USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Reading > Town of Reading Massachusetts annual report 1933 > Part 11
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Mr. Adelbert L. Safford,
Superintendent of Schools,
Reading, Massachusetts.
Dear Mr. Safford :
In compliance with your request I am submitting a report of the activities of the Attendance Department for the year just ended. In many respects it has been a discouraging year because attendance problems have been complicated on account of the present economic conditions, but ever since I took over this work it seems that we have been harassed by the same familiar cases, which do not improve with the years. The only difference is that the older children reach sixteen and automatically our responsibility ends, but younger ones take their places, so we are not without material to work on. Some people on our lists seem to have welcomed the opportunity afforded them by the depression to "pass the buck" and blame some one or some- thing else for the lack of clothing, shoes, and proper nourishment from which their children suffer, all of which seriously hinder and handicap them in their school work and attendance. This period has shown up such people and has also discovered for us many of the opposite type who stand everything courageously and do not give in under adverse conditions. There is no question but that ordinary difficulties are intensified during a time like the one we are passing through and the schools, as well as other social agencies, feel the effects of an economic stringency not only in reduced budgets, but in a lowering of morale and a touchiness or sensitiveness in both parents and children, not to mention teachers. To give a detailed account of my work in this department would require more space than I am en- titled to, so I will try to be explicit and at the same time brief.
Enrollment
In October 1932 we had in the Reading schools about 2270 pupils, less than 1,200 elementary, grades 1 to 6, and nearly that number very evenly divided between the Junior and Senior High Schools. In October 1933 we had nearly 2,300 with about 1,200 in the elementary and the others somewhat less evenly divided between the two schools above mentioned. The Senior High School had enrolled 39 post-grad- uates, a larger number than usual due to economic conditions mostly.
Working Certificates
These certificates were issued to comparatively few young people. To be exact there were 48 issued to boys and 37 to girls, a total of 85. This is slightly more than in 1932, but 30 per cent less than in 1930 and about 50 per cent less than for any of the years from 1926 to 1929. Practically no children between fourteen and sixteen are
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out of school in Reading. Our record in this respect has always been good. We know it pays to keep children in school as long as possible, in order to give them training for the future.
Routine Attendance Work
Our plan of daily check-up with the schools has been followed this year as in the past and investigations are made as previously. Informa- tion concerning the health of children, their school work, and other details which would help other supervisors, the teachers, or social agencies interested in these families, is passed on to be used for the good of those concerned, and, in turn, others pass on to me such things as might be helpful in handling my work. We have always tried in the school department to work together and to co-operate with other town and out-of-town agencies in their efforts to better conditions for the children. There seems to be no better way of fol- lowing up absences, cases of repeated tardiness, bad behavior prob- lems, and such details of more or less seriousness which are reported to me, than to make a visit to the home to talk with the parents, because they, after all is said and done, are responsible for the at- titude and behavior of their children. I find that most parents wish their children to do well in school and to conform to reasonable regu- lations, and I feel that many times one reason they do not do so is be- cause nearly everybody hesitates to let the parents know from the start what the children are doing outside the home. Children know this and count upon escape from punishment. The Welfare Depart- ment of Reading, the police, pastors, and others who can help us with our problems are often consulted, to our advantage and that of the children, while some outside agencies are occasionally brought into our local situations. Once in a while we have a case in court.
A Typical Case
I would like to present a typical case,-one with which this de- partment has been wrestling many years, as have other agencies in the town and outside. It seems that no one has had much success in this case and I must admit that there are a number of others about which we feel very much discouraged. This family consists of father, mother and a large number of children. They have lived in Reading for ten years at least and possibly for a longer period, as the father came to Reading from another state to work for a local man . So far as I know he is a good worker, but he is a drinking man and has a very surly disposition . The oldest child was a difficult problem in school,-low grade mentally,-and never could get beyond the ele- mentary grades in attainment. This child was also an attendance problem and missed a great many days each year in spite of all we could do. The next child, if given a fair chance, could have finished High School and perhaps gone beyond that, but with conditions in the home as they always had been, there was no incentive to do it and she
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dropped out when she became sixteen. The next has a low intelli- gence quotient, comparatively, but, with proper home environment and regular school attendance, could do fairly well in school. Now, at 15 years of age, this child is disinterested and cannot be kept in school any longer. A court would not do anything about this because with only a few months until sixteen there is nothing that can be done. An- other child has reached the middle grades; has refused at times to go to school and has been forcibly taken there. Stubborn and un- happy, unkempt and shunned by other children, this child is apparent- ly aware of conditions and to me is a pathetic figure with nothing to look forward to. The next child is bright and likeable, but attendance at school is more or less irregular and the teachers have bought and begged clothing to put on him while he has been in school and helped him wash and clean himself sufficiently to be presentable to the other children. Another one is in a primary grade. This child is a dear and ought to have a better outlook than she seems to have. There is one child in an institution, having been committed as feeble-minded and epileptic. There are several younger ones coming along who are surely going to repeat the family pattern. Among them is the illegi- timate child of the oldest girl and if I am any judge this child is also feeble-minded.
The mother apparently has decided to co-operate with us some- what, but she is handicapped mentally and physically. Her discipline of the children consists of harsh and profane, not to say obscene berat- ings, if I am to believe people where she has lived. The children have no respect for her scoldings and disregard them altogether. The fa- ther has always been surly and unco-operative. The home is squalid, dirty, disorderly, and utterly discouraging to young people growing up. All Reading's social agencies have labored with this family and are still laboring. We don't seem to get anywhere and sometimes we cannot be blamed for wondering what is the use of all this effort. Several years ago we had the man in court about the oldest child's school attendance . He promised to do better. A few years later we had him there again about the next child. He promised to do better. Finally a children's society was called into the case and had him in court again. At this time the feeble-minded epileptic child was placed in an institution, but no special action was taken on the cases of those left in the home. Now the older children reaching the age when they may legally leave school, they are just merely hanging around the streets' with nothing to do. They have no special training for anything and we feel sure they are heading for trouble. We would like to be able to do something different with the younger children, but we seem to be completely up against a stone wall. Bodily cleanli- ness, good health to a certain degree, and decent living conditions might be provided for them if we could get them out of the very poor
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home in which they have always lived, but it is a question as to whether or not we can ever make up to such children the lack of such fundamen- tal things as parental affection, clean speech and actions, clean homes, and wise training. This is only one case. I could enumerate others, some as bad and some worse in a few particulars. This family happens to have the largest group of children in it and has been a sore spot for years.
However, there is a family of three attractive little girls, if you can penetrate the dirt which always covers them. Their mother is dead and they are living under deplorable conditions. The trouble is to make others who have authority to do something feel that this is a really serious case. I am going to make the attempt, however. Then we have another large family where the mother is seriously over- burdened because the father is ill. The children are beginning to give much trouble in school and out. This family and that of the little girls legally belong in another town and are welfare cases. Our Welfare is getting in touch with this town's welfare department and we are all trying to work to do something constructive for these children.
Conclusion
Visits, conferences, letters, discussions,-all will continue to be an important part of this attendance and behavior work. Contrary to the belief of many, an attendance supervisor at the present time is not fundamentally the old truant officer who worked wholly by force of the law. I consider myself a social worker, something of the type called school visitor. With the other service agencies of the town and the school department I wish to help the children in their struggle to be good citizens.
When a case has to come to court it seems that the parents and the schools have failed. With all the efforts the schools put forth before we call upon the courts, we cannot be blamed if once a year perhaps we have to resort to the law. I believe that it is harder to grow up now that it ever was. It was not easy in my time either. If children can't have clean homes, good food, warm clothing, love from unselfish parents, they are not to blame if they turn out badly. But many times other people can help them and encourage them to turn to better ways. This we are all trying to do to the best of our ability.
Until the millenium comes when every child is born into the heri- tage he ought to have, we will all keep on struggling with our prob- lems. Without your wise counsel and encouraging words during the years I have worked with you, I know my work would not have been even a little worthwhile. I think the teachers and workers generally in the school department feel very much indebted to you in this re- spect, just as I do. In so far as I have attained any successful out-
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comes in the school attendance and behavior problems that have been referred to me, I wish to acknowledge your constant advice as a con- tributory factor. It is my hope that this experience and kindly wis- dom of yours may continue to be an inspiration for a long time to come.
December 31, 1933.
Respectfully submitted, ABIGAIL H. MINGO Supervisor of School Attendance
REPORT OF THE TREASURER AND GENERAL MANAGER OF THE READING SCHOOL CAFETERIAS 1933
Mr. Adelbert L. Safford,
Superintendent of Schools,
Reading, Massachusetts.
Dear Mr. Safford :
You have requested a report of my work in its connection with the running of the school cafeteria's for the past year and I am glad to submit it herewith.
Expenditures and Receipts
I purposely placed the above caption in an order which you will note is somewhat reversed from the usual, as that in the past has sometimes been the right order, expenditures certainly coming first, but I am glad to state that 1933 has turned them around for us and we are closing the year with all bills paid and a small balance. We have received from sales, $10,061.13 and paid out $9,957.49, thus hav- ing a balance of $103.64 to our credit. This is quite an accomplish- ment when we stop to consider that we carried over in December 1932 about $200 worth of bills. I value the goods we have in stock at about $75. This balance in cash we hope to retain in a savings ac- count which we are trying to build up for emergencies.
Personnel
In December 1932 the workers in the cafeterias numbered four full-time women with some student help in the High School and one boy helping out in the Junior High School, as follows :
High School, Mrs. Mary A. Kingman.
Junior High School, Mrs. Anne L. Canty, in charge; Mrs. Nellie St. Cyr, assisting.
Highland School, Mrs. Elizabeth E. Tarbox.
Because these managers and assistants have done such good work during 1933 we hope to continue with the present corps indefinitely un- less something unforeseen prevents. It might be that receipts in one cafeteria would drop sufficiently to make a change necessary, or
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something else might interfere with our plans. In the High School Mrs. Kingman finds student help very satisfactory, but she is a very good person to train such help. In the Junior High School Mrs. St. Cyr does a good job of supervision with the help we give her. Of course in the Highland School the children are too young to do that work.
Milk
The School Committee, after investigation, decided to buy the school milk from a local dealer and he has given us excellent quality and splendid service to date. We are glad to spend our money in Reading whenever we can secure service and quality goods at reason- able prices, but we feel, as we always have felt that the children should come first with us.
Tradesmen
We have always purchased the bulk of our goods in Reading. During the closing of the banks here and the consequent loss of our check account, the local dealers gladly co-operated by taking rolls of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters, and, in some instances waited for their mon y. We wish to acknowledge these favors and to ex- press cursclves as fortunate in the kind of people we trade with. All are consistently helping us to save every penny, realizing that we op- erate on a "shoestring" and receive no financial aid from the town ap- propriations.
Financing of the Lunches
Again, I wish to emphasize the fact that no part of our expenses for salaries or food is paid out of the town treasury, and, in addition, in the past we have purchased equipment and replacements. This we have done to some extent this year also. The treasurer and general manager has never received a cent from the lunches, doing her part of the work as an additional job in the line of duty. Every cent we have to work with is received from sales at the three cafeteria's and each lunch room cook is a careful, economical, and practical home cook, who wastes nothing and buys very wisely. If this were not the case we would always operate with a deficit.
Ice Cream
Ice cream continues to be a very popular dessert with the child- ren, although we try to tempt them to eat puddings, cakes, cookies, and other things, so that they will have more variety. If any parents wish children to buy a dessert other than ice cream and will specify, we will see that on certain days special favorite dishes are prepared, providing, of course, that such dishes as are mentioned do not prove to be too expensive for our limited budget. It would seem that the child- ren might profitably eat baked Indian pudding, rice dishes, tapioca, gingerbread and whipped cream, and jello desserts, rather than for three hundred and sixty-five days of the year demand ice cream. In
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one instance, during the time the banks were closed and we were finding it hard to pay our very large ice cream bills, we dropped that item from the menus for a few days and one irate parent reprimanded us severely because her child would not eat any other dessert. . I wonder if she herself serves that child ice cream only for dessert every meal. Personally, I do not believe that commercial ice cream is very full of vitamins, butterfat, and other especially desirable ingredients for growth. If I had my way, I would not serve it every day in the school lunches.
Hot Dishes and Other Items
We serve soups, hot specials every day, with sandwiches, salads, different kinds of cookies, cakes, puddings, and miscellaneous items which we consider good for the children. Of course there is always milk, chocolate milk, and cocoa when it is cold. Naturally, the Senior High School can have the greatest variety on the menu. We are open to suggestions from fair-minded critics who see chances for more variety and better-balanced menus.
Improvements Needed
The High School lunch rooms are more or less a make-shift ar- rangement. The quarters are pocrly located in the basement and the kitchen is much too small. Some day it would be a good thing for this school to have a larger kitchen. a better arranged and larger count- er, and lighter quarters above the basement. In no case would we want a kitchen too large to be handled conveniently, but neither do we wish one so small that the workers are in one another's way as is the case now.
The Junior High School cafeteria is situated well, but is very noisy, needing insulating at quite an expense to obviate this difficulty. Here the kitchen is too large for the help we can afford to properly handle it. It was designed to serve both the senior and the junior high school groups when the building was planned.
The Highland School kitchen, (the old committee room), is nearly ideal, but there is no proper place for the children to eat their lunches in, and they have to carry trays up and down stairs to their rooms and back. They do a fine job, but it would be better if there were a central eating place closer to the kitchen.
Conclusion
So far as service, personnel, and quality of food are concerned, we would make no great changes in 1934. We hope to keep prices about the same. We would like better facilities in some respects.
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Otherwise, we feel that the lunch rooms are doing a very good job in a very economical fashion.
Respectfully submitted,
ABIGAIL H. MINGO
Reading, Massachusetts,
Treasurer and General Manager
December 31, 1933.
REPORT OF THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, 1933
Mr. Adelbert L. Safford,
Reading, Massachusetts.
Dear Sir :
I herewith submit the report of the health department for the year 1933.
The past year has seen important changes in the department. The reduction in the school budget made it necessary to eliminate the posi- tion of assistant nurse, thereby making it necessary to drop last June Miss Kathleen Hanscom, who had served efficiently in that capacity since 1931.
The loss of the assistant nurse was in part compensated by the appointment of Mr. Philip Althoff to the position of Director of Physi- cal Education. His removal from the Junior High School to the Senior High School has made it possible for him to work in the closest sort of co-operation with the health department and to assume some of the duties formerly carried by the nursing staff. Since fall a redistribution of the work has been effected which, under present economic condi- tions, is fairly satisfactory.
It should be borne in mind, however, that the pupil load in Reading has increased very materially within the last few years; that, along with this increase in numbers, the school health program has developed. As soon as conditions warrant, it is urged that the position of assistant nurse be restored.
Medical and Nursing Service
Medical supervision has continued under the direction of Dr. Hen- derson and has been adequate and efficient at all times.
As has been customary for the last four or five years, health ex- aminations were made throughout the schools. Intensive work on this phase of the work was done this fall with the result that the examina- tions were completed by November first. The benefit to be derived from this type of yearly appraisal is that it provides not only a check on the present physical status of each pupil, but on his physical pro- gress as well. It is also an effective means of evaluating our remedial or correctional program. It is interesting to note a corresponding de- crease in the number of defects, other than postural and eye defects, for each year that the child is in school, the Junior and Senior High
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Schools making an unusually good showing in this respect. The fact that there is an increase in these types of defects is a reflection on our educational facilities and practices, and one that should challenge the attention of the school committee as well as the health authorities.
The fact that at the present time fewer children have medical care in minor illnesses has necessitated a closer check on children return- ing to school after illness. Where contagion is suspected such children are segregated until admitted by Dr. Henderson. The efficiency of the teachers in selecting other cases to be seen by the school physician has helped to keep infections at a minimum.
The nurse's work has continued to be that of assisting the school physician with the health examinations, of inspecting the pupils for de- fects, symptoms of contagion and cleanliness each month, of checking the sanitary and health conditions of the school buildings, of following- up and securing the correction of physical defects, and, in addition, as director of health, of supervising the various clinics and the health edu- cation work.
The weighing and measuring of the pupils, which formerly was done by the nurse, was this fall transferred to the department of phy- sical education. The same policy of weighing all pupils through the Junior High School each month, and measuring three times a year has continued. A report of those failing to gain or losing weight are re- ported each month to me. A careful scrutiny is made of each child's growth and an equally careful watch kept for the undernourished, the stunted and the under developed child. It is generally felt that the effects of the depression will be seen in an increase in malnutrition. Every effort is being made to counteract this by teaching parents and children the wise selection of foods.
One of the unfortunate results of the reduction in the nursing staff has been the decrease in the number of home visits that have been made this fall, a reduction of over fifty per cent made by the two nurses for the corresponding time last year. To allow more time for home visiting since September and to carry on the fall program together with the tremendous amount of work entailed in the Chadwick Clinic has been a physical impossibility. The importance of the home visiting aspect of the school nurse's work is fully appreciated and it is hoped that more time can be given to this phase of the work later in the year. There, however, has been one compensating fact in my failure to get into the homes more in that parents have reached me by tele- phone and office call to a greater extent than ever before. From the standpoint of developing self direction on the part of the parent this is highly desirable. From the nurse's point of view it is less effective in that she is less familiar with the homes of the children, and can only be justified where the home conditions are known to the nurse.
The amount of time devoted to clerical work is appallingly great
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and is time that could be more effectively used in phases of the work that have an educational value. The addition of a clerical assistant through the C. W. A. since December has demonstrated the value of efficient clerical assistance.
The time devoted to the Chadwick Clinic and tuberculosis preven- tion work this fall claimed a large proportion of the total time expendi- ture. The results obtained, however, more than justified the time and effort. A resume of the work of the clinic is found later in this report.
Clinical Service
Correction of physical defects is secured through the services of the family physician and dentist whenever possible. The futility of discovering physical defects, however, without providing adequately for their correction makes it necessary to provide clinical facilities for those who cannot afford to have private care. A resume of the work of our school clinics follows. These clinics, while financed by state and local organizations are under the supervision of and work in co-opera- tion with the school.
Dental Clinic
The effect of the present economic situation on the dental clinic has been twofold. There has been an overwhelming increase in the number of applicants and an equally significant decrease in the amount of fees collected at the clinic. Both these factors present problems to the dental clinic committee. While the fees collected at the clinic have at no time financed it, they have helped to pay for the supplies used at the clinic. The deficit between these collected last year and previous years has had to be met in other ways by the committee. The increase in the number applying for treatment at the clinic has been legitimate in view of existing conditions but has none the less aggravated the al- ready overcrowded condition. An increase in the number of days that the clinic operates is imperative.
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