USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Carver > Town annual reports of Carver 1910 > Part 3
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1,436 00
Overdraft, 1907,
65 41
Overdraft, 1908,
898 06
$7,782 57
TEACHING.
George L. Spaulding,
$360 00
Louise H. Newton,
337 50
Ellis G. Cornish,
12 00
Bertha Soule,
121 50
Bessie Page,
240 00
Irene Nichols,
240 00
Marian Copeland,
80 00
Dorothy Shaw,
80 00
Mary McConnell,
114 00
Blanche Holmes,
54 00
Lulu Pratt,
216 00
Ida Torrenson,
160 00
A. I. Studley,
270 00
Mrs. Florence Merry,
17 30
Elsie Lawson,
80 00
Elizabeth Gould,
54 00
Inez Allen,
120 00
Mabel Freeman,
114 00
Adelaide Kenney,
120 00
Ethel Nash,
10 00
$2,800 30
JANITORS.
Ellis G. Cornish, E. C. Churchill,
$50 00
90 19
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George Blair,
78 00
Marian Copeland,
12 00
Mary McConnell,
9 00
Ethel Nash,
50
Irene Nichols,
12 00
Blanche Holmes,
7 50
Lulu Pratt,
12 00
Mabel Freeman,
3 00
Elizabeth Gould,
1 50
Elsie Lawson,
3 00
Annie McFarlin,
1 00
Dorothy Shaw,
10 50
$290 19
FUEL.
E. H. Murdock,
$27 52
George Lincoln,
5 75
William Shaw,
3 50
W. E. Cornish,
1 4%
L. F. Morse,
4 00
P. J. Holmes,
60
I. W. Tillson,
7 58
George Blair,
1 25
A. S. Perkins,
35 00
Charles Connell,
1 00
J. S. Hudson,
6 75
O. K. Griffith,
1 25
H. E. Washburn,
22 75
E. G. Cornish,
5 62
T. M. Cole,
9 00
$133 04
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CLEANING.
Isadore Howland,
$8 65
Blanche Holmes,
2 50
George Blair,
1 65
Mrs. George Robinson,
9 00
Edward Baker,
1 00
$22 80
REPAIRS.
Isaac Shaw,
$2 00
Edward Shaw,
3 35
William Shaw,
27 46
Thomas Blanding,
3 60
T. T. Vaughan,
7 56
N. B. Winberg,
5 00
Lester Pratt,
1 20
Gustavus Atwood,
92
George Blair,
1 00
$52 09
SUPPLIES.
A. W. Peterson,
$10 45
F. E. Babb & Co.,
255 01
Plymouth Hardware Co.,
20 90
C. W. Humphrey,
15 47
John E. Jordan,
3 00
H. D. Griffith,
1 35
Joseph Breck & Sons,
5 60
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Ames Plow Co.,
1 30
D. C. Heath,
7 14
W. N. Snow,
3 00
C. C. Perkins,
1 82
Eagle Pencil Co.,
17 50
Felix Daus,
2 00
William Shaw,
2 00
W. D. Harrison,
55
A. W. Humphrey,
13 75
George Powers,
3 00
Davis Press,
15 00
Bessie Page,
35
$379 18
TRANSPORTATION.
Deborah Tillson,
$192 00
H. H. Gammons,
12 00
Deborah Hatch,
8 50
James Lees,
66 00
Roswell Shurtleff,
240 00
J. S. McKay,
56 00
$574 50
ELLIS FUND.
Received from fund,
$500 00
Surplus from 1908,
60 00
$560 00
Paid for Teaching-
Marian Copeland, $255 00
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Dorothy Shaw,
176 00
Annie McFarlin,
44 00
Surplus,
85 00
$560 00
Medical Fund.
Town appropriation,
$50 00
Surplus, 1908,
3 75
$53 75
Surplus for 1909,
$53 75
SUPERINTENDENT'S ACCOUNT.
Received from State,
$300 00
Paid from general appropriation,
350 00
$650 00
Paid C. W. Humphrey,
MASSACHUSETTS STATE SCHOOL FUND.
Received from State,
$868 81
Surplus,
573 59
$1,442 40
Paid-
George Spaulding, teaching,
$270 00
Louise Newton, teaching,
150 00
E. G. Cornish, teaching.
120 00
Trene Nichols, teaching,
120 00
Bessie Page, teaching,
120 00
Nellie Barker, teaching,
132 00
Lulu Pratt, teaching,
108 00
Blanche Holmes, teaching,
108 00
$650 00
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Mary McConnell, teaching,
114 00
Dorothy Shaw, teaching,
50 00
Marian Copeland, teaching,
40 00
J. S. McKay, transportation,
56 00
Deborah Tillson,
48 00
Surplus,
6 40
$1,442 40
Average Membership
Average Attendance
Per cent. Attendance
High School,
12
10
83
Centre Grammar,
15
12.7
84
Centre Primary,
25
20.7
80
North Grammar,
11.4
10.6
94
North Primary,
30.9
27.9
90
South Grammar,
29.5
26.3
88
South Primary,
30.9
25.3
79
Pope's Point,
18
14.4
82
Bates Pond,
13.69
12.6
92
Wenham,
19.96
16.7
84
ROLL OF HONOR.
The following names are those of pupils who have had per- fect attendance for one or more terms.
Three terms-Eleanor Atwood, John Blaker, Howard Gardner, Myrtle Gardner, Louise De Moranville, Preston Mckay, Doris Jones, Julia Stanley.
Two terms-Charlotte Atwood, Lawrence Atwood, Leslie At- wood, Walter Greene, Grace Gardner, Stephen Gammons, Elnor Hastings, Grace Pratt, Ruth Shaw, Mildred Story, Madeline Shaw, Warren Washburn.
One term-Rov Atwood, Eunice Atwood, Elizabeth Atwood, Everett Cassidy, Charles Chandler, Harold Dunn, Lydia Gibbs,
Carver 5
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Bertha Garnett, Ezimael Dube, Anna Holmes, Achsah Holmes, Merton Griffith, Otis Linton, Carl Mahler, Kenneth Mahler, Irving Potter, George Perkins, Myrtle Perkins, Maynard Peter- son, Gertrude Robbins, Clyde Griffith, Rodney Griffith, Paul Story, John Shaw, Bernard Tillson, Eleanor Washburn, Ralph Washburn, William Winberg, Bernard Winberg, Robert Wash- burn.
TRANSPORTATION.
An appropriation of four hundred dollars is recommended for transportation.
MEDICAL INSPECTION.
The school committee recommends an appropriation of seven- ty-five dollars for medical inspection in the schools.
APPROPRIATION.
We recommend a general appropriation of $5,000 for the support of schools for the present year.
Respectfully yours,
W. M. SHAW, C. C. PERKINS, MRS. A. G. SHAW, School Committee of Carver.
SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT.
To the School Committee and Citizens of Carver-
In Victor Hugo's "Les Miserables" he tells how the Good Bishop sought to induce the people of one village to follow the example of another by telling of the good that came to them as the result of their acts. In those cantons where the people were hard to the needy he would say, "Look at the people of Briancon, they have given to the poor, the widows and the or- phans the right to mow the fields three days before the others. Hence it is a country blessed of God." To those eager for grain and good crops he would say, "Look at the people of Embrun. If a father of a family at harvest time has his sons in the army, and his daughters serving in the town, or if he is ill or prevented from toil, the cure recommends him in his sermon ; and on Sunday, after mass all the villagers, men, wo- men and children go into his fields and cut and carry home his crop." In villages where there was no school master he would say, "Do you know what the people of Queyras do? As a small place containing only twelve or fifteen hearths can not always support a master, they have school masters paid by the whole valley, who go from village to village, spending a week in one, ten days in another, teaching the children. Do like the people of Queyras." I wonder if I could use the same manner of argument as the Good Bishop, and tell you how I commenced the report to two other towns in the district. They began like this: "In making a report of the condition of the schools, I can say that the teachers as a whole are superior to any since the beginning of the superintendency district eight years ago. This is mainly because nearly all of them have had several years experience." Why should we not say the same here? I
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do not mean that the work of the teachers here is not good. Some of it is very good indeed; but of too many we have to say, "It is good for beginners." We had fifty per cent. of changes this year, and forty per cent. were beginners. We necessarily have some beginners each year; but we have more than our share. If you ask me how this can be avoided, I would say, "Increase the salary of a teacher who succeeds the first year." Our teachers have no assurance of an increase the second year, and no inducement to stay. Is not this a wrong policy ? I would recommend that we pay $40.00 the first year,_ $45.00 the second, and $50.00 the third. Can we not afford to do this when we consider the valuation and school tax and the wages of teachers, compared with other towns of the county. The comparison, taken from the state reports, is this :
School tax per $1,000 of valuation, and average wages per month of female teachers.
TOWN OF CARVER.
1904-5, school tax,
$2.42;
wages,
$34.00
1905-6, school tax,
2.97;
wages,
37.00
1906-7, school tax,
4.11;
wages,
37.00
1907-8, school tax,
3.03;
wages,
38.50
A
PLYMOUTH COUNTY.
1904-5, school tax,
$5.20;
wages,
$50.83
1905-6, school tax,
5.11;
wages,
51.34
1906-7, school tax,
5.28;
wages,
53.53
1907-8, school tax,
5.32;
wages,
52.83
Valuation of the town, May 1, 1906, $1,229,455; 1907, $1,- 319,350, an increase of 7.3 per cent .; 1908, $1,395,565, an increase of 5.8 per cent .; 1909, $1,504,725, an increase of 7.8 per cent.
Does not the recommendation seem reasonable, and not more than we can afford? When we consider that the success of a
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school depends almost wholly on the teacher-the cooperation of the parents and the public, the interest of the children, the work of the superintendent, and the equipment of the schools are all factors in the result, but powerless in themselves-can we afford to do less? Some have thought we are now paying more for teachers than is necessary, but we do not, to get the class we have. It is true we pay more than formerly; but we pay more for any labor, or for any commodity. I believe the union wages for carpenters is 41c per hour. In 1672, in the Good Old Colony Days, according to the political economist Adams, the wages of carpenters in Massachusetts was 33c per day, without board; and wheat was selling for 81c per bushel. The same authority states that the rise in "real" wages, that is, in proportion to their purchasing power, between 1866 and 1902 was 73 per cent. Very few carpenters have spent any time in learning their trade without some compensation. Nearly all teachers spend six or eight years in learning theirs, without pay, and two to four years of this away from home, at an average cost of $250.00 per year; and this is done before they begin to earn any wages. And as schools are in session but nine months in the year, it is equivalent to being laid off one week in every month.
Besides this recommendation for an increase in salaries after the first year, I would again recommend that we employ a su- pervisor of drawing. Drawing seems so necessary in any kind of mechanical work that it should be better taught than it can be without a special teacher.
I would also recommend that for the present the pupils in the Pope's Point school be carried to the Center. I would not ad- vise closing the school permanently, but while the number is so small, I believe it would be an advantage to do so.
By an understanding between the committee and superintend- ent, the matter of repairs on buildings is not a part of the duty of the latter ; but I would suggest a much needed change in the high school building. The blackboards are in such poor condi-
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tion that I do not think it advisable to repair them, but advise replacing them with slate. Also the well that was driven in the laboratory should be put in working order. These two changes would put the high school rooms in good condition.
The changes in teachers this year were at Bates Pond, Pope's Point, Center Grammar, North Primary and the High School, and a change occurred at the North Grammar at the beginning of the winter term.
Miss Marion Copeland is at the South Grammar, her third year of teaching. The advantage of keeping a teacher for that time is very apparent in her school. Miss Dorothy Shaw is teaching her second year in the South Primary. Miss Ida E. Torreson of Fall River is at the Center Grammar, her first year. Miss Irene Nichols is at the Center Primary. This is her second year in the school, and her third of teaching. Her work is very satisfactory. Miss Bessie N. Page, who began her second year at the North Grammar, resigned at the close of the fall term to accept a position in Rockland. She was one of our best teachers, and would doubtless have remained longer if she had received an increase in salary the second year. Miss Page is succeeded by Miss Christina Pratt of Middleboro. Miss Inez V. Allen of South Weymouth is at the North Primary, her first year. Mrs. Lulu A. Pratt is at Wenham, her fourth year. Miss Elsie Lawson of Brockton is at Pope's Point, her first year ; and Miss Mabel S. Freeman of Wareham is at Bates Pond, also her first year. The decision to re-open the high school came late in the season to secure teachers, but we were fortunate in getting Mr. A. Irvin Studley of Hanover, and in the return of Miss Newton. Miss Newton is now on leave of absence on account of sickness, and her place is being filled by Mrs. Florence K. Merry of Wareham. The High School opened with nineteen pupils, ten in the high school course, and nine in the ninth grade. At the beginning of the winter term the number was fourteen, four having left the ninth grade and one the high school.
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South Grammar, 26 pupils, Miss Marion C. Copeland, Bridge- water Normal School; South Primary, 22 pupils, Miss Dorothy Shaw, Bridgewater Normal School ; Center Grammar, 18 pupils, Miss Ida E. Torreson, Bridgewater Normal School; Center Pri- mary, 25 pupils, Miss Irene Nichols, Hyannis Normal School; North Grammar, 23 pupils, Miss Christina Pratt, Middleboro Training School; North Primary, 29 pupils, Miss Inez V. Allen, Bridgewater Normal School; Wenham, 22 pupils, Mrs. Lulu A. Pratt, Bridgewater Normal School; Pope's Point, 11 pupils, Miss Elsie Lawson, Bridgewater Normal School; Bates Pond, 14 pupils, Miss Mabel S. Freeman, Bridgewater Normal School; High School, 15 pupils, Mr. A. Irvin Studley, Bridgewater Nor- mal School; High School, Miss Louise H. Newton, Bridgewater Normal School.
The desire for a business course in the High School has been so frequently expressed that I think the matter should be de- cided by the voters of the town as a whole. But before doing so they should inform themselves in regard to the cost of equip- ing the school for such a course, the cost of maintaining it, and the probable results to come from it. It is not a matter that should be taken up as an experiment for a year or two, and then dropped if unsatisfactory. It is too costly an experiment to be undertaken without careful consideration. This one phase of High School work stands or falls entirely on its merits as a fi- nancial venture. If we give a business course, it must be as good as the best, or the graduates can not compete with those from other business schools. It does not seem wise to try it simply because we think some of the children would like it, or in the hope that we may induce more to go to school; it is entirely a business matter, and unless we look at it in that light, I think it is already a failure.
While it may seem out of place for me to offer advice unasked, yet in this matter I think I may venture to do so. I think the town owes it to itself, and to the children, that it makes no mistake. I would advise that three of the best business men in
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the town be chosen to investigate the matter; that they go to a number of business houses in Boston or other cities, and get the opinion of business men, men who are entirely disinterested, and whose opinion should be valuable, as to the wisdom of such a course; that they also visit several of the best commercial high schools, or high schools having a commercial course, and see the conditions there, that they may know what we have to compete with; and that they make a report to the town before definite action is taken. If it is found wise to maintain a commercial course, let us have the best ; if it is not found to be wise, then let us send the children to a good commercial school, and pay all the costs.
I have examined the commercial courses in several high schools, with a view to giving briefly an idea of what the work compromises. In most of them the strictly commercial studies are taken mainly in the third and fourth or fourth and fifth years; and a majority of the time is spent on general subjects, such as are given in the English course in all high schools. I give below the course of study in the Boston High School of Commerce.
FIRST YEAR.
Required Studies.
English. German.
Penmanship, half year.
Business knowledge, half year. Physics, half year.
Physical geography, half year. Algebra. Ancient and Mediaeval History.
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SECOND YEAR.
Required Studies.
English. German.
French or Spanish.
Bookkeeping.
Commercial Geography, half year.
Commercial Arithmetic.
Local Industries, half year.
Elective Studies ; select one- Stenography.
THIRD YEAR.
Required Studies.
English.
German.
French or Spanish.
Chemistry.
Typewriting.
Modern history, half year.
Economic history, half year.
Elective Studies ; select one-
Bookkeeping.
Stenography.
Freehand drawing.
FOURTH YEAR.
Required Studies.
Commercial English. English.
German.
French or Spanish. Algebra, one-third year.
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Geometery. two-thirds year. Typewriting.
Commercial law, half year.
Civil government, half year.
Elective Studies ; select one- Bookkeeping. Stenography and typewriting. Mechanical drawing. Commercial design.
Chemistry. Economics.
In second, third and fourth years, if two electives are chosen, drop French and Spanish.
The attendance of pupils in some schools is very poor. Cran- berry picking is the main cause in the fall, and indifference of the parents seems too often the cause at other times. The schools begin as late as they well can, to give the children an opportunity to work as long as possible; but when they do begin, a definite policy in regard to requiring attendance should be fol- lowed in all cases. All children should be required to be in school the first day of the term, and attend regularly, or else no attention should be paid to the matter. All should be treated alike. No one, teachers, committee or superintendent can excuse a child from attendance except in case of necessity. The law in regard to attendance is as follows: Revised Statutes, Chapter 44, Section 1. "Every child between seven and fourteen years of age shall attend some public day school in the city or town in which he resides during the entire time the public day schools are in session, subject to such exceptions as to children, places of attendance and schools as are provided for in section three of chapter forty-two and sections three, five and six of this chapter. The superintendent of schools, the school committee, or teachers acting under authority of said superintendent or com-
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mittee, may excuse cases of necessary absence. The at- tendance of a child upon a public day school shall not be re- quired if he has attended for a like period of time a private day school approved by the committee of such city or town in accord- ance with the provisions of the following section, or if he has otherwise been instructed for a like period of time in the branches of learning required by law to be taught in the public schools, or if he has already acquired such branches of learning, or if his physical or mental condition is such as to render such attendance inexpedient or impracticable. Every person having under his control a child as described in this section shall cause him to attend school as herein required; and if he fail for five day sessions or ten half day sessions within a period of six months while under such control to cause such child, whose physical or mental condition is not such as to render his atten- dance at school harmful or impracticable, so to attend school, he shall, upon complaint by a truant officer and conviction thereof, be punished by a fine of not more than twenty dollars. Whoever induces or attempts to induce a child to absent him- self unlawfully from school, or employs or harbors a child who, while school is in session, is absent unlawfully from school shall be punished by a fine of not more than fifty dollars."
As the law in regard to the employment of minors between fourteen and sixteen years of age seems not to be fully known, it may be well to give it also. Revised Statutes, Chapter 106, Section 29. "No child under sixteen years of age shall be em- ployed in a factory, workshop or mercantile establishment un- less his employer procures and keeps on file, accessable to the truant officers of the city or town, and to the district police and inspectors of factories and public buildings, and age and schooling certificate, and keeps two complete lists of all such minors employed therein, one on file, and one conspicuously posted near the principal entrance of the building in which such children are employed, and also keeps on file and sends to the superintendent of schools, of if there is no superintendent,
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to the school committee a complete list of the names of all minors employed therein who can not read at sight and write legibly simple sentences in the English language." Section 30. "An age and schooling certificate shall be approved only by the superintendent of schools or by a person authorized by him in writing. or if there be no superintendent of schools. by a per- son authorized by the school committee; but no member of a school committee or other person authorized as aforesaid, shall approve such certificate of a minor then or about to enter his own employment or the employment of a firm or corporation of which he is a member, officer or employee. The person who approves the certificate may administer the oath provided for therein, but no fee shall be charged therefor." Section 33. "Whoever employs a minor under sixteen years of age, and who- ever having under his control a minor under such age permits such minor to be employed, in violation of the provisions of sec- tions twenty-eight and twenty-nine, shall for such offence be punished by a fine of not more than fifty dollars; and whoever continues to employ a minor in violation of the provisions of either of said sections, after being notified by a truant officer or an inspector of factories and public buildings thereof, shall for every day thereafter that such employment continues be punished by a fine of not less than five nor more than twenty dollars. A failure to produce to a truant officer or inspector of factories or public buildings an age and schooling certificate or list required by law shall be prima facie evidence of illegal em- ployment of any person whose age and schooling certificate is not produced or whose name is not so listed. A corporation or employer who retains an age and schooling certificate in viola- tion of the provisions of said certificate shall be punished by a fine of ten dollars."
A change in the course of study in arithmetic has been made during the year. It was made after an investigation, extending over two years, cf the results of the study as ordinarily con- ducted in school. I interviewed many employers and many kinds
of workers to learn what arithmetic was used in work. I was at first surprised at the uniformity of opinions expressed, and the extreme simplicity of the arithmetic used. I was convinced that we are not teaching the arithmetic we should ; and in con- sequence of it have prepared, and am still working on, a new course.
I decided that we would get a better working knowledge of arithmetic if we consider operations on numbers simply as tools to be used in doing work; that in the lower grades, except in very simple operations, the reasoning of the process should not be given until the operation is perfectly familiar; that the reasoning powers of the pupils would be better spent in solving problems that workers have to solve than on the processes by which figures are manipulated, with the very frequent result that the process can not be applied in work.
I also decided that for the purpose of teaching we should divide arithmetic into two parts, commercial and mechanical. The arithmetic of store men and bank men includes practically all commercial arithmetic. Store men told me that their arith- metic is this: They add, subtract, multiply and divide; they measure or weigh the articles they sell, compute cost, and make change : they make a very simple use of per cent., and find in- terest. They told me that this is the only arithmetic used in any ordinary business, either by the clerk, the manager or the owner. Bank men told me that they add, subtract, multiply and divide : and find interest, for terms not to exceed six months, if a national bank, and for terms of six and twelve months only if a savings bank. Business men among themselves find interest for any term. They told me that this is their only use of arith- metic.
Mechanical arithmetic is that used by mechanical workers. That of the carpenter is typical, and includes nearly all others. The substance of what I learned from carpenters, and from doing mechanical work, is this : One carrier a thing to a carpenter to have something made like it, or the carpenter goes to see it. He
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makes a drawing of it, measures all parts, records the measure- ments on the sketch he makes, and perhaps makes a scale drawing later: he puts these measurements on pieces of wood he is to make the thing of, cuts them out and puts them to- gether ; he computes material and cost, and time used. This is nearly all the arithmetic of any mechanic.
These two kinds of arithmetic, commercial and mechanical. include all that is used by any one, and it seems reasonable to say that it is all we should teach.
To determine what to teach, and the manner of teaching it. I prepared several sheets of what I found to be the arithmetic of special workers. One of these was the sawmill man's arith- metic. I got the information from mill men, and from two years' experience in a sawmill. This seems to me to be their arithmetic, and I give it here that you may know the kind of work we are trying to do.
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