USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Reading > Town of Reading Massachusetts annual report 1933 > Part 12
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Last year the clinic operated two days a week with a total of sev- enty clinic days, a decrease of eighteen days over that of the previous year when the clinic started early in September and operated three days a week to January first. A total of 1372 visits were made by 225 children making an average of a fraction over five visits per child. Of the 1519 teeth filled 447 were in temporary teeth and 1072 in permanent teeth, and of the 337 extractions 258 were temporary and 79 were per- manent teeth.
Efforts to discover whether there has been an increase in the num- ber of dental caries as a result of inadequate diets have been unsuc- cessful because of the fact that many of the new cases have had ade- quate dental care in the past and are not comparable to the usual group of new cases at the clinic.
The importance of proper diet for dental health is stressed by the dentists, specific diets being recommended in many instances.
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Habit Clinic
In an article on "What Parents Should Know About Our Habit Clinics," Dr. Olive A. Cooper says, "The time is past when one thinks of the physical side of the child's life. Thanks to the modern methods of health education, one realizes that there is the mental side of the child's life which demands attention because of its influence on physical factors and because of the fact that the mental training of the child is the de- terminant of his later success in life. Many adults today are failing to make the grade, not by reason of poor physical health but because of faulty mental training which has resulted in a warped personality and an inability to understand life in general." And the doctor goes on to say, "In physical conditions, we are convinced that there are certain danger signals with which we are all familiar, such defects as enlarged tonsils and adenoids, poor posture, malnutrition, and others, likewise on the mental side, we have allied unfavorable signals including traits such as nailbiting, thumb-sucking, food fussiness, temper tantrums, bed- wetting, disobedience and others. All of these minor traits not only tend to hinder the child's mental development but they may also seri- ously affect his physical progress. While we permit such traits to re- main untreated we are not giving sufficient attention to the child's welfare as a whole, and he is handicapped in making the desired pro- gress which he might otherwise make were these traits not present."
Parents are increasingly realizing the importance of correction for faulty mental habits and attitudes as indicated by their attendance at the Habit Clinic, which has met once a week at the High School. The Reading Clinic is a service provided by the state and serves other cities and towns besides Reading.
Posture Clinic
Five clinics were held during the year at which the total attendance was 97 and the total number of new cases 27. In practically all of the cases, the pupils were referred to the physical education teachers for corrective exercises, the fundamental purposes of which are: (1) to improve the general condition; (2) to strengthen muscles: (3) to increase and equalize flexibility; (4) to readjust muscle control. Recommendations in regard to appliances, nutrition or general medical supervision were followed up by the school nurse. One case was op- erated on at the Carney Hospital during the summer vacation.
Excellent results have been obtained where the parent and child have co-operated.
Diphtheria Prevention Clinics
The progressive school today is interested in the control of dis- eases that are definitely known to be preventable. In keeping with this idea, diphtheria prevention clinics have been held each year since 1923. Whether the school is justified in continuing this work is an open question in view of the fact that children should be immunized be-
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fore school age, because of the high incidence to diphtheria between the age of one to five. Efforts, however, have been made by the school to reach the pre-school group through the registration of children for school and the Pre-school Clinic. It is now estimated that it is necessary to have a certain percent of the pre-school population im- munized together with a fixed percent of the school population in order to insure freedom from a diptheria epidemic in any given com- munity.
Clinics were held last year through March and April where the total attendance was 530, a decrease of nearly 300 from that of the previous year. The gradual decrease in the number attending the clinics the last two years is accounted for by the fact that a large per- cent of our school population is now immunized and each year an in- creasing number of children that enter school have had the treatment.
Of the 236 children making the 530 visits last year, 94 were im- munized and 142 were schicked after having been immunized the pre- vious year. Forty-two percent of the number immunized were under six years of age.
Chadwick Clinic
Of even greater importance than diphtheria prevention from a community standpoint is the problem of tuberculosis prevention be- cause of the fact that tuberculosis is still one of the leading causes of death in United States. From the school's standpoint tuberculosis- prevention is important because it is the leading cause of death be- tween the ages of ten to nineteen, a time when most children are still in school. This fact, together with the fact that it is now felt that tuberculosis in the adult is a secondary infection, the primary infection having occurred in childhood and that by the time the secondary in- fection has occurred it is no longer in its earliest stages, places the responsibility for early diagnosis of the disease on the school.
The state, in offering a service which provides the type of examina- tion necessary for the detection of the childhood type of tuberculosis is doing an outstanding piece of work in public health. The tragedy is that more parents do not appreciate the seriousness of the tuber- culosis problem and consider it a civic duty to help eradicate a disease that like diphtheria is largely, if not wholly, preventable.
Of the 2300 enrolled in our schools, 1206 were given the tuberculin test; of this number a total of 338 reacted to the test and were sub- sequently X-Rayed. Sufficient evidence in the X-Ray or a known ex- posure to tuberculosis made it necessary for 99 to have physical ex- aminations, at which time the X-Ray film was carefully explained to the parent, recommendations were made and expert advice on indi- vidual nutritional and health problems were given by a trained nutrition- ist.
It should be distinctly understood that even where there is defi-
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nite evidence of the childhood type of tuberculosis there is no danger of infection. The problem is to keep the child in good physical condi- tion and to build up his resistance so that he may never develop the disease in later life.
The regular follow-up cases of the State Clinic, usually examined in March or April were examined by the clinic.
Health Education
"It is essential that health should not be regarded as a subject to be taught. It is an objective just as the development of a civic ideal is an objective. Health motives and practices should permeate the whole school program." To this end, the health education aspects of all the functions of the school are stressed.
In addition it is necessary to give the child certain informations and facts, to help him develop certain habits, attitudes and ideals that will influence his behavior in matters pertaining to health. The inculca- tion of habits is largely the function of the first three grades where little or no factual instruction is given. From the fourth grade through the junior high school the amount of subject matter is gradually in- creased until the pupil has a scientific background for his health be- haviour. Throughout all an attempt is made to influence the pupil's attitudes, and to develop ideals that will help him to achieve that "abundance and worthiness of life", commonly known as "health".
The work in the first four grades is carried on by the classroom teacher and varies in presentation and content according to the teach- er's ingenuity and interest. The State Course of Study in Health Education is used as a check on the minimum essentials to be covered. The work in the Highland School, where the school is departmental, has been under the direction of Miss Fogg, who has done a splendid piece of work this past year. The introduction of the Winslow and Haln Series in the fifth and sixth grades has placed at the pupil's dis- posal the latest and best in the line of health textbooks.
The greatest achievement in our health teaching program this year has been at the Junior High School. With the allotment this fall of more time for general science, additional units on physiology have been placed in the seventh grade and units on community health in the eighth grade. These together with the health units already in the general science outline assure an excellent course in these two grades. The strengthening of the ninth grade course in hygiene has been effected by the inclusion of a unit on Tuberculosis Prevention. The unit was developed by Miss Jean Latimer of the Massachusetts Tuberculosis League, and presents with scientific accuracy and peda- gogical soundness this important community health problem in a fasci- nating way. This coming year an attempt to correlate more closely the home economic work in the Junior High School with the health teach- ing program is to be made.
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The work accomplished by Miss Hanscom in Mothercraft was most credible. Entering her students in a statewide Mothercraft contest last spring, she had the honor of having one of her pupils win sec- ond prize.
Since fall the teaching of these classes has been done by me. The enthusiasm of the girls and the carry-over value, which I find in the homes, makes me feel that the course is well worth the time and ef- fort put into it.
Registration and Round-Up
To date the most significant outcome in the way of results of the registration of prospective school pupils each spring seems to be that it provides an opportunity to acquaint the parents with the importance of diphtheria immunization. Although 210 pupils entered school this fall only 133 registered before school entrance, and of this number 108 had had the requested physical examination and fewer still the necessary correction of defects. This, in short, shows that parents still do not appreciate the importance of having children enter school physically fit. A study of the physical defects of the children in our first grade shows a wide range of defects many of which should have been corrected before the children entered school. Much of the re- tardation in the lower grades can be directly traced to absences due to remediable physical defects such as diseased tonsils, defective teeth and the like. From the mere standpoint of reducing educational costs this should be avoided. Parental education together with more health supervision of the pre-school child is necessary before our children will enter school prepared to get the most from their educational op- portunities.
Community Co-operation
It is generally recognized that health work in the schools cannot be fully effective unless it is integrated with the life of the home and the community. Co-operation with the home, secured through the medium of the home visit, parent-teacher associations and the clinics, and with organized agencies interested in child health is an import- ant part of the nurse's work. The department is grateful for the friendly spirit with which the parents accept suggestions relative to the maintenance and improvement of their children's health. The sup- port rendered by the various agencies, both public and private, con- tribute to a large degree to the success of the program. I should like to express especially at this time my appreciation to the Welfare Department and to Mr. Bryant of the Soldiers' Relief for their whole- hearted co-operation.
The Reading Good Health Committee has continued to act as an auxiliary agent to the school health department. The committee has assisted not only by financing various clinics, but has given personal
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service at many of these clinics.
The department is grateful again to Miss Harrington, the visiting nurse, and to the local doctors for their generosity in operating two tonsils and adenoid clinics during the month of July.
The Parent-Teacher Associations have assisted the school health work by having speakers on health subjects, and have given publicity to the Registration and Round-Up and the Chadwick Clinic.
In many respects the year 1933 has been one of the most difficult of my experience in Reading. With the pressure of the work and the trying financial conditions found in many of the homes there have been moments of great discouragement. May I express to you, Mr. Safford, my appreciation for inspiration and encouragement at such times.
Respectfully submitted, MABEL M. BROWN, R. N. Director of Health
December 31, 1933
REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION 1933
Mr. A. L. Safford,
Superintendent of Schools,
Reading, Massachusetts.
Dear Sir :
I submit for your approval my report as Director of Physical Education.
A new director of physical education is responsible for a number of matters which must be attended to at once and he must also en- deavor to inform himself about the entire organization of his depart- ment, and of the whole school system as rapidly as possible. I have completed a preliminary survey which enables me to discuss with you in general terms the future of the physical education program.
We should have every reason to expect each pupil to be as well physically educated as he is academically educated throughout his school career. This necessitates a definite progressive program of physical education from the first to the twelfth grade. If the pro- gram is to be progressive, it must develop in accordance with the in- terests and needs of the pupils, beginning in the first grade. The approach to such a program cannot be made from the twelfth grade, and working down to the first grade.
In the elementary schools, the classroom teacher is best adapted to present the program. She is in a position to know the needs of each one of her pupils. With a definite program covering the time allotment of 15 minutes per day, much more can be accomplished by the classroom teacher in physical education than by a special teacher
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covering each room once in two weeks. In the past few years the graduates of our normal schools have undergone sufficient training to adequately present a physical education program when they accept positions as grade teachers.
It is necessary that we give impetus and direction to the program in the elementary schools, when we consider the possibilities of physical education in the early years of our pupils. We need the biological conception that man has become man through the evolution of motor mentality. Physical education is part of the process of mental evo- lution.
The general problem of correction of postural defects is an im- portant part of this program. It is my belief that the department should not assume responsibility for congenital or structural cases of faulty posture, but should co-operate with the home through the family physician or the expert at the posture clinic, in the correction of these defects. The flexible type of faulty posture is within range of our jurisdiction and a program of prevention and correction should be given appropriate time in the curricula of the different schools. I am forwarding to you a complete report covering this work, with suggestions for a program to carry it out.
As financial conditions improve, and faculty sponsors become avail- able, the scope of high school athletics should be extended. The aim here should be for an extensive rather than an intensive program. A wide range of activities is for the pupils' benefit, and this range spells life.
The objectives which the department hopes to accomplish by the end of the school year are indicative of the progress we are making.
1 Loose-leaf syllabus of the elementary program for grades 1 to 4.
2 A basis of achievement in physical education at the grade levels in the Highland, Junior High and High Schools.
3 The formation of a definite corrective program.
4 A reduction in the deficit under which the High School Ath- letic Account is operating.
Respectfully submitted, PHILIP W. ALTHOFF
REPORT OF THE INSTRUCTOR IN MUSIC, JUNIOR AND SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS, 1933
Mr. Adelbert L. Safford,
Superintendent of Schools,
Reading, Massachusetts.
My dear Mr. Safford :
I submit herewith my annual report for the period ending December 31, 1933.
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Briefly, the aims of a music instructor are three: to teach the pupil to read, to listen (to appreciate), and to create good music. Music may be compared to literature in that an understanding of it must precede its fullest appreciation. And so, just as one arrives at an appreciation of the works of Milton and Shakespere by study- ing grammar, and going in the field of literature from the smaller to the larger forms, so in music the pupil is taught through the medium of song and the use of the phonograph, first, simple folk songs and finally, the great operas, oratorios, and symphonies.
In my report for last year, I outlined the course of music study given in the Junior and Senior High Schools. In the present re- port, I should like to discuss various phases of this course of study. In grades VII and VIII, the pupils review the study of music .no- tation, and sing over again many of the songs learned in the previous grades. As soon as changed voices appear among the boys, the bass staff is taught, and the class is given three or four part music, as vocal conditions warrant .. The "conservation" and not the "ex- ploitation" of the child voice is of prime importance in these two grades, and so the song material used is chosen to meet the needs of each individual group.
In grade IX, the pupils enter the realm of choral music in its larger forms, having acquired the ability to read part music at sight with some degree of interpretation and accuracy.
In Senior High School choral music, the trend today is toward a capella, four to eight-part music. Our present high school chorus is not far from the goal in this direction. They are doing excellent work under conditions that are almost ideal as far as the auditorium, musical equipment, and song material are concerned, and many of the chorus members are finding their way into church choirs. The chorus was represented by Roger Davis at the Eastern Music Supervisors' Conference convention held in Providence, March 15-17, and it made two appearances with the Reading Civic Symphony Orchestra during the season 1932-1933.
Instrumental music in Reading is making a slow but gradual growth. Parents do not seem willing to buy good instruments, or pay for instruction by the best teachers. Many, too, make a mistake in that they do not start their child on some instrument early enough. "The earlier, the better", is a good rule to follow, for never will the child have as much leisure time for music study, as well as re- creation, as he does in the elementary grades. Beginning in the eighth grade, home work is given out, and this period of his life ought to be the time when the pupil can begin to reap, through band, orchestra, and solo work, some of the rewards that come from instrumental mu- sic study, the time given to which would never be missed in the earlier years of school life. Piano study ought to precede the study
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of band and orchestral instruments, and it may be advantageously be- gun when the child is of kindergarten age. After grade IV or V is reached, it is advisable to have the child begin on some orchestral instrument, and to continue his piano study also, if possible.
Both the Junior and Senior High Schools have an orchestra and a band. These organizations furnish music at all the school assemblies, plays, and for some of the athletic activities.
The Senior High School Band received an honor rating at the Massachusetts Music Festival held in Arlington on May 13, and it is planning to repeat this standard of performance at the festival to be held in Melrose next spring. The band has been fortunate in having had two outstanding drum majors during 1933, the Misses Marie Davies and Jean Phippen, to whom much of the success of the band was due. Among its many activities, aside from playing at all of the football games held this fall, the band marched in the April nineteenth parade held in Lexington, took part in the Reading Memorial Day exercises, and gave a concert in Shepardson Hall on June 6.
The orchestra at the High School furnishes music for most of the assemblies, provides the music for the annual Senior Play, and the Class Day and Graduation exercises.
The Junior High School orchestra has furnished music for more than a score of assemblies held during the year, has furnished music at all of the Parent-Teachers Association meetings, and was one of the twelve orchestras selected from the towns and cities of the eastern part of this state to compete in radio broadcasts for the Conrad Cup. The orchestra gave its broadcast on April 27 from the Sheraton Room of the Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston, and although it did not receive first prize, it did receive a very beautiful plaque in appreciation of its excellent performance.
Plans for the spring of 1934 call for a concert to be given jointly by the band and chorus in the Senior High School, participation by the band, and the ninth grade Glee Club in the Massachusetts Music Festi- val to be held in Melrose on May 12, and the production of an operetta by the ninth grade music classes.
In conjunction with the supervisor of music in the elementary grades, a graded course of music appreciation is being worked out for grades I through IX. It is hoped that the high school music apprecia- tion course, as well as the course in harmony, both of which had to be discontinued this fall because of lack of time on the part of the instructor, can be resumed next year.
The time allotment for music in grades VII and VIII ought to be increased to two full periods a week, as recommended by the Na- ional Music Supervisors' Conference of the National Education Asso- ciation in their outline of music courses for Junior High Schools. This change can be made in grade VIII by doubling up the groups. It is
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also hoped that music in grade IX can be changed from an "elective" to a "required" subject, a's has also been recommended by the above- mentioned association.
In closing, may I urge the parents to give their children as rich a musical heritage as possible. The children ought to be taken to some of the Symphony Orchestra concerts, operas, and other musical shows that are given in Boston during the year. Groups of students from the schools have been taken to some of the free concerts given by the New England Conservatory of Music, but there still remain many who have never experienced the inspiration that comes from hearing good music in the concert hall. The Reading Civic Symphony Orchestra, the only one of its size (60 members) among the towns of this state which do not exceed Reading in population, is doing much to acquaint the school children with good music, but the orchestra itself must rely on civic pride and interest in order to make it possi- ble to continue its good work.
May I take this opportunity to thank you, Mr. Safford, for all your generous and whole hearted co-operation in the activities I have undertaken.
Respectfully submitted,
Samuel A. W. Peck.
REPORT OF THE SUPERVISOR OF MUSIC IN THE ELEMENTARY GRADES, 1933
Mr. Adelbert L. Safford,
Superintendent of Schools,
Reading, Massachusetts.
Dear Mr. Safford :
For your consideration, I now submit this brief report of the music work in the first six grades during 1933.
Discussions, during the past year, as to the necessity of certain sub- jects in the school curriculum, made us stop and test the value and place of our own subject. With the following quotation as a guide; "Music is in the world ;- it is a human need," may I show why it is a need, and how we have answered that need?
Let us test music by the points required by other subjects.
First, the Cultural side. Music develops a responsiveness in the child; gives him a means of expressing himself; and also affords him a chance to like the beautiful.
We have tried to meet this need, this past year, by a definite pro- gram in Music Appreciation. This course is "Music Appreciation for Every Child," by Glenn, Lowry, DeForest, and has met with enthusias- tic response by the children. The music recorded has given the chil- dren in the various grades a chance to recognize and respond to differ-
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ent rhythms, (such as running, skipping, walking, etc.); phrasing; creating movements to fit the music; a knowledge of the different dances, (waltz, minuet, gavotte) ; an opportunity to listen to beautiful music.
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