USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Newton > Town of Newton annual report 1881-1882 > Part 11
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16
It is not strange that the average citizen, whose at- tention has never been specially directed to this matter, cannot comprehend the extent of the mischief which is entailed by a failure to observe the principle in ques- tion; and, however disastrous in its working, it would be uncharitable to suppose that this mischief is traccable to indifference, much less hostility, to the welfare of the schools. But the charity which absolves from wrong intent cannot neutralize an evil whose subtle poison permeates every department, and is developed in count- less forms of selfishness and distrust.
Collisions are perhaps most frequent and most harm- ful between those interests which are most dissimilar, -
68
REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
those appertaining to the end, and those appertaining to the means whereby that end is to be attained. The parent claims an absolute proprietorship in the time of the child, and regards the public school as a conven- ience, to be used or disused at pleasure ; and " When ?" " How much ?" " How often ?" are, in this view, ques- tions for home determination. How does this theory affect
ATTENDANCE,
the first condition of school organization ? The pre- rogative of one is the prerogative of all. Absence, which should represent only disability in the child, comes to represent indifference, personal convenience or caprice at home. The material on which the teacher is called to work shifts with the day. Continuity of class work becomes impossible. Loss of interest and dis- couragement are inevitable, and bring in their train evils too often referred to causes which reflect upon those least responsible. The school has an organic life of its own, whose vigor is sapped by needless irregulari- ties. Membership involves identification with that life, and implies self-denial, effort, growth. A due apprecia- tion of its power for good will induce a spirit of sacri- fice to preserve its integrity and promote its vigor. An absence of this appreciation or an unwillingness to com- ply with the requisite conditions deprives the teacher of the first essential for effective work. Appropria- tions are squandered, the standard of accomplishment is lowered and pupils are defrauded of benefits to which they are justly entitled. On the other side, there may be so absorbing an interest in the professional aspects of the case as to misinterpret parental solicitude,
69
SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT.
and chafe at reasonable precautions for the well-being of the child, or, in the absence of that, to so lose sight of relative values that means are suffered to usurp the place of ends, and thus work positive hardship.
In the economic adjustments of modern domestic and business life, where social interests are so nicely articu- lated that much of success or failure depends upon a recognition of its spirit and a conformity thereto, little need be said of the importance of punctuality. If it is the province of the public school to prepare the young for practical life, so essential a qualification cannot be overlooked ; and here, as is usual, the demands of the internal economy of the school are in harmony with the private interests of its pupils. Promptitude is an accom- plishment which cannot be assumed and laid aside at will ; it is a habit of life-long growth, and becomes an element of character only as it is inwrought into the very texture of that which constitutes character. To counteract the effects of ignorance in one direction, faulty training in another, and inveterate habit in both, the largest liberty must be granted the school to insist upon a prompt response to its calls. To inculcate punctuality in any average school, and so to insist upon it that punctuality becomes the fixed habit of all its membership, can hardly fail to insure a measure of suc- cess to many lives and secure harmony and thrift to many homes of the future. How trivial, then, as op- posed to such interests, becomes the plea of domestic convenience in justification of an interruption of school order! The school, as a collective unit, representing the highest wisdom, interest, and hope of the commu- nity, in view of its mighty responsibilities for character- building, has a right to demand that its order be broken,
70
REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
and its force impaired, only by a necessity which knows no law.
DISCIPLINE.
The widely differing views of discipline, its necessity, its character, its extent, are even a more fruitful source of conflict. Discipline, in its general sense, is the appli- cation of those restraints and correctives which enter into the daily home life of every well trained child. Its exercise at school is the result of a delegated authority, rendered necessary, first, by the transfer of the child, for the time being, to other hands ; second, to reduce to working harmony the theory and practice of the several homes represented. It is not, and should never be allowed to become, a substitute for its exercise at home. It should represent the higher average sentiment of the community, - the average, else its exercise could not be impartial, - the higher average, or its trend might be downward and not upward. Such discipline, and such only, is practicable. It must also be suited to the time. A century, even half a century ago, measures were advo- cated, demanded and pronounced successful by the highest average sentiment, which to-day would not be tolerated. It is in accord with the theory of public education, which is to elevate the masses, and fit them for citizenship ; and nothing less than this can practically inculcate that spirit of loyalty to constituted authority, " and those other virtues which are the ornament of human society and the basis on which a republican con- stitution is founded." A well compacted system, so representing the better intelligence and higher worth of the public, if wisely administered, ought to command the respect and support of every patron. It may, at
71
SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT.
least, be safely presumed, that if any one, in justice to his own convictions, were constrained to demur, he would only need to be confronted by the constituency behind it. Such demurrers usually proceed from an alleged over exercise of authority in matters of discipline ; but cases are not wanting in which neglect or incompetency at home has made demand upon school authority to come to its aid and do its work. Nothing can be more disastrous to the cause of good discipline than compli- ance here, whether the demand be direct and explicit, or in the milder form of a tacit assumption. The school is furnished with ample authority to protect itself, and that authority it is bound to exercise ; but when it under- takes to reform, by forceful means, those who recognize no authority at home, it exceeds its limits, and usurps a function which is inconsistent with its legitimate work. If the reservation of its privileges for those who submit to its authority fails to move the parent or guardian to secure in a refractory child the prime qualification for membership, it can do nothing, save by the lesson of its presence, for him, or for the class which he represents. Happily, such cases are rare, and it is more than prob- able that, if the application of compulsory measures to such as need them were made through parents or guar- dians, less injustice would be done to pupils and the object of such measures would be more fully accom- plished. The absence of this practice, coupled with a very erroneous sentiment touching the accountability of teachers for results without regard to conditions, prompts a resort to most objectionable methods of discipline and control. Personal attachment between teacher and pupil, if the spontaneous outgrowth of mutual respect and esteem, cannot be too earnestly desired or too highly
72
REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
prized, and, even as a motive to right action, is most commendable ; but it may be so cultivated as to sup- plant higher motives and prove degrading to both. A conscious weakness in means for the enforcement of authority may induce so great dread of seeing it at issue as to make an appeal to pride, vanity or caprice, seem a lesser evil, and thus the character become warped and distorted in the hands of those who should give it symmetry. Equally reprehensible and more offensive is the odious tyranny which compels submission by the lash of ridicule or the sting of sarcasm. Not to mention sundry milder forms of physical torture, whose chief merit is that they seem to satisfy the instinct of justice in those who feel constrained to apply them, a most pathetic confession of helplessness is the practice of detaining pupils after school hours as a punishment for idleness or misconduct, - the most effective device of an obsolete order of things for enervating teachers, defeat- ing its own ends and fostering in the child an ineradi- cable hatred for a place and agency which may be the hope of his future, and should be his chief delight.
Such means may secure their immediate ends. Com- pliance may be yielded, but it is not the tribute of the heart. Superior force may be acknowledged, but that is not loyalty. True discipline is not merely or chiefly a system of repression from without ; it is a positive force, working from within outward, whose restraints are self-imposed for a specific good ; and it becomes a part of education only as it stimulates the higher in- stincts, and opens up wider, and therefore more correct, views of life in its relations and duties. An offending child has the right to be treated as rational, though immature and misguided; he has the right to see
73
SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT.
exhibited patiently, clearly, kindly, his attitude towards offended law ; to understand the character of that law, - what it represents, and the consequences of defying it; he has the further right, in view of the possi- bilities of his future and the presumed demands of his own more rational maturity, to feel such constraints, and only such, applied dispassionately, firmly and persever- ingly, as will effectually rescue him from the tyranny of self-will. To realize the fruits of such discipline, every requisition and every injunction of the school- room must come re-enforced by the moral support of the entire organization. Teachers must be made to feel that every order which they promulgate is to merit and receive the hearty indorsement of all who rank them. Pupils must be made to understand that obedi- ence to a teacher is homage to a principle, which that teacher represents, and that disobedience is the oppo- sition of individual will to that universal will which shapes and controls society.
SCHOLARSHIP.
In the estimation of a minor class, the entire school organization is an engine whose legitimate product is scholarship, whatever, to such, that term may signify. With commendable confidence these people would in- trust their children to the agents of that organiza- tion, and hold them unconditionally responsible for the desired product. Apparently forgetting the close natural relationship which subsists between endowment and eminence, the presence of the pupil and his prog- ress, diligence and its rewards, they would anticipate results which the conditions forbid. Disappointment leads to criticism, criticisim to crimination and recrimi-
74
REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
nation, whose sequel is strife and bitterness. Even children should be made to understand, as their parents may be presumed to know, that success is measured by the sum of its conditions. All minds are not equally endowed; there is the brilliancy of genius, and the commonplace of mediocrity, even as " one star differeth from another star in glory." Earnestness and fidelity are not always rewarded with excellence. Enforced interruptions in the progress of educational work, re- sulting from either accidental causes or inherited frailty, may excite sympathy, and deserve the most tender consideration, but cannot abrogate or modify the in- exorable law of cause and effect. Much less, then, can the easy-going theory prevail, that its fitful en- closure in the four walls of a schoolroom can give success to a child who has never been taught the necessity of honest, earnest, self-denying endeavor, and in whose superficial training every frivolous indulgence is allowed to take precedence of the serious work of life.
The existence of these evils in the least degree justi- fies their formal presentation ; for in education it is not enough to hold the ground already gained ; there should be advancement ; and advancement in the face of conflicting theories is painfully slow, if not impos- sible. What then is the antidote ?
Those who administer school affairs must embody the views and sentiments of the public. It is not enough that a school committee represent the highest intel- ligence and character of their constituents ; every sub- ordinate worker should reflect the best sentiment of the best homes in its demand for the purest influences and the most approved methods.
75
SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT.
There must be a perfect organic unity in the educa- tional system, - unity in theory, unity in feeling, unity in administration.
There must be a spirit of loyal submission to the established order as to the best which is practicable for the time being. Such loyalty does not forbid remon- strance nor effort to change the established order by a course of regular procedure ; but it does forbid that censoriousness which confounds fidelity to duty with what is arbitrary or tyrannical, which holds the servant responsible for the instructions under which he acts, and maintains an attitude of implacable hostility towards that which by common consent is accounted good, if not best.
There must be the fullest mutual confidence. An intelligent confidence must be founded upon acquaint- ance. It is to be regretted, not that teachers and their methods are subjects of criticism, but that those who assume to criticise, so seldom avail themselves of the opportunities afforded to form just and liberal opinions. Not only are the doors of the public schools at all times open to the public, as of right they ought to be, but it is especially desirable that the patrons become per- sonally acquainted with those to whom they have in- trusted their children, study their methods and become conversant with the details of school management, with a view to aid in the elimination of what is faulty, and the improvement of what can be made better. Such interchange cannot fail of engaging the sympathies in a work of vital interest to both ; and, if it does not ripen in mutual esteem, the contagion of its example must exert a most salutary influence upon the relation of teacher and pupil. The importance of confidence in
1
76
REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
this last mentioned relation is too often overlooked. Assuming that those who are intrusted with such in- terests are worthy of confidence, it is not too much to say that parents are not unfrequently responsible for its absence. The virtue of reverence for superiors is not in danger of abnormal development in our American life, and the far reaching mischief of a thoughtless remark at home, reflecting upon the wisdom, justice or fidelity of a teacher, cannot be computed. It is not enough that there be abstinence from unkind strictures ; but parents and teachers should regard each other as mutual allies in a common cause, bound by courtesy, by interest and by duty, to render positive aid and support.
All these requisites will fail to secure the desired end, unless judgments are tempered with charity. People whose activities lie in different spheres, whose duties are compassed with difficulties of their own, cannot fully appreciate each other's perplexities or understand each other's trials. This fact is especially relevant in an attempt to harmonize interests involving such a diversity of tastes, dispositions and temperaments. With all possible care to form rational opinions upon questions of school economy, there will doubtless be points which must with confidence be intrusted to the best wisdom and discretion of specialists ; but honest difference of opinion is not inconsistent with a liberal charity and a cordial support.
The practical recognition of these principles is desira- ble, not only as a precedent condition of the successful operation of the schools, and an act of justice to the four classes of interests represented, but also for their edu- cational value in the work of training the young. The underlying principle of the public school - that from
77
SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT.
which it sprang and which justifies its continuance and support - is the necessity of preparing the future citi- zen for his responsibilities and duties. An enlightened people have made it also the ally of the home circle for the cultivation of those graces and amenities which be- long to a refined social life. The place which is thus accorded to it in our civil and social order renders it eminently fitted to fulfill its exalted mission. The pub- lic school is society in microcosm; and its ideal struc- ture is that which recognizes most fully those relations and obligations which await the child in the wider circle of active life.
Among the virtues which most adorn public and pri- vate life a spirit of self-sacrifice for others' weal is most worthy of cultivation in the young. A practical solici- tude at home for the well-being of the school, which is the child's little world, manifested in a sacrifice of non-essentials in the domestic routine, is a lesson which will live when precepts are forgotten. The spirit of self-sacrifice thus exhibited at home is carried into the school, where, encouraged and fostered by discreet rec- ognition, it becomes the common law of the whole or- ganism. A desire to promote the common weal becomes the spur of activity, - good attendance, good conduct, good lessons, because essential to a good school. A morbid self-consciousness, so unbecoming and yet so fre- quent, is precluded by a generous devotion to others, which at once beautifies and ennobles. This habitual respect for the rights of others, with the attendant readiness to surrender personal rights and convenience for their protection, is the best possible preparation for. a happy usefulness in social life, and is sure to develop the kindred virtue of self-control.
78
REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
The doctrine that to repress desire and control im- pulse is a power that appertains to maturity alone, is a fallacy; and the fact that its cultivation is postponed to so late a period is sufficient of itself to account for many of the most embarrassing problems in discipline. A child whose every conceit is indulged must, perforce, become capricious, and, if not most amiable by nature, arbitrary and tyrannical. A proper conception of the nature of the school, as touching the rights of its mem- bers, is within the power of the youngest pupil, and he cannot be too early taught the necessities and obliga- tions of his new relationship. Since many are to live together in a limited space, each must have his own place. As movements and exercises are planned for all, each must heed the teacher who directs. As each is at work for himself, so each must be undisturbed by interests not his own. The effort to conform to these necessities involves the constant exercise of self-restraint. It is the nature of the child to move about freely and at will; thus circumstanced, this freedom is abridged by an act of his own will. The instinct of play is suffered to have control only at stated periods ; even the social promptings are held in subordination to a sense of duty. Every act of self-imposed restraint in deference to the general good is a step towards that freedom which makes its own limitations, and alone deserves the name. The liberalizing effects of such an influence, brought to bear thus early upon pliant natures, will not exhaust themselves in furnishing new motives and higher re- wards for schoolroom toil; they will re-act upon the homes of every class, enhancing the graces of social refinement, and softening the asperities of ruder life.
But one of the noblest achievements of educational
79
SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT.
work, whether viewed as a social and civil qualification or in its higher moral aspects, is the development of a sense of personal responsibility. It is a very questiona- ble kindness, to call it by no harsher name, in the years of its formative period, to stand between the child and its little hardships, -glimpses, as it were, of those re- lentless laws which govern life, and from which success must be wrested, if enjoyed at all. It is natural for a morbid sympathy to repine at the sight of all misfortunes, and to find excuse for the gravest faults ; but it cannot effect a reversal of Nature's laws. To attribute mental imbecility to poor instruction will not impart brain- power ; to trace indolence to ancestral sluggishness will not confer the rewards of diligence; nor will truancy be less demoralizing in its effects, if it be charged to the teacher's failure to make the attractions of the school- room irresistible. Responsibility varies according to the measure of power and opportunity; but the truth cannot be too early inculcated, that childhood as well as ma- turity has its responsibilities. The absence of it, as a principle of action in the early years of pupilage, is a prophecy of defective appreciation for the weightier responsibilities of after life. While it is a dictate of prudence and humanity to interpose obstacles between a child's inexperience and its consequences, those con- sequences should not be hidden from view. If it is unjust to reprove a child for unavoidable absence, it is also unjust to ignore the advantages of constant pres- ence. If it is a kindness to forgive a wrong act, it is no less a kindness to show that the natural penalty for wrong doing is suffering and dishonor. Though a faithful use of what one has, be the net result greater or less, may win the meed of praise, preferment must
80
REPORT OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
depend upon what is accomplished. The thought is startling that a mistake in school administration, be- gotten of kindly solicitude, may recruit the ranks of irresponsible adventurers who prey upon the accumu- lations of honest industry ; and yet it is among the possibilities. The idea is far too prevalent that life is but a sharp game of chance, that patient toil is no match for shrewdness and craft, and that success is the reward of a bold self-assurance rather than the modesty of genuine merit. It is perhaps too true ; but we need a new definition of success, - one which takes less ac- count of what is adventitious, and more of what is essential and permanent; which recognizes in man- hood something higher than motives of thrift; which makes life a history, not only of material and intellect- ual forces, but of moral and spiritual forces as well. To this end let the child's sense of personal responsi- bility be developed and cultivated through all the complex relationships of school experience, - respon- sibility for acts, for words, and for thoughts ; responsi- bility for natural gifts and for powers acquired ; re- sponsibility for opportunities improved and opportunities wasted, for time, for influence, and for character ; responsibility even for failure when success is the best use of the powers for the worthiest ends. Then will our schools develop a type of sturdier manhood and nobler womanhood, and lives otherwise aimless and nerveless will assume purpose and character. Then will the child who is " father of the man" take care of our future in palace and hovel, in council-hall and marts of trade.
It were easy to enlarge upon the considerations here presented as exemplified in the present condition of the
81
SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT.
schools ; but, where new features have been introduced, it is better to let results furnish comment, and it is still too early to cite examples. It may with safety be said that even the adoption of practices quite at variance with usage have resulted in no perceptible lowering of the previous high standard of attainment.
This Report is therefore concluded with the usual statistical exhibit, with which, as appended, it is
Respectfully submitted. JOHN E. KIMBALL,
Superintendent.
NEWTON, MASS., Dec. 27, 1882.
SECRETARY'S REPORT.
STATISTICS.
NAMES OF TEACHERS.
Department.
Grade.
Whole Number
ing the Year.
Average Whole
Number.
Average Attend-
ance.
Number of
Number of
Pupils over 15.
High School.
302
274.3
257.6
229
Edward H. Cutler . Ezra W. Sampson .
Head Master. Master.
John F. Kent
Asst. Master. Assistant. 66
Caroline Spear
66
Martha E. Foote
66
Maybell P. Davis
66
Evelyn Rich .
Special Teachers.
Mrs. Emma F. Bowler
Drawing.
Jennie E. Ireson
Elocution. Military Drill.
Frank N. Brown
Rhetoric.
Timothy L. Roberts
Music.
Mason School.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.