USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Reading > Town of Reading Massachusetts annual report 1919 > Part 11
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A survey of the Reading schools with regard to the accomplishment of these seven objectives of education would show that effective work is being done in many respects but that in some particulars the de- sired ends are not attained because of lack of necessary facilities. More money is needed: 1-For improvements in the school plant. 2-For the promotion of health and an expert study of the special needs of individual pupils. 3-For more teachers and a few additions to the program of studies to satisfy the requirements of some of the objectives enumerated above.
These problems, however, have been overshadowed at present by a situation of another sort that has reached an acute stage; a crisis has been reached in the demands of the teachers for increased salaries, commensurate with the increased cost of living or at least sufficient to check the wholesale exodus of teachers into other occu- pations. Throughout the whole nation schools have been closed in large numbers because teachers-even of an inferior type-could not be procured. Pupils in Normal Schools have decreased in num- bers to an alarming extent. Conferences of school officials are being held everywhere to consider means of meeting the emergency. Another movement, covering a large part of the United States, has aimed to organize all teachers into unions affiliated with the Ameri- can Federation of Labor. Labor unions undoubtedly perform a useful function in industrial life but teaching in its best expression is a calling not a job. It is more than a means of livelihood; it is a mission, a consecrated service to humanity not remotely different in spirit from that of the preacher or the missionary or-better still, perhaps-of the mother that makes a good home and brings up her family of children to be respected, useful, and happy citizens. The giving and receiving between teacher and pupil cannot be measured by the hands of the clock. "There are no clocks in the forest of Arden." It would be a sad day, indeed, and full of grave fore- bodings if teachers should lose the vision of their mission as the guides, companions, and inspirers of youth. Such a spirit of service and consecration to an ideal is incompatible with the methods of trade-unionism. The teachers of Reading were solicited by out-of- town organizers last year to form a union affiliated with the Ameri- can Federation of Labor. Thus far they have refused to entertain the proposition hoping for some other solution of their difficulties that will be compatible with their loyalty to their ideals of service. Many school officials feel that the public schools are facing the most serious crisis that has arisen in this generation, if not in their whole history. Shall the standards of the schools and the morale of the teaching force be maintained? The answer rests with the citizens of Reading. Many communities have already given their answer by
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rallying to the support of the teachers and making generous increases in their salaries-in some instances more than fifty per cent. The town of Belmont has established a salary of $1,400 for grades 1-6; $1,500 for Junior High School; and $1,750 for the Senior High School. The School Committee has recommended another increase of $100 to take effect in September, 1920. Arlington and Winches- ter are doing as well or better. Worcester has established a salary of $1,600 for the Elementary Schools; $2,500 for women teachers in the High Schools; $3,200 for men in the High Schools; $3,600 for Assistant Principals and $4,500 for Principals. These towns and cities are not exceptional. The Reading teachers, through a com- mittee of the Reading Teachers' Club, have made a request for a flat increase of $300 for the regular teachers and a 20 per cent. increase for Principals and special teachers. The amount asked is moderate in comparison with increases asked by teachers in other towns and cities, especially when the comparatively low salary which they now receive is taken into consideration. If the Reading teachers are granted what they have asked they will still be receiving $250 less than the teachers of Belmont in the Elementary and Junior High Schools, and $450 less than the teachers of Worcester in Grades 1-6.
REVISION OF THE PROGRAM OF STUDIES
In the Elementary Schools a careful and comprehensive revision of the Program of Studies has been undertaken in co-operation with the Reading Teachers' Club which has a general Committee on Cur- riculums and Sub-Committees for each grade of the Elementary Schools. In the Junior and Senior High Schools the work is depart- mentalized and the Program of Studies is formed through the con- tributions of the teachers of the several subjects in co-operation with the Principal and Superintendent. The sub-committees for the several elementary grades have held numerous meetings to consider the curriculums in Arithmetic, Geography, and English; some of the teachers have visited schools in other towns for the purpose of study- ing particular curriculums; and all have consulted reference books dealing with the content and best method of presenting the subjects under consideration. Preliminary outlines are being issued as fast as they are ready. A year or two may be required to perfect the details of the several branches and bring out the program of studies in completed form.
ADJUSTMENT OF THE SCHOOL TO INDIVIDUALS
In the Junior and Senior High School special efforts have been made to discover individual capacities and needs and make suitable adjustments to satisfy them, to establish more accurately standards of scholarship by marking pupils more scientifically and accurately, and to make clearer to pupils and parents the significance of the
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school marks. The subject has been discussed to some length in teachers' meetings and in individual conferences and considerable use has been made of Scales of Quality of Work. The Geneseo, Illinois Scale of Qualities of Work, now in use experimentally in the Reading Junior and Senior High Schools with minor changes, is as follows:
Scholarly work of an exceptionally high grade, indicated by the letter "A". I. Knowledge of subject-matter: 1-Memory and thought questions answered intelligently and fully; a, No guessing; b, No help from the teacher. 2-Topical recitation: a, Assigned work given clearly and thoroughly; b, Outside information and vol- unteering expected. 3-Written work: a, Statements briefly but clearly given, fully covering the assignment; b, Careful in wording, form, thought, penmanship, spelling, punctuation, and neatness. II. Preparation: 1-Constant daily preparation and regularity in attendance. 2-Preparation done rapidly and thoughtfully. 3- Written work done on time. 4-Directions of the assignment fol- lowed as an outline. III. Attitude: 1-Attitude in recitation: a, Good position, standing and sitting; b, Alert and attentive. 2- Attitude towards preparation of lessons: a, Ability to work alone; b, Good judgment and self-control in use of time. 3-Attitude to- wards team-work: a, Shows leadership as well as respect for the. rights, privileges, and opinions of others; b, Co-operates with the teacher and other members of the class in a socialized recitation.
Good work, deserving commendation and adequate to meet college entrance requirements, indicated by the letter "B". I. Knowledge of subject-matter: 1-Answers to questions well-directed in thought and showing a grasp of essential points. 2-Topical reci- tation : a, Completes assigned topics; b, Frequent volunteering ex- pected. 3-Written work: a, Statements brief and clear, covering assignments in substance; b, Careful in wording, form, thought, pen- manship, spelling, punctuation and neatness. II. Preparation: 1- Constant daily preparation and regularity in attendance. 2-Prep- aration done thoughtfully. 3-Written work in on time. 4-Di- rections of assignment followed as an outline. III. Attitude: 1- Attitude in recitation: a, Good position, standing and sitting; b, Alert and attentive. 2-Attitude towards preparation of lessons: a, Ability to work without much assistance; b, Good judgment and self- control in use of time. 3-Attitude towards team-work good.
Fair work, not wholly satisfactory, indicated by the letter "C". I. Knowledge of subject-matter: 1-Irregular answers, not well- directed in thought.2-Topical recitation : a, One-half of recitation topical; b, Questions from the teacher necessary to complete recita- tion; c, Some volunteering. 3-Written work: a, Should contain three-fourths of the important facts in the assignment; b, Some care-
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lessness in wording, form, thought, penmanship, spelling, punctua- tion, and neatness. II. Preparation: 1-Daily preparation, con- stant but insufficient. 2-Not enough time spent in preparation. III. Attitude: 1-Attitude in recitation: a, Attention poor; b, Needs frequent reminding about correct position, standing and sitting. 2- Attitude towards preparation: a, Requires frequent assistance and urging to effort; b, Lack of ability to visualize problems and clothe the language of the text-book with reality; c, Wastes time from lack of concentration and well-directed effort; d, Poor team-work due to lack of spirited co-operation and ability to function effectively at the right moment in team-play as applied to class-room activities; e, Makes up deficiencies due to absence or failure in preparation.
Poor work, passing, but with low standing, is indicated by the letter "D". I. Knowledge of subject-matter: 1-Very irregular answers, thoughtful answers infrequent. 2-Topical recitation: a, Topical recitations seldom made; b, Detailed questions necessary. 3-Written work: a, Written work contains one-half the important facts; b, Serious lack in wording, form, thought, penmanship, spell- ing, punctuation, and neatness. II. Preparation: 1-Preparation not uniform. 2-Preparation covers only three-fourths of assign- ment. III. Attitude: 1-Attitude in recitation: a, Poor position, twisting about; b, Inattentive, distracting the attention of others from the class exercise. 2-Attitude towards preparation: a, Un- able to accomplish much without tutoring and some compulsion to give attention to work; b, Marked lack of ability to visualize prob- lems and clothe the language of the text-books with reality; c, Can- not be depended on for team-work; d, Makes efforts to make up work lost through absence or failure in preparation.
Failure to pass or to receive credit for a course is indicated by the letter "E". For the purposes of the scale it is not necessary to enumerate in detail the numerous and complicated symptoms of fail- ure. Those should receive very serious attention in connection with remedial measures. The following six are mentioned as typical: 1- Little apparent effort to respond, no volunteering. 2-Only one- half or less of the assignment attempted. 3-Failure to hand in written work on time, if at all. 4-Guessing answers to questions. 5-Written work poor in form and content. 6-No effort to make up work lost through absence or lack of preparation.
A Deficiency Survey for pupils receiving grades C, D, and E is made to ascertain if possible the probable causes of the low grade which may be due to one or more of the following conditions: Lack of ability, aptitude, or effort; misconduct, poor health, nervous con- dition, loss of morale, irregular attendance, no home-study, heavy program of studies, work outside of school activities, other outside interests and distractions.
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If it seems from the survey that the pupil might do better or that he is near failure or already failing to pass, a personal letter is sent by the Principal to the parent explaining the situation and ask- ing for assistance.
STANDARD EDUCATIONAL TESTS AND MEASUREMENTS
One of the teachers of the Junior High School is taking a Uni- versity Extension Course on Standard Educational Tests and Meas- urements under the instruction of Prof. Dearborn of the Department of Education of Harvard University. She has conducted several tests in the Junior High School and will give others during the year. In the Senior High School the Otis Intelligence Tests and the Brown University Intelligence Tests have been given to the Seniors and Juniors by members of the faculty in co-operation with a specialist from the graduate department of Boston University. These two mental tests will be correlated with marks for the first semester. The teacher at the head of the Shorthand and Typewriting work has examined and used some tests designed for the selection of em- ployees in shorthand and typewriting. These tests can be found in Link's Employment Psychology. The teachers in all grades are studying the use of the standard scales for measuring results in Arithmetic, Reading, Spelling, Penmanship, English Composition and other branches. One of the simpler manuals on this subject has been furnished each teacher. The teachers in the Elementary Schools are giving special attention also to the Benet-Simon tests of mental retardation in order to be prepared to comply with a law passed in 1919 requiring that all pupils in the town shall be examined before July 1, 1920, and that, if there are found to be ten or more who are mentally retarded three years or more, a separate school for their instruction shall be established. Several of the teachers are study- ing the "mental hygiene of children," and the "mechanics of char- acter building," including the best methods of dealing with the emotional stresses of childhood and adolescence.
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
The average attendance of the Senior High School since Septem- ber, 1919, has been fifty-five pupils more than the previous year. This was due in part to a large entering class and in part to fewer pupils leaving before graduation. Owing to the increased enrollment without a corresponding increase in the teaching force, it was neces- sary to discontinue regular class exercises in physical training. It is hoped that some arrangements can be made to resume this work in September, 1920. Reports received from pupils who took the examinations for entrance to college and from those who entered on certificate indicate that all gave good accounts of themselves and are doing their college work successfully. In fact, so far as I have been informed, there have been no failures among the many pupils
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who have gone to college from Reading High School during the past five years. Yet despite this excellent record some citizen is reported not infrequently to have lamented because Reading High School "could not prepare pupils for college" and to have referred contemp- tuously to the quality of work done by our pupils. Such a person recently admitted that he had never visited the High School and knew nothing about the quality of work now done there.
The following editorial from the New York World gives food for reflection for those disloyal citizens who, without sufficient cause, undermine the confidence of pupils and parents in their school:
HARVARD'S TRIBUTE TO THE HIGH SCHOOLS
An analysis made by investigators for Harvard University of the college records of 4000 students who entered Harvard as fresh- men during the years from 1902 to 1912 inclusive, shows results of great interest in their bearing on the quality of public-school educa- tion.
Boys from private schools passed more creditable entrance ex- aminations, but once in college the students prepared at high schools displayed a higher percentage of scholarship. They won a larger proportion of degrees with honor and they moreover had a much lower percentage of admonitions, probation and disciplinary punish- ment. It is the conclusion of the investigators that while the private school fits boys for college more successfully-given a boy of fair intelligence trained with his fellows in a democratic public school and you need have no fear that he will suffer in his college record, either in scholarship or deportment, in comparison with his more fortunate classmate who was carefully tutored at a private school.
In the light of this tribute, which is sustained by the carefully compiled statistics, what becomes of the sweeping criticisms of public-school methods of education? A school system that fits boys for the highest rank in scholarship at Harvard must be a pretty satis- factory system. Perhaps the public schools have suffered from the fact that they are too near home to permit of a view of their real merits in the proper perspective. Their advocates have reason to be gratified by the testimony of their thoroughness from the country's leading educational institution.
Graduates from the Commercial Department of Reading High School have never been as successful as last year in securing such desirable positions or such high salaries and rapid promotions.
The Agricultural Department has maintained its high standards of work and a full quota of pupils. Our school was selected by the Massachusetts Agricultural College and the Massachusetts State Board of Education as the first co-operating school to provide a regular three-months' practice course in teacher training. Mr. Scott, the first pupil-teacher sent out by the college under this plan, served as assistant instructor under the direction of Mr. Sussman. The net earnings of the pupils in their home projects were larger than during any previous year. The very interesting report of the in- structor, Mr. Sussman, is appended to this report.
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THE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
This school has had an especially able corps of teachers during the past year-several of them who have been with the school since its establishment have been assisted by some very satisfactory new recruits. This school each year strengthens the previous convic- tion of the soundness of the principles on which it was organized. As soon as the Highland building can be relieved of the grades be- low the Junior High School and a sufficient number of teachers added to reduce the size of the classes to not more than 25 or 30 pupils a substantial gain will be made in the quality of the work and other improvements, such as promotion by subjects can be introduced. Allusion has been made elsewhere to the excellent record that is being made by graduates of Reading High School. This, of course, would be impossible if pupils were not well-grounded by their training in the Elementary Schools and the Junior High School and the fact is often overlooked that these pupils are admitted at five years of age, a year younger than allowed by many neighboring towns and cities, and only eight years without kindergarten or sub- primary classes is given to preparation for High School, while many other towns and cities still have nine grades below the High School. Everett and Brookline still have nine grades below the High School and Brookline has the kindergarten also, making two years more than Reading.
The expense in buildings, equipment maintenance and salaries for these two years, if they should be added to the Reading course, would amount to many thousands of dollars annually. It speaks well for the Junior High School that although handicapped by too large classes, its work fits pupils adequately for the High School without all this additional expense and loss of time that would be involved in an additional two years in the course below the High School. The average age of the pupils in the Reading High School is less than in Brookline and bears out the supposition that one or two years are saved by the eight-year course.
PROGRAM OF SAFEGUARDING HEALTH
One of the most important lessons impressed upon us by the war was the value of health as a national asset.
The National Industrial Conference Board in Research Report Number Six says:
"Few problems are of more vital interest than the conservation of health. The public at large has only a faint conception of the extent to which sickness and disability sap the energies and impair the efficiency of the nation. A broad, constructive program for dealing with this problem is a national need. . . . There can be no question as to the reality or the great magnitude of the burden which sickness and disability impose on the nation. That one out of every
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three young men should be unfit for military service and that at least five out of every hundred of the entire male population should be infected with a systemic disease which is in thousands of cases transmitted to innocent victims, is at once a reflection on national health standards and an indictment of present health conservation programs.
Of every one hundred residents of the United States at least one is inflicted with tuberculosis in some form and a larger number with some organic affection of the heart. An average annual loss by sickness of seven work days by 40,000,000 wage earners repre- sents the loss of almost a full year's production for a million work- ers. The estimated wage loss of over $500,000,000 per annum from sickness-which takes no account of the incalculable loss due to impaired efficiency on account of illnesses and disabilities that do not result in absence from work-exceeds by a wide margin the total annual dividends of all the railroads in the United States; in a decade this loss amounts to billions of dollars, yet in the long run the monetary loss is perhaps the least important phase of the problem. Not all of this loss is preventable .. . (but) a vast number of defects and ills which impair efficiency later in life have their origin in early childhood and could be prevented by proper treatment at that time. If it is good policy to safeguard the young by fitting them, through education, for their life work, is it not equally obvious that it is also sound policy to safeguard their health by early expen- diture to prevent sickness and disability?"
"Every dollar successfully and economically spent in preventive work is a dollar invested in productive enterprise." A national pro- gram for the prevention of all preventable sickness is being formu- lated. The Children's Bureau of the U. S. Department of the In- terior through a series of nation-wide conferences has formulated a tentative program covering the period from infancy through ado- lescence. The Health Program for Schools is as follows:
"HEALTH IS THE BIRTHRIGHT OF- EVERY CHILD" SCHOOL HEALTH PROGRAM SIMPLE PROGRAM
Every school should include in its curriculum, the education of the child in health habits.
In addition to the medical examination already required by law for school children, every child should be weighed and measured and the results sent home on his regular monthly report card. This would necessitate a set of scales in every school.
A child's school record should show, not only his mental prog- ress but his physical progress. Many parents do not realize that mental retardation very often goes hand in hand with physical retardation.
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A hot noon lunch or extra nourishment, such as milk or cocoa, should be provided when there are any evidences of malnutrition among the children of a school.
School doctors are already required by law. There should also be provided, an adequate supply of school nurses to properly carry out the instructions of the doctor and to aid in the health education of the child. There must also be active co-operation of teachers, parents and the general public in this program of health education.
FINAL PROGRAM
Standards recommended by the Washington and Regional Con- ferences on Child Welfare, 1919.
1. Proper location, construction, hygiene, ventilation and sanitation of schoolhouse; adequate room space-no overcrowding.
2. Adequate playground and recreational facilities, physical training and supervised recreation.
3. Adequate space and equipment for school medical work and available laboratory service.
4. Full-time school nurse to give instruction in personal hy- giene and diet, to make home visits to advise and instruct mothers in principles of hygiene and nutrition and to take children to clinics with permission of parents.
5. Part-time physician with one full-time nurse for not more than 2,000 children; if physician is not available, one school nurse for every 1,000 children; or full-time physician with two full-time nurses for 4,000 children for:
(a) Complete standardized basic physical examinations once a year, with determination of weight and height at beginning and end of each school year; monthly weighing wherever possible.
(b) Continuous health record for each child to be kept on file with other records of the pupil. This should be a continuation of the pre-school health record which should accompany the child to school.
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(c) Special examinations to be made of children referred by teacher or nurse.
(d) Supervision to control communicable disease.
(e) Recommendation of treatment for all remedial defects, diseases, deformities, and cases of malnutrition.
(f) Follow-up work by nurse to see that physician's recom- mendations are carried out.
6. Available clinics for dentistry, nose, throat, eye, ear, skin and orthopedic work; and for free vaccination against smallpox.
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