USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Pepperell > Town annual reports of the officers of the town of Pepperell, Mass 1934 > Part 5
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The appropriation asked for this year is a minimum which will not take care of expenses with another winter like the last. It provides for no further salary increases this year, which in many cases would be desirable if the taxpayers felt they could meet them. Throughout New England the past year the tendency of salaries has been upward, even in com- munities where teachers' salaries never got as low as the highest we ever paid. Salaries in Rhode Island are actually higher than in 1929. Further increases here will be necessary in another year if not in this.
It is possible that before town meeting the Committee will have something to recommend on the matter of a new High School. Our present structure should have been re- placed years ago, and although the expense is difficult, it can not be put off indefinitely. Sufficient help from the federal government might make this the best time for action. Part of the expense of construction might result in a saving to the taxpayer in the way of a corresponding saving on the welfare appropriation, and part would increase the incomes of many citizens who have to pay the bill.
The Groton Street School is in good condition. The C. M. Shattuck School is fundamentally sound but requires new sanitary conveniences and a complete rewiring job as soon as the taxpayers feel they can foot the bill.
Respectfully submitted, TRESCOTT T. ABELE LUCY J. SPRING A. W. MOODY School Committee
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Roport of Superintendent of Schools
To the School Committee of Pepperell :
I am pleased to submit the following as my fifteenth annual report. This completes fifteen years of service to the schools of the town. With this report are transmitted the reports of the High School principal and the supervisors of art and music and the nurse and other statistical matter and items of interest which we find it desirable to have thus on record.
In this report I shall endeavor to take up in turn: a discussion of the present efficiency of the work of the schools ; a discussion of selections from reports made by teachers which indicate some degree of their professional attitude and interest in their profession; some of the more important or interesting incidents of the work of the year ; and some of the achievements and improvements of the year, with recom- mendations for the immediate future.
We have carried the Elson Gray Basic reading system through the third grade and introduced some of the supple- mentary reading of this system. The system is one of the best and it is working finely. The teachers continue enthus- iastic about the results the gain in these grades and about the ease of getting results compared with books previously used. The most conspicuous thread that may be observed running through all the grades and most of the subjects in our schools, as in all good modern schools, is the continuity of emphasis on thought getting and comprehension in silent reading. We now have the Standard Service arithmetics in all grades through the sixth and have commenced to replace our older mathematics in the seventh and eighth grades with the Triangle series for junior high grades. These books keep the examples and problems of a practical nature and close to the arithmetic of real life. Largely as a result of this we note a considerable improvement over a few years ago in the success pupils show in solving problems. In the four upper grades we also have daily practice drills in arithmetic fund- amentals. The language work emphasizes oral composition and is aimed at the objective that the most needed language work is what will promote correct speaking.
We note marked improvement over a few years ago in the acquaintance our pupils show with good literature. Radio programs based on some of the best juvenile literature contribute much to this end. The teachers also give much credit to the comprehensive literature books which have been in use for some time in the two upper grades and have now
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been provided for high school freshmen. We continue to be much pleased with the content of the Atwood Geographies, which are now in use in most of the rooms. The teachers continue enthusiastic about the procedure followed in history in the three upper grades.
The use of work books and a few copies of each of the best text books gives much improved results over the former method of reciting from a single book. For the first two years of French in the High School we now have books similar to the literature of the Junior High grades, in that all the grammar and all the reading really needed for the work of the year is included in one book, and all the material is of excellent quality.
In November we were asked to report to the Massachu- setts Teachers' Federation about interesting developments and practices in respect to methods, courses, and activities. The following are selected points which some of the teachers recommended for this purpose: in the first grade, the use of the Elson Gray Basic reading with the accompanying silent reading work books and the close daily check these afford for comprehension through silent reading. The grade has a chart on the wall where each pupil receives a star for each day of perfect tests; this proves an incentive and helps to get work made up after absence. The second grade re- ports the effort for good reading habits and the encouraging of independent reading of books on the library table. Most teachers could as well claim credit for this last. Each year the second grade has a remedial class held just before the noon hour for those most in need of extra attention. For the entire grade silent reading is promoted by writing notices, directions, announcements, and assignments on the board and requiring pupils to get them in this way. They also dramatize incidents relating to safety or courtesy, as greet- ing a friend on the street or respect for older people. In grades three and four the teachers stress their work in the health inspections and training in health habits, which charac- terize all good schools. They mention having a "doctor" or captain inspect each row every morning for matters of clean- liness, the records kept and rewards offered; also the many pictures gathered from numerous sources, mounted and dis- played in the room relating to such matters as proper food and fresh air and sleep and exercise. Health stories are told and illustrated on the board. Children are led to want to play the game of health and rules are formulated. By supple- mentary reading material this work is correlated with read- ing, writing, and spelling. In the upper grades by group activities the pupils prepare with little supervision by the teacher programs for holidays and opening exercises, in part from the Egan Character Training magazine. In connection with geography, art posters have been made to illustrate life in other lands, and by use of the Boys and Girls page of the
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Boston Herald names have been secured and correspondence carried on with children in other lands. Current events are taken up in connection with the countries concerned.
In the last two years we have twice revised our plans for physical education and the teachers are justified in feeling their programs are adequate and conform as far as limitation of accommodations will permit to the outlines provided by the s.ate. Last winter the assistant state supervisor visited us and helped the teachers. She offered suggestions for pro- grams and later the teachers sent to her the best program they could devise for their room based on the ideas she gave and the new state syllabus now in our hands.
Of the three schools, two now have radio sets which afford lessons in geography, literature, and music apprecia- tion. Two have motion picture equipment and find much help in conveying lessons visually compared to the impress- ions that otherwise would be made only with the spoken or written word. We feel that we have adequate instruction in safety matters. and we now have the special class for the mentally retarded. The Shattuck School reports class gov- ernment through class meetings and its safety street patrol at dismissal.
No schools have gymnasium facilities, particularly needed at the High School. At the latter a real effort has been made to carry out the recommendations for physical educa- tion as far as can be within the limit of accommodations and ability or disposition of the faculty. This school reports a spe- cial effort for safety instruction at the present time in which the principals of a group of schools have joined. consisting in part of tests and talks to the school by persons from out- side. Health instruction is offered in connection with biology, which most students take at some time. They have intra- mural competitions in some sports in addition to their inter- school sports and the former helps a larger number of stu- dents. incidentally those most in need of physical training.
A high school paper is issued periodically, all material. of course, being contributed by the students. Daily flag exer- cises inculcate due respect. A school play is offered the public annually. The Latin Club meets each month and has out- side speakers and dramatizations.
Both high school and the upper grades report five per- cent of the time of geography or history classes as devoted to the objective of building up the idea of and desire for world goodwill and international understanding. High school classes have debates along this line and French classes carry on international correspondence.
Every year strengthens the conviction that we do well to allow the teachers a day in the fall to attend the Middlesex County Teachers' Convention. Their inspiration gained from the addresses is very real and evident. As com- pared with the smaller gatherings they once attended, the
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profit the teachers now derive seems quite in proportion to the difference in background and number of teachers involved. I have tried to prepare for the report this year a composite of reports teachers have submitted of addresses to which they listened, with the aim of showing the professional spirit of our teachers by recital of points which impressed them and the way we hope in noting these points and writing them that the have incorporated them into their own growth.
Many teachers attended the address of Payson Smith, Commissioner of Education, and reported his discussion of whether education is a failure. It is a continuous process and goes on through life. Home, church, and community are factors along with schools. There are educations rather than education. Surely education in medicine is not a failure. On the whole that in law is successful. Engineering has accomplished wonderful things. Coming to public schools, third grade pupils are now able to read more intelligently than former fifth or sixth grade pupils. The mechanics of reading have thus improved but we are not yet an entire success as the great mass of people do not yet prefer the best of books, papers, and magazines. Some children are book-minded and some motor-minded and we need to adapt our teaching better to both types. Some children still fail to grasp meaning well from the printed page. Music teach- ing has not failed, as is shown by the fine orchestras in many schools. Through music teaching we are coming to such appreciation of better music that broadcasts of opera on a network have become worth while. Art teaching has not failed, as we may see from better general evidence of taste in dress, house furnishings, architecture, etc. Improvement is still needed in efficiency in turning out of schools young people better prepared for good citizenship, able to do their own clear thinking on public questions and with the will to act accordingly. We do not wish to force future responsibil- ities on them, but through taking of responsibilities in school today to be better prepared for those of tomorrow. Give the child an environment which will develop the best in him Ed- ucation is what you have left after you have forgotten what you have learned. The child, not the teacher, is the most important person in the school room, We have come to days of co-operation and all must perform many difficult tasks. We should never let children think education is hard or unpleasant; we ma soften the way except when hardness is a virtue. But pupils must be made to realize that all must do many things that are hard and unpleasant. Educa- tion in this country now costs five times as much as forty five years ago. People question whether it is worth five times as much, but they overlook the greater number of pupils being educated, the growth of high schools and the addition of many new forms of education, the longer terms,
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etc. Only in America and Great Britain is education, Like the p ess. iree.
Dr. Zenos Scott, President of Bridgewater Teachers' College, spoke of experiences in teaching. Teachers were cautioned not to ask questions too fast to allow pupils ample time to think. . They ought to rate themselves on points of good teaching, analyze their personal successes and failures and profit by them : in other words, learn self-supervision as a pre-requisite to effectively aiding children to learn to live. As we are enriched, we ourselves grow ; and as we grow, our power in teaching is greater and we increase our skill and usefulness. Some teachers are not familiar enough with their subject to get away from following their book closely. Others are so filled with their subject that they bring to their classes a vast additional store of information, and from their enthusiasm they create in pupils a desire for broader knowledge. Good teaching consists of developing a pupil and not cramming him with text material The good teacher will give all pupils a share in the work of the school and make them proud to do it. This will develop character, which is a necessary factor of this as of any other time. The ideal situation is to have the pupils do the thinking and talking, with wise direction but as little talking or action on the part of the teacher as possible.
Dr. Mabel Carne of Teachers' College, Columbia Uni- versity, cautioned the teachers that in the public desire for fine buildings it is important that still greater stress be kept on training and qualifications of teachers who are to serve in them.
Several teachers reported the address of President Wooley of Mt. Holyoke College, who spoke on the relation of teachers to the international situation and referred to experiences at Geneva as a member of the American Com- . mission. For new spirit in international relations we must look to education. For future peace we must look to those who are now in school. There must be education looking toward peace. Children can be shown the interdependence of nations for food and other things and can come to view others with more sense of comradeship. We can have displays of foreign handicraft and inspiring motion pictures. Some- thing can be done in history and economics courses, also through lecturers, clubs, and dramatics. If we have inter- nationally minded teachers, children will be educated for world-mindedness, and gain a bigger, broader, more tolerant view toward people of other countries. There should be a crusade to end misunderstanding, distrust and greed.
President Compton of the Institute of Technology pleaded for a scientific approach to the problems of school and society and for more training directly for public service, and the idea that the holding of such positions of service is a duty and an honor. He compared methods of scientific
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observation and careful thinking out of solutions with present governmental methods of experimentation. He advocated giving pupils in school live problems to investigate and try to solve.
Former Superintendent Weet of Rochester, N. Y. spoke of changes ahead for elementary schools. The main objectives of schools were outlined as :
Ability to speak, read, and write correctly and use the fundamental processes effectively ; to know and observe the laws of health ; to know and appreciate the history and geog- raphy of the communit , state and nation, and to realize one's position in a democracy ; and to share intelligently and ap- preciatively in the finer forms of music and art. For all this we must have requisite knowledge and skill, requisite meth- ods and processes for gaining these, and the social and moral (qualities of justice, sympathy, and loyalty. The schools have control of the children less than one fifth of the time. During the remainder they are exposed to the influences of the community. If we could only surround the children with the best living conditions we would go far to develop character on a sound basis. We have begun to see there is more value in health work than in physiology,and in the proper teaching of literature. Pupils need to be prepared for a much increased amount of leisure time. If we would keep them out of trouble we must lead them to better activi- ties. This burden must be shared by home and church.
The teachers were told by former Mayor Child of Newton that the youth of today are better than those of 100 years ago and will continue to improve if we give them something high to aim for. The dangerous votes are the ones not cast. Reforms go no higher than public opinion. 8,000,000 new voters come of age in this country every four years. They must be trained not only by book, but in how to behave and to handle themselves in life. Teachers share this task with parents and Sunday Schools. Director Rus- sell of Franklin Technical Institute made the point that employers are more interested in the ability of a person to do the work than in the degree he has.
One of the most forceful and important addresses of the Convention was by Prof. Kirtley Mather of Harvard. Science has added a great amount of new knowledge, a countless number of new gadgets, and most important, great additions and revisions of geography. Inventions have brought the far ends of the earth together. The world is now a tenement house filled with nations. The young must be adapted to the new age. We have been humoring nature; we have not conquered it. Knowledge must be imparted in a way so false will be distinguished from true, fact from theory, real knowledge from guess work. Skill and technique must be developed, this mostly from within the child by out- side direction. All this will help the child to earn his living.
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Other objectives will help him better live his life; broadening influences, habits of enjoying the better things and the real values. Destinies must not be thrust upon children. Direct and help, but let them make the final choices.
In December the Metropolitan Achievement Tests were given to all pupils in the eighth grades. These covered all the regular subjects and constituted a searching examina- tion into general ability of the pupils in spelling, arithmetic, grammar, and the other fields. We were able to compare results with nation-wide standards and on this basis the results were very pleasing. Practically all pupils in most of the subjects did work rating above fourth month of the eighth grade of the nation-wide standards. This was particularly true of the C. M. Shattuck School. where the pupils have been under the high grade teaching throughout of teachers with one grade to a room, and the thoroughly departmental- ized teaching in the upper grades. Total scores made by Shattuck School pupils ranged from 639 to 386, with a median of 583. Groton St. scores ranged from 586 to 458, with a median of 544. Scores in the same tests in Dunstable ranged from 633 to 422, with a median of 520.
Another feature of the tests is of interest. This would probably be true in a general way if the tests were given in other grades, and it is probably true of schools everywhere; namely, that pupils rank higher in subjects where they are obliged only to read and remember than in subjects which re- quire thinking and reasoning. There is manifested the in- clination to shirk that which is harder. Our scores were high in history, geography and literature, because of the above reason, our equipment for teaching these subjects, and . the use our pupils make of the Public Library. The pupils did very well in arithmetic, both examples and problems. Their results were not quite as good in reading, where the content was perhaps less interesting than history and geogra- phy. We were somewhat disappointed with general spelling ability as indicated, and more so with results in grammar. Teachers and pupils have learned what subjects need most work during the remainder of the year. We expect to give similar tests again in May for purposes of comparison.
Last spring standardized tests on matters pertaining to safety were given by the state supervisor in some of the intermediate grades and the results were very gratifying. We were complimented for the knowledge shown by our children. While our teachers devote some time to direct safety instruction, I can not believe the results should be altogether ascribed' to this instruction. Much comes to pupils indirectly in connection with other studies and from general information gathered outside. I feel the latter is fully as effective or more so. I believe really effective patriotic in- struction is being gained in this way. Many things are more a matter of attitude than of knowledge. Some things, such
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as flag etiquette, require direct instruction and this infor- mation is not yet sufficiently d ffused among the public. On che o he hand I am in doubt how much more ready the youth will be on account of direct instruc ion to offer themselves as; cannon fodder or to salute when the flag passes by. The plan of the high schools of this section for an intensive period of a drive for safety instruction is to be commended. Yet in a way it is an attempt to go against nature. Flaming youth will not be deterred by knowledge of danger from recklessness on the highway when its latest thrill is by its side.
We have the class for mentall retarded pupils this year, with a present enrolment of fourteen. In another year it will be necessary to have a re-examination of some of these children by the state clinic. Two others were submitted for examination this fall who are still in regular classes. There scems no immediate prospect of dispensing with this class, as it will be required by the state as long as there are in Town ten children found to be three years mentally retarded. Miss Mongeau is well trained for this work and has done all that could be expected under the difficulties of limited accommo- dations. We are not likely to secure for this position a teacher with the background of rich experience possessed by most of our regular teachers. Last year these pupils were in regular grades and were being rather well served in grades on the level of their mental ability. In that way some were doing more advanced reading than at present. Under state regulation half the time in the special class is devoted to various forms of hand work. This is valuable for this type - of pupil and a very creditable amount and quality of this work is being done. The boys have manual training every da in addition to working with the eighth grade once a week. The girls have worked on various projects in the line of sewing and have now started cooking. It was planned originally to have the class at the Groton St. School. While accommodations there would not have been ideal, it would have been possible to seat the pupils around tables and to have other tables on which to work out desirable projects. But conditions shifted so the Shattuck School had almost as many candidates for the class and it was moved. Certainly the room at the latter place is too cramped, also part of the work must be done in the basement. The removal of re- tarded pupils from regular classes results in fully as much benefit to those who are left. as more rapid progress is possible. I believe the Groton St. teachers feel they are having an easier year. Their slowest pupils removed, the enrolment in the primary room is smaller than usual, and the assistant teacher is retained. While grades three to eight still have ample enrollment, I believe the teachers feel a lessening of the strain.
A year ago organizations and influential citizens sup-
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ported the request of the teachers that restoration be made of that portion of their salaries that had been taken away in reductions made. The request was granted in part, by restoration in September in full of the lowest salaries and partially with most others, also some increases were granted to newer teachers. The report of the Committee explains their attitude toward salaries and their feeling as to the im- .practicability of doing more. On account of employing an additional teacher, with present restorations and other ex- penses, it will be necessary to ask for an appropriation for 1935 in excess of that for 1934. Due in part to modesty in asking for the 1934 appropriation, and after re-employing the assistant teacher for the current school year, the present de- ficiency developed. For the first time in several years the school department closes the year with unpaid bilis, among them those for the salaries of committee members and the school physican. A year ago the salary of the high school principal was one of the five or six lowest in the state, and there are many high schools in the state smaller than ours. With this exception I believe the salaries that compare most unfavorably with similar towns are those of the elementary teachers. At present the maximum for these is $1,100.00 for older teachers, and $1,050.00 for the group with only a few years experience.
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