USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Plymouth > Town annual report of Plymouth, MA 1924-1925 > Part 29
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From a study of our experience with this plan of ad- mission to school it appears that it has passed from the experimental stage to that of practical procedure.
There is another conclusion which follows this as a corollary. If by experience we have determined the ability to do first grade work in the cases of a large group of children under five years and eight months old with sufficient accuracy for eighty-nine per cent. of them to maintain without extra effort or help their place in the superior half of their grade, it is reasonable to as- sume that the same would be true of all children under compulsory school age. The application of this plan to all children entering school under seven years old would reduce retardation which is heaviest in first grade to a negligable quantity. Children would enter and progress
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through school with others of similar ability in their classes.
MUSIC
The High School Orchestra and the Junior High School Orchestra have been maintained under the leadership of Mr. G. Herbert Clarke. Both have played in a credit- able manner at school and public meetings including the annual convention of the Plymouth County Teachers' Association.
An elective course in music at the High School has been carried on by teachers from the faculty.
The following paragraphs concerning the work in vocal and instrumental music in the Junior High and Elementary Schools are from the report of Mrs. Nellie W. Shaw, Supervisor of Music :
"The vocal work in our schools is being carried on en- thusiastically by the grade teachers under the super- visor's direction, more attention is being given to part- singing in the upper grades. A new book of three-part music is being introduced in the sixth grades.
The instrumental work is going ahead rapidly. Twen- ty-two of last year's band class returned to us this year. Of this number nineteen own their instruments. The bass drum and tuba are owned by the Junior High School. One instrument is being rented. One of our townspeople has kindly loaned us a set of bells and one of our girls is learning to play them under the direction of Mr. Perkins.
Three boys who are taking private lessons on the clari- net have joined the band and are a great addition. We also have one new saxophone player.
We know of five members who started in our band class in January, 1925 who are now taking private les- sons. Of the twenty-two returned from last year's band, seventeen are now in the High School and five in the
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Junior High School. Next year this band will be a High School band and the members will be familiar enough with their instruments so that it will not be necessary to hire an instructor; but the work may be carried on by a band director. The small amount charged each pupil does not pay the expense of an instructor and each year it is a struggle to raise the necessary funds to continue this splendid work.
A new class of eight boys and girls was started this year. All are progressing and already two of the mem- bers have played a few times with the advanced class.
A class for saxophones and clarinets was formed this year and Mr. Edward Parker was engaged as teacher. There are six in the saxophone class and four in the clari- net class. Many of these pupils are working on the band music and we expect to have them in the band before the first of April.
The attendance at rehearsals has been nearly 100% and as no credit is given for this work, we have proof of the intense interest of the boys and girls.
Only music of the highest type is used in any of the music departments and there is a keen interest and pleasure displayed on the part of the majority of the pupils.
At the Hedge School we have one violin class taught by Mr. Clarke. There is an orchestra of twelve pieces here under the direction of Miss Sampson.
The Junior High School concert given last May under the direction of the Supervisor of Music is worthy of mention.
The following is the instrumentation in the advanced band : 9 cornets and trumpets, 4 alto horns, 1 trombone, 3 baritones, 1 tuba, 3 snare drums, 1 bass drum, 5 clarinets, 1 saxophone.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
An account of the work as reported by the supervisors of physical education follows :
High School and Junior High School
The health and normal physical development of the children of Plymouth are matters of vital concern to every good citizen. Any system which does not preserve surplus energy, create a desire to live by doing, and leave the pupils "full of the joy of life" has no place in Ameri- can education.
The aim of Physical Education in the Plymouth High Schools, is to promote by means of exercise, recreation and education the highest physical, mental and moral efficiency of the boys and girls in the school system.
Physical and Medical examinations on the basis of which corrective exercises may be given are very desira- ble and should, time permitting, be given twice a year. Pupils desiring to play on school teams with lengthy schedules are obliged to furnish a parent's permit and a doctor's certificate to protect both the pupil and the school. All boys and girls in both schools are required to take this examination.
Each individual with any physical defects that can be remedied ought to be placed in a special class and given the proper kind of exercise to eliminate this real handi- cap in life. Record is kept of all these cases and notices sent to the parents, and in most cases by a follow up system the individual makes effort to do his or her part which finally enables the doctor and the physical director to produce the required results. Many handicaps are removed in due time as most parents take an active in- terest in their children's health after they fully under- stand in detail.
Today there is a judicious blending of gymnastic exer- cises with a program of athletics which will help body development in posture, poise and strength; but athletics
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must have an important place and become permanent. We have adopted the recreational method. We are grad- ually overcoming most of the evils in athletics and are making athletics mean more to physical education.
The work in gymnasium classes includes marching tactics, class theory, athletic dancing, major sports, wrestling, dumb bells, tumbling, posture work, drills, games, boxing, swimming, wands and soccer.
Mass Drill is carried on outdoors every day that weath- er permits. In this attention is given to posture, discipline, development and recreation. Every boy and girl is out in the fresh air and sunshine.
Gym team exhibitions, a field meet, athletic contests and a point system have been conducted as extra features.
Several organizations have been formed and are meet- ing the various interests of pupils in physical education- the Leaders Corps, Athletics Association, Red Cross Life Savers, Gymnastic Team and Outing Club.
Construction of a cinder track on the Lincoln Street Field has opened an opportunity for a large number to participate in outdoor sports. Co-operative effort on the part of the High School Principal and other High School men and boys all with shovels has made possible a tennis court at the rear of the Junior High School.
The addition of mats, a box for athletic equipment, shower baths and renovation of the room in the High School have done much to foster interest in physical activities.
All pupils are given instruction in methods of main- taining their health and building up their bodies by proper physical exercises. Any pupil suffering with any complaint or physical deformity is not capable of study- ing with the aptitude of a healthy individual. This work is a big factor in education and continued at- tention will be paid to defficiencies such as defects, hear- ing, vision, etc.
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The play program of the school, we expect, will "carry over" into the adult lives of the present school children, the taste for activity and the needed skills of games. A resulting increase in the joy of the great out-of-doors will naturally follow. With the facilities and oppor- tunities to revel in tennis, baseball, volley ball, soccer, football, etc., the problem of the best use of leisure will solve itself in most cases.
After three years of physical education in the elemen- tary schools, some of the results which should be ex- pected in the motor training of the younger children seem to be very evident. They reveal themselves not only in a study of the child, but also in reports from the teachers and parents.
The trend of physical education today is away from a formal type of work and towards a more natural expres- sion in activities which should prevent the necessity of corrective measures among the majority. We have found that play as a method of recreation and physical training is unsurpassed. Play and games are a funda- mental demand in the life of young children, and sub- sequently develop vital and functional strength through the use of the majority of the big groups of muscles in- volved. Anyone working with the children from month to month could not fail to discern the increase, individu- ally and from grade to grade, in alertness, skill, and good habits of play:
Reports from various teachers show that organized after-school sports, an aim which is to be worked to- wards but not forced, are now a definite fact. Team- work in Captain Ball and Bat Dodge Ball under super- vision means right training which should make the chil- dren ready for the progression into major sports occur- ring as they enter into high-school life. Inter-grade com- petition means opportunity for the participation of all children, but also such keen rivalry that it makes itself felt in all school-work. A boy who learns to throw and
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run well, returns to the school-room better able to tackle arithmetic and history problems. On the other hand a class which ranks as B sometimes is the victor over an A group on the playground and is urged through in- creased interest in school-life to better his work in other subjects.
Use of basement rooms in the Cornish and Mt. Pleas- ant schools, the hall at the Hedge, and portable at the Knapp has made possible the taking of all supervision work away from the restricted areas left in a classroom, and brings far more worth-while results. Most classes have at least two other periods out-doors when weather permits. This means a step away from the short interval of formal exercise, which is used only as a change from sedentary occupation, towards the better results of a supervised lesson on the playground.
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High School Report
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Mr. Horace F. Turner Superintendent of Schools Plymouth, Massachusetts
My Dear Mr. Turner :
The accommodations at the high school are being util- ized to a maximum capacity during the current school year. Under present conditions it would not be possible to serve properly an additional block of twenty-five pu- pils. It is not probable that any enlargement in the size of the student body will be made next year. However, within two or three years a growth in the membership is quite certain. The increase should be anticipated. Suitable space and equipment should be provided before the pupils arrive in order that the pupils may not suffer for a year or more because of inadequate quarters. Sev- eral class rooms, coat rooms, conference rooms, and a li- brary will be needed as quickly as provision can be made.
The position of dean of girls, which was created dur- ing the summer months, has been a stabilizing and valu- able influence from its inception. The dean has taken charge of routine matters for girls. She has gradually developed among the girls a consciousness of the range of possibilities for girls not only after graduation from school, but during their school days.
The self-realization of the co-operative power of the girls, the realization that their problems may differ from the problems of the boys, the realization that their op- portunities for development and expression are as im- portant and as sharply defined as those of the boys, are among the significant ideas and lessons that the dean is inculcating. I believe the work even in the initial stage
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is productive of fruitful results. Statistics cannot prove nevertheless I believe in general that girls are tending to be more energetic yet less boisterous - more resource- ful yet audacious. The inclination toward tawdry and the gaudy is being supplanted by a trend toward moder- ation and merit.
There were only two changes in the personnel of the teaching corps during the past year. This small turn-over ยท was fortunate. The retention of the faculty nearly in- tact has enabled the teachers to give more personal at- tention to the individual problems of pupils. Individu- al attention is not always pleasant. There are still many people - both pupils and parents who misinterpreting the objectives and values of school, try to conceal weak- nesses and lack of information, and thereby hamper the growth and development that is desired. Frankness and acknowledgment of individual needs make fertile soil for real education.
Since the beginning of the present administration it has been the policy to require pupils absent from school for any reason to make up the work. The bi-weekly un- satisfactory reports between marking periods have re- mained in use. A system of concrete information con- cerning conduct has been installed. An idea copied by the principal after a visitation at a neighboring high school has been utilized. Conferences with all pupils who fail are held after each marking period. . The principal receives from the teachers bi-weekly reports concerning pupils who have done unsatisfactory work during the previous eight weeks. Parents are kept informed con- cerning the low grade work of pupils. As thorough a system of notation for excellent work has not been estab- lished. The private conferences have revealed to the principal an astounding lack of home study or study out- side of school in the lower quarter of each class. This condition is especially true of the two younger classes. Pupils who neglect home study tend to be retarded and
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eliminated from school before the later years of the course. The work of the Senior Class since the opening of school in September is worthy of commendation. One- third of the class did a sufficiently high grade of work to be members of the school honor roll. The honor group for the school has averaged one pupil in each ten.
The athletic problem - a genuine source of trouble in many schools - has been an asset to the school. There has been no attempt by athletes to obtain special priv- ileges. There has been no attempt to interfere with other branches of school activities. As a rule boys who have taken part in athletics have done better school work than the boys who have not participated. In general athletics have acted as a tonic upon the standard of school work. Improvement in school work during an athletic season is obvious only in the lower three-quarters of a class. In the upper quarter participation in athletics is accom- panied usually by a slight decline in academic work.
The spirit and the morale of Plymouth High School have been during the past four years a source of satis- faction. In many respects the school atmosphere is quite ideal to facilitate the faculty to lead and to aid the stu- dents to develop. Surface indications such as the effer- vescense of cheers are not pronounced. Yet there is a widespread desire among pupils to co-operate. A large percentage participate in some form of school activity.
Within a year the extra-curricula activities or clubs have increased in number.
The extra-curricula activities are semi-educational and semi-social. The point of saturation has been reached. It is better to have too few outside activities than too many. There are more activities in which pupils might engage with profit. However, more clubs would jeopar- dize the best interests of the school. The main emphasis at the age of high school pupils should be school work and school spirit rather than club work and club spirit.
Several specific changes or events during the year are
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worthy of a comment. A drawing studio for the high school has been established in the Lincoln Street building.
The change has improved the work in drawing. It has also permitted more commodious accommodations for sewing. A regular member of the faculty has taken charge of the school chorus. Much interest has been evinced. A special chorus or Glee Club has been estab- lished. The biological equipment has been greatly aug- mented. A new set of encyclopedias has been placed in the library. A new mimeograph has been added to the commercial equipment. The heating problem apparently has been solved. The playground opposite the building has been improved. These improvements have been ap- preciated and utilized. The special emphasis placed on literature in the school paper has been rewarded recently by an honor won for poetic excellency.
There is one need at the school which should be granted your immediate attention in conjunction with the need of more rooms. It has been felt in the past. It is urgent to- day. It will be exigent in the near future. A gymnasium is an essential addition to the equipment. The gymnasium need not await the arrival of more pupils. There are sufficient pupils at present to utilize it constantly. I so- licit your immediate and earnest consideration of the problem of physical development in the winter. This problem is so pressing and so critical that it renders all others nearly imperceptible.
Respectfully submitted,
G. C. MARSDEN,
Principal.
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Junior High School Report
Mr. Horace F. Turner,
Superintendent of Schools.
My dear Mr. Turner:
The enrolment has increased steadily so that during the fall term four hundred and eighteen pupils were regis- tered. Because of the large number promoted to High School in June, one hundred and sixty-two, we were able to meet the demands of this increase without any diffi- culty. At present there are six seventh grades and five eighth grades which are comfortably accommodated in eleven class rooms.
The attendance has been regular except in cases of sickness. This shows that boys and girls together with their parents are realizing the value of education as a necessary asset in life.
Among the many changes that have entered into the schools during the past few years none has been more important that the scientific classification of pupils. During the month of November, Intelligent Tests were given by you to all the pupils. Classification based on these tests together with the teacher's judgment gives each pupil, the bright, the average, and the slow, a chance to succeed. In other words it is one way of cater- ing to the individual differences of pupils. A readjust- ment in the course of study is under way so that each group may do the most effective work in terms of abil- ity.
That the reading habit might be cultivated through the desire to read, each class is allowed a period a week at the public library. The librarian, together with her assistants, has co-operated in every way to enlarge upon
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the experiences of the pupils. To get boys and girls in- terested in their public libraries is one way of equip- ping them for worthy use of leisure time (1) by teaching how to use the Public Library more intelligently; (2) to teach the effective use of books of reference; (3) to acquire a broader acquaintance with worth-while books. Special Interesting Features of the Past Year:
1. Simple form of pupil government introduced at recess time. The aim is to train boys and girls to take responsibility, to have a desire for homely duties, to acquire a respect for authority, and for other people's property.
2. In the general assemblies as many pupils as pos- sible have been encouraged to take part. The aim is' service. The programs consisted of vocal and instru- mental music, dramatization, lantern slides, and speakers to interest pupils in community affairs.
3. Teaching of history by the library method met the needs of individual differences.
4. The introduction of the School Library of Fiction had a two-fold aim. (1) To develop a desire for read- ing of the right sort for those who do not care to read. (2) To increase the desire in those who do care.
5. Leaders' Corps whose aim is the development of leaders took an active part in days of special observance.
6. Concert in High School auditorium in May gave a practical demonstration of the music, both vocal and instrumental. Two interesting features were the com- bination of band and orchestra and the excellent work of the Boys' and Girls' Glee Clubs.
7. School Orchestra played at the Teachers' County Convention in Brockton.
8. Participation of the Band in the National Music Week contest at the Arena in Boston. Prize won.
9. School paper under the direction of the English teachers, increased the interest of the class room work.
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10. The Field Day events brought out the fine team play of both boys and girls under the direction of the physical training teachers.
11. Articles from the woodworking department con- sisting of lamps, tables, bookcases, piano stools, medi- cine chests, and tip tables exhibited in High School Hall.
12. Dresses and ties worn at graduation made by the girls themselves.
13. Pageant "The Light" giving the development of education through the ages, produced at graduation.
14. Parents' Day which brought the school and par- ents into closer relation.
Recommendations for consideration are :
A Gymnasium.
A Program Clock.
Furniture for Teachers' Room.
In conclusion, I wish to thank you, the members of the School Committee, and the teachers for the co-oper- ation and assistance given me the past year.
Respectfully submitted,
KATHARINE A. O'BRIEN,
Principal.
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Report of School Physician
Mr. Horace F. Turner,
Superintendent of Schools,
Plymouth, Mass.
Dear Sir:
I hereby submit my nineteenth annual report as school physician.
Herbert Hoover has said: "There should be no child in America who is not born under proper conditions; does not live in hygienic surroundings ; ever suffers from malnutrition ; does not have opportunity for out-door play ; does not have prompt and efficient medical inspec- tion and attention : does not receive primary instruction in the elements of hygiene and health."
Burnham in his masterly work: "The Normal Mind" says that a former Commissioner of Education of Mas- sachusetts has stated that there is no consensus of opinion among educators as to the aim of elementary education and that he does not know what that aim is himself. The writer's comment on this observation is that, "to this, hygiene naturally answers that if pedagogy does not know the aim of elementary education that pedagogy should give place to hygiene; for hygiene does know the aim and can state it definitely. In a word the primary aim is the conservation of a child's health and the de- velopment of habits of healthful activity, physical and mental."
HEALTH TEACHING
The large and increasing number of school hygiene and health publications which are now flooding the mar-
Plymouth Ninteen
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ket show that at last there has been a very sudden and a very general awakening to the lack of up to date in- struction of this kind in the public schools.
In looking over what is being offered by the publishers we are impressed by the almost complete absence of ma- terial which covers the ground in anything like a com- prehensive manner in the primary grades.
In order to find out just what instructions and train- ing in hygiene was being given in our schools a survey was made last spring. This showed that in the first three or primary grades hygiene was included in the school program in all schools but one, but that no definite time was allotted to the subject and that it varied any- where from none at all up to fifty minutes a week accord- ing to the conception which the teacher had of the impor- tance of the subject. In all but two schools the material contained in a book published by the Massachusetts Tu- berculosis League, entitled "Health Teaching in the School" was the basis of instruction although this was supplemented in some cases where the teacher was inter- ested in the subject, by other material. In only three schools was credit given the pupil for work in this sub- ject. All the schools visited gave a definite period to in- spection, instruction in and checking up on personal hy- giene the time varying from ten to seventy-five minutes a week. No credit however is given the pupils for suc- cess in personal hygiene but in the first and second grades a "Health Card" devised by the school nurse and similar to the Score Cards used in the Health Crusade in the higher grades is taken home by the pupil at the end of a period of ten weeks for the signature of the parent in the same way that the ordinary scholarship report is taken home for the approval of the parent or guardian.
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