USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Swampscott > Town annual report of Swampscott 1908 > Part 6
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It is the earnest desire of the school committee to give the Town of Swampscott as good schools as may be found in any other town in the State and the board thoroughly believes that it will receive the sincere support of the Town's people in its efforts to attain this end. The support that it has received from many directions has been most gratifying and will serve to encourage the committee to further effort.
The work of the teaching force, in the face of many difficul- ties, has been very gratifying to the School Committee. As a whole it has been loyal and the results which have been ob- tained have been very satisfactory. A new administration was inaugurated at the High School in September and the board feels assured that within a very few years the work at this school will be on a plane with any other High School in the State.
Perfect harmony has existed between the members of the School Committee, the superintendent, the principals and the teachers. This condition has been of great assistance in pursu- ing effective work and the many new departures of a minor nature have been inaugurated without the slightest friction.
S. PERRY CONGDON, Chairman, ARTHUR W. STUBBS, DR. HOWARD K. GLIDDEN,
Members of the School Committee.
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TOWN DOCUMENTS.
[Jan. 31
REPORT OF SECRETARY OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
To the Members of the School Committee:
The accounts of the School Department have been carefully kept during the past year and at the close of the fiscal year, January 31, 1908, showed the following financial condition, the figures of last year being given for comparison :
RECEIPTS.
Balance on hand, February 1, 1907
$2,414 52
Reverted to the Town Treasury in March,
193 15
Balance
$2,221 37
March appropriation
32,000 00
Receipts
.
43 96
Total
$34,265 33
EXPENSES.
1906.
1907.
Salaries
$22,916 12
$22,815 00
Books
1,374 31
1,054 83
Supplies
1,328 74
1,312 79
Light
23 09
58 83
Miscellaneous
322 12
582 II
Repairs, cleaning
894 87
3,320 71
Furniture, furnishings,
1,396 63
437 22
Fuel .
1,976 35
2,366 36
Printing
149 55
184 95
Insurance
541 00
121 OI
Water
262 00
311 50
Rent .
.
450 00
Tuition
60 00
$31,634 78
$32,625 31
32,625 31
Balance on hand February 1, 1908
$1,640 02
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REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
1908]
While the salary item apparently shows a decrease over the year previous there was in reality an increase last year. The apparent discrepancy is due to the fact that the salaries during all of last year were divided into ten equal payments while the year previous two months' salaries were paid in June and two in September. Next year the comparison will show exactly the increase.
The great increase in the item`of repairs is due almost entirely to the expense of installing sanitaries in the Essex Street School and the necessary work which had to be done at the Phillips School building in order to provide suitable quarters for the manual training department. Considerable expense was also incurred by raising the ventilating pipes at the Phillips School building in order that proper ventilation might be secured.
The furniture item was considerably less last year as the equip- ment of the Clarke School building is included in the year before.
ARTHUR W. STUBBS,
Secretary ..
100
TOWN DOCUMENTS.
[Jan. 31
SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT.
To the School Committee of the Town of Swampscott :
I herewith submit my second annual report for the fiscal year ending January 1, 1908.
School Accommodations.
At the beginning of the present fiscal year our schools were housed in twenty rooms, comprising twenty-six grades with an average of forty pupils in each room. The increased attendance at the High School at the opening of the schools last Septem- ber, together with extra work entailed by the new course of study, necessitated the removal of one of the grades from the High School building. Mrs. Owen was transferred to the Red- ington Street building, in charge of the fifth grade, and the entering class at the High School was seated in the former sixth grade room, that grade being transferred to the fifth grade room. Owing to the limited accommodations at the Beach and Farm Schools, as well as to the increased attendance at these schools, the third grade pupils were transferred to the Redington Street School, leaving these schools with only first and second grades. Increased attendance in the fourth grades necessitated the trans- fer of the pupils of that grade from Essex street to the Clarke and Redington Street Schools and the placing of a fourth grade at Essex street in charge of Miss Verry.
But even these transfers did not relieve the congestion in some rooms as I hoped it would do, and I was forced to place two grades (the second and third) in one room at Redington street, in charge of Miss Prescott and Miss Gardner. The crowded con- dition here, however, was relieved somewhat by equipping an
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REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
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old unused cloak room for recitation purposes. Under the pres- ent arrangement the Clarke School is overcrowded, three of the rooms having more pupils than their normal seating capacity ; while at the Essex Street School the first grade is overcrowded, and at the Redington street building the fourth and fifth grades have too many pupils. This lays an extra burden on our teach- ers and lessens the opportunity for real efficient work. I shall have more to say on this point later in this report.
Equipment and Repairs.
The annual visitation of the buildings by your Committee early in July convinced you that there was urgent need of repairs in several of the buildings. I am gratified that my recommendation in my last report for modern toilet facilities at Essex street has been acted upon. The removal of the old cess- pool closets and the installation of modern plumbing in the base- ment of that building have added to the comfort and heathful surroundings of the pupils. The repairs in the boys closets at the Phillips School have removed the nuisance which formerly existed and the repairs to the ventilating shafts in that building have greatly improved the ventilation and heating.
In the matter of equipment the Committee have made marked improvement. The Chemical and Physical laboratories have been supplied with much needed apparatus, a library room has been fitted-up in the High School, two new type-writers have been added to the Commercial department and a considerable amount of Drawing equipment has been purchased. At the Clarke School a reference library table has been installed in the eighth grade room and a new Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia and other reference books have been purchased.
Gifts. .
Last summer the Superintendent received from the Women's Club of Swampscott a check for fifteen dollars to be used in purchasing decorations for our schools. This money has been spent for pictures and two plaster casts for the Farm and Beach Schools. Other gifts in the way of pictures have been made
102
TOWN DOCUMENTS.
[Jan. 31
by several individuals and in addition the beauty and cheerful- ness of the school rooms have been greatly improved through the combined efforts of teachers and pupils. In several of the schools cake and candy sales were held last spring and the money from these sales has been used for the purchase of many valuable pictures and useful reference books. The Women's Relief Corps has presented each school with silk flags to be used for interior decoration.
Several people have asked the Superintendent why so much energy is spent in trying to equip the schools with things which are not directly used in school work. He replies to such inquirers with this question. "Why have any decorations in your own home?" Much could be said here of the need of making our schoolrooms attractive and homelike, but a sober thinking public knows the value of the influence on boys and girls of cheerful, artistic surroundings. May we continue to enjoy the generosity of our townspeople along this line.
Manual Training.
The most notable gift to the Swampscott schools, and one which will have a lasting effect on the efficiency of our schools in meeting the educational needs of the community, was the presentation by Mr. Henry B. Sprague, of $1,000 for the equip- ment of a Manual Training department in the High School. It is difficult to estimate the value of such philanthropy for it can- not be measured by the standard of dollars and cents. For a town situated as Swampscott is, in close proximity to a large manufacturing city where many of our boys obtain employment in the factories, the value of a training which will give them greater facility in the use of hands, eyes and brain, must be apparent to all. Such instruction gives opportunity for the development of the individuality of the pupil and in this way has an educational value. The boy is trained to do in his own way the task set before him, and gains valuable experience from his own mistakes. One learns to do things through his endeavor to correct his errors. The power to think should go hand in hand with the effort to do. Manual Training affords such
1908]
REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE. 103
freedom of thought. If the work is made too mechanical the pupil becomes a mere copying machine. Independent thought and action tend to make one equal to an emergency when it comes. It is such qualities which make strong and able men.
In our new course of study we have closely related the work of manual training to other studies, so that pupils electing the manual training course will receive a broad general education as in any regular High School course. Our aim is not to produce mechanics but to help the pupils to acquire skill in any problem undertaken through the combined training of the eye, hand and brain. The time has come when we no longer claim that school training must concern itself exclusively with books. Manual training readily lends itself to pedagogical training. In it the active mind of the pupil finds material for creating higher ideals for the hand to execute. And with the skill which is required self-activity goes hand in hand. The pupil is left free to origi- nate, and to carry out independently, his own undertaking. This trains the pupil in habits of industry and self-reliance. This is what makes manual training an educative process.
We confidently look for the hearty endorsement of Mr. Sprague's generous endeavor by the people of Swampscott. We feel sure that it will be a strong factor in placing our High School among the first in the State, and we expect that this added course of study will not only increase the attendance at our High School but that it will greatly increase the efficiency and value of our High School as a part of our public school system,
High School.
There is urgent need of a better appreciation of the High School and its work, on the part of the townspeople. Too many boys and girls fail to take advantage of their opportunities, in their desire to earn a few dollars. The High School is as much a part of the public school system as is the grammar school. The fact that it has a separate name and that its work is carried on in a building of its own, leads many people to think that it has no claims upon them for support.
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TOWN DOCUMENTS.
[Jan. 31
The new course of study is similar to that of other cities and towns and covers a period of five years. This time added to the grammar school course makes thirteen years of schooling for our boys and girls. If pupils enter at the age of five or six they should under normal conditions complete the entire school course at the age of eighteen or nineteen. This is not too late in life to begin work if boys and girls do not contemplate further study, and it is the average age at which students begin a technical or University course. The High School is a part of our State School system. To many it is a finishing school; to a few it is a preparatory school. The need of a High School course of study in either case is too apparent to need comment. All higher institutions of learning have raised the requirements for entrance to such a standard that five years is not any too much time to take for preparation. On the other hand, it is now practically impossible for a young man to enter upon a business career with any hope of success, unless he be equipped with a High School education or its equivalent. In business the trained man has a decided advantage over his untrained competitor. If the business office work taken up, be that of bookkeeper or stenographer, there is need of a wide range of learning including a thorough knowledge of English. Business houses are now seeking students who have taken the High School course. In every avenue of life, in fact, the need of better equipment becomes more and more evident.
Our High School offers this education. It opens up oppor- tunities in various lines. Parents make a great mistake when they do not appreciate this fact. For those who are not able to go to college, courses have been arranged to suit their needs. The commercial course provides work of an academic as well as of a practical nature, again the course of study provides work in manual training and mechanical drawing so that a boy who hopes to take up the study of engineering or architecture will have something to his liking at home.
It may be that the High School does not do all that it should. It is admitted that it has its shortcomings. Our efforts are being expended in trying to remedy the wrong conditions which now
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REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
1908]
exist. Many of these we cannot reach without the aid of the parents. The school and the home must act in conjunction, for in such co-operation lies the remedy for many of the troubles.
The High School course of study is planned for the best development of the pupils and has been carefully prepared by those in charge. A closer knowledge on the part of parents, of the requirements of the school will aid in solving many difficul- ties. The teacher and parents must be co-workers. It is the earnest desire of those in authority to do the best possible for the pupils entrusted to their care.
Teachers.
The teachers in our schools constitute a body of men and women who are earnest in their endeavor, honest in their pur- pose, zealous and progressive in their work, and determined in their effort to serve the schools in the best interest of the pupils and the public at large. Since the publication of our last report there have been a few changes in the list. Miss Miller resigned to accept a position at an increased salary in Los Angeles. Miss Gardner returned to the work in September after two and a half years' absence on leave. Miss Dorothy Jasinsky has been elected to the first grade at the Essex Street School, and Miss Elsie Hussey has taken Miss Miller's place in the sixth grade, Phillips School. In the High School several changes have taken place : Mr. Harold W. Loker of Needham succeeded Mr. Childs as principal, Miss Dunning resigned to continue her studies abroad ; Miss Ingalls is absent on leave and is studying at Boston University ; the new teachers are Miss Sarah Bell for the Commercial work; Miss Alice Haskell, Mathematics ; Miss Lilian Smith, English; and Mr. Eastwood, Manual training. The work of supervision has been improved by the appoint- ment of Miss Mabel Lowery, formerly a teacher in the first grade at Essex street, as supervisor of Drawing.
We have an excellent corps of teachers. It is not a wise pol- icy to allow good teachers to leave us for other places when a few dollars more salary might keep them with us. After all that is said and done the fact remains that the teacher makes the
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TOWN DOCUMENTS.
[Jan. 31
school. Several of our teachers have contemplated leaving us for better salaries elsewhere. This fact leads me to advise you that the question of an increase in the salaries of our teachers must receive your attention at an early date if you hope to have the services of good, trained teachers in our schools. The demand upon teachers for living expenses increase each year. It is not right to expect them to meet these on a low grade of salaries.
Course of Study.
The course of study for the Grammar Schools has been care- fully prepared and printed for the following subjects :- Arith- metic, Language, Geography, History and Music. Outlines are ready for the printer in Spelling, Drawing, Nature Study and Literature, and the teachers are at work on a course of study in Reading. Each subject has been outlined and suggestions have been made covering the general development of the subject. No effort has been made to prescribe what should be done from day to day,-as such detail should be left to the ingenuity of the teacher. Stress has been laid on what is essential as distin- guished from the non-essential. Every course of study should pave the way for the development of the teacher's originality, and should be for her a background on which she is to build the structure of a complete system of training in each subject. While definite assignment of work will often prove convenient, it is not intended to limit the scope of the work to be done by any school, nor to dictate the manner and method of instruction. Local conditions and the individual needs of pupils will often necessitate important omissions or additions. Teachers are expected first of all to consider the capacities and needs of their pupils, and are at liberty to make such modifications of the minor requirements of the program as their judgment demands.
Although the course is arranged by grades, teachers are expected to familiarize themselves with the work outlined in each subject in the grades adjacent to their own. ยท Teachers should study the course as a whole, and endeavor to see their work in its relation to the complete course instead of viewing each grade's work as a unit.
107
REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
The greatest and final aim of all public education is to inoculate the pupils with ideas of our civilization. Whatever else they do, all teachers should at all times, devote their best energy to establishing in the minds of their pupils high ideals of conduct, industry, beauty and right living. The best aids for this work cannot be given in a course of study. They are abundantly supplied by the realms of nature literature and art.
Truly efficient teachers will familiarize themselves with the principles underlying a modern course of study. They will study the works of such leaders as Foebel, Pestaloyzi, Spencer, Horace Mann and Harris. They will read the current works on Education, and they will know what is going on in the way of educational development in other cities and towns. Futhermore they will read one or two leading educational journals, and occasional articles appearing in the leading magazines. Such work will help teachers to bring new inspiration to their work, and will enable them better to interpret the full value to them of a course of study.
Discipline.
The spirit of our schools is excellent. We are constantly striving to bring teachers and parents into closer relations, for in this day which is marked by the rapid pace of public, family and child life, the best interest of our boys and girls can only be conserved by the harmonious working together of the home and school. Cases of pronounced incorrigibility open rebellion, stubbornness and evil propensities are being reduced to a mini- mum. Our teachers are rightly disposed toward the delinquencies of children. They are striving to magnify what is best in the child to repress and restrain evil, and to correct it by kindly suggestion. But such effort must be backed by kindred endeavor at home. Parents must uphold the teacher's hands in her efforts to correct a wrong propensity, or else the effort will be in vain and the result will be the defeat of all endeavors toward right conduct in our schools. There are always a few parents who wrongly interpret the teacher's purpose in discipline, but this number is rapidly decreasing. We are all working in our
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schools toward the betterment of the physical, moral and intellectual condition of the boys and girls entrusted to our care. The teachers are not cranks and the superintendent is not a tyrant. All have only the best intentions and the children's best interests at heart. May we not be backed by the moral support of parents? We ask no more than just that.
Recommendations.
I respectfully beg permission to make the following brief recommendations to the Committee, and ask for them your most candid consideration.
First : The rules of the Committee need revision. A clear and definite statement of the rules governing our schools which could be placed in the hands of the parents would be a great help in correcting many wrong impressions which seem to pre- vail concerning the management of our schools and would relieve the superintendent of petty annoyances and details which should not encroach upon his time which is needed for professional supervision.
Second: The congested condition which prevails in several of our schools must be relieved. Furthermore the facilities for effi- cient work in the Farm and Beach Schools are wholly inade- quate, due to the fact that these schools have outlived their use- fulness. The districts are not too large, but the buildings are too small. This does not mean that two new buildings are needed. I recommend that these districts be consolidated, and that the Town be petitioned to build a new four-room building at some central point, which shall accommodate all children of the first four grades in that part of the town. Such a building of modern style, built on the Cottage plan, should not cost over $12,000. You are already aware that the present buildings if continued as schools, must be thoroughly overhauled and put in a sanitary condition. In my opinion they are not worth the expenditure of repairs. It is not a cause of wonder to me that the parents of that part of the Town are dissatisfied with school conditions there. But for the fact that the schools are presided over by two exceptional teachers, our troubles would be greater
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REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
1908]
than they now are. I therefore beg you to give this matter your earnest consideration and I hope to see some favorable action taken toward the better housing of the children in these two dis- tricts.
Third : Minor repairs needing your attention are the follow- ing : An open drainage from the basement of the Clarke school ; artifical lighting facilites installed in that building; the painting of the rooms in the Essex Street and the Redington Street Schools ; improvement of the yards at Essex street and Redington street, and the removal of the old fences from the front of these build- ings; some means devised for the removal of ashes from the basement of the Redington Street building ; painting the exterior of all wooden buildings.
Fourth : Redington street and Essex street should be equipped with telephones, and a telephone is greatly needed in the Superintendent's office. At present the Superintendent must go to the Police Station to use the telephone or answer calls.
Fifth: Some arrangement is greatly needed at the High School for storing the supplies of the Drawing Supervisor. A saving of material as well as of the time of the teacher will be made if a store room is provided.
Sixth: The Superintendent is convinced that a revision of our list of text-books will not only benefit the work, but will save much money.
Seventh: I have spoken elsewhere about the teachers' salaries. I firmly believe that it is due our teachers that you favorably consider the question of an increase of salaries.
Seventh : We have been troubled this year to find substitute teachers when needed to take the work of teachers who have been obliged to be absent from their work. If we had an extra teacher who could be constantly employed as helper in the crowded grades we could assign her when needed to take the work of teachers who may be absent on account of sickness. Such a plan would not entail very much extra expense and would very materially improve the work in the crowded rooms, at the same time that it would provide a supply teacher when needed.
4
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TOWN DOCUMENTS.
[Jan. 31
Conclusion.
The work of the year has had many interruptions due to a great deal of absence on account of sickness, but notwithstand- ing we have every reason to feel encouraged with the progress made. The teachers as a whole have worked earnestly and deserve much credit for their efforts. In general there has been unity of purpose and harmony throughout the year. To the interest and devotion of all is due much that has been accom- plished.
I trust that, from the experience of the past, the work of the coming year may be made more profitable to all concerned.
Respectfully submitted,
W. J. PELO, Superintendent.
III
REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
1908]
Report of the Principal of the High School.
Mr. William J. Pelo, Superintendent of Schools :
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