USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Fairhaven > Town annual report of the offices of Fairhaven, Massachusetts 1921 > Part 5
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The school cost $72,929. A recent letter from an agent of the State Board of Education says: "I believe the town has achieved the sensational in school house construction. Seventy thousand dollars for an eight room, brick elementary school building is far below any figure that I have heard quoted recently."
The Anthony School is the second school house of the single story type to be built in Fairhaven. The type is growing in favor throughout the country. Its advantages for school use have been set forth in previous reports. The relatively low cost is due to the fact that the basement, except for boiler room space, stairways and upper floors, are entirely eliminated and but eight per cent of the area is given to corridor space. In buildings of the common type about twenty-five per cent of the area is given to corridor space. In relation to waste or unused space the Anthony School is so planned that it may be termed ninety-three per cent efficient.
BUILDING NEEDS.
Since 1914 the Town has provided nineteen new school rooms, an increase in number of exactly one hundred per cent. Sixteen of these are occupied. The three now vacant in the new school will unquestionably be filled by next September. If the present rate of growth continues, another new building will be required in Oxford by 1923. If
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increase in population slackens to normal it may be possible to postpone this one year by placing first grades on part time.
The immediate problem in school housing is at the Center. Here every room is occupied and well filled. The twenty-one rooms in the Job C. Tripp, Washington Street and Rogers Schools now house eight hundred twenty-five pupils. Not an extra room is left for increase in number next year. There is certain to be an increase. Considerable building is taking place in East Fairhaven and some in the Center. There is present over crowding in nine rooms and, unless relief is provided by next September, some children will have to be put on half time.
One way of providing relief is to erect a building at the Center, located, as recommended in last year's report, in the vicinity of the Rogers School. Two or three rooms will provide for immediate needs but make no provision for the future. Four rooms at least should be furnished. Many people believe the Washington Street School should be abandoned. A ten room building will be necessary if this is to be done. The desirability of this cannot be questioned. Is it practicable at the present time? That is for the citizens to determine. In the last two years the town has expended $100,000 for new schools. A new ten room building at the Center will cost approximately this sum. Can the town finance this and be ready in two or three years, at most, to erect another school in Oxford ?
It is possible that the expenditure of a few thousand dollars on the Washington Street School would make it usable for some years. A basement might be excavated under a section of the building and the furnace removed to it. This would decrease danger from fire. Windows might be cut in several places making the lighting better. The toilets might be thoroughly overhauled and put in better condition, thus removing the source of an unpleasant odor which comes occasionally. The ventilating system might perhaps be improved. Land might be taken on the north of
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the building to make a larger play ground. No authorita- tive estimate has been made of the cost of all these things but if it was ten thousand dollars, that is less than the cost of one room in a new building. In this connection it is pertinent to say that if the Washington Street School is continued in use, quite extensive repairs are immediately needed and must be included in the budget.
In last year's report the statement was made that the need of a building in East Fairhaven was rather remote. I wish to modify that. There has been an increase of twenty pupils from that section and continued growth seems prob- able. Nearly two hundred pupils now come by car and barge from East Fairhaven and Sconticut Neck. Central- ization of schools in the past has been advantageous educa- tionally. It now enables better distribution of children in grades and therefore better teaching. It is clear, however, that transportation has its limits as a policy. In planning for the future it seems probable that within five years the children from East Fairhaven and Sconticut Neck will fill eight school rooms. Locating these at the Center would not, in my judgment, be sound policy. In as much as the town now faces the necessity of providing four rooms next year for children at the Center, it may be worth while to consider a four room building in East Fairhaven. This would be occupied by the first six grades and would remove more than one hundred sixty pupils from the Rogers, Washington Street and Job C. Tripp Schools, thus giving the relief needed. If located some where midway between Madison Square and the Mattapoisett line it would be not more than one mile distant from a considerable number of pupils. This is not too far for them to walk. Some transportation expense would therefore be saved which might nearly off- set the increased cost of operation and administration in a small building. The children from Sconticut Neck could be transported there as readily as to the Center. When the
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growth of this section warranted it, four more rooms could be added. The educational opportunity would then be as good as at the schools in the Center.
A third way of relieving the congestion is by the use of portable schools. The two rooms needed next year can be purchased and set up for about five thousand dollars.
TEACHERS.
Of the thirty-seven grade teachers in Fairhaven seven- teen, or forty-six per cent, began their work here in September. The situation is not new; there is nothing new to be said about it. It is perfectly clear that high efficiency cannot be developed and maintained in a system with so large an annual over turn.
The average salary of teachers in grades one to six was $1133 last year and is $1130 this. The average salary now paid all elementary teachers, not including principals, is $1163, a very slight increase over that of 1920.
On December first of this year reports from the follow- ing towns approximating Fairhaven in size and wealth showed salaries as follows:
Towns.
Average Salary Paid in Grades I .- VI.
Average Salary Paid in Grades VII. and VIII.
Marblehead
$1,226.78
$1,395.00
Franklin
1,108.00
1,175.00
Wellesley
1,356.78
1,733.33
Ipswich
1,100.00
1,200.00
Swampscott
1,400.00
1,500.00
Montagu
1,300.00
1,400.00
Hudson
1,300.00
1,300.00
Andover
1,400.00
1,500.00
Mansfield
1,200.00
1,300.00
Average
$1,262.39
$1,389.26
There is an acute shortage of experienced teachers at our salaries. The cities and wealthier towns can draw from us but we are too near the average of the smaller towns to attract from them. There are, therefore, more
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beginners in the present corp than ever before. The number will increase. It would cost $7500 a year to raise salaries sufficiently high to insure a fair degree of stability in the teaching corp.
GROWTH OF THE SUPERINTENDENCY UNION.
In 1897 Fairhaven, Acushnet and Mattapoisett were organized into a superintendency union. There were then 831 children, 27 schools and 28 teachers in the district. When the present superintendent assumed office in 1912 there were 1249 children, 34 schools and 43 teachers. Marion joined the union in 1919. There are at present 2792 children, 71 schools and 104 teachers. Fairhaven alone has more teachers than were in the entire district in 1912.
The growth of the district has, of course, increased the duties and responsibilities of the superintendent of schools. In order to secure results it has been necessary to organize the work as nearly as possible like that in a single com- munity of similar size. The district is regarded as one of the best organized in the State. All the office work is done in Fairhaven by a secretary whose salary is divided among the towns. As nearly as practicable the course of study and the text books are the same for each town. Fairhaven pays for four-sevenths, each of the other towns for one-seventh of the superintendent's time, but in practice this division is disregarded. The joint committee expects the superintendeut to regard the schools of each town as of equal importance and to give them the attention needed.
In spite of thorough organization of the work four towns cannot be managed as one. Four different sets of conditions have to be heeded. The problems are nearly four fold those of a single town. In New Hampshire an assistant superin- tendent is required by law when the number of teachers reaches one hundred. No other union in Massachusetts is
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as large as ours but in cities having as many teachers a primary supervisor is usually employed. I believe Fairhaven can profitably consider the question of how to secure more supervision of its schools.
Of the forty-seven towns in Massachusetts having a population of from five to ten thousand, thirty-six employ a superintendent for full time. Generally speaking, the othe! large towns are united with a small one which at most em- ploys the superintendent for one day each week. The fol- lowing table shows the present cost of supervision in each of ten typical towns.
Towns.
Population.
Salary of Superintendent.
Time Employed.
Andover
8,268
$3,800.00
Full time
Fairhaven
7,291
2,285.00
4/7 time
Franklin
6,497
2,800.00
3/4 time
Hudson
7,607
3,800.00
Full time
Ipswich
6,201
2,750.00
Full time
Mansfield
6,255
2,400.00
4/5 time
Marblehead
7,324
3,000.00
Full time
Montagu
7,675
4,000.00
Full time
Needham
7,012
3,200.00
Full time
Swampscott
8,101
4,000.00
Full time
Wellesley
6,224
4,200.00
Full time
The work of the special teachers of music and drawing is also handicapped by the increase in number of schools to be covered. The supervisor of music divides her efforts among three towns, Acushnet, Mattapoisett and Fairhaven. In all she supervises the work in seventy-one school rooms. The supervisor of drawing has only Fairhaven and Matta- poisett but in Fairhaven nearly two days each week have to be devoted to actual teaching in the high school. One day is given to Mattapoisett, leaving two days in which to cover the elementary schools in this town. Relatively few teachers are well prepared to secure good results in music and draw- ing. The constant change in teachers further hinders pro- gress. More time and help are needed from a supervisor.
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The subjects are important and the school committee may well seek to furnish better opportunities of teaching them. Provision should be made in the budget to enable retention of a larger portion of the special teachers' time as well as that of the superintendent.
SCHOOL WORK.
No important changes have been made in the organiza- tion of the schools or the courses of study. The year has been characterized by steady effort along previously established lines.
The new outlines in geography and civics instituted in September, 1920, are being used with increased effectiveness.
The work being done in local history is perhaps one of our "high spots." The teacher in charge of this subject in the upper grades has given much time and effort to the col- lection and preparation of material to be included in a history of Fairhaven. It is proposed to have this put into book form by the printing department at the high school. There will be included numerous illustrations, some of which have been secured from various outside sources, and others made of scenes from the pageant of last spring. The whole will place in permanent form material desirable for all children to know. Local history is valuable because when taught in relation to that of the state and nation it arouses interest in and increases comprehension of the latter. It is valuable, also, in itself. The future citizens of Fairhaven will be more interested in the welfare of their town if they know something of its past.
The organization of the Junior Improvement Associa- tions in grades above the fifth was noted in the last report. These seek to make teaching of civics function in the prac- tical application of the spirit of good citizenship. They are based on the theory that public spirit grows by action and not through talk. Certain of the applications may savor too much of lowly work to please some. Freeing vacant lots
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from unsightly rubbish, picking up rubbish from the streets, protecting trees from injury, guarding lawns from invasion are humble tasks, without doubt, but they furnish excellent opportunity for the development of civic spirit.
There are now in our schools over four hundred mem- bers of this Association whose hours of civic service entitle them to wear the pin.
The law requires that the following subjects be taught in the public elementary schools: reading, writing, spelling, English language and grammar, arithmetic, drawing, history of the United States, physiology and hygiene, ethics, thrift, civics and physical training. In addition to these, sewing, cooking, manual training and vocal music are parts of the course of study in most systems. In many places, algebra, a modern language, bookkeeping, typewriting, science and vocational guidance are included in upper grades. In addi- tion to the formal regular subjects there is hardly a week in the year when appeal is not made to give special instruc- tion relating to some outside movement or activity. Fire prevention, accident prevention, kindness to animals and similar subjects justly claim some attention from the school. It seems too much, however, to expect detailed instruction in how to mail Christmas parcels.
The countless demands made upon the schools are a tribute to their influence and responsibilities. Admitting this, isn't it nearly time to call a halt ? The school days and years are too short for everything. They cannot profitably be given over to an endless schedule of formal instruction. There must be some time, not only to learn to work together, but, also, to play together, if children are to learn to live together when schools days are over.
HEALTH SUPERVISION.
A law became effective in September making com- pulsory the employment of a school nurse. Fairhaven schools have had a generous part of the time of the community nurse since 1916. The results of her work have been very satis-
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factory from the beginning. The law permits a school de- partment to avail itself of the services of a nurse employed by a nursing association if the work in the, schools is done under the direction of the school committee. Since the co- operation between the local community nurse association and the schools is always complete there is no good reason for changing the present arrangement. If the town failed to vote an appropriation for the community nurse, the school department would be compelled to include at least as large an amount in its budget. It is extremely doubtful whether we could get the service we now have by engaging a nurse independently. I recommend strongly that the existing ar- rangement be continued.
The report of Mrs. Lena P. Howland, the present school nurse is as follows :
REPORT OF SCHOOL NURSE.
Hours on school duty . . 547
Number of school visits. .192
Follow up cases in the home. 264
Number of children still under care. 500
Referred to school physician . 34
Referred to New Bedford Free Clinic, St. Luke's. 29
Eyes examined and furnished with glasses 8
Cases of adenoids and tonsils found . 60
Tonsils and adenoids removed 6
Cases defective hearing . 5
Cases defective eyesight
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Cases of impetigo 15
Cases ringworm 9
Cases pediculosis. 120
Cases miscellaneous diseases . 86
The above report merely suggests some directions of the nurse's efforts. It includes but a small part of her work. It is impossible to itemize all the duties of the position but they are about as follows :
1. School Inspection: Each room is visited at least once in two weeks to inspect for (1) general cleanliness, (2) pediculosis, (3) contagious skin diseases, (4) other com- municable diseases, (5) correction of posture, (6) sanitary conditions,
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II. Follow up work in the home :
a. To investigate absences for (1) illness or (2) need.
b. To urge correction of remedial defects exposed by the physical examination or weighing of children and aid in provision of means of correction.
c. To instruct families in (1) hygiene and (2) keeping of quarantine.
III. Assisting school physician in physical examina- tions.
IV. Assisting school dentist in dental examinations.
V. Caring for minor surgical dressings and treatments.
VI. Giving health instruction through talks to pupils thus supplementing the work of the teacher.
Last year the Mothers' Club provided a dental clinic furnishing equipment and the services of a dentist. At the annual meeting in February the town appropriated five hundred dollars toward its maintenance for the ensuing year. The dentist has examined the teeth of all the children in the schools. The results of each room have been filed with the teacher. Parents have been notified if defects were found. Undoubtedly many children have had their teeth looked after by the family dentist. Children not able to pay the nominal fee of the school dentist, twenty-five cents, are treated free. Since September the clinic has been opened sixteen mornings. Sixty-five pupils have received from one to three treatments each. The value of the work done can- not be questioned. I hope the dental clinic is to be a per- manent feature of our school work.
The appropriation for schools is not sufficient to secure that service from the school physician which the position warrants and the law requires. An actual examination of each pupil is compulsory "to see if he is suffering from any disability or defect tending to prevent his receiving the full benefit of his school work or requiring a modification of his school work to prevent injury to the child or to secure the best educational results." Unfortunately there is no penalty
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for evading this law hence it is often done. Such an exam- ination is, however, highly desirable. It often enables the teacher to interpret more intelligently the work of a child and tends to stimulate in parents more careful attention to the health of their children. Inadequate attention by the physician is the weak point in medical inspection of the Fairhaven schools.
The physical director has continued an effective pro- gram of training. Just at present he is preparing an inten- sive campaign to secure better posture. Supervised play during the noon hour and at recess has been successfully introduced into all the schools. The regular weighing of school children is being continued. The results in December were as follows:
Number of
Number of
pupils
pupils
Percent of pupils
Number of pupils more than 10 per cent
Percent of pupils more than 10 per cent
weighed
under weight under weight under weight under weight
1,221
602
49.6
206
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The facts of weight should be of interest to every parent. They are very significant in indicating the general health of a growing child. Children more than ten per cent under weight for any considerable length of time should have medical attention. In many schools a milk and cracker lunch is served poorly nourished children as a regular part of the daily program. This is made available to every pupil on payment of the cost but is free to needy children. Here is an excellent opportunity of service for some welfare organization.
Heretofore, there has been only one set of scales to be used in weighing of pupils. This has been carried from building to building and delay has often resulted. The school department is indebted to the Fairhaven Benevolent Association for the recent gift of a set of scales equipped with a measuring rod. This will aid materially in our work.
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HIGH SCHOOL.
The high school has a membership of 308, distributed by classes as follows: seniors, 34, juniors, 62, sophomores, 91, freshmen, 121. This is the highest enrollment in the school's history. It is clear that the immediate future will see a further marked increase. Only 34 graduate in June, leaving 274 in the three lower classes. Making due allow- ance for the loss of some pupils, an enrollment of four hundred pupils next year is not improbable.
Rapid increase in high school attendance brings with it housing and financial problems. The building is spacious but has so many rooms constructed for special purposes that it will with difficulty accommodate 350 pupils. An adequate number of recitation rooms is even now lacking. Several rooms not intended for the purpose are being used. The commercial department has eighteen typewriters for 121 pupils and no space for more machines in the quarters now used unless new and smaller tables replace the present ones. With certainty of an increased enrollment next year more machines must be purchased and placed somewhere. New desks, new lockers, new seats for the lunch room, more teachers,-these and many other needs, due to a larger school, make necessary a larger appropriation for the high school than heretofore.
The problem of providing more room and instruction for our high school pupils will grow more difficult each year. In view of the fact that fully twenty-five per cent of the school are from Mattapoisett, Acushnet and Rochester some relief can be had by excluding these pupils. Since it will be unfair to debar those from attending who have begun their work in our school, the question of receiving more pupils is one for early consideration. It may be unwise to take any first year scholars from outside even as early as next year. The towns should be notified that at least by September 1923 provision must be made otherwise. Matta- poisett which was particularly favored by Mr. Rogers should have opportunity to enlarge its present grammar school
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building so as to maintain a junior high school, if it so desires. If it should be necessary to exclude the first year classes next year there will be a loss of $2500 in tuition.
The enrollment from Fairhaven has increased rapidly in recent years. In 1912 there were 111 local pupils. The present number, 221, is therefore practically a one-hundred per cent increase as against a forty per cent increase in the population of the town. Undoubtedly one factor in the growth of the school has been its increasing attractiveness to young people. Few schools have so fine a spirit. The pride and pleasure evinced by pupils stimulates in the boys and girls of the grammar grades a desire to be in the high school. This is highly desirable of course. There is another factor in the rapid increase which may deserve consideration with a view of slightly modifying its influence. I refer to the entrance age. Until 1915 a ninth grade was maintained. Fairhaven was one of the last towns in the state to change to the eight grade system in the elementary schools. The average age of the entering class of 1912 was fifteen years and six months; in 1915 it was fifteen years and a small fraction. The average age of the freshman class of 1920 was fourteen years and four months; that of this year approximately the same. It is quite certain that a consid- erable number of parents in poor or moderate circumstances have been led to send their children to high school because of the lower age at which it was possible to enter.
The average age of entrance is not materially lower than in other towns and cities. The entrance age of the fall class in New Bedford High School averaged fourteen years and four months; that of the midyear class, fourteen years and two months. If our average told the whole truth there would be nothing more to say. It does not. When the ninth grade was abolished the superintendent recommended that the entrance age to the first grade be changed to six, which means, as generally applied, five years and eight months, since pupils who are to be six in January are received in September. It did not seem wise to do this in Fairhaven. It
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was done in Mattapoisett and Acushnet when the ninth grade was abolished in those towns. It is the relatively high average of Acushnet and Mattapoisett pupils, with those from Fairhaven whose parents, the majority in number, keep their children out of school until six, that makes the entrance age in our school so near the state wide standard. There were forty-seven pupils from Fairhaven who entered the high school in September who were thirteen years of age or younger. There were forty-four in the class of 1920. Fourteen is young enough to enter high school. That degree of maturity is needed in order to do the work. I recommend strongly that the entrance age to the first grade be fixed at five years and six months. When the town is in a financial condition to furnish rooms for the purpose I hope that kindergartens or sub-primary classes will be established for children younger than this. The eight year elementary school system with an entrance age of five years and six months will enable any normal child to reach the high school by the time he is fourteen. It is the universal opinion of high school teachers that pupils younger cannot fully profit by the work.
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