USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Quincy > Town annual report of Quincy 1887-1888 > Part 11
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and care of rooms
$40,250
Transportation
900
Repairs
.
2,200
Books and stationery
2,200
Incidentals .
3,400
$48,950
Evening Drawing School
1,000
Other Evening Schools .
1,000
$50,950
It is believed that as regards the essential condition of suc- cess - that of having a good teaching force - the schools were never, as a whole, better equipped than at present. The selec- tion of such teachers with the salaries at his disposal is the most difficult duty of the Superintendent. It has been for a long time the policy of the school authorities to place in his hands unlimited power in this direction and it is a fact worthy of note that for thirteen years not a single teacher has been placed in the schools of Quincy except upon the recommendation of that official. It is due to this fact more than to all others that our schools are in their present excellent condition, for, while other agencies may help - the teacher makes the school. The Superin- tendent, being held directly responsible to the School Committee for good results, has but one object in the selection of teachers, that of getting the most competent. Faithful, efficient teachers, whose hearts are in their work, teach the children of Quincy to-day, and great credit should be, and is, given to this devoted class of public servants.
Your Committee would call the attention of the citizens of the town to the report of the Superintendent, whose duty it is, as already suggested, to give a detailed account of the work of the schools each year. The Committee have, however, given sufficient personal attention to the matter to be convinced that the information communicated by said report gives an accurate account of the condition of the schools.
It is our pleasure to state that we believe fully and unani- mously in the methods of instruction pursued, under the wise and efficient leadership of Mr. Aldrich, who for five years has
7
maintained the pleasantest relations with teachers and pupils, conducting the schools with great credit to himself and to the complete satisfaction of the School Committee.
In estimating expenses for the coming year, as small a sum is asked for as is consistent with maintaining the present standard of excellence.
The statement is made each year, and this must not be an exception, that, while the appropriations increase, the school population increases. in corresponding ratio.
SYLVESTER BROWN. JOHN A. GORDON. FRANCIS L. HAYES. JOSEPH M. SHEAHAN. THOMAS GURNEY. RUPERT F. CLAFLIN.
REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT.
1
REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT.
TO THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE OF QUINCY : -
Another twelvemonth has slipped away, and we have come again to the season of annual reports. The document to which your present attention is asked constitutes the thirteenth in the series prepared by the Superintendent of Schools, and is the fifth submitted by myself. I shall proceed at once to speak of the most important matters pertaining to the past school year, and first of the
ATTENDANCE OF PUPILS.
An inquiry as to this subject seems to present a natural beginning for a school report. It is surely important to learn at the outset with what completeness the children of the town, these for whom primarily the schools are maintained, are gathered within their walls. Accordingly, as soon as the records of attendance for the year were completed, I proceeded to examine the aggregates with care, and to compare them with those of the years immediately preceding. I saw that during the year 1887, 2,995 different pupils had been registered in the schools, the largest number we have ever reached, and an in- crease of 179 over the return for 1886.
When I came to compare the entire membership of the schools and the total average daily attendance for 1887 with the same items for 1886, I found that the returns showed a de- crease of one hundred and twenty-eight in the membership and of ninety-nine in the attendance. This showing was entirely contradictory to the marked increase in the number of pupils registered, and to my own conviction that both these items had been larger for the past year than ever before. A short inves- tigation disclosed the cause of this apparent decrease. If refer- ence be had to the tables of attendance for 1886, that relating to the John Hancock School will be found to cover but three months of that year, viz., October, November, and December. The footings for this school were included in the totals for all
12
the schools which cover a period of ten months. As a result of this mistake the totals for 1886 are unduly swollen and en- tirely valueless. It will be necessary to take in a period of two years if one wishes to examine into the increase in the size of the schools, - that is, to compare the returns for 1885 with those for 1887. Such a comparison discloses an increase of 306 in whole number registered, an increase of 172 in the membership, and an increase of 163 in the average daily attend- ance. I have deemed it wise to thus explain the error which I allowed to creep into last year's attendance returns, lest in the future it prove a source of trouble, and that we might not now appear to be a rapidly growing town, but with a decreasing attendance upon our schools. Last year I enlarged somewhat upon the policy which has governed our efforts to secure a satis- factory attendance of pupils. It is unnecessary to repeat what was written at that time, but the results of such efforts are worthy of mention. On examining the returns for the past ten years, I find one year in which the average daily attendance upon the schools was ninety-two per cent of the average mem- bership, while for the other nine years it has ranged from the per cent just mentioned up to ninety-six.
I take pleasure in reporting that we have had less tardiness during the past year than ever before. The pro rata shown in each of our attendance returns is obtained by dividing the whole number of tardinesses by the number of pupils in average daily attendance. This pro rata is obtained in the same way for a single room, for an entire school, or for the whole town. The showing for the past year is .49, as compared with .62, the best previous record. If we go back to the return prepared in February, 1876, we shall find a pro rata of 2.81 ; in February, 1877, we find a pro rata of 2.52. It appears then, that while we take pride in the good record of the year 1887, we may find our greatest satisfaction in the contrast presented between the early years of persistent efforts for improved attendance and the year just ended. While I congratulate teachers most heartily upon the results of their attention to this matter of tardiness, it occurs to me that unremitting zeal will be necessary if we are to equal our present record in the years to come. I append a table which is likely to prove convenient for purposes of future reference : -
13
YEAR.
No. of differ- ent Pupils.
Average No. belonging.
Average daily attendance.
No. of Tardi- nesses pro rata average daily attendance.
1878
1953
1484
1413
1.08
1879
1910
1551
1467
.74
1880
2097
1643
1562
.87
1881
2179
1650
1558
.69
1882
2302
1779
1669
.65
188
2370
1809
1681
.62
1884
2514
1939
1817
.71
1885
2689
2122
2003
.66
1886
*2816
*2422
*2265
.66
1887
2995
2294
2166
.49
* An error in this return is explained in preceding pages.
Tables of the usual form appear on later pages of this report and will afford detailed information in regard to each school. The footings found in these tables are obtained by averaging the ten monthly returns received from teachers. They do not of course show the maximum attendance. I have selected the month which ended on Sept. 30, 1887, as one in which the con- ditions are all favorable to a complete attendance of pupils. The reports from the various buildings at the end of that month were as follows :-
SCHOOLS.
Whole Number Belonging Sept. 30, 1887.
Average Membership for the Month.
Average Attendance for the Month.
High
115
117
116
Adams .
411
402
388
Coddington
368
368
355
John Hancock
323
326
313
Quincy
243
242
234
Washington
267
259
251
Willard
525
527
509
Wollaston
207
204
196
2,459
2,445
2,362
14
A comparison of these figures with those which appear in the summary for the year will show that for the month of Sep- tember the membership was 151 larger and the attendance 196 larger than the average of the same items for ten months of the vear.
CONCERNING THE AGE OF PUPILS.
Three years ago I presented to the committee the results of an inquiry as to the distribution of pupils in the different grades. As was to be expected, the largest number was found to belong to the D primary grade, the smallest number belonged to the ad- vanced class in the High School, and the decrease from the first grade to the last was wellnigh unbroken. I have recently been interested in making a somewhat similiar inquiry as to the ages of pupils belonging to each grade, and the results of such inquiry are here printed for the inspection of any who seek in- formation in regard to the matter.
15
20
19
18
17
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
First Class.
1
1
5
7
6
3
. .
Second "
12
14
10
3
1
-
Third
3
13
18
11
( A Grammar.
8
8
3
1
B
60
1
1
7
12
8
3
C
2
9
15
16
10
2
D
2
11
18
15
8
2
1
1
3
13
15
39
22
6
5
1
. .
C
66
1
2
5
11
14
12
2
...
2
3
8
19
29
30
A Grammar.
5
12
9
2
B
1
4
10
9
5
C
1
4
7
12
10
2
D
66
1
1
1
9
17
14
2
1
A Primary.
1
7
13
14
16
1
B
66
8
12
11
5
C
2
5
24
19
4
D
66
1
1
2
9
14
23
35
B
1
1
9
20
25
4
C
1
1
6
15
44
35
S
. .
D
1
5
14
31
63
64
A Grammar.
1
2
11
5
1
B
1
6
8
3
1
C
66
9
8
8
2
D
66
6
11
8
9
2
-
A Primary
1
3
8
11
9
1
B
1
1
3
2
11
11
2
C
1
1
2
4
14
6
[D
1
:
10
13
17
( A Grammar
1
6
6
1
B
1
3
10
.
C
1
11
10
8
4
1
( 1)
1
5
6
12
-1
10
Adame.
A Primary
B
2
7
8
12
D
....
Coddington.
John Hancock.
Quincy.
High.
Washington.
. .
1
16
.
20
19
18
17
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
6
5
A Primary.
3
6
13
6
2
B
..
5
3
8
12
5
C
5
6
6
1.
5
.. .
D
4
[ A Grammar
2
11
14
12
12
3
11
5
D
..
9
19
24
19
3
A Primary
B
3
4
C
..
C
4
12
15
24
1
D
5
15
39
65
42
f & Grammar
1
1
B
. .
1
4
1
1
C
4
9
6
1
D
A Primary
5
4
10
B
1
6
S
15
C
1
1
4
6
14
5
. .
D
66
15
16
Total
1
1
5
41
No 153 214 261 219 201 250
29; 255 250
226
1
B
6
7
10
13
21
19
6
16
1
Wollaston
Q
5
9
.
Washington.
16
Willard.
15
17
TEACHERS.
Last year I reported fifty-eight teachers in the service of the town, assistants excluded. At present our teaching corps num- bers sixty, there having been an increase of one in the John Hancock and one in the Washington school. During the year, eleven teachers, including one principal, have left our schools. On a subsequent page will appear a list of those who have re- tired, together with mention of various transfers which have taken place. In former years, when writing on the topic which is now before us, I have called attention to the disastrous effect upon our schools of this constant loss of teachers, and have re- peatedly bespoken for our teachers the confidence and consid- eration . which they so richly deserve. It would be entirely fitting to again speak of both those matters. Our successful teachers are still called away from us, and it remains as true as ever that to the teachers of the schools -quite as much as to. any and all other agencies - is to be given credit for the char- acter of our schools and for that reputation which rests upon it. But instead of repeating again views so often expressed, let me take a somewhat different direction. It is a matter of common knowledge that the year in which occurred what Mr. Adams calls " The New Departure in the Common Schools of Quincy " coincides in point of time with a marked awakening in the educational affairs of Massachusetts. Views will differ as to the relation of cause and effect which some will think they discover between these two events, but their coincidence in point of time is undeniable. I wish to call to your attention that since that year there has been a constantly increasing demand for the ser- vices of trained teachers- of teachers who thoroughly know their business. We will not claim that Quincy set the fashion, but certain it is that never before were the qualifications of teachers so carefully scanned, never was the competition for the services of skilled teachers so active as now. The natural result of this increased demand has been a tendency towards increased compensation. If now we compare the schedule of salaries paid in Quincy, with the schedules paid in other places of equal size and proximity to Boston, we shall find our own to be relatively low. We have practical proof of this fact in the cases of teachers who are called from Quincy to these places. The practical outcome of all this is, that it is with increasing difficulty that we secure teachers who can take up the work of our schools and carry it on successfully.
2
18
Year by year more is demanded of our teachers. As instruc- tion in drawing and music has developed. an element has been added to our course of instruction which demands either special training or successful experience on the part of all new comers. Teachers who possess such qualifications naturally command good salaries. I am perfectly aware that the cost of our schools constitutes a large share in the annual expenditures of the town. Of the school appropriation, by far the largest portion is paid out in the form of salaries. Our school population is very large, and increasing each year. The amount expended for salaries must inevitably increase, even if no change be made in the present salary tariff. Without going so far at this time as to offer a positive recommendation on this matter of salaries. it has seemed to me wise to put before the Committee, and so be- fore the citizens of the town, the exact situation of affairs at present and the outlook for the future.
SCHOOL BUILDINGS.
An inquiry as to the time of erection of our school-houses has brought into my possession the following information, for which I am indebted to the late Dr. Pattee's "History of Old Braintree and Quincy ": The High School building was first occupied on May 12, 1852. The land on which it stands was bought for $1,200, and the total cost of land and school-house is given as $6,748.68. The Willard was built in 1854-'55, being opened in March of the latter year. The cost of building and furnish- ing appears to have been $7,000. The building opened in 1855 has been twice enlarged : first. in 1873, at a cost of $4,192.54, and again in 1882, at a cost of $6,281.62. The Adams School was erected in 1855, at a cost somewhat exceeding $7,000. It was enlarged in 1879, at an expense of $7.952.93.
The Coddington building was also erected in 1855 ; cost, $7,367.98. It was enlarged in 1876, the cost of enlargement being $3,500. In 1858 the Washington building was erected, at a cost of $7.634.05. Its enlargement, in 1874, involved an expenditure of $3,374.38. The Wollaston building was com- pleted in 1873, the cost of building, land, etc., being $15 .- 616.61. In the same year, 1873, was built the Quincy school- house. Atlantic, at a cost of $18,256.63. The John Hancock school-house was erected in 1886; cost $34,995.76. If now, for convenient reference. all this information be thrown into tabular form, it will appear as follows : -
19
DATE.
NAME OF BUILDING.
*COST.
1852 . .
High
$6,748 68
1855 . .
Willard .
7,000 00
Enlarged in 1873 and 1882.
1855 .
.
Adams .
7,000 00
66
66
1879
1855 .
·
Coddington
7,367 98
66 1876
1858 .
.
Washington
7,634 05
66
66 1874
1873 .
.
Wollaston
15,616 61
1873 .
Quincy
18,256 63
1886 .
John Hancock.
34,995 76
It is quite evident that a considerable annual expenditure is necessary for the suitable perservation of eight large buildings. So far as exteriors are concerned, the care of roofs and paint- ing call for the largest outlays. For future convenience, I print at this time my memorandum of the year in which each building was last painted : -
1887. High and Willard.
1883. Adams and Wollaston.
1885. Coddington.
1882. Washington.
1884. Quincy.
I think I shall be right in assuming that it is necessary to paint at least one building per year, if they are to be kept in good condition. When Mr. Parker assumed charge of the schools, in 1875, he found a very large amount of inside work necessary. I need not go into details in order to show the ex- tent and variety of the improvements called for. Year by year since that time something has been accomplished towards bringing the school-rooms into such a state of convenience and attractiveness as is suited to the uses for which they are designed. During the past year one of the primary rooms at the Willard School has been reseated, and with this improve- ment disappeared the last lot of school furniture deemed ex- tremely objectionable. While it is scarcely possible to specify the thousand and one lesser repairs which constantly demand attention, some of the more important ones incident to the year may be mentioned. The buildings occupied by the High and Willard schools have been painted, town water introduced into the Washington and Willard, an elevator placed in the latter building for the janitor's use in conveying coal, ashes, etc., a
*Reference to context w Il show in what cases cost of land or furnishing is included.
20
fence built in the rear of the Coddington lot, four furnaces in- the Quincy School and two at the Washington School thoroughly overhauled, a large number of desks put in good order, many square feet of blackboard surface repaired, and many ceiling's and walls rendered wholesome and attractive by whitening and kalsomining. Town water has now been intro- duced into all the buildings except the High and Coddington ; but only in the Adams, Hancock. and Washington have we as yet provided conveniences so that this water may be generally used for drinking. The introduction of water into so many buildings involves a new item of expense, which must hereafter be considered in making up estimates of the yearly appropria- tion needed to carry on the schools.
JOHN HANCOCK SCHOOL.
When my last report was presented we were occupying five rooms in this building. As was intimated in that report, it be- came necessary at the opening of the spring term in April, 1887, to furnish and occupy a sixth room. Reference was made last year to the hardship which was entailed upon a few families living slightly to the east of Common Street by the lines which were adopted as bounding what we may term the John Hancock Primary District. This hardship has been removed by allowing children from these families to attend the Willard School. It seems quite probable that the territory marked out as constituting the John Hancock District will prove to be too extensive. Should this be the case, it will be necessary in the coming spring to diminish its extent somewhat in order to se- cure an equal distribution of pupils between the primaries of this building and those of the Adams School. By means of the thousand dollars granted at the last annual town meeting, the basement of the entire building has been very thoroughly cemented ; sundry other minor improvements have been effected. in the interior of the building, and large progress made toward suitable grading of the lot on which the building stands. It is very desirable that the course of the brook which forms the southerly boundary of the lot should be straightened. This matter and action looking toward some restriction of the traffic now passing through Gordon and Nightingale Streets were mentioned last year in the report of the chairman. Nothing has been accomplished in either direction, and as these improve- ments are as much as ever to be desired, I trust they will not
21
be lost sight of. We have now been occupying this building since September, 1886, a period of a year and a half, and our lengthened experience confirms what I said last year in com- mendation of it.
WOLLASTON SCHOOL.
As was stated in last year's report, we have very nearly reached the limit of this building's capacity. Late in January I found that there were 204 pupils connected with the school. The building contains seats for 203 pupils. In case of urgent necessity this number can be increased by twenty. At the opening of the autumn term additional desks were placed in the principal's room, and the B Grammar class transferred to his charge. The D Grammar class was divided, one half being placed in Miss Hayward's room, the other half remaining in care of Miss Chandler. The B and C Primary classes were tranferred to the large easterly room formerly occupied by the D Primary class, the latter class being placed in the room vacated by them. As a result of these changes we shall be able to go through the present school year without serious incon- venience. It still remains true, however, that in the near future additional rooms will be an absolute necessity in this district. I have seen no reason for changing the recommenda- tion made last year to the committee, viz., that the additional accommodation should be secured through the erection of a four- room wooden building on that portion of the lot which lies at the corner of Beale and Prospect streets.
HIGH SCHOOL.
During the year 1887 there have been connected with the High School 164 different pupils, as against 177 pupils for the year 1886. The average membership of the school for the past year has been 110, a decrease of three as compared with the same item for 1886. The average daily attendance for the year has been 105, a decrease of two. The fact that an un- usual number of Quincy boys entered Adams Academy in the autumn and that an unusual number of our young people are at present members of the Bridgewater Normal School may account for the slight decrease observable in the size of the High School. In September. 1884, the entering class of the school contained twenty-eight girls and nineteen boys. Last June there were graduated of this number thirteen girls and
22
and four boys, or thirty-six per cent of the number originally belonging to the class. It is worthy of notice that forty-six per cent of the girls entering completed the course, while only twenty-one per cent of the boys remained through the three years. The present size of the school is as follows : -
1st class
24
2d 66
41
3d
66
46
111
EVENING SCHOOLS.
Quincy, being a town of more than ten thousand inhabitants,. is required by the laws of the State to maintain two varieties of evening schools. In the Superintendent's report for 1885-86 may be found a brief account of the town's previous experience with such schools. By Section 7, Chapter 44 of the General Statutes the town is required to provide free instruction in drawing to persons over fifteen years of age. The Section reads as follows :-
" Any town may, and every city and town having more than tenthousand inhabitants shall, annually make provision for giving free instruction in industrial or mechanical drawing to persons over fifteen years of age, in either day or evening schools, under the direction of the School Committee." As we already have a school established in accordance with the requirements of this section, I shall submit first a brief accounts of its operation, speaking of the entire term of the school in 1886-87, and afterward of the classes which are now at work. On Oct. 19, 1886, twenty-six men who had completed one year's work in the school presented themselves as members of a second year's class. Between the date just mentioned and March 19, 1887, the class received sixty-one lessons, each occupying a session of two hours, and the average attendance for the term was 16.7.
On Oct. 25, 1886, a first-year class began work, under the. direction of Mr. Edminster. Between this date and March 28, 1887, the class received sixty lessons, the average attendance for the term being 28.5. Of the classes now at work, I may remark that Mr. Sweeney's class is made up of men who have completed either one or two years' work in the school. This class was organized on the evening of Tuesday, November 1, sixteen second-year men and seven third-year men being present. Up to February 1 the class has received 36 lessons,
23
and the average attendance for this time has been 15.8. For admission to the present first-year class 52 applications have been received. The class was organized on Oct. 3, 1887, and up to Feb. 1, 1886, has also received 36 lessons, and its register shows an average attendance of 31 students. The other variety of evening school, maintenance of which the laws of the State impose upon Quincy, is described in Section 1, Chapter 174, of the Acts of 1883. This section is as follows :
" Every town and city having ten thousand or more inhabitants shall establish and maintain, in addition to the schools required by law to be maintained therein, evening schools for the instruc- tion of persons over twelve years of age in orthography, read- ing, writing, geography, arithmetic, drawing, the history of the United States, and good behavior. Such other branches of learning may be taught in such schools as the school committee of the town shåll deem expedient." . Previous to the present winter there has seemed to be no demand for evening-school instruction in the branches of learning mentioned in the section cited. In January of the present year the need of such instruc- tion on the part of many of the Swedes resident in Quincy was brought to the notice of the School Committee. Measures were at once taken to arrange one of the vacant rooms in the John Hancock building for the purposes of evening instruction, and on Wednesday, January 25, the work was begun. The number desiring to attend the school proved to be so large that it became necessary to form two classes, one for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings, the other for Tuesday, Thurs- day, and Saturday nights. Up to the present time the register of the schools contains 151 different names, and the attendance for the successive evenings has been 81, 88, 76, 67, 74, 64, and 68. It may be advisable to state that, while the great majority of these pupils read and write their mother tongue, they know almost nothing of English. This rendered it essential that they should be taught by a person understanding both languages, and accordingly the school was placed in care of Mr. Theodore Bergman, a gentleman of thorough education, and a teacher by profession.
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