USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Middleborough > Town annual report of Middleborough, Massachusetts 1948 > Part 8
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11
(b) Connect Union Street School with South Main Street sewer at the same time relieving water condition on Bates School playground.
(c) New toilet facilities at Bates School, replacing the now antiquated, inefficient, inadequate and unpleasant installation.
(d) Replacement or repair of flag pole at Memorial High School as an immediate safety measure.
(e) Lighting at Memorial High School is a serious condition and is a must.
This is not a complete listing of needed repairs but is a sample of some of the more immediate needs. It is not possible to make all major repairs each year but it also is not economical to put off necessary repairs until the cost has mounted due to the delay. A window sash painted today may save the replacement of a rotted and broken sash later.
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE SUBURBAN SCHOOLS
In the town meeting held February 9, the sum of $5,000.00 was appropriated for the purchase of materials for, and the installation of, water and modern toilet facilities in the Plymouth Street, Pleasant Street, Rock and South Middleboro Schools.
Work was started early in May and completed in time for the opening of the schools in September.
Much building repair was found necessary in preparing the toilet rooms. Coal bins, supply closets, wood rooms, and even cellar stair areas were converted into excellent modern rest rooms. Each school now has three flush closets, one urinal, two lavatories and two bubbler fountains.
Supply cabinets and book shelves were installed where possible to replace storage space taken for the toilet rooms.
EXPENDITURES
Water service connections:
Rock School
$254.42
South Middleboro School
212.32
Plymouth Street School
133.48
Pleasant Street School
204.48
$804.70
Cesspool constructions:
Rock School
$ 85.00
South Middleboro School
105.00
Plymouth Street School
95.00
Pleasant Street School
97.54
Plumbing installations, per lowest bidder:
Rock School
$725.00
South Middleboro School
725.00
Plymouth Street School
725.00
Pleasant Street School
$2,900.00
Materials and Labor
911.82
Total Expenditures
$4,999.06
725.00
$382.54
90
In addition to the new toilets, each suburban building is now heated with new oil-fired forced hot air heaters. The heaters are installed in cement block buildings outside but adjacent to the main school. Fresh air is taken from the outside into these heating chambers, warmed and dis- tributed evenly in the classroom through aluminum ducts. Previously, three of these buildings were heated with an antiquated wood-burning stove, the fourth with an inefficient heater on the floor of the classroom.
The total expense of the heating installation, together with the cost of the cement-block buildings, was paid by the trustees under the will of Thomas S. Pierce. For this assistance, the School Committee, parents, and children are indeed grateful. The Town need no longer be ashamed of conditions in their one-room buildings.
COST
Cement foundations and block buildings $ 467.04
Installation of ducts and heaters 2,960.00
Roofs and doors 228.19
Total
$3,655.23
THE ROUNSEVILLE SCHOOL
At a special town meeting held June 11, 1948, the School Committee was authorized to erect a school building in the rear of the Bates School at a cost not to exceed seven thousand dollars and to use for such purpose the fund, with accumulations thereon, bequeathed to the Town under the will of the late Ida F. Rounseville, said school to be named in accordance with provisions of the will.
The contract for construction was awarded the lowest bidder, Elliott W. Harlow & Sons, at $6,712.00 and work was started on June 28. With the exception of a complete heating unit, the building was ready for occupancy at the opening of school.
This classroom unit is efficient and suitable for temporary relief from overcrowding for one year. Further relief must follow and soon.
The building was completed at a cost of $6,885.70, leaving a balance of $3.01 returned to the town treasurer.
MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE LOCAL YOUTH PROGRAM AT ELEMENTARY LEVEL .
Our program for meeting educational needs at the elementary level is slowed down by the large number of pupils per teacher. Individual help and instruction is hindered and practically impossible. Retention of pupils becomes impossible due to the pressure of those coming from a lower grade and needing a seat.
The principal of the Bates School says in his annual report, "The erection of the Rounseville School has aided considerably in the Housing Congestion for this year only. With the advent of next year's sixth grade, it will be absolutely necessary to have four eighth grade divisions rather than the present three, which will make a total of twelve divisions for eleven rooms. Therefore, our most immediate problem for another year is evidently the erection of another unit similar to the Rounseville School as the need will be immediate. So far this school year the total enroll- ment of pupils has reached 407 pupils.
Three new teachers joined the force in September and the early resignation of one on October first necessitated program changes from the original, well-balanced set-up. The adaptability of the faculty members to this situation was most praiseworthy. The election of a permanent substitute for the remainder of the year has somewhat clarified the situa-
91
tion, but program changes were still necessary. Teachers, in addition to full programs of work at the school, have given evidence of their interest in professional improvement by enrollment in both summer school and extension courses for further training and advancement.
The recommendation of the National Council for Social Studies in the matter of increased instruction in Civics has been followed, and a course beginning in the sixth grade and followed up in grades seven and eight has been instituted, and it is hoped that this may be continued. Many materials were examined by a faculty committee before the course was introduced. Additional materials, in our courses already well estab- lished, have been added, and an extension of the use of the so-called psychological unit of work has been extended due to advanced study at summer sessions by a number of the teachers. The re-admission to the weekly program of the special interest clubs, meeting one period per week, has received favorable comment from pupils and parents alike. The passing of the special class I feel is a great lack, and its return a necessity.
There are many commendable features of the past year's work, and my only fear is that I may overlook some feature that should be stressed. The rapid improvement of the Industrial Arts course under Mr. Sherman's expert leadership and the interest of the trustees of the Pierce Estate deserves special mention. The work in Physical Education carried on under handicaps of no playroom or gymnasium reflect much credit to the planning and foresight of the director, Mr. Rando. The full co-opera- tion of the Supervisors of both Art and Music are a continual inspiration and practical aid to the teachers in all departments."
AT HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL
The educational handicaps and needs at the high school level are most ably stated in the annual report of the principal of Memorial High School in which he says, "I would like to recommend in this report a program for the young people of Middleboro."
"The aim of the program is to carry out the purpose for which we believe schools were established, that of sharing with parents the responsi- bility of helping their children to become competent citizens and success- ful persons, who will be prepared to live rich and satisfying personal lives. The extent to which the aims stated are being carried out and the extent to which facilities are available for carrying them out, will be indicated as the report progresses.
We believe that the pupils themselves are the most important part of the school. Instruction is planned and requirements are set solely to the end that all young people in Middleboro may find the educational experiences that will make each one a better citizen, a more successful person, and a happier individual than he might otherwise have been.
Stated in another way, the objective of growth is paramount, - growth in maturity of judgment, in skills, in habits of work, and in ethical character. The statement that knowledge is power is misleading. We now know that memorization of a textbook is not enough and that pupils develop power by working out problems in the areas close to their daily experiences. Judgment can only be developed by making decisions. One needs to learn how to analyze a problem, to collect data, to draw conclusions, and then to change his pattern of living, if neces- sary, in accordance with the conclusions drawn. The foregoing type of education demands the mastery of information and more than that, the ability to apply it to real situations.
Again, it is a basic principle of democracy that there is a dignity of the individual, a right of men in common to have equal opportunities to develop their respective talents. Each pupil has a right to learn, the slow
-
92
as well as the apt, the mechanically gifted as well as the scholar, hence a broader program than is now provided must be set up for pupils.
The fact that 468 boys and girls out of the 1839 different persons enrolled between September 1939 and June 1948 dropped out of school, is evidence that there was no program suitable for a large number, at least, of the 25.4% of the young people, who left school. The records of all of these persons were handled by me for this study and reasons for leaving were noted. (The figure does not include transfers to other schools.) I knew these young people personally, had conferences with them, and tried to help them to select their programs, knowing full well how little the school could offer to meet their respective needs. Programs of instruction in household arts and in general shop, would have fur- nished the major portions of the learning experiences of the 468 drop-outs. It seems cruel for a community to fail to provide for the needs of children in a school which the law requires them to attend. For some there is little work which they can do well and for others few learning experiences in any way connected with their interests and skills. These pupils must leave school without the advantages which a diploma brings and perhaps suffer a serious loss of confidence in themselves, not realizing that they have had no chance to develop their real talents.
Two ideas follow logically from the principle just developed (the children are the most important part of the school).
(1) The school should meet the needs of all of the pupils. (Education for All American Youth, by The Educational Policies Commission.)
(2) The school should meet all of the needs of each individual pupil -in co-operation with the home and with other social institutions.
What are the needs of pupils? How do the needs of pupils differ? Three classifications are apparent to a person who helps pupils make out programs of study. One group is preparing for a higher school, a second group needs specialized training that may or may not end with high school - commercial, agricultural, musical, artistic, shop, or domestic arts, while a third group needs simple preparation for living. In 1940 there were opportunities for 156,000 physicians but 1,500,000 chauffeurs. This latter group will fill positions requiring little specialized training but is entitled to the advantages of a high school education. More will be said later in regard to the kind of education needed by this group. It is sometimes called Life Adjustment Education, for being a citizen, a family person, and a consumer.
To what extent does the program offered at the Memorial High - School meet the needs of the pupils in these groups?
First group - academic preparation for further schooling.
The Memorial High School has been rated in Class A by the Depart- ment of Education ever since Mr. Sampson's time and never sent such a high percentage of graduates to higher schools as it has in the past few years. This year, M. H. S. alumni are attending 40 colleges located from Maine to Florida, and from Massachusetts to Michigan. The list includes the best colleges in the country, among them being such institutions as Columbia, Carnegie Tech, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dart- mouth, Harvard, Yale, Fordham, Annapolis and Syracuse.
Since tournament sponsors and league officials classify athletic teams according to the sizes of the respective schools, people may be confused when they read that the Memorial High School is in Class C in football, for instance, which has nothing to do with academic rating.
The school was last year admitted to membership in the Association of New England Colleges and Secondary Schools. In fact, the preparation of pupils for college has been stressed to the neglect of the many pupils who wish education for problems of daily living, and for the diploma
93
required for civil service and other positions. This latter group make up the fifty-two pupils a year who for the past nine years have not found training that met their needs, and hence left school.
Second group - specialized education.
The supply of graduates of the secretarial course has not been large enough to fill the demand, and there is a great demand for persons in general office work who can handle the more common office machines. The school needs office machines very badly for this last group.
An excellent start is given pupils who wish to go further in art and music. The agricultural department is crowded to capacity with boys who are genuinely interested in farming. Eighteen boys in Massachusetts from twenty-three different schools won the honor of State Farmer. Three of the 18 boys came from the Middleboro department; Eugene Warr, who was a member of the state stock judging team, competing in the national judging contest at Waterloo, Iowa; Irving Minott, and Richard MacNeil.
Since machinery and electricity are used extensively on farms today, the boys are seriously handicapped by having no farm shop. A general shop is greatly needed by other boys, and no training at all is available for girls interested in occupations connected with foods and clothing. Few towns of the size of Middleboro have failed to provide shop training and household arts.
Third group - preparation for living.
Most boys and girls are headed for jobs requiring little specialized training.
These youths need and want an invigorated education that relates to their every-day lives. They will all have to struggle with the social, economic, and emotional problems that are prevalent in modern life. They need instruction in human relations, civic obligations, consumer education, health, both mental and physical, and in work experience.
A new course for seniors called Senior Orientation meets part of this need. Forty-one seniors out of 108 elected this course last spring. The program in Consumer Education as prepared by the National Asso- ciation of Secondary School Principals should replace the present course in economics. Nothing can in any way replace the pressing need for courses in household arts and in general shop training, as no training for girls is more closely related to their future plans than home making and no training for boys who will follow skilled trades or be general workers is more useful to them than general shop experience.
In summary of the first principle, that the school program should meet the needs of all of the pupils, Memorial High School pupils can prepare themselves for any college; can secure suitable training in com- mercial work except in respect to the use of office machines, and super- vised work experience in retail stores; can be proficiently trained in gen- eral agriculture except in respect to farm shop training; and can secure excellent foundation training in the fine arts.
Pupils who will enter jobs that require no special training and need the preparation that makes persons effective workers, intelligent voters, and successful family members will find only a partial program to meet their needs. Family problems are studied in the sophomore sociology classes, civic and social problems in civics, sociology, and later in problems of democracy; while health classes, biology, and a few other subjects make contributions also.
The most serious deficiency of the school is its failure to provide preparation for work in skilled trades for boys, or household arts training for girls. Courses in household arts could open up a tremendous field of opportunity for girls in dietetics, institutional management, teaching,
94
sewing, lunch room and tearoom work, service in the county programs - home demonstration agents and 4-H Club workers, as well as in home making itself.
The Department of Education of the Commonwealth is conducting a study of a new system for the evaluation and classification of high schools. Plans are outlined in the Massachusetts Educational News, the official organ of the department, issues of May 1947, September 1947, and March 1948. Schools will definitely have to show that programs are offered to meet the needs of all the pupils in the community if they are to receive the highest rating when the new plan goes into effect.
The second principle following from the major premise-that pupils constitute the most important part of the school - is that: (2) the school should meet all of the needs of each pupil - insofar as a school can and should meet them, acting as it does in co-operation with other social institutions and with the parents themselves.
What are the personal needs of each particular pupil? They may not be the same for any two pupils, but these needs are likely to be in the field of:
(a) growing up
With need for opportunities to analyze themselves, their talents and achievements, so that by means of the guidance services, the student activities program, instructional procedure, and school administration, pupils should be permitted to assume initiative and accept responsibiliteto the extent of their respective capaci- ties and maturities.
(b) choice of a vocation
With need for help in the selection of a vocation best suited to their aptitudes, interests, and general personal qualifications.
(c) achievement of health and physical fitness
With need for an adequate physical examination leading to effective follow-up with student and parent, to prevent the many remedial defects brought to light by Selective Service examina- tions. A program of health and physical fitness is essentially a community responsibility.
(d) recognition, appreciation, and contribution to beauty and good taste as they contribute to enjoyment of life and wise use of leisure time.
With need for instruction toward an understanding of the finer things of life, wholesome amusements, beauties in nature, music, and art to the end that pupils may live richer and more satisfy- ing lives.
(e) mastery of the things one needs to know about handling one's money
With need for instruction in budgets, keeping accounts for income tax reports, wise buying, investments and savings, insurance, and all of the aspects of money management.
(f) acceptance of the responsibilities of being a citizen in a democracy With need for appreciation of the fact that loyalties are essential to liberties, responsibilities to privileges, and duties to civic rights - to the end that there may be more people who know, who ' care, and who are willing to do something about the science of living together well.
(g) awareness of what it means to have a really fine home and how one becomes able to contribute his or her share to the making of a real home
With need for guidance in learning what the causes of unhappy homes are, how broken homes may be prevented, and how much
95
the best kind of an American home can contribute to its members and to the community.
(h) building an ethical character
With need for practice and precept to develop a respect for good- ness, and a desire to be respected.
"The home, church, community, and the school must work to- gether if this job of character training is to be done effectively. Principals and teachers in the schools must take the initiative in trying to bring about this co-operative effort." (Report on Char- acter Education in Secondary Schools. Department of Education, Commonwealth of Massachusetts.)
"The school is one of the great national agencies in the develop- ment of the character of the people." From "Studies in Char- acter Growth in the High Schools," Public Schools of Oakland, California.
"There is no success without honor; no happiness without a clear conscience; no use in living at all, if only for one's self. It is not at all necessary to make a fortune but it is necessary that you become a fair-dealing, honorable, useful citizen." From "Report of High School Head Masters' Association," Boston School Depart- ment.
The ultimate aim of the highest type of an educational system is, that persons become not only good doctors, good citizens, but good men. The final end of education is the teaching of goodness. The root of goodness is humility and a passionate respect for one's fellowmen. Attaining qualities of character is the chief aim of education. "This world needs not more intelligence but more character." (Director Heemance at Princeton Conference on Sec- ondary Education 1946.)
In summary of the second principle, that the school must meet all of the personal needs of each pupil, the guidance program must rapidly become increasingly prominent in the school. All teachers must con- sciously teach "children more and subjects less." There must be more common learnings - more classes in which all pupils have a chance to learn about solutions of social, economic, and emotional problems vital to themselves.
Teachers must be well trained to sense the needs of pupils and to be able to meet them. Parents and teachers must work much more closely together on the problems of particular children - the parents' own. Both must co-operate with other agencies in the community. The coming generation will have tremendous problems to solve. Adequate prepara- tion of pupils will call for lighter teaching programs for teachers and a more complete guidance service - but conditions make it a "must."
The world is in a race between chaos and education. The preserva- tion of the American way of life depends upon the success of school programs somewhat like the one outlined here. The children of Middle- boro deserve their chance and many are not being given it. The facilities for a complete school program should be provided even at a great sac- rifice, if we really believe - the pupils are the most important part of the school and their needs must be met."
VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE (from the reports of William H. Tufts, Department Head, and Stanley C. Reed, Instructor)
THE VETERAN PROGRAM
Full capacity enrollment continues in the Institutional On-Farm Training school program with a waiting list of veterans ready to sub-
96
stitute when an opening to enter occurs either by completion of course or for any other reason.
During the past year, five students have studied Poultry Raising, nine Cranberry Growing, one Dairy and Stock Farming and one Com- mercial Mink Farming.
The class has journeyed to neighboring poultry and dairy establish- ments where the veterans had an opportunity to view farming operations run to make a profit. One owner told the veterans, "You can't afford to keep guessing with your business. The figures give you conclusive evidence of what your next move should be in the future."
Although the students studying Cranberry Production did not have a definite textbook from which to study, the friendly staff at the Massa- chusetts State Cranberry Experimental Station presented material and showed the veterans the answers to many of their problems.
One of the most educational trips of the summer was a project tour to several bogs operated by veterans in the training program. Richard Beattie and Dr. Franklin (of the Massachusetts State Experimental Station staff) joined the ranks and added much to the trip by their timely comments.
Once a month the Cranberry students met at A. R. Parker's, East Bridgewater, for a supper meeting at which time the men had an oppor- tunity to hear guest speakers and discuss their common problems.
The Cranberry Marketing Organizations invited the veterans as their guests in Hanson and Middleboro respectively to a supper meeting after which they discussed freely the marketing of cranberries and the problems with which the growers will be confronted in the future. It would be difficult to estimate the amount of good-will and understanding estab- lished from such get-togethers. I strongly urge more of such meetings where judgment sometimes based on rumors is supplemented by a better understanding based on facts.
In addition to the assembled class instruction, each of the veterans has been visited on the farm with regularity and his individual progress checked. Home assignments and oral quizzes are given on these visits to see that the veteran is meeting his requirements covered by the Veterans' Act.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.