USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Fairhaven > Town annual report of the offices of Fairhaven, Massachusetts 1889-1890 > Part 2
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.50
Jno. W. Baker, repairs, .50
H. F. Wild, supplies. .40
E. Howland,
.33
George W. Stevens, supplies,
.25
$430.33
School Book Agency.
J. L. Hammett, $116.12
Holden Book Cover Co.,
45.00
Harper Bros.,
39.75
30
William Ware & Co.,
$29.30
Thompson, Brown & Co.,
28.00
H. S. Hutchinson & Co., 27.14
D. C. Heath & Co.,
17.60
Prang Educational Co.,
15.20
F. M. Ambrose,
10.50
Boston School Supply Co.,
8.40
D. J. Kane & Bro.,
6.12
Ginn & Co.,
6.80
Clark & Maynard,
3.36
Raub & Co.,
3.20
Henry Holt & Co.,
2.84
D. Appleton & Co.,
2.80
George H. Freeman,
2.00
Lee & Shepard,
1.OO
$365.13
Fuel.
David Duff & Son, coal,
$311.50
Seth Delano, wood,
14.00
Charles F. Howard, wood,
3.00
328.50
Truant Officer.
William H. Dwelley, 27.25
Amount expended,
$6,979.46
Due Feb. Ist, 1890, on account of teach- ers' salaries, $381.00
Present town debt,
$11,000.00
Temporary loan,
$3,000.00
Balance poor account,
$202.87
" incidental account, 1,526.54
in treasury,
$1,729.4I
31
Your Selectmen respectfully submit for your considera- tion the following list of appropriations for the expenses for the new year :
Highways.
$4,000.00
Schools,
6,000.00
Town debt and interest,
2,770.00
Poor,
2,500.00
Salaries,
1,200.00
Incidentals,
1,000.00
Lighting streets,
750.00
Fire Department,
750.00
New bridge road,
795.00 $19,765.00
JOHN 1. BRYANT, JOHN H. HOWLAND, WM. P. MACOMBER,
Selectmen.
FEBRUARY 20, 1890.
I hereby certify that I have examined the accounts of the Tax Collector, Treasurer, and Selectmen of the Town of Fairhaven, for the year ending February 15, 1890, and believe them to be correct.
ALBERT B. COLLINS, AUDITOR.
REPORT
OF THE
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
OF THE
Town of Fairhaven.
1889.
NEW BEDFORD : MERCURY PUBLISHING COMPANY, PRINTERS. 1890.
REPORT.
TO THE CITIZENS OF FAIRHAVEN :
Your Committee herewith submit their annual report on the condition of the schools.
GENERAL We can fairly say that in most of the
REVIEW OF schools there has been a very commenda-
SCHOOLS. ble progress during the past year. There is an increasing tendency to broaden the scope of teaching, agreeable to the spirit of modern methods; to stimulate pupils to study collateral matter, outside of the school books and outside of school hours ; to encourage children to use the village library for material associated with school work ; to read books which shall have a bearing on the learning of History and Geography ; to study understand- ingly ; and use the objective method of learning.
CHARACTER This tendency undoubtedly took a start
OF in the pride of each teacher and scholar INSTRUCTION. in the possession of such perfect external facilities for study as the Rogers school furnishes. The material surroundings do have a decided influence in deter- mining good habits of any kind. This feeling has been wisely directed by intelligent teaching. The town, on the whole, may feel very well satisfied with the character of the instruction and the qualifications of the teachers placed over its schools. A few teachers of experience and wise methods, with enthusiasm in their work, can accom- plish an immense amount of indirect good by the contagion
4
of example. Such teachers we have and such results are accomplished. The progress made by the young and in- experienced teachers of the town has been exceedingly gratifying. There is no reason why, with intelligent supervision, the Rogers school may not be useful as a training school for teachers as well as for pupils, to the improvement of both. It is the policy of the Board to employ as good teachers as the town can afford. Experi- enced teachers and Normal school graduates must be paid in some proportion to the value of their services. At the same time home teachers must be and should be employed to a certain extent, and, under direction of experienced principals and with associate teachers having training and skill, cañ and do accomplish good results.
MODERN The most noticeable feature to be observed
SCHOOLS. in a visit to the school room of today, as com- pared with the school room of the past, is the great superi- ority of the text books over the dry, sapless books which, with but few noble exceptions, were the food of our youth. No wonder the "whining boy (went) creeping like snail unwillingly to school." Our present school books are far superior in arrangement, in method of presentation, in at- traction of illustration, both pictorial and verbal, in what is omitted as well as what is put in, and, above all, in the train- ing to think which they emphasize.
OBJECT Again the supplementary books and object
LESSONS. lessons which appeal to the eye, and thence to the mind, the aids to teaching, sometimes furnished by the town, often by the teacher herself, sometimes by en- thusiastic pupils, who catch the spirit of such work, are a great feature of modern teaching. Especially in methods of teaching Geography and Language has there been a great advance within a few years.
The teachers increasingly year by year do more for their classes in and out of school, yet the pupils are made to do
5
more for themselves, are thrown more upon their own re- sources in every study, with the possible exception of Arith- metic. Not as in olden times are pupils put at work on the toughest trees in the forest and told to hack away by themselves with their tiny intellectual hatchets, but the work is more progressive, grading from simpler work to more difficult by easy stages, leaving gnarled and tough- ened puzzles for maturer years.
RURAL While the work in the schools has been
SCHOOLS. generally carried on smoothly and efficient- ly, especially have the rural schools been in good condi- tion. The right teachers seem to have been placed over them and most excellent work is being accomplished.
At the High school, Mr. Kemp was re-
HIGH SCHOOL. elected principal for the present year and accepted the position, but almost immediately resigned to take a more lucrative position elsewhere. The Committee, from a very large number of applicants, succeeded in pro- curing the present principal, Mr. L. B. Varney, a gradu- ate of Bowdoin College, and a gentleman of ability and culture. The school is in good condition and the Commit- tee would urge the parents to visit the school, and all the schools in town, and inspect for themselves the actual working of the machinery of the most important branch of the public service, the "Public School System."
PROPOSED The principal improvement to be SUPERINTENDENT suggested for the bettering our OF SCHOOLS. schools is a more systematic visita- tion of the schools and oversight of the teaching. This can best be done by the appointment of a Superintendent of Schools. The State has made liberal provision by which two or more adjoining towns may elect a Superintendent, who will have such oversight and supervise the instruc- tion in the various schools. The State, on the election of
6
such Superintendent, and the appropriation of $750 by the towns interested, will give $500 towards his salary and $500 additional towards the salaries of the teachers in the towns that comply with the provisions of the statute in this re- spect. This promises the most satisfactory method, since it gives trained and systematic superintendence at a very low cost to the town. In 1886, the town voted to appoint a Superintendent of Schools, who should be the principal of the High school. Now, at little expense, not over $300 at the outside, there is opportunity, by combining with such towns as Mattapoisett and Acushnet, to secure a school officer who may give his whole time to the schools and direct the teaching force. This will come in time. The better for the schools will it be if it come soon.
CARE OF Extensive repairs that have been needed BUILDINGS. for a long time have been made at the High. New Boston, and Sconticut schools. At Sconticut it was necessary to put in a new floor and make minor re- pairs at a cost of about $50. At New Boston repairs were made by carpenter and mason,-repairs that could not be put off any longer. At the High school the chimney was re- paired, the ceiling renovated, and ventilation improved. In all these repairs the health of the school children de- manded the outlay that was made. The floor at Sconticut was open to the ground. the ceiling at the High school was liable to drop at any time, and the ventilation was very poor. The Inspector of Ventilation, a State officer, who recently visited the building, was much pleased with his test of the air in that school, and wondered that such good re- sults could be accomplished with the simple means adopted last summer to ventilate that building.
In the school report of 1885 the following words were written concerning the present janitor of the Rogers school : "The Committee desires to record its emphatic commenda-
7
tion of the janitor of the Rogers school, for his efficient services, his uniform kindness and courtesy to the teachers and pupils, and his conscientious efforts to reduce the run- ning expenses of the building to the lowest possible amount." We heartily concur in this testimony to a very faithful employee of the town. During the past year more labor has devolved upon him in connection with his duties, and work which has previously been provided for by hiring extra help has been performed by him, and the Committee, rather than lose his services, raised his wages to $60 per month, feeling assured that it would not be for the best interests of the schools to release him.
CURBING AND SIDEWALK AT During the summer Mr. Rogers has still further improved the ROGERS SCHOOL. grounds of the Rogers school by curbing and concreting the sidewalk entirely around the block. The quality of the work and its usefulness need no words of praise. They will tell their own story for years to come. .
FINANCIAL The schools began the financial year last STATEMENT. February with a balance of $1,329.68, as against $1,246.80 the preceding year. In that year, 1888, $6,500 was appropriated. But in 1889, with a bal- ance of $83 more to our credit, $5,100 was appropriated, or $1,400 less than the year before.
As will be seen by the accompanying table, nearly $400 was lacking to pay the bills of the department up to Feb- ruary I, with February's pay roll to provide for at the end of the month. The fiscal year is from February I to Feb- ruary I, and we would suggest that appropriations be made to cover that time, since February's bill always appears on the next year's statement. In that way there will not be the confusion that now results by the difference in the bal- ance on February I and March I.
S
FINANCIAL STATEMENT.
Cost of Schools.
Teachers' pay roll,
$5,280.00
Janitors' pay roll,
929.25
Fuel,
314.50
School books,
475.08
Incidentals,
361.63
$7,360.46
Resources.
Balance from February 9,
$1,329.68
Appropriation, 5,000.00
Special appropriation, July,
100.00
Received from County,
358.75
Received from State,
I66.62
School book agency,
21.00
From incidental account,
3.4I 6,979.46
Balance due on teachers' pay roll, $381.00
Your Committee respectfully suggests that the sum of $6,500 be raised for the support of schools to meet deficien- cies and carry the schools to February 1, 1891.
Respectfully submitted.
J. W. L. HILLMAN, R. SHERMAN, GEO. W. STEVENS, MISS E. F. SHERMAN, THOS. A. TRIPP, GEO. H. TRIPP.
HIGH SCHOOL.
TEACHERS.
Wages per
Whole No.
enrolled.
member-
attend-
ance.
Per cent. of
attend-
ance.
Winter. Spring. Fall.
12
12
January 7 to March 29. April 8 to June 28.
16
September 3 to December 20.
Z. W. Kemp, Principal, ..
$110
49
46.7
44.4
95
Winter,
12
110
44
38.8
36
93
Spring, Fall,
12
L. B. Varney,
100
56
53.92
52.65
97.6
16
(. A. Bourne, Asst.,
50
Winter,
12
66
50
12
50
Spring, Fall,
16
TERM.
No. of weeks.
1889.
month.
Average
ship.
Average
6
OI
Room 6, L. F. Winchester,
40
50
48.75
46.73
95.83
Winter,
12
40
49
47.23
45.20
95.7
Spring,
12
40
45
41.25
39.34
95.36
Fall,
16
Room 5, E. F. Alden,
32
19
45.75
40.75
89
Winter,
11
32
53
45.3
41.34
91.25
Spring, Fall,
13
M. F. MeGlashan,
40
Fall,
3
Room 3, I. E. Cundall.
32
38
37
33.47
90.5
Winter,
12
32
38
35.58
32.28
90.7
Spring,
12
28
37
36.5
34.8
95.3
Fall,
16
Room 2, D. M. Libby.
25
28
27.16
22.17
81.6
Winter,
12
25
30
26.58
22.95
86.3
Spring,
12
28
19
15.1
13.9
92
Fall,
16
Rooms 1. 4, 1. M. Mackenzie,
40
62
54.47
48.1
88.3
Winter.
12
40
77
69.3
60.2
86.87
Spring,
12
45
80
70.53
64.2
91
Fall,
16
20
Fall,
16
$45
36
34.5
33.81
98
Winter,
12
50
32
31.75
30.78
97
Spring,
12
50
19
17.86
17.5 |98
Fall,
16
Room 7, M. W. Leymunion,
40
29
26.43
24.71
93.5
Winter,
12
40
27
22.18
21.14
95
Spring, Fall,
12
50
43
37.77
36.55
96.8
12
January 7 to March 29.
A. H. Delano, Principal.
Wages per
Whole number
Average
Average
Per cent. of
TERM.
No. of N
Weeks.
1889.
TEACHERS.
month.
enrolled.
membership.
attendance.
attendance.
Winter.
12
April 8 to June 28.
Spring. Fall.
16
September 3 to December 20.
Room S, A. H. Delano,
--
32
47
42.24
38.88 92
12
--
I. E. Page.
1
ROGERS SCHOOL.
J. H. Tripp, Asst.
16
TEACHERS.
Wages per
Whole No.
enrolled.
member-
attend-
ance.
Per cent. of
attend-
ance.
Winter. Spring. Fall.
16
September 3 to December 20.
Oxford, J. B. Kemp,
$32
27
25.33
20.75
81.9
Winter,
12
32
28
25.7
22.6
87.9
Spring,
12
Oxford, E. L. Warren,
24
24
23.3
20.68
88.8
Fall,
16
New Boston, E. H. Akin,
32
29
28.66
22.67
79.09
Winter,
12
32
28
27.71
22.97
82.89
Spring, Fall,
16
Sconticut, L. E. Page,
28
20
18.07
14.33
79.29
Winter,
12
28
25
20.83
17.96
86.22
Spring,
12
Sconticut, N. (. Coombs,
24
29
25
22.4
Fall,
16
Naskatucket, S. T. Luther,
16
17
14.5
11.61
89.60 80
Fall,
16
TERM.
No. of weeks.
1889.
12
January 7 to March 29.
12
April 8 to June 28.
II
12
32
22
22
19.25
87.50
month.
Average
ship.
Average
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