USA > New Hampshire > Belknap County > Laconia > Annual report of the receipts and expenditures of the city of Laconia, New Hampshire : for the year ending 1894 > Part 8
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The North building is also in need of repairs and has been for several years. The floors are old and worn and the old furniture in the rooms should be replaced by new as speedily as possible. The basement is in bad condition ; and should be lowered a foot or two, the floor concreted. connection made with the sewer and the unsightly outhouse at the rear of the building removed. The grounds also should be proper- ly graded and grassed. The lot itself is a fine one; but, in its present condition it reflects no credit upon the city.
The number of pupils enrolled in this building has largely increased during the past year. During the fall term the number enrolled was 196, an average of 49 for each room and the number would have been much larger if some of the pupils belonging in that district had not been transferred to the south side schools. The increase in the higher grammar grades on the south side makes it evident that in a year or two (perhaps next year) we shall have to maintain an 8th and 9th grade school in the North building, and the first grade is now so large that it should be placed in a room by itself. These changes would necessitate enlarging the building by the addition of two rooms. It is so arranged that the addi- tions could easily be made, and the wing would add to the attractiveness of the building.
Thus far it has been found impossible to dispense with the building on Lake street. Nobody, so far as I know, claims that it is a room suitable for school purposes, and the complaints which have been made concerning it have been in many cases well founded ; but as a school room it is little better than nothing, and thus far our only choice has been that or nothing.
The two school rooms which were finished, by order of the city council, in the third story of the high school building,
166
CITY OF LACONIA.
served as a temporary relief from over crowding on the south side, but it was only a temporary relief ; for at the present time we are still obliged to maintain the school on Lake street, and all our schools are as full as ever.
I do not wish to be understood as finding fault with the action of the council ; for, if we could not have a new school building, the finishing of these rooms was doubtless the only thing that could be done. But I do wish distinctly to protest against the present arrangement of the high school building as a permanent one. It is too hard for little children to climb up to the upper floor of that building three or four times a day, and the rooms are not large enough to accommodate any of the grammar schools so that the little children will always have to be put into the upper rooms. I believe, too, that bring- 'ing primary schools into the high school building is a positive injury to the high school. It takes away from the dignity of the school ; and makes it necessary to subject the high school pupils to many petty restraints which they feel are unnecessa- ry and which would be unnecessary if the school were by it- self.
High school education has not been very popular in Laco- nia heretofore, but it has been growing in popularity of late ; and it seems to me that the city should make an effort to make the conditions such that the school will continue to grow. In my judgment, it is now doing work that will com- pare favorably with the work done in the best high schools of the state and I believe that it is entitled to better accommo- dations than it now has.
The present high school building is a good one and is probably large enough to accommodate the high school for twenty years yet ; but at present it is so filled up with gram. mar, intermediate and primary schools that there isn't room in it for the high school.
A conservative estimate indicates that we shall have a membership of at least 125 in our high school next year and we must have more room. We need at least the two upper floors of the building and before long we shall need it all.
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BOARD OF EDUCATION.
The third floor should be finished into one large assembly room instead of into small rooms as now.
A good school hall is not a convenience, merely, but a necessity, and I respectfully urge the Board to make an effort to provide such a room. The school needs it ; and I believe that the patrons of the school want it.
If sufficient accommodations are provided for the high school in the present building, three or four schools will have to be removed, and either the Bowman street building will have to be enlarged or a new building built to accommodate them.
DRAWING.
During the past year, drawing has been raised to the dignity of a regular study and placed under the direction of a compe- tent teacher. It is certainly a valuable study from an educa- tional standpoint and the interest which the pupils of all grades have taken in it and the progress which they have already made, promise excellent results in the future. More detailed information in regard to the work can be found in the special report of our drawing teacher, which is appended.
MUSIC.
At the close of the spring term we were so unfortunate as to lose the services of our most efficient music teacher, Mr. Conant. Under Mr. Conant's instruction, I feel that our pupils had made real progress in music. The instruction was not merely mechanical, training the voice and ear alone, but was of a character to develop real culture, and, as such, had a true educational value. Our present instructor, Mr. Osgood, took up the work as nearly as possible where Mr. Conant left it, and has carried it on along the same general lines. Al- though it is too early to estimate the results of his instruction, yet I can say that Mr. Osgood has entered upon his duties with enthusiasm and has given his time and energy unspar- ingly to the work ; and with his own recognized ability as a musician, there seems to be no good reason why we should not look for a continuation of the good work in this line that we have had in the past. His report, covering the work of his department, is appended.
168
CITY OF LACONIA.
COMMERCIAL EDUCATION.
At the beginning of the fall term, a commercial department was added to our high school with the purpose of giving to such pupils as desired it, a two-years' course of instruction designed to fit them for business pursuits. It was thought that a course could be arranged which, though less preten- tious, would be more valuable than the average business college course. Our experience thus far, has demonstrated two things-first, that most of the pupils who entered that department were not sufficiently well prepared to take up the studies of that course. Second, that a considerable number entered under the impression that it was to be a sort of asylum for mental invalids, an arrangement by which those who were unable or unwilling to do the amount of work re- quired of the pupils in the other department of the high school, could still keep along and be members of the school.
It is the intention that the two years of this course shall be years of hard, diligent work; and I would recommend that pupils, who for two consecutive months fail to come up to the required standard, be dropped from the course. This school is no place for idlers nor for pupils of less than average ability ; for a pupil who does not readily conform to industri- ous habits or who has not fair ability should certainly not look forward to a business career. The ideas of the present commercial teacher, regarding this course, are given in a special report.
GENERAL WORK IN THE SCHOOLS.
For two or three years we have been trying to modernize our course of study and methods of teaching, so as to keep abreast of the general educational advance throughout the country. We have succeeded to a certain extent, and to a certain extent we have failed. We have succeeded to this extent-we have provided in our course of study for instruc- tion in the modern subjects with which the common school course has been enriched, namely, history (by modern meth- ods), moral instruction, civics, music, drawing, elementary science and literature. All these new subjects are good and
169
BOARD OF EDUCATION.
useful, and all have a legitimate place in the common school course. Science especially should commend itself to a manu- facturing community like this. Our course in science is arranged with the idea of giving to each child the fundamental principles of science which will find an application in his daily work. Literature, also, is a very practical subject, and not merely ornamental, as many suppose. In a word, its impor- tant office in the school course is this-to counteract as far as possible the pernicious influence of the cheap and trashy literature which is unfortunately so accessible to children. The influence of the detective and wild west types of literature we can meet and successfully combat in the public schools, and by teaching the children to know and appreciate good literature we can, in most instances, overcome their taste for trash. But the influence of that other class of illustrated literature of the Police Gazette type, we can not as yet success- fully counteract. It is rank poison to the minds of children and it is a shameful and disgraceful thing that the state or the community will allow publications of this class to be pub- licly displayed and sold to minors, or to anyone else for that matter ; and until the public bestirs itself to protect children from corrupting influences like this, it need not be expected that moral instruction in the schools will make good pure- minded men and women of their boys and girls.
The respect in which we have in a measure failed to bring our schools up to modern standards is this : While we have provided in our course of study for instruction in these mod- ern and useful subjects, except in music and drawing, we have not taken pains to provide skilled and thoroughly-trained teachers to do the instructing. Not many of our present corps of teachers have had the education and previous training nec- essary to enable them to teach history, civics, literature and science well, and these subjects unless well taught will fall flat and degenerate into useless lumber in the course. It is manifestly the duty, then, of such of our teachers as have not had the advantage of adequate training to prepare themselves by study and personal effort to meet the requirements of these new studies, for we must teach them, and the teaching
170
CITY OF LACONIA.
must be intelligent, not aimless. If there are any who are un- able or unwilling to make this personal effort they should give place to those who are prepared to do the work as it should be done. In the future I would urge upon the Board the im- portance of engaging none but thoroughly trained and well- educated teachers. They can be obtained at no greater expense, and if such a policy is pursued the effect upon your schools will soon be manifest, for, after all, it is the teacher that makes the school what it is. There should be a state law requiring those who propose to teach in the public schools of the state to pursue a systematic course of profes- sional study and training. In the absence of such a law, this community should protect itself from the evils of incompetent teaching by insisting that all candidates for teachers' positions should demonstrate their fitness to teach by passing a rigid examination, unless they are graduates of a reputable normal or training school. The teachers of our schools during the past year have formed a club for professional study and this work, if earnestly pursued, cannot fail to be productive of good results.
EVENING SCHOOLS.
In my last report, I asked the Board to consider the advis- ability of maintaining one or more evening schools during the winter months, and I would urge a further consideration of this subject the coming year. It seems to me probable that there must be a good many laboring people above school age, who would gladly avail themselves of the advan- tages of such a school; that perhaps many of our French citizens would appreciate this means of perfecting their knowledge of English. If there is a demand for such a school the city should certainly provide it.
UNGRADED SCHOOLS.
One of our most pressing needs is an ungraded school located at some fairly central point in the city. The children who work in the mills and who are only in school twelve weeks of the year do not make sufficient progress in that time
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BOARD OF EDUCATION.
to be promoted ; so they go over the same ground year after year, and rarely get beyond the primary grades. The purpose of the law which compels their attendance is only half real- ized under our present arrangement. These children should be placed by themselves in an ungraded school where each one could have the individual help of the teacher and could go forward as rapidly as he is able. Such a school would also serve a useful purpose in providing for those pupils who from time to time become unclassed. Unusually quick children, who get ahead of their classes, would be transferred to this school until they are prepared to enter the next higher grade, and those who have fallen behind their classes could here receive special instruction until they had caught up again. Under a thoroughly competent teacher I believe that such a room as this would prove a great blessing to all our other schools.
KINDERGARTENS.
If we are to build up a really good city school system, we must begin one step lower than the primary school, namely, with the kindergarten. Its educational value is no longer questioned, and I believe that the time and conditions are eminently favorable for the establishment of one or two kindergarten schools during the coming year.
MANUAL TRAINING.
Another subject which must soon force itself upon the con- sideration of the Board is that of manual training. It has already been incorporated into the school systems of most of our progressive New England cities and it is only a question of time when it must be introduced here. Whether that time is near or remote will, of course depend largely upon the re- sources at the command of the school board, but I refer to it now in the hope that the Board may think it worth while to investigate the different systems in use in other cities, so that when the subject is introduced here, we may have the best system that can be had for the money.
It would greatly simplify matters if some public-spirited citizen, who wishes to perpetuate his name and at the same
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CITY OF LACONIA.
time confer a lasting benefit upon coming generations, would present the city with a manual training plant, for without some such assistance as this it may be necessary to postpone the subject longer than it ought to be postponed.
It remains to say but a few words in regard to the' schools in general. The attendance for the year has been good. Not- withstanding the large amount of sickness prevailing during the spring term our percentage of attendance for the year is over .90 and that of last term is .9332. During the year we have had 705 visitors, the largest number in any room being 95 and the smallest number, 7. This number is exclusive of 64 visits by members of the Board and 162 by the superin- tendent. I would urge upon parents who have children in school the desirability of their visiting the schools often and making themselves known to the teachers. The active inter- est of parents is one of the most powerful agencies in securing good schools.
We have had but little trouble with real truancy this year, although the cases where children are allowed to absent them- selves from school for trivial causes, are far more numerous than they ought to be. The truant officer's report gives de- tailed information in regard to absentees. During the winter a number of individuals have placed various articles of cloth- ing at the disposal of Mr. Wilkinson and he has distributed these to children whom he found out of school for the want of suitable clothing. In this way several have been kept in school who would otherwise have been obliged to remain at home.
Owing to the fact that the year closes in the midst of a term of school I have been obliged to omit the statistics which I had intended to embody in my report and which as far as information goes, are the valuable part of a report. The usual statistical table, however, is appended.
While the schools have not been all that we could desire this year, yet the teachers, the Board and myself have worked in harmony and we have secured, perhaps, as good results as could be obtained under the existing conditions.
W. N. CRAGIN,
Superintendent of Schools.
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BOARD OF EDUCATION.
STATISTICAL TABLE.
SCHOOL.
TEACHER.
Weeks.
Wages per month.
| Number Pupils.
| Av. Attendance.
Į Reading.
| Writing.
| Spelling.
| Arithmetic.
Geography.
Language.
| History.
/ Composition.
| Drawing.
| Music.
( High
W. N. Cragin
33 $133.35
May R. Moulton
33
56.00
Sarah L. Merrill
6
56.00
.6
Elizabeth S. Magan
21
66.66
..
P. C. Shattuck
15
66.66
Jennie D. Townsend
12
48.00
Grammar No. 1 Rosabelle M. Franklin 21 52.00 76 34 76
No. 2 Ione L. Foss
33
Ellen S. Stocker
12
50.00
No. 3
Blanche N. Abbott
21
Intermediate
M. Lena Chase
33
Primary
Beulah A. Cate.
33
40.00 90
44 90 90 90 90 90 90 90
... 90 90
Grammar
Minnie E. Meloon
21
48.00 67 35 67 67 67
67 67 67 67
67 166 67
Intermediate
Minnie E. James
33
40.00 83 33 83 83 83 83 83 83 83 83 85 83
Primary No. I.
Idella M. Drew
33
40.00,69 30 69 69 69 69 43 69
69 169
No. 2. A. May Eastman
33
40.00 96 47 96 96 96
96
68
68 68
Primary No. I. Linnie L. James 33
40.00 84 36, 84 84 84 84
40.00
66 No. 2.
Ardelle J. Buzzell 21
40.00 90 41 90 90 90 90
90
90 90
No. 3.
Lulu E. Dickinson
33
40.00 88 40 88 88 88 88
88 88
Hattie S. Putnam
12
40.00
40.00 88 39 88 88 88 88
88
88|88
( Primary No. I. Horatio A. Collins I2
40.00
81 39 81 81 81 81 81 81
81 81
Flora E. Plummer
15
40.00
Nora R. O'Neill
6
40.00
No. 2. Flora E. Plummer
12
40.00 76
35 76 76 76 76
76
76 76
Lillia J. Woodward Lillie Busiel
6
40.00
No. 3. Georgia E. Page
33 40.00 74 38
74 74 74 74
|74
74 74
Lillie S. Fogg
9
40.00
-
4.
No. 4. Mary F. Smith
21
40.00 92 41 92 92 92 92
92
92 92
Bowman St. Lake St. School St.
Primary
Nellie F. Moulton
33
40.00 68 41 68 68 68 68
...
84 84 84
Blanche N. Abbott
12
No.
Florence W. Puffer 2I
Gilford Ave.
Pupils in the high school pursuing higher branches, as follows: Algebra, 41 ; geometry, 18 ; physics, 34 ; English, 57 ; chemistry, 7 ; Latin, 23 ; Greek, 12; French, 33; book- keeping, 44 ; short hand, 46 ; commercial law, 44.
High School.
F. W. Birchall
66.66 91
69 57 85 44 00 44
45,91
..- 140
5
76 76 76 35 76 76 76 35 76 48.00 89 41 89 89 89 89 89 89 89 89 89 89
48.00 88 43 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 40.00 81 37 81 81 81 81 81 81 81 ... 81 81
Florence G. Freese
12
48.00
96
15
40.00
174
CITY OF LACONIA.
LAKEPORT SCHOOL DISTRICT.
The present report due in February, covers a period of thir- ty-two weeks of the current school year, which ends the 16th of March.
The number of schools remains unchanged, although the school census shows a gain over the preceding year. The number of different pupils enrolled, including the Oaks and Govenor's Island schools, has been 396; the whole number, exclusive of those registered in other towns, has been 382 - of whom 193 were boys and 189 were girls. Of this number 12 are to be credited to the Oaks district, and 5 to the Governor's Island district.
Disregarding the few chronic cases in which a spirit of iner- tia and general shiftlessness seems to assert itself, the regu- larity of attendance has been uniformly good, with the excep- tion of the spring term. The appearance of several cases of scarlet fever and diphtheria in town at that time, perceptibly affected the attendance, especially in the primary grades. For this reason the spring term at Pear Street was shortened two weeks. The general average has risen since the opening of the fall term, and through the efficiency of the truant officer there have been but few, if any, known cases of non-attend- ance of children of school age.
There has been a small but regular increase in the number of school children for the past few years, notwithstanding the closing of two large manufactories within the same period, and the consequent removal of many families from town. This fact indicates a substantial and desirable growth of the town, and is an evidence of its material prosperity.
The largest number of scholars is always found in the pri- mary grades, and classes, or fragments of classes, are likely to multiply unless some rigid system of classification is enforced. When the number of scholars is large and the population com- pact in any given locality, only one grade of thirty-five or forty
175
BOARD OF EDUCATION.
pupils in a room is desirable. But when, as in this district, these conditions do not prevail, there will necessarily be at least two grades or divisions in a room unless the number of schools, teachers, and consequent expenses are materially increased. Some consolidation of classes has been effected, and more is possible.
Individual pupils have been allowed to pass into other classes or rooms, in some cases, when it seemed evident that the change would be a mutual advantage. It is desirable that pupils should be allowed to advance as rapidly as their attain- ments permit, with due regard for a proper system of classifi- cation.
There have been three changes in the corps of teachers since the last report. Miss Dole of the high school, who ac- cepted a position in Massachusetts in the fall, was succeeded by Miss Spear of Maine. Miss Drake, of Plymouth, was en- gaged for the grammar school, at the same time, Miss Bennett's request for a leave of absence, having been granted on account of her health ; Miss Calley was called home the second week of the fall term by her mother's critical illness, and Miss Rob- inson has since had charge of her room at Pear Street. These new teachers have had successful experience elsewhere and have proved a valuable acquisition to the corps in this town.
A majority of our teachers are Normal School graduates, or have been specially trained for their work. While this prep- aration does not always insure the best schools, the probabili- ties of success are largely in favor of such teachers. The pres- ent trend of public sentiment in the school world is in the di- rection of a liberal education, supplemented by special or pro- fessional study in whatever department of usefulness the teacher proposes to engage. The occasional failure of such teachers argues nothing against the principle involved, and the day of flippant criticism regarding thorough training has gone by in any progressive community.
Since the beginning of the fall term the subjects of music and drawing have been in charge of special teachers. A lesson is given each week followed by daily practice under the direc- tion of the regular teachers. Special training is given in these
176
CITY OF LACONIA.
branches, because, under proper conditions of instruction and study they possess a distinct educational value. When these departments shall have made their place in the regular routine of studies, good results cannot fail to accrue. All pupils are required to take music and drawing except in cases in which there is decided distaste for the subjects, or a manifest unfit- ness to pursue them to advantage.
Occasional visits have been made to the schools at Gover- nor's Island and the White Oaks, these districts having come under the supervision of the Board of Education during the past year. The Governor's Island school has been managed, in connection with the town of Gilford, as a union school, the expenses being shared in proportion to the number of scholars from each district. There has been some advantage in this plan as a temporary expedient. There have been only five scholars from the Laconia side, and it may be considered best to have these few attend the Weirs school in the spring.
The scholars in the White Oaks district are young and are largely doing primary or intermediate work. One boy has been on the roll of honor, but the general attendance has been quite irregular, and the results have been less satisfactory than is desired. No change has been made in the district lines, though several of the children live nearer the Lakeport schools. Some of the brightest boys and girls in the schools live in the suburban districts, and they should enjoy equal advantages with the others, either in their own district or in the graded schools.
At the annual meeting in March it was unanimously voted to erect a building of three rooms for the better accommoda- tion of the primary children on the East side. The building at Pear Street though in a usable condition, is neither satis- factory for school purposes nor a credit to a progressive town.
The high school building is too remote for primary children, and was not intended for their use. There are decided ob- jections to the herding of pupils of all grades in one building. The restrictions that are required for the government of small
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