lead him to higher ideals of service and usefulness.
The work of this grade should be most carefully done. The attitude of the teacher should be broadly sympathetic. A high standard of work, carefully planned and rigidly maintained, should be provided, for with some it is their last opportunity.
INFANTILE PARALYSIS.
The epidemic of infantile paralysis which visited our town during the early weeks of the fall term, made some disastrous inroads upon the work of our schools. Not only did it take from us five full weeks of valuable time, which can never be made up, but it took from us the opportunity to greatly enlarge the scope and number of schoo activities which we had planned to carry out this year.
A new plan for an evening school-the old one had failed utterly-of broader scope and application to a larger number of our citizens, was under serious consideration for some time. But owing to the loss of time, it never got beyond the tentative stage.
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Miss Aull's violin classes, which last year numbered about forty pupils, were given up for the same reason.
The Parent Teachers' Association, whose usual program was interrupted by the epidemic, lost interest in the work and after a few unresponsive calls from the president, finally dis- banded.
This was a serious blow to the educational interests of the town. Had it received the popular support which a well- organized and well directed association of this kind deserves of the community it endeavors to serve, its history would not have been so brief nor the record of its achievements so meager.
There is such a diversity of interests and tastes among our people and such a marked tendency to indifference towards the things that endure and are most worth while, that it is only the most courageous and determined souls that can hope for suc- cess along the higher levels of community uplift.
The Choral Society conducted by Mr. Arthur H. Tozer on Tuesday evenings, is a case in point. Last year the Society gave a concert which was well received, and when it disbanded for the summer the Society gave excellent promise of becoming a permanent organization of recognized and proven value to the community.
But the interruption caused by the epidemic came near to wrecking the organization. Members lost interest, there was no enthusiasm, and only by the most persistent efforts of the faith- ful few and the dogged determination on the part of the con- ductor has the organization been able to continue its existence.
Now here is a society whose work is of unquestioned cul- tural value, unrestricted as to membership, and trying to inter- pret and express the very best that the whole realm of literature and art can furnish, that literally has to beg for its very exist- ence.
Music is the universal language. Nothing else answers so well the varied needs of humanity under all the circumstances
.
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of time or place. We know its value and recognize its import- ance in any scheme of social progress. We are aware of the power and prestige it gives the individual, assuring him of a passport into the very best of society. It gives both reputation and character also to a community, and is essentially one of its best assets.
And yet, in spite of all our admissions as to its desirability and significance to the individual and to the community, we fail to secure the necessary amount of co-operation to insure it a permanent place as one of the community activities. May we not hope for a deeper interest in a matter of such educational value to young and old alike.
The Boy Scouts troop is another instance wherein we have failed to co-operate with those who wish to assist in this uplift work.
Perhaps you may question the propriety of making refer- ence to such matters in a school report. I feel that they have a place there, and that they deserve the consideration of every thoughtful person who has any interest in the progress of this community.
The community is the post graduate school of the school children of today. It furnishes the environment in which they spend the greater part of their time, and is an active educational influence for good or for evil. If that environment is clean and wholesome, the training of the school is augmented and made more effective. If the reverse is true, then the work of the school is undone, in some cases completely so.
This is why we are so interested in outside school activi- ties. The young people are brought together under the guid- ance and control of some responsible leader, and the danger arising from evil influences is reduced to a minimum. For the sake of your children, I strongly urge upon all parents the ne- cessity of knowing where your children are when out of school.
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SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS.
We have not been so fortunate in securing experienced substitute teachers this year. Mrs. Hilda Schofield was elected to a permanent position, and we were obliged to dispense with the valuable services of Mrs. Leslie Millard by reason of sick- ness and home duties. There is an actual shortage of local talent to take up this important work.
Since the consolidation of our schools the necessity for such service has been greatly reduced, as the acting principals have performed this duty. It is only when more than one teacher in these larger buildings is detained by illness, that the services of a substitute are needed at all. Such was recently the case at the Shatswell School where three teachers were absent at the same time.
We have not been obliged to furnish a substitute for the High School for several years. The same is true of the Junior High, as may be verified by a recent occurrence. Miss Merrill, an eighth grade teacher, was absent on account of a serious ill- ness for the space of two weeks. But the principal and the other eighth grade teachers carried on the work during that time and with the least possible interruption. The same is true of the Burley School under like circumstances, though Mrs. Smith's duties as supervisor of writing make her school an ex- ception to the established policy and practice of all our larger schools.
Of course, we have some unskilled teachers in all our schools. These need the constant supervision and direction of a competent adviser to suggest right methods and correct de- fects that need attention. The principal of the school is the person upon whom this work should devolve, and a good meas- ure of his time should be given to this very necessary and im- portant task. He should also make a close personal study of the ranking and marks of each pupil, in order to make such
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suggestions as individual cases would seem to require, and to know that each term card that is sent home for the parents' ex- amination and signature' should be a true record of his achieve- ment and attitude.
As I have said before, this is the settled policy and prac- tice of our schools. Barring the objections raised by a few pa- rents, here and there, as to the low marks received by their children, I can recall no single instance where any principal of any school has made complaint or objection to the amount of personal effort and supervision which this phase of his work imposes.
I am therefore at a loss to understand the real animus of the vote taken at our last meeting, limiting such principal-teach- ing "up to five days;" nor can I imagine by whom the idea could have been suggested or inspired. I am unwilling to be- lieve that it came from any principal.
IN GENERAL.
Under this heading we have brought together a consider- able group of items, most of which will apply to the schools as a whole and are purely informational. Others are more spe- cific and will call for your careful consideration later on.
In the first place, and after a good deal of mental . reserva- vation, it gives me great pleasure to report that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the educational program of our schools was never carried out with so little of friction and an- noyance as is being done at the present time.
The teachers have their classes well in hand and the dis- cipline is excellent. The attitude of these teachers towards both principals and pupils is much in advance" of that of a few years ago. There is a better school spirit, and a desire to co- operate that is very pleasing to note. All the relations between
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principals and teachers and pupils are harmonious to an un- usual degree. All are trying to recover as much as possible of the ground lost by the epidemic.
The time limits of home work for grades below the High School were definitely fixed by the committee two years ago. From a personal canvass made in these grades, I find that the pupils admit their ability and willingness to have this time in- creased. Those of us accustomed to dealing with children realize what a time limit really means to children of this age, especially when beset with the distractions of ordinary home surroundings. In a great majority of cases it does not mean close application or concentrated effort for but a fraction of the allotted time. So much for a general view of the case.
But there is another side to this question that is well worth your consideration. Many of the pupils in these grades-the sixth, seventh, and eighth-are unable to continue their work in school beyond these grades. Those in the eighth grade who do the work of that grade in a satisfactory manner, receive a di- ploma and may enter the High School if their circumstances permit. But the law allows any pupil who reaches the age of fourteen years and completes the work of the sixth grade to leave school to go to work.
Not a few of them avail themselves of the opportunity- perhaps it is necessity -and fail to accomplish while in school all that they were capable of doing. I believe it would be bet- ter for all concerned if these boys were required to work within a reasonable limit of their capacity. They would be acquiring the habit of industry, and would receive from the school all that they would be able to assimilate.
Remember, it is their last chance, and they should receive the maximum of the school's resources. Far better for them that they should be engaged with school work at home, than be idling about the streets long after they should have been in
·
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IPSWICH SCHOOL REPORT
bed. There are some things in this world that are fully as bad as constructive home work.
Moreover, the children who complete the work of either the sixth or seventh grade should receive a certificate to that effect. Any written statement certifying to the fact that the bearer had satisfactorily completed the work of his grade, was of right habits and of good character, would be invaluable to him in later life. The custom of withholding the diploma until the completion of the eighth and twelfth grades is arbitrary, to say the least. Why should our schools withhold these testi- monials from these boys and thereby advertise their lack of this world's goods and its opportunities? Here is a place where our schools may render a better and a larger service. I trust you will give it careful consideration.
The reading room-located in the corridor-in the Junior High is serving a most admirable purpose. Books, papers, and magazines are selected by the teachers and placed upon the reading table for the pupils' use. Its purpose is two-fold. First, to place within his reach those sources of information which will supplement the knowledge gained from the text-book. This of itself is of exceptional benefit to the pupil. At best his conception of the fragments of knowledge gained from his text books is naturally hazy and vague. The reading material helps to clarify and expand his conceptions, broadens his horizon, and gives a new interest to the work in hand. More than that, it puts him in touch with the realities of life and gives him an acquaintance of what is going on in the world of which he is to become a part.
The second advantage-of equal importance to the first- is that he is acquiring the taste for, and habit of, reading good books. No method of instruction can surpass this as a guarantee to a well-rounded education. "Reading maketh a full man;" and with the habit of reading good books well established, the resulting education is bound to come.
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I consider the reading rooms, both here and in the senior high, --- location unknown in this last instance --- as among the best adjuncts of our teaching force. Both should be better sup- plied.
Following the custom of previous years of providing a special course for teachers, the committee secured the services of Miss Perham of the Salem Normal School for a course in reading. This course was planned to begin last October, and the expense was to be met from last year's appropriation. But, again, on account of the epidemic, we were obliged to accept a postponement until the beginning of the present year.
Miss Perham knows her work thoroughly, is a teacher of wide experience, and presents her subject with a directness and clearness from which we hope the reading in our schools may be greatly improved.
The full realization of this hope, however, depends upon the personal efforts of each individual teacher to apply these principles to the actual work of her own classes. With a larger confidence in her own powers, coupled with a new enthusiasm for her work, she should be able to show a vast improvement and interest by her classes.
By no means should this be considered the end of her pro- fessional improvement for this year. She should visit other schools, and devote as much of her time to the study of profes- sional subjects as the improvement of her classes and her own best interests may demand.
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