USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Wakefield > Town annual report of the officers of Wakefield Massachusetts : including the vital statistics for the year 1909-1912 > Part 24
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TEXT BOOKS AND SUPPLIES
Mr. Pike
Mrs. Ripley Dr. Montague
SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
J. H. Carfrey, 73 Pleasant St.
OFFICE HOURS
Mondays, 7 to 8 p. m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8 to 8.30
a. m. Wednesdays and Fridays, 4 to 5.30 p. m.
Office, Flanley Block.
Telephone, Office 225-3. Residence 293-2.
Miss Lucy A. Noyes, Clerk. Hours, 8 to 12 and 1.30 to 5 on School Days.
REGULAR MEETINGS OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Second and fourth Fridays of each month at 8 p. m. at Com- . mittee Rooms, Flanley Block.
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Report of the School Committee
The greatest waste in a school system is in the retardation of pupils, or their failure to win promotion. Each child that is obliged to repeat the work of a school year is a source of disap- pointment and chagrin to his parents, often a trial to the teacher, and an added financial burden to the town. The annual cost per pupil in the grades is not far from twenty dollars. If one hun- ared and fifty children fail of promotion that means three thou- sand dollars that must be appropriated a second time and is to a large extent a loss. The causes for failure to win promotion are many of course. A few children are mentally inferior, some suf- fer from physical defects and many lose a part of the school year from illness. Not a few take slight interest in their work or are utterly indifferent, and worst of all in some instances the parents take no interest in keeping their children in school or even try all means of keeping them out of school. The superintendent has made a careful study in detail of all these cases in our schools and your attention is called to the consideration of this matter in his report. The raising the age of admission last fall will some- what diminish the left overs in the first grade and a still further raising it to five and one-half years would diminish it even more. The entire problem of retardation is everywhere being studied more carefully than ever and we hope to accomplish something towards stopping this great waste.
SCHOOL BUILDINGS
The Hamilton School basement was remodelled last summer by a special Committee of the town and is now in excellent condition. All the school buildings of four rooms or more have modern sys- tems of heating and ventilating and sanitary modern plumbing. The three two-room buildings still have outside privies and two of them are heated by stoves.
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Bubbling drinking fountains have been installed in all buildings so that in the grades no child is obliged to go up or down stairs to drink. In the High School this provision was not feasible but there are a sufficient number of fountains.
The general maintenance and ordinary repairs of buildings and furnishings is demanding an increased expenditure. This is neces- sarily so as the newer buildings are now needing paint and kalso- mine and material repairs to the heating plants, while the older ones are perennial in their needs. We do not see how this in- crease can be avoided unless the school property is allowed to de- teriorate which of course is the most foolish economy.
PENMANSHIP
It is too soon to determine the full results of the change in the system of writing commented upon last year, but the outlook is promising for a better grade of writing. Coincident with the change in the system, a Supervisor of writing was furnished by the publishers to instruct the teachers and supervise the writing lessons. This was apparently of great value and we have em- ployed the same person one day a week this year to continue the instruction and supervision. It has not been decided whether or not this will be permanent, but on the whole those towns that have a Supervisor have also the best writing.
INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION
A sewing class has been established as a part of the Evening School. The attendance was limited to fifty-five and that num- ber applied the first night. The girls who applied are nearly all working in the factories. They are much interested and learning rapidly. How far the town should go in furnishing free instruc- tion to wage earners is an open question. It is safe to say that most of these would go without instruction unless the town fur- nishes it. On the general subject of Industrial Education, so called, we have no definite proposition to submit. Many experi- ments are being tried in this State and elsewhere, and it seems likely that a definite plan will be worked out before long.
1×1
We recommend appropriations as follows :
Salaries $51.109 00
Fuel
4.690 00
Contingent - -
3.300 00
Books and Supplies
.
3.200 0
Evening School
and that the tuition receipts estimated at $2.000 be added to the appropriation.
The salary schedule follows the report of the Superintendent. The detailed statement of expenditure and the list of unpaid bills appear on pages 146 to 153 of the Auditors' report.
We commend to your careful consideration the report of the Principal of the High School and that of the Superintendent. and invite the co-operation of all citizens in making our schools of the greatest possible good.
SignAl.
CHARLES E. MONTAGUE. Chairman.
MES. IDA FARR MILLER. Secretary,
ASHTON H. THAYER. Tresun !.
ARTHUR H. BOARDMAN.
MRS. EVA GOWING RIPLEY.
Report of Superintendent of Schools, 1910
TO THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE :
I hereby submit my report for the year ending Dec. 31. 1510. These reports usually cover about the same items from year to vear. At this time. however, the nature of the report will be somewhat different. Attention might be called. however. to the general conditions of accommodations. We are as heretofore crowded at the High School. but by shifting again we have been able to adjust things However, this shifting and adjusting have
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been carried to the limit. At Greenwood the registration for the present school year is larger than usual. The 8th and 9th grades have been confined to one room through necessity owing to the large registration in other grades. By doing this, however, we have been compelled to place 54 pupils in one room where there should be but 42. At the Lincoln, the crowded grades are the 1st, 2d, 5th, 6th and 8th. Other schools are about normal. At the Lincoln the Committee adopted the plan of employing a per- manent teacher to help backward pupils. This teacher acts also as a substitute in other buildings as the necessity requires. This will no doubt be permanent unless we adopt the more rational plan of giving fewer pupils to a teacher. When this is done, then each teacher will have an opportunity to give individual attention to those who are falling behind.
The Committee has also deemed it wise to place an assistant to the Principal in the Franklin School, which makes it possible for the Principal to devote some of his time to the work of super- vision. The Principals of these large grammar buildings now have the time to do the real work of a Principal. This has been a long-felt want, and the good results accruing therefrom will justify continuing the policy. Every Principal of a building of seven rooms and upward should have the opportunity of super- vision. The cares of a Principal in such buildings are numerous and taxing, and to require one in that position to teach the whole time and also to be responsible for the building is not economy. The immediate service to be rendered to teachers and to pupils in a large building is of great value. The constant presence of the Principal among the teachers and pupils helps to make the teaching more effective, the discipline more wholesome, and the progress of pupils more uniform.
SCHOOL WORK
The work along certain lines in the elementary schools have been specifically strengthened during the last two years.
WRITING
One year ago a new system of writing was introduced. The vertical that had been used a number of years was changed to the Whitehouse slant. A supervisor was employed to assist in this
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introduction, and to make the change wholly successful the Com- mittee deemed it wise to continue this plan, therefore a super- visor has been employed who visits each grade once a month. Not only does this individual visit each grade, supervising and giving lessons, but regular instruction is given the teachers, that they too may know and understand the work and to be able to give proper instruction to pupils during the intervals between the visits of the Supervisor. Great improvement has been shown in the writing among the pupils during the present year. We are seeking for ease of movement, legibility and neatness, and we believe we are getting these. Changing from the vertical to the slant unless carefully supervised is likely to work disastrously, and a long time is necessary to show marked improvement; but we are glad to note that the transition has been made with good effects and almost without exception pupils are writing with fairly uniform slant.
READING
A year ago the Aldine method of teaching reading was adopted in the primary grades. This system while it does not necessarily produce better reading than the Rational method which it dis- placed, it does produce a healthier, more active, and a happier atmosphere for the child. A greater interest is manifest, more joy in accomplishing and the children are more eager to measure their strength in the work.
The greater the activity in the work of young children the greater the progress ; they accomplish more under freedom from restraint, and any system which taxes the mind, and requires a constant exercise of the memory for dry facts of vowel sounds, phonograms and the like takes pleasure from the learning and the early years of the school room work are likely to become drud- gery. Under the present system such restraint is removed. The greatest danger, however, is in the transition from the activity to the more prosaic reading in second and third years. More than the average skilled teacher is needed. Special attention is being given to reading in all grades. Greater effort to interest is insisted upon in the proper development of the reading lesson, that pupils may understand what they are reading, and be able to give proper pronunciation of words, and to read with expression.
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ENGLISH
Special effort is made this year in the teaching of English. Much oral work is being required especially in the lower grades. The desire is to secure an easy use of the language, as well as to secure correct English. It is thought that the oral reproduction of stories read or told ; description of games, toys and playthings at home, lessons in geography, history and other subjects ; narra- tion of events within the scope of the children will enable us to secure good written language. It is the use of English in its proper form that is desired. The technical side of the subject is left until the seventh and eighth years of school. In studying the technical side of the subject great care is to be observed that the practical is also developed. Grammar as grammar without the ability to use the same is a waste of time.
ARITHMETIC
The ability to determine what shall be done and how to do it is the basis of our work in Arithmetic. A thorough understand- ing and familiarity with fundamentals is the special work at hand. It has been revealed that pupils do not readily use the fundamen- tals ; that they are not as familiar and as accurate as they should be with addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of whole numbers, and of fractions. The teachers are working with me to improve this part of our work. We are striving to simplify methods of teaching the subject; applying problems to local trades and business ; in general making the work more practical.
GEOGRAPHY
The Geography of the past consisted chiefly of map drawing, map questions ; names of continents, countries, states, capitals, cities, different forms of land and water. The pupil spent several years learning about the same things year after year and getting on the whole an unreal idea of Geography. It is true there were some things in this method which were good and beneficial-names and location of countries, states, places and bodies of land and water. It is necessary that pupils be taught countries, states, capitals, certain important places and their location, also the location of important bodies of water-including important rivers ; but there are other things equally important.
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Pupils should know how one country or section depends on another country or section ; the means for transportation ; the natural resources ; the manufactures and products ; the people ; the physical features and their effect upon the people and their resources ; government ; education ; climate and its effect upon the people and the productions ; be able to locate the sections of the natural food products, the great industries-iron, steel, lum- ber, cotton, wool and the like They should be familiar with the great centers of population throughout the world. The above are in general the things with which every pupil should be familiar and of which each pupil should have a fairly accurate knowledge, as well as an accurate knowledge of countries, states and places ; otherwise Geography is just so much book knowledge. To do this needs a reorganization of the whole subject, and we are attempting to do it. This is not theoretical neither is it a fad ; it is practical and real.
To accomplish what has been briefly outlined in the subjects mentioned seems a great deal to some people. This is because of the traditional method of teaching different subjects. It is diffi- cult to break from tradition. It is believed that all of the old must be kept, whereas much of the old should be omitted. If everything of the past is to be kept and there is little of the pres- ent to be adopted, then we have made no progress. We simply retrograde. Concentration upon a few things in each subject is much more to the point, and produces a more accurate and all- round intelligent pupil.
ORGANIZATION
A school system is organized for the purpose of giving to every boy and girl in the community such an education as will best prepare the individual for "complete living and for the participation in life's worthy interests and ambitions." The question for each community to settle is-What is meant by complete living? How far is an individual prepared for complete living who has received the bulk of his instruction in the three R's alone ? Are we to consider a pupil educated and has the com- munity done all it should for him, if we find on examination that he can solve any problem in arithmetic which may be given him?
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or if he is able to show that he is a good fair penman? Is the only test of efficiency of a school system the ability as a high school graduate to solve a problem in interest? Is there nothing more to be desired than the ability to locate some obscure place on the map, to analyze some complicated English sentence, or to solve some special problem in Arithmetic? To listen to some of the self-constituted critics, one would gather that the above is the highest efficiency of any system. We accept without question that pupils should be taught to read, write and cipher, because it is supposed that without these they are unequipped to enter almost any employment. With such an equipment alone, how many are able to earn even the lowest possible wage? If it seems right and proper for the state to equip a pupil for this supposed basis for earning a living, why is it not also right and proper to send the pupil forth from the schools fully equipped to earn a living wage in some particular line of work? Furthermore, if education is to be confined to books, how is each community to deal with the ever-increasing number of individuals who are unskilled workman? Suppose every boy and girl could be kept in school until a high school course were completed, and the same line of work were pursued for all, confined wholly to books; or if you please give opportunity for the usual commercial branches- what special advantage in general would be gained for earning a living? We can not lose sight of the very commonplace fact that all pupils have not the same capacity nor the same interests. We must ever keep in mind also that early in the school life these diversified interests and capacities should be diverted into channels which will render the individuals capable of using their natural talents in the most efficient manner. This is the right of every individual, and the community for self-protection and for material advancement is in duty bound to respect it. The community that recognizes these things does not judge the efficiency of a school system by the test of whether a high school graduate is able to solve a problem in simple interest. To do these things needs the combined efforts and support of all-community, school commit tee and teachers.
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HIGH SCHOOL
This department of the system is of exceeding great importance. At the present time the high school measures its efficiency by the number of pupils who are able to meet the requirements for en- trance to some higher institution of learning. These requirements are those agreed upon by the colleges themselves. Tradition is responsible for this state of things, and the community is unable to rise above it. There seems to be wide difference between fit- ting for college and fitting for life. Ex-President Eliot believes that fitting for college should fit for life, and fitting for life should fit for college. Our high school should place its greatest effort on fitting for life ; we cannot afford much longer to put our great- est strength on fitting for college. So long as the colleges domi- nate as to requirements it will be necessary to meet these with the few, but the great majority of the pupils are pursuing a dif- ferent line of work. These are the pupils for whom the school should shape its policy. Whether we want or not, this is the work to be done. I firmly believe that the work in any subject should be the same for all who take that subject. What is neces- sary for one class should be given to the other and both should be equally difficult. Furthermore. I believe in our own high school we should in the near future add domestic science and in- dustrial work. Opportunity should also be given to boys and girls now at work in the factories and trades to pursue part time courses. This department is for the people and opportunity should be given to every one to get all the education possible. True it will require readjusting, but the efficiency of a school is judged by the adaptation to the needs of its pupils and not to the adaptation of the pupils to the school. I wish also to state here what I stated in a previous report, that opportunity should be given the 8th and 9th grades and in the high school to listen to individuals from the different professions, trades and business as to the requirements in these different lines of work, that pupils may have guidance in the choosing of vocations-vocational guid- ance.
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REGISTRATION
The registration in this department on Oct. 1, 1910 by ye & s was as follows : First year 63 boys ; 59 girls ; 2d year, 39 boys ; 58 girls ; 3rd year, 36 boys ; 54 girls ; 4th year, 29 boys ; 27 girls ; Post graduates, 2 boys. Total 169 boys, 198 girls or whole number 367 It will be noticed that in the first and fourth years the number of boys exceed that of the girls, while in the second and third years the girls outnumber the boys, and in the total enrollment the girls exceed the boys by 29. This may be accounted for in that the boys have dropped out and gone to work in greater numbers than the girls. Their leaving may be due to the fact that interest becomes lacking, low standing follows and discouragement results. Furthermore, it is true that we have nothing to offer boys outside of the regular course but Commer- cial work. Typewriting and Stenography do not appeal to boys so much as to girls, and fewer take it. The facts demonstrate that it may be wise for us to seriously consider the advisability of offering some other form of vocational work which will appeal to the boys.
Following is a table which shows the studies pursued by the pupils in the high school and the number of pupils (boys and girls separate) in each study. This table is for the present year 1910- 11 and is marked table 1.
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TABLE I
SUBJECTS
BOYS
GIRLS
TOTAL
Algebra
86
74
160
Arithmetic
13
32
45
Bookkeeping
27
42
69
Botany
28
22
50
Chemistry
6
8
14
Mech. Drawing
73
13
86
Free-hand Drawing
24
93
117
English
165
191
356
French
67
88
155
German
25
16
41
Com. Geography
6
3
9
Plane Geometry
38
55
93
Solid Geometry
8
1
9
Greek
9
12
21
History
120
132
252
Latin
54
71
125
Penmanship
28
44
72
Typewriting
26
44
70
Stenography
26
44
70
Com. Law
12
8
20
Physics
34
30
64
Phy. Geography
8
10
18
Rhet. Exercises
29
25
54
Military Drill
113
113
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Examination of Table I will reveal the fact that more girls: than boys are taking the Commercial branches. This is signifi- cant and bears out the statement made above that Commercial work appeals more to girls than to boys. However, the table also shows that the Commercial department is quite popular, and warrants its existence as a part of the high school work. The fact that in the total enrollment of the high school, the girls ex- ceed the boys in number, it follows that almost all the classes have a larger number of girls than boys. This again is an argument for seriously considering the advisability of offering something in the way of hand work for boys, in order to hold them longer in school and to give them a better equipment for life work. In mechanical drawing and physics (elective subjects) in which hand work predominates, the boys outnumber the girls.
AVERAGE COST PER PUPIL
The average cost per pupil based upon total enrollment for 1909-10 2452 throughout the whole system was $27.15.
The average cost based upon the average membership 2153.1 was $29.06.
The average cost per pupil based upon total enrollment 2390 for 1905-6 was $25.48.
The average cost per pupil based upon average membership 2067.6 for the same year was $25.99.
The same for 1900-01 based upon total enrollment 2003 was $22.06.
The same for 1900-01 based upon average membership 1794.7 was $24.62.
The cost to maintain the high school is not far from $13.819. The average cost per pupil based upon total enrollment 382 for the year 1909-10 was $35.29.
The average cost per pupil based upon the average member ship 346.8 was $42.73.
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From this it would appear that it is necessary to do all in our power to so arrange the work that all may receive the most for the amount of money expended. At this point I would respect- fully call your attention to the report of the High School Principal, which contains facts and recommendations worthy of consideration.
RETARDATION
During the past two or three years every Superintendent has set to work to ascertain the facts and causes of slow progress in his own system of schools. Two years ago in my report certain facts were given showing the number of pupils in different grades and year and their ages. These findings were significant and showed many cases of retardation especially among the middle grades. In my present report will be found tables in greater de- tail. These tables should be read by everyone. They are espe- cially significant. What shall be done to better the condition of things ? Is it not manifest that a more careful examination of the physical defects is necessary ? Does it not signify that greater flexibility should exist in the course of study, and that more care- ful study should be made as to the kind of instruction to be given in the upper grades and in the high school? Are we giving just what we should to the pupils in order that they may remain in school a longer time? Are we aware of the fact that for every pupil who repeats a year's work it costs the town double to edu- cate that pupil? The following Table (Table 2) shows the number of pupils in each grade or year throughout the system (one Table for boys and one for the girls) giving the number who are of dif- ferent ages in each grade or year. The facts were taken Oct. 1. Attention is called to the fact that pupils enter our first grade at five years of age ; the normal age, therefore, for each grade should be : 6 yrs. for the 2d; 7 yrs. for the 3rd; 8 yrs. for the 4th; 9 yrs for the 5th ; 10 yrs. for the 6th ; 11 yrs. for the 7th ; and so on, completing the High school course of four years at the age of 17 years. Examination of the table will reveal the fact that the age of entrance is quite uniform ; those over age being foreigners, or those entering late; over these conditions school authorities have little control. The repeaters in this grade are mostly those
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who are immature. The heavy type shows the columns of normal age. The large number who are above the normal [age is very significant and is a serious problem. Many reach the age of 14 years before they have finished even the seventh grade. Their education is therefore very incomplete. At the present time, according to the table, 98 pupils will have reached the age of 14 years when they enter the seventh grade. This means that many of them will leave school and enter upon their life work. The question is, Are they sufficiently equipped to leave? If not, what can we do for them to give them a better equipment?
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