USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Acton > Town annual reports of Acton, Massachusetts 1853-82 > Part 38
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21. . 28. Mrs. Elizabeth D. Blanchard, wife of Mr. Simon Blanchard. aged 63 years.
22. Aug. 5, Mr. George Robbins, aged 90 years.
23. Aug. 30, Mrs. Ann F. Chaffin, wife of Mr. Samuel Chaffin, aged 66 years.
24. Sept. 4, Emory S. Preston, son of Herbert E. and Emma S. Preston, aged 1 year, 3 months, 4 days.
25. .. 10, Mr. John D. Whitney, aged 70 years, 7 months, 5 days.
26. .. 11. Mrs. Eunice Weston, widow of Stephen Weston, aged 82 years, 2 months, 25 days.
27. .. 24, Grace Evelyn Robbins, daughter of Elbridge J. and Ellen M. Robbins, aged 1 year, 11 months.
2%. ..
24, Mrs. Lydia A. Farrar, wife of Mr. Henry Farrar, aged 38 years, 6 months.
29. Oct .. S. Mrs. Anna E. Stevens, wife of Mr. Levi W. Stevens, aged 36 years, 3 months, 20 days.
30. . 28. Mrs. Hannah Wright, wife of Mr. Almon Wright, aged 77 years, 9 months.
31. Nov. 6. Leander V. N. Tuttle, son of Luke and S. Sophia Tuttle, aged 2 years, 7 months, 25 days.
20. Sarah L., daughter of Lowell A. and Sarah A. Jones, aged 2 days.
Dec. 3, Mr. Frank F. Hayward, aged 22 years, 7 months, 13 days.
34.
.. 4. Mr. Josiah C. Mason, aged 54 years, 4 months.
35. 15, Mrs. Eleanor Phelan, aged 51 years, 7 months.
36. .. 21, Mr. Simon Hapgood, aged 86 years, 11 months, 21 days.
.. 22, Mrs. Mary J. Palmer, aged 36 years. 1 month, 15 days.
$7.
7.
16
Names of Persons having Dogs Licensed in 1874. Name of Owner. No.
Name of Owner. No-
Francis Hosmer,
1.
D. H. Farrar, 1.
John. Conant, 1.
' .J. W. Abbott,
1.
Willie F. Richardson,
1.
W. W. Wooster. 1.
Silas Conant, Jr.
1.
Francis Pratt,
! .
Elnathan Jones,
1.
Henry Shapley,
1.
Varnum Tuttle,
1.
E. D. Lothrop,
1.
Tuttles, Jones & Wetherbee, 3.
A. Bulette,
1.
II. Waldo Tuttle,
1.
Lewis Beck,
2.
Thos. P. Yarter,
1.
J. Fletcher & Sons., 1.
1.
George V. Mead,
J. R. Bassett,
1.
Alfred Sawyer, 1.
L. R. Forbush,
A. & O. W. Mead,
1.
J. E. Harris,
1.
Geo. C. Wright,
1.
Edwin Tarbell,
Luther Conant,
1.
J. E. Reed,
i.
A. B. Brown,
1.
Joseph Reed,
1.
Elwyn H. Whitcomb,
1.
Daniel Tuttle,
1
S. M. Osgood & Co.,
1.
Francis Robbins,
1.
O. E. Preston,
1.
Frank Houghton,
1.
W. A. Gilmore,
1. S. Taylor Fletcher.
1.
Horace Tuttle,
1.
Theo. Karcher,
1.
W. II. Faulkner,
1.
John Daley, fem.,
1.
Willard A. Davis,
1.
U. A. Snell, fem., 1.
1.
Henry Potter,
1.
John Grimes,
1.
Moses Taylor,
1.
D. C. Cutler,
1.
E. F. Fuller,
1.
H. A. Barker.
1.
Augustus Fletcher,
1.
J. W. Randall,
1.
J. C. Keyes,
1.
Chas. Wheeler,
1.
D. J. Wetherbee,
1.
.J. W. Charter,
1.
Daniel Wetherbee,
1.
E. Robbins,
1.
saac W. Flagg,
1.
Calvin Harris,
1.
Daniel Harris,
1.
J. A. Piper,
1.
Geo. E. Priest,
1.
Robert Fiske,
1.
A. S. Fletcher,
1.
Geo. W. Livermore,
fem. 1.
A. J. Fletcher,
1.
Martin Whitney,
1.
1. C. Handley,
1.
D. H. Knights,
1.
1.
A. L. Tuttle,
1.
1.
Henry Haynes, Josiah Piper,
1.
1
W. E. Wood,
1.
fem.,
1.
Henry Smith,
1.
.. N. Fletcher,
1.
Neil Currie,
1.
Total, 84 males, 4 females.
1.
Iorace Tuttle, 2d.,
1.
. R. Daniels, . J. Robbins,
1.
Chas. Morris,
Taylor Bros.,
1.
Allen Smith,
Levi Houghton,
N. C. Reed,
George Conant,
1.
Frank Marshall, eo. C. Conant,
THE ANNUAL REPORT
4
OF THE
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
OF THE
TOWN OF ACTON,
FOR THE
SCHOOL YEAR 1874-5.
L
343678410
7
ACTON : ACTON PATRIOT JOB PRINT. 1875.
-
REPORT.
TO THE CITIZENS OF ACTON :
In accordance with the requirements of the statutes and a time honored custom your School Committee, having discharged their du- ties to the best of their ability. beg leave to submit, for your consider- ation, the following report :-
We trust that we have been fully impressed with the importance of the charge committed to our care, and have labored very earnestly to keep up and, if possible, improve the standard of excellence in our schools. But in looking over the school history of the past year it seems to us that we have been called to encounter even more than the usual number of obstacles.
During the past year we have been obliged to make several changes in our corps of teachers, and, though we have been very fortunate in our selections, as a general thing, every teacher has to gain some experience in any school in order to secure the highest degree of suc- cess. We consider it very important to the best interests of our schools to continue a good teacher several consecutive terms in the same school.
Moreover, during the past school year our schools have been more broken up by sickness than is usually the case. This has been espe- cially true of the schools during the past Winter. On account of the prevalence of the scarlet fever and other forms of disease three of the large schools closed in the midst of the term, so that a large number of our scholars have suffered a very serious loss of school advantages. But, while this is a fact to be regretted, we feel that our gratitude is due to an overruling Providence who has averted from us the calam- ity of a general epidemic which might have proved fatal to many children whose faces will brighten our school rooms in coming terms. It is sad for us to feel that, as it is, the presence of some scholars will be missed, and we sympathize very deeply with their afflicted homes.
-
1
During the past year we have had one public examination in all the schools, and two in those schools which were not terminated or greatly disturbed by sickness. These examinations have been well attended, and, as a general thing, highly creditable to the educational work of the town. We are more and more convinced that these public examinations are excellent, both for teachers and scholars, and we think it may be well to have them more frequently in the future than in the past. We have been pleased to notice the evident interest taken in the schools by the people of the several districts during the past year, as evidenced by the large attendance upon several of the public examinations. We think, too, that the people have been very careful and just in their criticisms, and thus have done much to aid both teachers and committee in their efforts to promote the interest of the schools. We hope that a similar course may be pursued in the future, so that, as during the past year, all will work together for the success of this highly important work.
The success of the schools during the past year has been affected by causes beyond our control, but the past year's experience has suggest- ed to us certain points where it may be possible for us, as a town, to secure better conditions of success in the future, and it is that the citizens of the town generally may view the matter from our stand- point that we make suggestions with reference to the following points.
Town Appropriation for Schools.
We are aware that it is necessary for the town to raise large sums of money for other purposes, and it is with diffidence that we put forward the claim of our schools ; but we feel that we should not be faithful to our charge unless we made known their real wants. Good teachers command as high wages now as they did five years ago, and the expense of heating and caring for our school houses is so much greater now than when the old school houses were used that there are not sufficient funds for school terms of suitable length, even with the addition which has been already made to the town appropriation for these purposes. The vacations of school are now too long for the best good of the scholars. The vacations are so long that they go far towards dissipating the impressions made upon the scholars' minds during the sessions of school, and the school houses are so comforta- ble and large that it would be far better, both for the health and the morals of our scholars, to spend more weeks in the school-room and
5
less in the stores and streets. The possibility of a large number of school weeks during the year will enable us more easily to retain the services of good teachers, at the same cost per month. as it will in- crease their yearly income, and employ their time when otherwise they would be obliged to be unemployed. An additional appropria- tion of two hundred and fifty dollars would be very useful in pro- moting the good of our schools and we hope that our citizens may see their way clear to increase their appropriation that amount.
Importance of Every Term of School to Scholars.
One very serious obstacles in the way of the satisfactory progress of many of our scholars is the fact that they are uniformly absent from school one term or more every year. The usual excuse for the ab- sence of these scholars is the supposed need of their work at home. In some cases it is no doubt the fact, that there is an apparent need of the sacrifice of a higher for a lower advantage. but we believe it to be usually the case that if the parents duly appreciated the importance of a thorough education, as the best inheritance which they can bestow upon their children-if they realized the need of this as their children will realize it in coming years-we feel very sure that they would so arrange it that their scholars should not be detained from school by work a term or a day.
A child of twelve or fourteen years of age can do but little manual labor, consistently with his health and the development of a strong con- stitution, while he can gain as much real advantage from study at that time as at the age of eighteen, hence it is very poor economy to keep scholars of such an age from school. It may be that the terms can be arranged to better accommodate the scholars which are usually kept at home for the above reason by bringing a large number of weeks of school into the time intervening between Nov. Ist and April or May 1st. As it is, the evil complained of is to be lamented, and is appar- ently increasing in some localities.
Male or Female Teachers.
The question has been asked several times during the past year, would not male teachers conduct our large winter schools to better ad- vantage than female teachers? To this question we have uniformly given a negative answer, for these reasons :
1st. To employ male teachers we would be obliged to shorten our winter terms, which are now too short nearly one-third, or shorten the
6
other terms enough to make out the extra money required for the employment of a male teacher.
2nd. It is very difficult to find good male teachers that are willing to take charge of our common schools. Permanent situations are open to such teachers in a higher grade of schools. The male teach- ers who usually apply for our schools are students in search of a little experience in teaching, and a little money for the further prosecution of their studies, and more frequently than otherwise secure both at the expense of their scholars.
3d. It is very important that we should be able to secure good teachers several consecutive terms, but. if we get into the way of em- loying male teachers in the winter, it will be very sure to result in a change of teachers in these schools twice in a year and the best teach- ers will seek situations where they can hope for steady employment, so that, as it seems to us, the good of the schools will be imperiled throughout the year.
As to the management of unruly scholars, we believe that a female teacher, experienced in the control of scholars, will succeed far better han a male teacher without any such experience; the former teacher may or may not have as much physical strength as the latter; that, as we ook upon it, makes little difference. The brute force as the princi- bal factor in the government of schools is out of date. It is now generally understood that the same forces should control scholars in school which will control them in society, viz., a due regard for right- ul authority and the dignity of law, as such, and, when advanced scholars can not be controlled by these means, it seems to us that they ought to be turned over to their parents for punishment or dismissed rom school.
Text Books.
During the past year we have nearly completed the change in Read- ng books which was recommended in our last report. The good re- ults of the change have more than equalled our expectations. To nake the series of Readers uniform, it is necessary that the 6th Readers should be changed in two of the largest schools. Beyond this we would recommend no change in text books the coming year.
Primary Schools.
These schools have been as successful during the past year as at any previous time, so far as we have been able to discover. But we have
7
thought it possible that Object Teaching may be employed more largely in this grade of school than heretofore. This method of teaching is now very largely employed by educators in the instruction of young scholars, with excellent results. This method is now employed by most of our teachers to some extent, and it may be that there is room for still further improvement in the same direction. In one of our schools it has been the practice to dismiss the younger scholars earlier than the regular time, and, so far as we know, the practice has not been attended with any bad results. It may be that fewer hours of confine- ment to the school rooms will be better for our younger scholars gen- erally.
These, Fellow Citizens, are some of the suggestions which we would present to you for the improvement of our schools. In order that these suggestions may be carried out, your approval and co-oporation are necessary to a greater or less extent, and we hope that neither will be withheld. Our most valuable possessions, as a town, are our children, and the most important interest we are called to provide for is to be found in our schools. We trust that they will receive at your hands the care and support which are their due.
Passing from a consideration of the condition and wants of our school system, taken as a whole, we would now invite you to a brief review of the different schools. We will consider the schools in the order determined by the attendance of scholars in each district, men- tioning first the schools in the districts having the largest attend- ance.
South Grammal'.
This school had the same teacher throughout the year, Miss M. 1. Edwards. Miss E. is a teacher of ripe experience, is dignified in her bearing as a teacher, and has other elements essential to success in the government of a school ; and in this school ought to have had the highest degree of success. As it was, we think the highest usefulness of the school was somewhat impaired by the conduct of a very few scholars, to whom some previous remarks in this report fitly apply. On account of sickness there was no public examination in the Winter term. The examination at the close of the fall term was very satis- factory, as much so, on the whole, as any that we have attended in this school.
8
South Primary.
This school, also, had the same teacher, Miss S. L. Burr, through out the year. Miss B. made herself at home in the school-room and manifested a good degree of skill in the difficult work of interesting and instructing young scholars. She seemed to possess the respect and love of her pupils to a marked degree. The examination at the close of the Fall term, proved that the scholars had made good progress during the term. The school was terminated so suddenly in the winter that there was no examination. From what we are able to learn, Miss B.'s work in the school was creditable to her ability as a teacher and satisfactory to the Committee.
West Grammar.
This school had the same teacher through the whole year, Miss A .. H. Allen. Miss A. taught this school the last term of last year, and was referred to as a teacher in our last report, so that no mention of her qualities is called for in this place. We will simply say that Miss A.'s work in this school, during the past year, has but confirmed us in our impression of her fitness for the work of teaching. Not only has this school made excellent progress in knowledge, but, so- far as we know, there has been a most harmonious state of feeling between teacher and scholars, which promises much for the success of this school in the future. The examination at the end of the Fall term. was highly creditable to teacher and scholars. The Winter term was so broken up by sickness that there was no public examination ; but the Committee took the opportunity to make a private examination into. the progress of the school and satisfied themselves that it was as good as they reasonably could expect, under the circumstances.
West Primary.
The Spring term of this school was taught by Miss A. E. Hall. whose name, as a teacher,has appeared in several reports of this Com- mittee, and always associated with words of praise. Miss H.'s work. this term was fully equal to that of any other term. Her whole heart was in her work, and she found her reward in the highest de- gree of success and in the most grateful love of her pupils, who. no. doubt, will cherish her memory always.
The Fall and Winter terms were taught by Miss A. O. Hopkins- a teacher of ripe experience, who proved herself well adapted to the work devoted to her care. As a teacher, she is well versed in expe-
9
dients for exciting the thought and holding the attention of young scholars. On account of the apparent danger of the scarlet fever this school ended in the midst of the Winter term, so that it had but' one public examination during the year. the one at the end of the Fall term, which was quite satisfactory.
Center Grammar.
The Spring and Fall terms of this school were taught by Miss J. S. Bartlett, the teacher who taught the school during the whole of last year, and who was noticed fully in our last report. We will simply say that the school during these terms was very small-almost unaccountably so-but that the scholars who attended the school made good advancement in real mental discipline.
The Winter term was taught by Mr. C. P. Searle of Amherst Col- lege. Mr. Searle was well recommended to the Committee, as a scholar and a gentleman, and so far as we know possessed these qual- ities, but was without experience in the management of a public school and failed to exhibit any natural talent for such a work. It should be said, however, that the school was the largest and consisted. of the oldest scholars of any in our town, and would have been a dif- ficult school for even an experienced teacher. The Committee would have secured an experienced female teacher for the school had he found it possible for him to do so and gratify the manifest wishes of the majority of the scholars and people of the district. When their (lesires became known to him, it was so near the time for the school to begin that it was impossible for him to do otherwise than he did. It should be said in justice to the scholars that they generally did their utmost to save the school from being a failure, and that, on the whole, considering everything, it had a fair degree of success.
Center Primary.
This school was favored with the continued instruction of Miss A. E. Tacker, who was mentioned in our last report in such terms of praise that nothing need be said of her here. This school also was termi- nated in the midst of the term by sickness. Like the Grammar School it was one of the largest in town, but until it was broken up was making excellent progress and promised to be one of the most suc- cessful schools in town.
10
East School.
This school enjoyed the labors of the same teacher, Miss M. C. Ilarriss, through the whole year. Miss HI. has had an extended expe- rience, as a teacher in a high order of schools, and applied herself most heartily to the work of this school and produced a marked im- pression upon all the scholars who attended the school cach term. The examinations, at the end of the Fall and Winter terms, were very sat- isfactory-among the best that we have attended. We considered the progress made in Reading especially commendable.
Southeast School.
The Spring and Fail terms of this school were taught by Miss E. O. Clark. Miss C. was mentioned in our last report in connection with this school, in terms of commendation. We think that she did as well with the school as any teacher could do. The Winter term was taught by Miss E. S. Brooks. Miss B. has had but little experience in teach- ing, but devoted herself to the work of the school with considerable energy, and we hoped that the examination at the end of the term would prove that she had secured a good degree of success. We are sorry to say, however, that the examination was not very satisfac- tory, though it may have been as good as we ought to have expected, considering the unambitious character of the scholars.
North School.
The Spring and Fall terms of this school were taught by Miss L. L. Keyes, a resident of the district. Miss K. taught in the East Schoo! one term last year and was noticed in our last report. She seemed to have the good will and co-operation of her scholars, and, so far as we know, did her work to the satisfaction of all interested in the school.
The Winter term was taught by Miss E. F. Reed, who has been mentioned in previous reports in connection with this school. We will simply say that we considered this one of her most successful schools.
As appears from the above review, the proportion of schools that have had the same teacher through the whole year is very large, and the success of the schools has been greatly promoted by this fact.
Appended are the usual Statistical Reports, which we commend to .your careful perusal. In the number of visits, those made by the Su- perintendent or by friends at the public examinations, are not included.
11
It is possible that some mistakes may have been made in the Roll of Honor, as we had to gather the names, in almost every case, from the school register, which fact exposed us to the liability of mistakes. We hope, however, that all is correct,
Respectfully submitted.
HARRIS COWDREY, (Chairman), ELBRIDGE J. ROBBINS, (Clerk), JAMES TUTTLE, GEORGE HARRISS.
School Committee
JOSEPH NOYES,
JOHN FLETCHER, 2D,
Acton.
F. P. WOOD, Superintendent of Schools.
12
ROLL OF HONOR,
Several scholars in the different schools have been absent or tardy only once, and several have not been tardy or absent after they began to go to school, but did not go when the school began. We would gladly mention such, but cannot by our rules.
Those who have not Those who have not
been absent or tardy for one term.
been absent or tardy for two terms.
Those who have not been absent or tardy for three terms.
SOUTH GRAMMAR.
M. Louisa Burr.
Lucy A. Jones,
Annie E. Jordan,
Etta C. Temple.
Edith Lewis.
Mary V. Phelan.
Jesse Mitchell,
Jimmie Hannon,
Hattie Wetherbee,
Michael Hannon.
Frank Bulette. Frank Harris,
George Haynes. Arthur Jones, Charles Lewis,
Wiliie S. Warren.
SOUTH PRIMARY.
Gertie Clark,
Florence Fletcher.
Josie Hannon,
Carrie Hayward,
Carrie Shapley,
Eda Shapley,
Edith Snell.
Della Wetherbee, Fred. Brown, Fred. Farrar,
Harry Fletcher, Arlie Jackson, John Lynch, Charles Priest, Charlie Worcester,
WEST GRAMMAR.
Annie Blanchard, Lottie Handley, Ella Teele. Nellie White. Effie Wright, Ellsworth Hapgood,
Clara Tuttle. Edgar Hall, Freddie Mead. George Mead,
Mary Tuttle, Inez Wyman, Arthur Bradford. Charlie Hopkins, Alphonso Wyman.
George Hutchins, Willie Kelley, George Robinson, Warren Stevens.
Mary Haggerty, Emily Hannon, Mary Jackson, Mary Knight,
Eva Shapley.
13
WEST PRIMARY.
Charlie W. Foye, Georgie D. Foye, Walter Gardner,
Elmer E. Handley, Milly G. Handley,
Freddy G. Holden, Charles H. Morris, Charles B. Parker, Clesson J. Parker, Everett A. Richardson, Warren Taylor, Frank A. Teele.
Mary A. Blanchard, Minnie R. Hart,
Ida J. Tuttle,
Bertie S. Wright,
Fred W. Gilmore,
Willie P. Hart,
David Kingsley.
Hattic A. Parker, Arthur F. Blanchard, Allie H. Gilmore. Herbert Hapgood. Bertie F. Mead.
CENTRE GRAMMAR.
Horace Tuttle, Gillie Parlin.
Ana Davis, Alma Forbush, Annie Hammond, Carrie Jones, Simon Taylor.
CENTRE PRIMARY.
Lizzie Cummings, Arvilla Darling, Erminie Davis, Bertha Fiske, Addie Pike, Etta Tuttle, Florian Eiske, Frank Fiske.
Carrie Dunn.
EAST SCHOOL.
Abbie Fiske, Bertha E. Hosmer, Nixon Ball, Carlton C. Conant.
Elbridge R. Conant, George H. Robbins, Frank E. Wetherbee, Roland J. Wetherbee.
Bessie M. Ball, Hattie R. Esterbrook, Mary D. Farrar, Florence B. Perkins, Frank H. Billings, Webster C. Robbins.
Susie A. Batchelder, Etta A. Esterbrook.
SOUTH-EAST.
Emma A. Charlow, Lester Fletcher, George E. Johnson, John L. Jones, Wm. Malthouse.
1 Estelle D. Heath, Lizzie C. Matthews, Emma A. Pratt, Mattie C. Pratt.
14
NORTH SCHOOL.
Annie Gallagher,
Lizzie Ryan,
Nellie Ryan,
Hattie Smith,
Willie Butterfield,
Elmer Rouillard,
Jimmie Ryan,
Bertie Smith,
George Smith.
TABULAR VIEW.
SCHOOLS.
TEACHERS.
Length [of School in
Wages per month.
Whole number of
Average Attendance.
Number under five
Number over fifteen
years of age.
Number of visits by parents & others.
SPRING TERM.
Centre.
Primary,
A. E. Tucker,
32 00
3º
26.20
2
West.
¿ Primary,
A. E. Hall,
36 00
37
34
12
5
South.
¿ Primary,
6 S. L. Burr,
36 00
43
37
16
North.
L. L. Keyes,
2.23
26 00
18
15.40
3
11
East,
1
M. C. Harriss,
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