USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Quincy > Town annual report of Quincy 1884-1885 > Part 11
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Increase.
Per cent of Increase.
1878.
365
478
1879
402
37
IO
508
30
6
1880
407
5
550
42
8
1881
439
32
7
611
61
II
1882
50I
62
I4
646
35
5
1883.
523
22
4
706
60
9
1884
588
65
12
802
96
13
In the examination of the next table, two facts should be held constantly in mind. First, that the number of pupils reported as belonging to each grade was taken in January, during the first week of the winter term, when the number of pupils in the pri- maries is at the lowest; and second, that although in a given primary school-room there can be found floor space for sixty desks, nothing short of pressing necessity can justify the placing of that number of little children in a single room. In the first place, fair treatment of the teacher would forbid it, for the care of threescore active children for five hours per day is too great a burden to impose upon any one, and the teacher is in great measure precluded from producing such results as will be satis-
28
factory. The case seems equally clear when viewed from the standpoint of the pupils' interest. If sixty children are gathered into a single school, which should consist of forty, is it not evi- dent that individuals must fail to receive the amount of attention which they require ? It will be understood, then, that the follow- ing figures indicate the number of desks which can be placed in the various rooms, and not in every case the number which a wise policy would dictate : -
Adams School.
No. of Desks. No. of Pupils.
No. of Desks. No. of Pupils.
A Grammar .
I5
15
B Primary . .
55
58
B Grammar .
50
39
C Primary . .
55
51
C Grammar .
45
40
C Primary . .
60
58
D Grammar .
45
35
D Primary. .
60
41
A Primary . .
55
59
D Primary. .
55
52
Seating capacity, 495. Number of pupils, 448.
Although there appears to be a difference of forty-seven be- tween the seating capacity of the Adams School and the number of pupils at present belonging, this result is obtained by crediting the A Grammar room with fifteen seats. The room is a very small one, was designed for a recitation-room only, and is poorly adapted to the use now made of it. A fairer estimate of the seating capacity would give four hundred and eighty seats, with a margin of thirty-two between this and the number of pupils.
It should be remarked in regard to this margin of thirty-two in the Adams School, and the margin of seventy-eight shown by the table relating to the Willard School, that the vacant seats are scattered among ten or twelve rooms, - a few here, a few there, - and do not by any means indicate the possibility of accom- modating the inevitable increase in the number of pupils.
29
Willard School.
No. of Desks.
No. of Pupils.
No. of Desks. No. of Pupils.
A Grammar .
36
25
B Primary . .
50
46
B Grammar .
36
33
B Primary . .
50
45
C Grammar .
51
46
C Primary . .
49
4I
D Grammar .
55
46
C Primary . .
55
41
A Primary . .
53
50
D Primary . .
60
44
A Primary . .
50
50
D Primary . .
54
54
Seating capacity, 599. Number of pupils, 521.
A glance at the former of these tables will show the crowded condition of the Adams primaries, five of which contain more pupils than is desirable. Last September we experienced great inconvenience in that school, when it became necessary to pro- mote pupils from two C Primary rooms into the single B Primary. A similar difficulty was escaped at the Willard School by fitting up the room in the old portion of the building which had been unoccupied since the enlargement, and the establishment of a second A Primary room. All rooms in both buildings are now occupied, save the basement at the Willard School, which was deserted as unfit for a school-room. When the time comes for the next annual promotion of pupils, we shall have in both dis- tricts, in an aggravated form, the same difficulty which was ex- perienced at the Adams in September last.
In view of all these facts, I trust it is sufficiently clear to the Committee that a new school building on the lot of land recently purchased by the town would even now serve a very good pur- pose, and will be indispensable fully as soon as it is possible to complete its erection.
HIGH SCHOOL.
The following table will show the average number belonging to this school, and the average daily attendance, for a period of nearly ten years. It will be observed that in this time there has been an increase of about two thirds in the size of the school, although the element of growth has not been uniform from year to year.
30
High School.
Five months ending February 1, 1876
60
59
Year ending January 1, 1877
1878
63
62
66
1879
72
71
66
1880
86
83
1881
92
89
1882
89
86
.6
1883
89
85
1884
100
94
66
1885
105
100
The rapid diminution in the size of classes, as we ascend from the lowest primary, is a matter of common knowledge, and has already been spoken of in this report. I have been interested in ascertaining the number of pupils who have entered the High School in the September of successive years, and the size of the same classes at graduation. The result of this inquiry is here presented : -
Number of Pupils Entering.
Number of Pupils Graduating.
Ratio of Number En- tering to Number Graduating.
Sept., 1872
34
June, 1 875
IO
.29
6. IS73
28
I876
7
.25
66
IS74
25
1877
13
.52
66
1875
36
1878
16
.44
66
1879
8
.44
66
1877
61
66
1880
19
.31
66
1878
60
66
1881
22
.36
66
1879
53
66
1882
25
.47
66
1885
63
66
1883
30
.47
66
ISSI
30
1884
19
.63
408
169
.41
Average Number Belonging.
Average Daily Attendance.
55
56
1876
18
3I
It is unfortunate that so many parents and pupils should regard the completion of the grammar-school course as the point at which attendance upon school should end; that the High School should be considered a sort of appendix to the lower schools ; that its studies should be considered ornamental rather than practical ; luxuries for the poor, rather than necessities for all. A wiser view would secure to every boy and every girl the benefits of a high-school training, except as some insurmount- able obstacle stood in the way. The course of studies should be such as to meet the needs of the great majority of the pupils, and so chosen as to escape the frequent, though often times very narrow, objection of not being practical. Some further remarks on this point will be presented a little later.
It often happens that pupils are not sent to the High School at all, because they possibly or probably will not complete the studies of the school, and graduate therefrom. This seems a great mistake. In arranging the studies of the High School, it is important to make the work of each year somewhat complete in itself; to enter upon no study which will not be carried far enough to result in good to the pupil.
If such an arrangement is secured the student may spend one or. two years in the High School, as his circumstances may allow, and still occupy his time to great advantage. The studies as- signed to the first year in our own school are English History, Algebra, English Grammar and Composition, weekly exercises in Arithmetic and Drawing. It seems a pity that any pupil should lose the great advantages of this year's work, merely be- cause he will be unable to remain one or two additional years in the school. Let him rather enter the school, maintain his con- nection with it as long as may be, and withdraw when urgent necessity compels it. It frequently happens that pupils enter the school in September, and leave it at the end of a few days or weeks. Of course the final decision in all these cases must rest with parents, but I cannot resist the feeling that one mark of a good school is the strong hold which it secures upon its pupils. The great influence which teachers may exert in deter- mining the motives which guide the pupils, in awakening their ambition, and in leading them to the formation of right judg- ments, is the most important of all their duties. There are oç- casional instances in which further attendance upon school is of no advantage to the pupil. It oftener happens that he intends to withdraw on account of some dislike of a single study, a hasty desire to get to work, or even from a mere desire of change. He is yet too young to judge wisely what his own interests demand. In all such cases - aside from the action of parents - teachers
32
should know the causes which impel the pupil to withdraw, in- form his judgment, and lead him to make a wiser decision than would otherwise result.
Some instances have come to my notice, during the year, in which parents did not seem sufficiently well informed as to what their children were doing in the High School. Hereafter the reports which speak of the attendance, deportment, and scholar- ship of the pupils will be transmitted through the mail, and I would bespeak for them careful attention. If they contain any- thing which is unintelligible, or which occasions any anxiety on the part of parents, it is to be hoped that they will visit the school, secure any needed explanation, and remove the occasion of their uneasiness. In addition to the reports relating to all pupils, a special communication should be forwarded whenever there is anything in the conduct or recitations of a pupil which is especially troublesome. It is simple justice to the parent to in- form him of the difficulty ; justice to the pupil requires that his ill conduct should not be allowed to continue, and the general interests of the school will be thereby protected. Some study out of school hours is necessary for all the pupils in good health. The teachers rightly feel that the pursuits of the school should stand first. They have been interfered with to some extent by social engagements of one kind or another, and in securing a wise division of the pupils' afternoons and evenings, parents can render material assistance. Aside from any special object which may bring parents to the school, it is greatly to be wished that their visits might be much more frequent. Is it not surprising that an institution whose maintenance involves so much expense, and which touches the interests of so many homes, should pursue its way week after week, and term after term, unaided by any manifestation of public interest ?
COURSE OF STUDIES.
No task of greater difficulty can be imagined than the attempt to formulate the wisest course of studies for a system of schools. Last year some intimation was given of the changes which it was proposed to effect in the studies of the High School, and on a previous page of this report the studies of the first year have been named. We are not yet ready, however, to put into print, as finally fixed upon, a scheme of instruction covering four years. There are some points which have not yet received sufficient consideration, and others which can be best determined by actual experiment. I revert to the plan, recommended last year, of opening, to such pupils as desire its advantages, a fourth year
33
of study in the High School. The reasons which led to this recommendation need not be repeated. A beginning of its realization has been secured, as three young ladies who received diplomas from the Committee last June - Miss Collagan, Miss Dinnie, and Miss Evans -returned to the school in September. The wisdom of the recommendation is in a degree confirmed by this limited trial. I have felt anxious that the united influence of the teachers of the school should be exerted to secure the ad- vantages of this fourth year of study to such pupils as would most profit by it. Whenever it is possible, pupils at the end of their first year in the High School should decide whether they will remain two or three years thereafter, as their choice of studies should be in a measure determined by this decision. In case they decide upon the three additional years, instruction in both Latin and French will be available for that length of time, though not compulsory, while at least two years' work in litera- ture will also be offered.
There are two urgent needs of the school, to which I would call the attention of the Committee. The first is the necessity of a school library, in order that such instruction in history and literature may be afforded as is demanded by the best thought of the present time. It is only of late that High School pupils have studied literature ; up to this recent period they have rather studied about literature. The common practice has been to put into the learner's hands a compendium or other text-book, largely made up of critical and biographical matter, and containing only scraps or fragments in the shape of selections. This course resulted in giving pupils more or less information, more or less acquaintance with names, dates, etc., but it failed, and must always fail, to secure the great ends for which we teach literature, viz., that the taste of pupils may be cultivated, a real acquaintance with literature obtained, and a lasting love for good reading secured. The difficulty of wisely hand- ling the study of general history is now generally admitted. The old time plan involved the use of a manual, which, of course, was a highly condensed statement of events whose occur- rence covered thousands of years, concerned scores of peo- ples and all quarters of the globe. Page after page of this manual was assigned to pupils as the subject-matter of their daily recitations. Many adults of the present generation whose only instruction in history was of this nature are inclined to credit to it the whole extent of their present acquirements, for- getting that these acquirements are the result of their subsequent reading.
At all events, the best authorities are agreed that there is a
34
far better way of teaching general history than was the one just outlined. Without prolonging further this discussion as to how literature and history should be taught, we are entirely safe in affirming that a good library is a necessity in every well-equipped High School. By the use of the term "library,' a collection of books is meant. An apartment should be set aside large enough to contain ample shelf room, and tables for books of reference and for writing. The library itself will be a growth ; the needs of the school dictating the order of the acquisitions, while pupils, friends of the school, and public funds, all contribute to the desired end. At the expiration of a few years, without imposing a burden upon any one, a collection of books will be secured, which will exactly answer the demands of the school, because they have been chosen to meet its needs. However good a public library exists, the well-being of the school demands its own library. It is very important that the books should be entirely under the control of teachers, and always available for immediate and prolonged use. Nor need there be any fear that the usefulness of the Thomas Crane Library will be in the least impaired by the establishment of this High School Library. On the other hand, the pupils will be educated to a wiser and more active employment of the advantages afforded by that insti- tution.
A suitable laboratory, fitted with sinks, gas, and water, is the second of the needs of the school. Last year, the necessity of such an apartment for the proper teaching of physics and chem- istry was mentioned, and I regret that so many months should have elapsed with the necessity still existing. Without entering upon an extended discussion of science-teaching, one or two remarks seem appropriate. Without doubt, the most thorough work done in the past by our New England High Schools has been in Latin and Greek. Various causes have taken from our school much of its character as a classical institution. This being the case, if the reputation of the school is not to depend on the classical training which it affords, the instruction in natural science ought to be of the first order. The contrast between old-time ways of science-teaching and the present practices of the best schools is very marked. The array of authorities in favor of modern methods is most imposing, and a candid exami- nation will convince any unprejudiced person of the strength of
their position. Without any attempt to multiply testimony, I quote several sentences from the writings of Prof. Huxley.
He says : " If scientific education is to be dealt with as mere book work it will be better not to attempt it, but to stick to the Latin grammar, which makes no pretence to be anything but
35
book work. But let me entreat you to remember my
last words. Mere book learning in physical science is a sham and a delusion. The great blunder that our people make, I think, is attempting to teach from books. If you are setting to work to teach a child science, you must teach it through its eyes, and its hands, and its senses."
No high-school which lacks a laboratory can be considered equipped for its work. It is true that the enterprise and ingenu- ity of teachers who thoroughly believe in this necessity will devise many plans and improvise many bits of apparatus, which will do much to compensate for such lack of equipment. Indeed the most complete equipment will avail nothing, except as it is made to serve the purposes of instructors who believe in its use. Without such equipment, it is difficult to see how any real teaching can be done. No strong contradictions in methods of teaching should exist between the elementary schools and the High School. It is only as the methods of both are in harmony that pupils can be prepared for the work of the High School ; only under such circumstances can the High School properly supplement the teaching of the lower schools.
PERSONAL INFLUENCE OF TEACHERS.
But after all that may be said in regard to methods of teach- ing, the real usefulness of all the schools depends upon the influence which they exert upon their pupils. I think it was Emerson who said, "I care not what you study, or how you study, but with whom you study." No better tribute to the per- sonal influence of the teacher occurs to me than the following words from the pen of President Garfield : " It has long been my opinion that we are all educated, whether children, men, or women, far more by personal influence than by books and the apparatus of schools. If I could be taken back into boyhood to-day, and had all the libraries and apparatus of a university, with ordinary routine professors, offered me on the one hand, and on the other a great, luminous, rich-souled man, such as Dr. Hopkins was twenty years ago, in a tent in the woods alone, I should say, ' Give me Dr. Hopkins for my college course, rather than any university with only routine professors.' The privilege of sitting down before a great, clear-headed, large-hearted man, and breathing the atmosphere of his life, and being drawn up to him, and lifted up by him, and learning his methods of thinking and living, is in itself an enormous educating power."
36
DRAWING.
It is now three years since instruction in drawing was intro- duced into all the schools. At my request Mr. Carter has drawn up a report of the work which has been carried on under his direction.
MR. G. I. ALDRICH,
Superintendent of Schools :
In compliance with your request I present the following report : -
In 1881, while pursuing my duties as an agent of the State Board of Education, my attention was directed to the town of Quincy. I found, to my surprise, that drawing was not taught, except to a limited extent in one school. An interview was held with the former superintendent, Mr. Brown, who had pre- viously urged in his reports the importance of introducing the study. He at once cordially accepted the assistance offered by the State. It was arranged that the work should be commenced by eight meetings of the teachers. It was found that many of them had never received any instruction. A few had received some training at the Normal Schools. None of them were acquainted with the objective method which has since been so fully developed. The special meetings were, therefore, largely designed to give the teachers instruction, and at the same time to acquaint them with the best methods of presenting the subject to their pupils. Notwithstanding a lack of special training, it was soon found that teachers became successful in this study in proportion to their success in others. It was found that the ability to draw did not alone make successful teachers of draw- ing. The good results obtained have been largely secured by leading the minds of the pupils to an understanding of the work to be performed. Throughout the schools pupils have been taught various principles relating to the form of objects. Their skill in expressing these principles by drawing depends on prac- tice, just as elegant handwriting depends on practice. We should not hesitate to use drawing or writing to express ideas, because we cannot draw straight lines or imitate perfectly the letters of a copy book.
It is not expected that teachers should be expert elocutionists in order to teach reading. Why, then, should they be expected to be artists in order to teach drawing ? In order to make the instruction more effective, an engagement was made with me whereby I have since had direct charge of this department of the school work. Industrial drawing, which is required by the stat- utes of the State, has been taught.
37
Many people imagine that drawing necessarily means picture- making, but that is not the aim of drawing as taught in the public schools. Its aim there should be to give that training of hand and eye which every pupil should receive, whatever his future occupation, and which is indispensable for such as are to be engaged in the mechanic arts or manufactures. It is now understood that training of this character opens a much wider field of employment to the pupils graduating from our schools. No longer do they find their most available capital that which formerly directed so many to clerkships or similar employments. " It opens new fields of industry and profit; it enhances the value of labor in many old fields, to him who has acquired even a fair degree of proficiency ; while it at the same time cultivates and refines the taste, and adds new sources of rational and ennobling enjoyments." It may be pertinent to notice that those who advocate workshop instruction in the public schools make the study of drawing an important auxiliary in producing the results which they aim to secure.
The course of instruction being developed in Quincy supposes the subject to be really the study of form, a knowledge of which is primarily obtained by observation of the hand and eye. This knowledge pupils express by clay, drawing, or language; clay being used to express what is known of objects as wholes, while drawing is used to express knowledge of details. All drawings are either working views, such as are employed in industrial construction, or perspective views, which represent the appearance of objects as presented to the eye. At invervals inventive or designing exercises are given, in combining the forms already known so as to produce new ones. This method of necessity must be largely objective, and as a consequence in harmony with the methods employed in rightly presenting other subjects.
A few years ago, drawing in all schools consisted in copying printed examples, the result of some other person's observation. The same course is pursued in many schools to-day. As a con- sequence pupils find, on leaving school, that their drawing is of comparatively little value. It has not been practised as it will be used, that is, in representing objects that exist or are to be constructed. To avoid the bad results of exclusive flat copying, pupils are required to do, in each grade, a certain amount of work directly from objects, and as far as possible all teaching is done from objects. Pupils thus gain the most valuable knowl- edge of forms, that which is the result of the direct observation of hand and eye.
Thus far, pupils have been led principally to make working
38
views of objects, either singly or combined, as in plans and ele- vations. It has been found easy to lead children to understand this practical work, which, until recently, was only undertaken by adults.
To-day, many pupils in the grammar schools know more about "reading working drawings" than an ordinary workman. Those who have attended the annual exhibitions will remember the many drawings labelled " from the object." It has been found that pupils soon gain such a knowledge of the methods employed that they are able to make independent use of their drawing. This has been shown when pupils have been requested to make simple working views of objects at home. The results have often been a surprise, because objects have been success- fully represented which were more difficult than the printed ex- amples of their books. Such work, of course, indicates enthusi- astic interest in the subject. Where teachers have been able to secure this fully, the work has become very interesting.
It has been my constant aim to make the study practical and profitable. I have been further induced to do this by the re- quirements of my State work, which, together with my lectures at the Normal Art School, refer to public-school work.
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