USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Weymouth > Town annual report of Weymouth 1878 > Part 7
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HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY.
These being largely studies of information, are liable to encourage faults in teaching, from which studies of investigation and ratiocina- tion are protected in a measure by their nature. We have sought remedies not only in the use of skilful methods, but in a larger study of causes and motives. Facts in geography and history are valuable to the scholar ; study of processes and causes, of forces and motives, serves to set facts in due order and relation in the mind, and is the most important part of geographical and historical research, both in itself and in its disciplinary effect.
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102
The suggestions as to geographical work given at various times during the year, and especially in the admirable schedule presented by Mr. Diller at the November Institute, have led our teachers away from those petty details of names and figures, learned laboriously only to be forgotten, to do more profitable and pleasant work in dis- covering with their pupils how and wherefore forms exist and movements occur that make the world and its life what they are, and in endeavoring to know as they are the things whose names are learned.
In history strenuous effort has been made, by the use of additional books and other means of illustration, to broaden the spirit of the instruction, to free the pupils of the habit of committing paragraphs to memory that would unwind with astonishing celerity from their hidden cell if one end of the string of words were but pulled out a little way, and to group all facts in their relations to each other, to causes and to results. Were such books as Higginson's delightful History of the United States first used as reading books, and brief summaries, such as Barnes furnishes, taken afterwards to fix in mind items that it is desirable to retain in memory in some compact form, the earnest endeavors of teachers of history to lift this branch out of the drudgery and disgrace into which it had fallen would be materially assisted.
STUDY OF OBJECTS.
By aid of blocks furnished, and of the enterprise of teachers in pro- curing other means, some advance has been made in the study of objects, as to form, color, and other qualities. Natural objects and pictorial representations of them have served to introduce the children to a vitally useful knowledge of the plant and animal life of the world they live in. All this work is being more extensively and more sys- tematically carried on as the teachers become prepared for it, and understand the purpose and value of it. Well directed, it will encour- age and assist the objective teaching of all topics in all grades, the only teaching worth much in elementary schools, and the lack of which in former years crops out now, plainly and painfully, at unwelcome times. But now that our lower grades, through the actual handling and direct study of objects, can do work of the sort that put to rout the majority of our applicants for entrance to the High Schools last summer, we can confidently trust that, if the principles guiding our lower grade work are carried on up through all grades, a better issue will be reached.
103
NUMBER.
Our number-work once consisted mainly in committing tables to memory. There was a certain juggling repetition of names of char- acters in certain combinations. These sounds were fixed, by habit, in · memory, and could be reproduced. It was long before they meant much to the child, if indeed the natural relations of numbers did not always remain a mystery unknown to most, befogging all their course in arithmetic.
Some beginnings in object-study of number had been made, but upon principles and with details directly opposed to a natural devel- opment of number. The foundation is now being laid, in our first two years, with a correctness of principle. method, and execution that only need carrying forward into higher grades to insure exact and rapid figuring, mastery of principles, and ability to apply them to the solution of problems.
The topics in arithmetic that must be taken up and the topics that may well be omitted have already been mentioned in treating of the courses of study. It has been our effort to make this work as practi- cal as possible. Teachers in all grades have been asked to pay due attention to the study of objects, and to give problems such as would lead pupils to discover the numerical relations of parts of objects. They have been asked to carry on measurements of surfaces, and other applications of denominate numbers and of U. S. money, while giving the necessary practice in the four fundamental operations. To omit that of infrequent for the sake of better drill in that of general use, has been a fundamental direction. To encourage vigorous bending of the mental energies to the solution of problems requiring some thought has been an expected duty. In our Primary grades, object, oral, and written work are now in close and natural relations. The wide separa- tion between so-called intellectual arithmetic and written arithmetic, in our Intermediate grades, is a misfortune. It is a mistake to make a special exercise of the one and not connect it directly with the other.
Reform in arithmetic teaching is necessarily slow. The old habits are hard to break in both teacher and taught. This is specially the case when the basis laid at the beginning was false.
But some gain has been made, and the responsibility of the next steps in advance rests mainly with the teachers of the third grade, who are now receiving pupils rightly trained in number in the grades below.
104
THOUGHT AND EXPRESSION.
The first thing in language work is expression of thought. It is by talking. Our first-year children are encouraged to tell stories once told them or seen by them in pictures. They begin to express thought with the pencil, filling out incomplete expressions of ideas and con- structing new ones. Through the second and every subsequent year they pursue the same work.
A year ago the suggestion that their pupils express their thoughts on paper astounded teachers of grades beyond the lower half of our course. Now the children of all grades write " compositions." It is done in all good schools of to-day, in order that thought and the expression of thought may become, by early-begun and long-continued practice, the easy and natural thing which many of us now grown up wish it had become to us by like means.
READING.
Reading is discovery of the thought expressed in word-characters on the pages of an author, and audible reading is the re-expression of that thought now in the reader's mind by the reader's voice. Our children are now taught reading as thus defined. We have taken out of their way all the obstacles that have been denounced as such by all great teachers of little children for more than three centuries. The A B C are banished from the threshold of school-life, where they so long barred the child's entrance to the delights of real reading. From the first our children read by idea that which means something, - word, phrase, sentence ; therefore. they read it as though it meant some- thing. They read it, not by memory of the sound, but by sight of the form as standing for a thought, and fix the form in mind by imitating it with the hand. The teacher waits for the child to get the thought in every sentence before attempting to read it aloud, and then the expres- sion of it comes bright and natural as though talked from the child's own mind and heart, as it really then is.
This is quite another sort of reading from that in which the child, from its first school-day, stumbled and mumbled along in meaningless way over letters to words and spelling sentences from words, or glibly repeated sentences from memory. The reassignment of Readers, whereby books too difficult were sent up out of grades too young for them, and the supply of some freshi matter as supplementary reading, has greatly furthered our aim to secure perfect work in this section of the language department. It would have been wise to have spent
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105
fourfold what has been spent in doing it, and, if necessary, secure special authority from the town for that purpose. Within its first two years every child should have a half-dozen First Readers or their equiv- alent, to read from at school. Through all the grades the same allow- ance is required. How this can be accomplished, at far less than the present cost of Readers to the citizens of the town, has been already pointed out under the head of Text-Books.
It will not be necessary or desirable to have all these books for reading such as are technically called Readers, nor to have them all story books or magazines. Experience shows that, given their choice, children will select to read in school interesting histories, geographies, biographies, books of travel, science, the arts, poetry, rather than books of fiction.
Taking advantage of this preference of the healthy young mind, we can keep it healthy and feed it with the best thought and expression by such equipment as has been supplied this year to our High Schools for a reading course in literature.
Convinced that however useful special drill in phonics and the arts of expression may be, - and it has its place as soon as the child, in his second school-year, craves analysis of wholes into parts, - reading in our common schools is not a matter of tricks of elocution ; per- suaded that good natural reading can be secured only by working from within outward, by eliciting spontaneous .expression of ideas alive in the child's mind, because possessing him with a vivid, real interest, our teachers are now prepared to use, to the highest advan- tage, an abundance of such material for supplementary reading as we have, as yet, supplied but scantily.
WRITING.
Previous reports have stated, in not too strong terms, the neglect of penmanship in our schools, and the low degree of attainment in this branch .* Special effort to secure systematic and painstaking teaching in accordance with approved principles, has been heartily seconded by a determination on the part of teachers to lead their pupils in the hoped-for improvement. Good writers no more than good artists can be made in a school-year, but that our Primary children now learn to write legibly the vocabulary taught in their reading, and that tests, ap- plied at some intervals, show better quality of handwriting in the upper grades, are facts encouraging to teachers who have striven for such a result, as well as to all interested in the increase of manual skill with pencil and pen among our children.
106
In our lowest Primary the little child copies over and over again from script every new word, phrase, and sentence. The next year he continues copying, and also repeats without copy all words that have been copied. Each year similar work goes on.
Parallel with this work from the first week is thorough drill, one step at a time made sure, in correct slope, downward stroke, connecting curves, capital stem, only the letter ¿ the first half-year, and the rest in a natural order through three years' work on blackboard and with pencil on slates and paper, each ruled at sufficient widths on the recog- nized scale of thirds.
The Intermediates review the same work with pen as well as pencil and crayon. When this work has been done, under proper direction, by practised teachers with suitable material during the first six years' work of a class, our Grammar grades will find little but repetition and practice left for their share in establishing acceptable skill in penman- ship. Form will have been fixed in the Primaries as it is now being fixed, and movement made true, smooth, and easy in the Intermediates.
SPELLING.
Copying over and over again every word they are taught to read, and then repeating without copy, at some interval, the same words, not often isolated, but collected in sentences, our Primary children are learning to spell in the only sure and useful way. The spelling in our Primary grades is, in consequence, so much more accurate than it was a year ago, that to state the degree of difference would justly awaken doubt in the minds of those who have not seen samples taken at various times within the year. In the Intermediate and Grammar grades, where one written exercise in spelling to four or more oral exercises was formerly given, the ratio has been reversed. Spelling is even studied, as in the Primary grades, by writing from copy the words that are to be reproduced in a test. The effect is good, surprisingly so, even to one who knew from experience that this had proven to be the way to teach children to spell the words of our language cor- rectly where grown people spell them - on paper.
ADVANCE.
The reform thus attempted is but begun. It was not expected or hoped that it would deeply affect, in so short a time, more than the lower two grades. To have carried it completely into the other grades would have required that each be set back to the beginning, and eyen then, old mental habits would have debarred from entire renovation.
107
Circumstances did not warrant the present execution of any plans for such radical upturning in the higher grades, and, therefore, the results that would ensue from such a movement are not to be looked for.
Schools in which certain little ways have been merely taken up, without long, patient, and thorough study of principles underlying all methods, are not examples of the reform in progress in schools whose teachers, for many months, have been gradually uncovering to their own view the deep foundations of this whole matter. The best have but begun. Most devoutly is it wished that no delusion to the contrary may get possession of any of them. In understanding of principles and of their relations to our work, in the acquirement of skill and nicety in their application to the varied individualities in our charge, we have all an immense labor yet to perform. The teacher who goes on without this conviction will find the reform fail under her hands ; she who is full of faith and energy and research in the right spirit will help and see it triumph.
It is reform not of mere methods, but based upon vital principles. One evidence that its principles are true is the very fact that it uses, and finds harmonious with them, all natural methods, even though these had separate origin in special necessities felt at different times. To state these principles in full would render this report too lengthy and abstruse. We know no place where they are more clearly and concisely set forth than in the report of the Secretary of the State Board of Education, just issued.
To teach the whole before the parts, and then parts in their natural relations ; to teach principles thoroughly, and details only to the limit of the child's grasp ; to teach objects, and awaken thought, and slowly lead on to its expression in words ; to show so that the child may see and state what it sees ; to train sense-perception as the primary source of all knowledge ; to teach orally, that mind may touch mind, and objectively, because both must have an object of thought in com- mon ; to do so by presenting an object of thought and using only such words as shall lead the child himself to think the thoughts we wish him to think ; not to utter statements for him to repeat, but to present to him objects of thought that will lead him on to deduce principles, to infer conclusions, to apply truths, to solve and state : - if we would have our common schools graduate boys and girls trained for the com- mon avocations of life and able to think, the reform based upon such principles, and carried out by such methods as this report has had occasion to mention, must go on.
108
TABLE I. - CLASSIFICATION.
GRADES.
DEPARTMENTS.
SCHOOLS.
Primary.
Intermediate.
Grammar.
Primary
.
Athens
L.
M.
U.
Broad Street
U.
Central Street .
L.
M.
..
Franklin
L.
M.
U.
Grant Street
L.
M.
U.
High Street
L.
M.
IT.
Main Street
L.
M.
U.
Middle Street
L.
M.
U.
Perkins (lower)
L.
M.
M.
Adams (mixed)
L.
M.
U.
L
L.
M.
U.
Broad Street
Central Street .
. .
M.
U.
Commercial Street (mid.)
M.
U.
Main Street
L.
M.
U.
..
Middle Street
L.
M.
Mt. Pleasant
U.
Tremont Street
Central Street .
L.
M.
U.
L.
U.
L.
Pleasant Street
. .
M.
U.
M.
U.
Pratt .
L
M.
U.
L.
M.
U.
River Street
L.
M.
U.
L.
M.
U.
Union Street.
L.
M.
U.
1.
M.
U.
Washington Street Athens
L.
M.
U.
L.
M.
Grammar . .
.
·
Central Street .
L.
Franklin (lower)
L.
M.
U.
L.
M.
U.
Mt. Pleasant (lower)
L.
M.
Torrey Street
Adams
U.
. . L.
M.
U.
Pratt
.
.
.
U.
L.
M.
U.
High
North High South High
Grades IV., III., II., I. Grades IV., III., II., I.
Mixed.
Randolph Street
L.
M.
U.
Franklin (mid. aud upp.) Man Street . . .
.
Mt. Pleasant (middle) Mt. Pleasant (upper)
.
U.
M.
U.
Mix'1.
· ·
U.
L.
. .
Centre
·
Pond Street .
L.
U.
L.
M.
Commercial Street (upp.) High Street
.
. .
· ·
Perkins (middle)
I leasant Street
L.
Intermediate
Athens . .
L.
L.
U.
100
TABLE II. - ENROLMENT.
PRIMARY.
INTERMEDIATE.
GRAMMAR.
HIGH.
SCHOOLS.
Low.
Mid.
Up.
LOW.
Mid.
Up
Low.
Mid.
Up.
IV.
III.
II.
I.
PRIMARY.
Athens
45
37
8
Broad St.
36
Central St.
34
23
Franklin
29
16
10
Grant St.
12
25
12
High St. .
27
20
15
Main St. .
17
9
14
Middle St. .
30
22
12
Perkins (low.)
91
45
Pleasant St. .
24
19
Adams (mixed)
8
6
6
9
INTERMEDIATE.
Athens
20
12
11
Broad St.
57
Central St. ..
27
12
Commercial (mid ).
44
Commercial (upp.)
64
High St ..
36
17
8
Middle Bt. .
14
24
Mt. Pleasant.
50
Tremont St.
51
Central St.
20
23
Centre . .
10
3
4
1
3
l'leasant St.
16
20
Pond St. . .
7
8
5
3
9
7
Pratt
15
8
8
8
Randolph St.
8
1
10
5
5
River St.
10
15
3
5
4
2
Union St.
8
4
7
6
3
8
Washington St.
12
10
5
7
9
GRAMMAR.
Athens
16
23
12
Central Ft.
34
Franklin (low.) .
44
Franklin (mid. & upp.)
44
35
Main St. . .
11
14
13
Mt. Pleasant (low
55
36
Mt. Pleasant (upp.)
29
Torrey St. .
30
26
Adams
13
13
11
6
Pratt
20
16
10
13
HIGH.
North High
.
19 20
17 13
17
10
South High
10
13
Totals by Grades
387
272
194
227
221
201
190
163
128
39
30
27
23
-
Totals by Departments
853
649
481
119
.
.
Main St. .
10
Perkins (mid.).
Mixed.
Mt. Pleasant (mid.)
·
.
110
TABLE III. - ATTENDANCE.
CALENDAR YEAR, 1878.
SCHOOL YEAR, 1877-8.
SCHOOL YEAR, 1878-9.
Second Half.
First Half.
Whole No.
Enrolled.
Average No.
Belonging.
Average
Attendance.
Per cent.
Whole No.
Enrolled.
Average No.
Belonging.
Average
Attendance.
Per cent.
Primary
. . .
Athens
78
67
55
82
90
83
72
87
Broad Street .
49
47
40
85
36
34
31
91
Central Street
43
41
31
57
49
42
86
Franklin .
67
59
48
81
55
49
46
94
Grant Street
50
45
39
85
40
45
38
84
High Street
58
56
49
87
62
57
50
88
Main Street
41
39
31
79
40
36
31
86
Middle Street
55
51
40
78
64
56
- 48
86
Perkins (lower)
75
58
40
70
91
65
56
86
Perkins (middle)
41
39
32
82
45
42
37
88
Pleasant Street .
58
53
43
81
43
42
39
93
Adams (mix( d)
36
35
29
83
29
28
26
93
Summary .
651
590
476
81
661
586
516
88
Intermediate
.
Athens
46
44
38
86
43
40
37
93
Broad Street .
61
58
50
86
57
54
49
91
Central Street
48
46
39
87
39
36
34
94
Commercial Street (middle)
35
35
33
94
44
42
37
88
Commercial Street (upper).
51
49
44
90
64
61
58
95
High Street
33
32
28
88
36
34
31
91
Main Street
43
42
38
90
35
33
31
94
Middle Street
46
45
42
93
38
35
32
91
..
Mt. Pleasant .
66
61
55
90
50
45
42
93
Tremont St: eet
42
40
34
85
51
46
43
93
Central Street
41
40
36
90
43
42
40
95
Centre .
27
26
22
85
28
24
21
88
Pleasant Street
35
33
29
89
36
33
29
88
Pond Street
47
46
40
87
48
44
38
86
Randolph Street
28
24
21
88
29
25
22
88
River Street
43
41
37
90
39
37
35
95
Union Street .
38
36
29
81
36
32
28
88
Washington Street
51
50
43
86
43
40
37
92
Summary .
817
783
690
88
798
738
676
91
Grammar .
Athens
45
45
39
87
51
47
43
91
Central Street
37
36
32
89
34
33
31
91
Franklin (lower) .
43
43
40
93
44
43
42
98
Franklin ( middle and upper).
67
63
58
92
79
74
68
92
Main Street
35
35
32
91
38
33
31
94
Mt. Pleasant (lower)
41
39
34
87
55
50
45
90
Mt. Pleasant (middle)
34
33
30
.91
36
35
32
91
Mt. Pleasant (upper)
27
23
21
91
29
29
27
93
Torrey Street
61
59
55
93
56
54
51
94
Adams
33
31
26
84
43
39
36
92
Pratt
57
55
51
93
59
58
55
95
Summary
480
462
418
90
524
495
461
93
North High
64
56
50
8.
63
62
58
93
South High
49
47
46
98
56
53
51
96
Summary .
113
103
96
93
119
115
109
95
General Summary
2061
1938
1680
87
2102
1934
1762
91
36
35
32
91
39
35
32
91
Mixed.
Pratt
-
Mxd.
High
.
NAMES OF SCHOOLS.
..
66
111
TABLE IV. - SALARIES.
TEACHERS.
SCHOOLS.
No. Grades.
No. Scholars.
Date of Election to Present Position.
Salaries.
Miss N. L. Poole
Athens
3
90
Oct.
25; 1878
150 00
Miss Hannah E. Ward
Broad Street
1
36
Aug. 28, 1876
300 00
Mrs. S. J. Rogers
Central Street
28
57
Jan. 5,1874
300 00
Mrs. A. F. Gardner
Franklin
3
55
Aug. 31, 1874
300 00
Miss Ella M. Burgess
Gra t Street
3
49
Aug. 28, 1876
300 00
. Miss Mary A. . Webster
High Street
3
62
June 20, 18.7
300 00
Mrs. L. B. Holbrook
Main Street
3
40
Sept. 30, 1878
300 00
Miss C. . . Farren .
Middle Street
64
April 27, 1874
300 00
Miss Helen H. Blanchard
Perkins ( lower)
1
91
June 20, 1877
300 00
Miss Mary L. Hunt .
Perkins (middle)
1
43
Aug. 25, 1873
300 00
Miss Lillian A. Harlow
Pleasant Street
2
43
Aug. 19, 1878
300 00
Miss Louie F. Briggs
Adams (mixed)
4
29
Aug. 28, 1876
300 00
INTERMEDIATE.
Miss M. L. Ells
Athens
3
43
Aug. 28, 1876
340 00
Miss Emma F Parker
Broad Street
1
57
Aug. 23, 1876
340 00
Miss Harriet D. Hall
Central Street .
2
39
Aug. 19, 1878
340 00
Miss M. J. Hawes .
Commercial Street (mid ile)
44
lug. 12, 1878
340 00
Miss Myra M. Holmes
Commercial Street (upper)
64
Jan. 11, 1>78
340 +0
Miss L. R. Healey .
High Street
36 Aug. 31, 1872
340 00
Miss Maria C. Holbrook
Main Street
35
Jan. 4, 1875
340 00
Miss H. J. Farren .
38
Aug. 28, 1876
340 00
Miss H. B. Baker
1
50
June 21, 1878
340 00
Miss Mary B. Tirrell
Tremont Street
50
Oct. 13, 1878
340 00
Mrs. Maria A. Morrill .
Central Street.
43
Sept. 1,1860
340 00
Miss Mary E. Reilly .
('entre .
28
Aug. 31, 1877
340 00
Pleasant Street
36
Aug. 12, 1878
340 00
Pond Street
39
July
2,1878
340 00
Ming -arah W. Spilstead
l'ratt .
5
48
Jan.
4,1875
340 00
Miss Emilie V. White .
Randolph Street
5
29
Aug. 28, 1876
340 00
Miss Clarabelle Pratt
River Street
6
39
Aug. 28, 18.76
340 00
Mrs. Emma J. Smith
Union Street
6
36
Dec. 16, 1872
340 00
Miss Ellena S. Spilstead
Washington Street
5
43
Aug. 29, 1875
340 00
GRAMMAR.
Mr. James J. Prentiss .
Athens
3
51
Aug. 5,1878
950 00
Miss L. L. Whitman
Central Street
1
34
Jan.
5,1875
380 00
Miss Ellen G. Parrott
Franklin (lower)
1
44
Aug. 31, 1872
380 00
Mr. Tilson A. Mead, Prin.
2
79
Aug.
5,1878
950 00
Mr. Jas. E. Humphrey, Ass't Miss S. L. Vining .
Main Street .
3
38
Nov. 20, 1871
500 00
Mt. Pleasant (lower)
1
55
Jan.
10,1876
380 00
Mt. Pleasant (middle)
1
36
Mar.
1,1875
380 00
Mt. Pleasant (upper)
1
29
April
6, 1870
950 00
Mr. Louis A. Cook, Prin." Miss L. F. Logue, Ass't
Torrey Street
2
56
Aug.
5,18 8
340 00
Miss Eliza French .
Adams®
4
43
April 11, 1865
380 00
Pratt .≥
4
59
April 6, 1874
340 00
North High .
4
63
April 10, 1877
50, 00
.Aug. 31, 1874
1250 00
South High
4
56
Jan. 10, 1876
500 00
1
3
Middle Street
2
Mt. Pleasant
1
6
2
6
Mixed.
Franklin (middle and upper)
Aug. 12, 1878 340.00
Miss Carrie A. Blanchard . Miss Antoinette W. Knights . Mr. J. W. Armington
Aug.
3.1872
950 00
Aug. 25, 1873
950 00
Aug. 31, 1868
1250 00
Mr. George C. Torrey, Prin. Miss Mary L. Dyer, As-'t. Mr. George W. Shaw, Prin. Miss Helen A. Fiske, Ass't Mr. George B. Vore, Prin. Miss Alice R. Rogers, Ass't )
PRIMARY.
Aug. 24, 1877
$300 00
Miss F. C. Foye (half time)
3
1
1
Miss Josephine A. Raymond, Miss Martha E. Belcher . .
2
112
SUMMARY OF STATISTICS.
Population of town, according to census of 1875 · . 9,819 Number of children in town between five and fifteen years of age, by school census of May, 1878 :
Ward I
· 292
66
II
645
66
III
464
66
IV
313
V
298 ·
Total
2,012
No. of Scholars enrolled.
No. of Teachers.
Av'ge per Teacher.
Ward I
295
62
45++
II
·
614
13
.
47+
III
.
450
9
50
IV
291
8
36+
V
333
9
34-
High Schools
119
4
40-
Total
2,102
493
Av'ge 42+ .
Number of children of all ages enrolled in the public schools : -
Primary grades
853
Intermediate "
·
.
· 649
Grammar
4$1
High Schools
119
Total
. 2,102
Average number belonging
. 1,936
Average daily attendance
. 1,762
Per cent which the average daily attendance is of the average number belonging 91
Respectfully submitted,
WM. G. NOWELL,
Supt. of Schools.
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