USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > North Reading > Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers 1899 > Part 2
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The following from the pen of Miss Jeanette W. Ilall is worthy of careful consideration.
" The first impulse to greater interest in reading comes at eight years. It increases steadily until at 10 years, then takes a rapid rise from 11 to 14, reaching its height at 15. From this time it gradually decreased until at 18 years it reaches a level maintained throughout subsequent life. An investigation of the books drawn from the library by adolescents shows that boys choose books of adventure, of travel, of biography ; while girls prefer fiction. The thirst for reading at this period must be satisfied and parents may well spend much time and thought upon the selection of reading matter for so important a time. Three things should be kept in mind in the choice of this material. First, it must belong to a class of literature which youths of this age demand ; that is, it must be interesting to them. Second, it must present a whole- some phase of life that will put high ideals before the youth : third, it must be good literature. The indiscriminate use of a li- brary is an exceedingly dangerous thing. Some responsible person
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should see that children take only such books as will satisfy these three requirements."
ARITHMETIC.
There is a strong feeling that too much time and attention are being given to arithmetic in the first years of the child's, school Jife, and that it would be to the decided advantage of the child if the study of this subject should be deferred at least several years, and the time now given to it should be devoted to nature study, oral language, music and drawing. In this connection the words of President Hall of Clark University are pertinent.
"As to mathematics, we have gone arithmetic mad in this country and our children study it from infancy through the gram- mar school. Do very little in arithmetic before the age of eight or ten."
While this view may seem radical to many, still it is only in accord with the growing demand that every child ought to be de- veloped according to the law of his being. If the child is a bundle of instincts, impulses, emotions and the time to develop them is in his early years, surely this vital part of his education should not be neglected by presenting to too great an extent that which is only «quantative in its character.
MUSIC AND DRAWING.
At the last annual meeting of the committees of the four towns now forming the Tewksbury District of Supervision, the feasi- bility of employing one and the same person to direct the study of music and drawing in the schools of these towns was carefully con- sidered. It was the unanimons opinion of all present at this meet- ing that this would be a step in the right direction, provided, a proper supervisor could be found to take charge of the work, and your superintendent was authorized to find and hire the same if possible. This action resulted in securing the services of Miss Emily Fowler of Worcester, Mass., who began her duties with us
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at the beginning of the fall term. Miss Fowler is a graduate of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where she took a post graduate course of one year after completing the regular course of fom years. Miss Fowler is also a thorough musician and has specially prepared herself to teach music in the public schools. In 1893 she was appointed special supervisor in the schools of Spencer, Mass. After three years of very successful experience in these schools she resigned and until her present appointment continued her study of «lrawing and painting, portrait work and music.
Thus far Miss Fowler has accomplished all that was anticipa- ted. She has become acquainted with the conditions in the differ- ent schools and has admirably planned her work to suit the same. Already she has done much to give both music and drawing the standing which they ought to have in our course of study, and the good results apparent at the present time are only indicative of much better results in the near future. Your careful attention is called to Miss Fowler's reports inserted herewith.
REPORT OF SUPERVISOR OF DRAWING.
Drawing was introduced for the first time in the public schools of this town the 1st of September, 1898. This statement is full of significance and means more than simply teaching the pupils to draw. It is significant of the increasing interest and sympathy our schools are receiving from the public. This interest is substan- tially in evidence in the large number of new school buildings being erected all over the country ; buildings architecturally good, simple outside and perfectly equipped inside. Attention is paid now as it never was before to the decoration of the school room; colors are soft, harmonious; pictures and casts of true merit are being placed there by public school art leagues and by individual art lovers and artists.
This means the introduction of art in the schools, something just as important as facts that are memorized from text books. We want to give our public school children the best education possible,
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and this education should have as its result, culture-culture that sees what is fine and beautiful in anything, whether a song, a poem or a picture. In our earliest years how vividly were things im- pressed upon our memory before we began to reason, and if in the first school years the child is surrounded by not only good but up- lifting, beautiful influences he is unconsciously moved, made more sensitive to beanty, and it shows in his thoughts and manners.
Most of our school children will grow up to be hard-working. self-supporting men and women, therefore it is all the more im- portant that they should develop their sense of the beautiful for they will take just so much more pleasure in their surroundings or- better still, they will make their surroundings better.
The study of drawing in the school naturally results in the broader art culture; so as a study it is made as comprehensive as possible. In all grades the same work is carried on, made suitable for the different ages of the pupils.
One of the most useful ends to be obtained in drawing is fa- cility in sketching anything, so a great deal of time is devoted to
From nature, 1. Freehand Sketches - From objects, ( From type solids. This work is done with pencil and water color, and is supple- mente l by picture study with just a glimpse of who the artist was.
Working drawings of type
2. Mechanical Drawing . solids and objects, ( Construction of objects.
Rulers are used for this work in the primary and intermediate schools and instruments in the higher grades.
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Study of color,
Study of design,
3. Decoration
Study of original design by con-
ventionalizing natural forms,
Study of historic ornament.
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EMILY FOWLER, Supervisor of Drawing-
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REPORT OF SUPERVISOR OF MUSIC.
The material belonging to the Natural Music course was intro- dneed for the first time in our schools during the fall term of Sep- tember, 1898. The following charts and books have been pur- chased and are being used at present.
Chart A, Primary School,
Chart E, Reader No. 2, Intermediate School,
Chart G, Reader No. 4, Grammar School.
The object of this study is to teach pupils to read vocal music readily and to have the singing soft and musical, not forced and too loud. To secure this end the scale is sung descending first, for by so doing the pupil carries his head tones down rather than his chest tones up. Diagrams of any kind are avoided, and the full staff is shown to all pupils from the very youngest. In all the grades the same work is carried on, made suitable for the different ages of the pupil.
At the beginning of every lesson rapid vocal drills are sung to unite the voices, followed by exercises read from the chart in inter- val work modulating and tune drill. Last, the book is studied with occasional written dictation. Work in reading becomes more diffi- cult as the grades advance. Two-part singing is studied at the end of the primary years, three-part singing in the upper intermediate and grammar schools and four-part in the high school.
EMILY FOWLER, Superrisor of Music.
SCHOOL ROOM DECORATION.
The decorating of our school rooms by hanging on their walls reproductions of famous works of art and portraits of eminent men is in accordance with the best thought on this subject. Here, as. elsewhere, only the best should be placed before our children, that which will appeal to their artistie sense and carry them onward and
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upward. New pictures have been placed in all the rooms the past year. The names of these and also of those placed in the different rooms formerly are printed below.
LIST OF PICTURES.
Primary School,
Pharaoh's Horses,
Herring
The Meadow,
Dupre
Affection
Thoroughbred,
Hardy
Portrait of Longfellow.
Intermediate school,
The Boy Christ in the Temple, Hoffman
Pilgrim Exiles, Boughton
Portrait of Whittier
Portrait of Holmes,
DeCamp
Grammar school,
Niagara
A HIalt in the Oasis,
Schreyer
Portrait of Washington,
Stuart
Portrait of Bryant.
High School
Warwick Castle.
Sistine Madonna,
Raphael
The Acropolis.
Portrait of Lincoln.
Portrait of Garfield.
The Maine.
SCHOOL LAWS.
The past year has seen some important changes in school legis- lation. Especial attention is called to the following laws now in force.
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LENGTH OF SCHOOLING AND SUBJECTS TO BE TAUGHT, CHAPTER 496.
Section 1. Every town and city shall maintain for at least thirty-two weeks in the year a sufficient number of schools for the instruction of all the children who may legally attend a public school therein. Such schools shall be taught by teachers of competent ability and good morals, and shall give instruction in orthography, reading, writing, the English language and grammar, geography, arithmethic, drawing, the history of the United States, physiology and hygiene, including special instruction as to the effect of alco- holic drinks and of stimulants and narcotics on the human system, and good behavior. Bookkeeping, algebra, geometry, one or more foreign languages, the elements of the natural sciences, kinder- garten training, manual training, agriculture, sewing, cooking, vocal music, physical training, civil government, ethics and such other subjects as the school committee deem expedient, may be taught in the public schools.
HIGH SCHOOL, CHAPTER 496.
Section 2. Every city and every town of five hundred fam- ilies or householders according to the latest public census taken by the authority either of the Commonwealth or of the United States shall, and any other town may, maintain a high school, ade- quately equipped, to be kept by a principal and such assistants as may be needed, of competent ability and good morals, who shall give instruction in such subjects designated in section one as it may be deemed expedient to teach in the high school, and in such addition- al subjects as may be required for the general purpose of training and culture, as well as for the special purpose of preparing pupils for admission to state normal schools, technical schools and colleges. Such high schools shall maintain one or more courses of study, at least four years in length, and shall be kept for the benefit of all the inhabitants of the town or city, forty weeks at least, exclusive of vacations, in each year. A town may if it chooses meet only a portion of the foregoing requirements in its own high school ; pro-
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"ided, that it shall make adequate provisions for meeting therest of said requirements in the high school of another town or any city.
Section 3. Any town of less than five hundred families or householders in which a public high school or a school of correspond- ing grade is not maintained shall pay for the tuition of any child who resides in said town and who attends the high school of another town or city, provided the approval of such attendance by the school committee of the town in which the child resides is first ob- tained. If any town in which a public high school or a school of corresponding grade is not maintained neglects or refuses to pay for tuition as provided in this section such town shall be liable therefor to the parent or guardian of the child furnished with such tuition if the parent or guardian has paid for the same, and otherwise to the town or city furnishing the same, in an action of contract. No member of the school committee of a town in which a public high school or a school of corresponding grade is not maintained shall re- fuse to approve the attendance of any child residing in such town in the high school of some other town or city if such child has com- pleted the course of instruction provided by the former town, and, in the opinion of thre superintendent of schools or the school com- mittee of said former town, is properly qualified to enter such high school. If the school committee of such town refuses to grant such approval such town shall be liable for the tuition of such child, in the same manner and to the same extent as if the parent or guard- ian of such child had obtained the approval of the school com- mittee. Any town not maintaining a publie high school or a school of corresponding grade, but affording high school in- struction by sending pupils to other towns, may pay the neces- sary transportation expenses of such pupils. Any town the valua- tion of which does not exceed five hundred thousand dollars shall be entitled to receive from the treasury of the Commonwealth all necessary sums which have been actually expended for high school tuition under the provisions of this section, provided such expendi- ture shall be certified under oath to the state board of education by
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the school committee of such town within thirty days from the date of such expenditure, and provided such high school shall have been approved by the state board of education.
COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE, CHAPTER 496.
Section 12. Every child between seven and fourteen years of age shall attend some public day school in the town or city in which he resides during the entire time the public day schools are in session, subject to such exceptions as to chillren, places of at- tendance and schools as are provided for in sections three, seven, ten and eleven of this act; provided, that the superintendent of schools or, where there is no superintendent of schools, the school committee, or teachers acting under authority of said superintendent of schools or school committee, may excuse cases of necessary ab- sence ; and provided, further, that the attendance of a child upon a public day school shall not be required if such child has attend- ed for a like period of time a private day school approved by the school committee of such town or city in accordance with section two of chapter four hundred and ninety-eight of the acts of the year eighteen hundred and ninety-four, or if such child has been otherwise instruced -for a like period of time in the branches of learning required by law to be taught in the public schools, or has already acquired the branches of learning required by law to be taught in the public schools, or if his physical or mental condition is such as to render such attendance inexpedient or im- practicable. Every person having under his control a child as des- cribed in this section shall cause such child to attend school as re- quired by this section.
HABITUAL TRUANTS, ABSENTEES AND SCHOOL OFFENDERS, CHAPTER 496.
Section 24. Every habitual truant, that is, every child between seven and fourteen years of age who wilfully and habitually absents himself from school contrary to the provisions of section twelve of this act, upon complaint by a truant officer, and conviction thereof,
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may be committed, if a boy, to a county truant school for a period not exceeding two years, and if a girl, to the state industrial school for girls, unless such child is placed on probation as provided in sec- tion twenty-eight of this act.
Section 25. Every habitual absentee, that is, every child be- tween seven and sixteen years of age who may be found wandering about in the streets or public places of any town or city of the Commonwealth, having no lawful occupation, habitually not attend- ing school, and growing up in idleness and ignorance, upon com- plaint by a truant officer or any other person, and conviction there- of, may be committed, if a boy, at the discretion of the court, to a county truant school for a period not exceeding two years, or to the Lyman school for boys, and, if a girl, to the state industrial school for girls, unless such child is placed on probation as provided in section twenty-eight of this act.
Section 26. Every habitual school offender, that is, every child under fourteen years of age who persistently violates the reason- able regulations of the school which he attends, or otherwise per- sistently misbehaves therein, so as to render himself a fit subject for exclusion therefrom, upon complaint by a truant officer, and convic- tion thereof, may be committed, if a boy, at the discretion of the court, to a county truant school for a period not exceeding two years, or to the Lyman school for boys, and, if a girl, to the state industrial school for girls, unless such child is placed on probation as provided in section twenty-eight of this act.
TRUANT OFFICERS, CHAPTER 496.
Section 33. The school committee of every town and city shall appoint and fix the compensation of one or more persons to be designated as truant officers, and shall make rules and regulations governing said officers. Truant officers shall not receive fees for their services. The school committees of two or more towns or cities may employ the same truant officer or officers.
Section 34. The truant officers of towns and cities shall in- quire into all cases arising under sections eleven, twelve, twenty-
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four to twenty-six inclusive and thirty-one of this act, and may make complaints, serve legal processes, and carry into execution judgments thereunder. They shall perform the duties of over- sight of children placed on probation as may be required of them under section twenty-eight of this act.
Section 31. Any person having under his control a child be tween seven and fourteen years of age who fails for five day ses- sions or ten half day sessions within any period of six months while under such control, to cause such child to attend school as required by section twelve of this act, the physical or mental condition of such child not being such as to render his attendance at school harmful or impracticable, upon complaint by a truant officer, and conviction thereof, shall forfeit and pay a fine of not more than twenty dollars. Any person who induces or 'attempts to induce any child to absent himself unlawfully from school, or employs or harbors while school is in session any child absent unlawfully from school, shall forfeit and pay a fine of not more than fifty dollars.
VACCINATION AND CONTAGIOUS DISEASES, CHAPTER 496.
Section 11. No child who has not been duly vaccinated shal be admitted to a public school except upon presentation of a certifi- cate signed by a regular practising physician that such child is an unfit subject for vaccination. No child who is a member of a household in which a person is sick with smallpox, diphtheria, scarlet fever or measles, or of a household exposed to contagion from a household as aforesaid, shall attend any public school during such sickness or until the teacher of the school has been furnished with a certificate from the board of health of the town or city, or from the attending physician of such sick person, stating in a case of smallpox, diphtheria or scarlet fever, that a period of at least two weeks, and in a case of measles a period of at least three days, has elapsed since the recovery, removal or death of such person, and that danger of the conveying of such disease by such child has passed.
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CENSUS OF SCHOOL CHILDREN, CHAPTER 496.
Section 16. The school committees of all towns and cities shall annually ascertain and record the names, ages and such other information as may be designated by the state board of education, of all persons between five and fifteen years of age, and of all minors over fourteen years of age who cannot read at sight and write legibly simple sentences in the English language, residing in their respective towns and cities on the first day of September, and such record shall be completed on or before the first day of Octo- ber. The first census under the provisions of this section shall be taken in the year eighteen hundred and ninety-nine. Whoever has under his control a minor over five years of age and withholds in- formation in his possession sought by a school committee or its agents relating to the items required to be ascertained by this sec- tion, or falsifies in regard to the same, shall forfeit and pay a fine of not more than fifty dollars.
HIGH SCHOOL.
By referring to the Public Statutes Chapter, 496, Section 1 and 2, printed on a previous page of this report, the following facts will be observed.
The High School .- Section 2 requires every town of tive hun- dred families or householders, and permits any town, to maintain a high school, adequately equipped, to be kept by a principal and such assistants as may be needed, of competent ability and good morals. The distinction hitherto made between two grades of high schools is abolished.
The following requirements apply to every high school, whether it is kept in obedience to the statute or voluntarily :
1. Instruction shall be given in such subjects designated in Section 1 as it may be deemed expedient to teach in the high school, and in such additional subjects as may be required for the general purpose of training and culture, as well as for the special purpose of preparing pupils for admission to State normal schools, technical schools and colleges (new).
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2. There shall be at least one course of study four years in length (new), and the school shall be kept forty weeks at least, ex- clusive of vacations, in each year (old) .
3. A town may, if it chooses, meet only a portion of the fore- going requirements in its own high school ; provided, that it shall make adequate provisions for meeting the rest of said require- ments in the high school of another town or any city (new).
In order to meet these requirements, provided we should try to meet them in our own schools, the following demands at least would be made upon us.
1. The extension of our school year from 36 weeks to 40 weeks.
2. The addition of another year's work to our course of study.
3. The employment of two teachers instead of one.
4. Different building accommodations.
5. The purchase of considerable additional apparatus for teaching the different subjects.
6. The raising of the standard of the work done in the lower schools by increasing the number of teachers and rooms.
Two other courses of action, as I stated in my last annual report, are open to us : one to provide all high school instruction for our pupils outside of our schools, the other to provide part of such instruction in our schools and the rest elsewhere. The serious ob- jection to adopting the first of these two courses is that it might result in shortening the time of schooling for many of our pupils. No doubt the unwillingness of many parents to have their children attend school so far away from home, and also the expense to them of transportation, would encourage this result. Another objection on the part of many to adopting this course is the increased cost it would mean to the town. 1
In this connection it must be remembered that the present leg- islation calls for a very different high school from the one we have been supporting. To make such changes, as I have stated above, in order to comply with the law, would necessitate the expenditure
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of a much larger sum of money than heretofore, considering the number of pupils who would actually take high school work, the expense would doubtless be very little, if any, greater to provide for their high school instruction elsewhere.
The adoption of the second of these two courses would present no serious difficulties, for the present at least, provided we did not try to do more than the first year, or at the most the first two years of high school work. The lower schools could be relieved then by having the teacher of the high school studies take also the work of at least one of the grammar grades. The relief of our lower schools is an important thing to bear in mind, as something to this end will have to be done in the near future. Some of the serious objections to attempting two years of high school work are the following :
1. The small number of pupils there would be in the school unless the pupils of at least one of the classes in the grammar grades took their work there.
2. The difficulty in securing a teacher equipped and adapted to do both the high and grammar school work together.
3. The difficulty one teacher would have in doing the required work so that our pupils could take, without serious loss, any one of the three courses usually maintained in high schools.
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