USA > Rhode Island > Annual report of the Board of Education : together with the Annual report of the Commissioner of Public Schools of Rhode Island, 1875 > Part 8
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The attendance of some at our schools has been seriously affected by the prevalence of malarious and contagious diseases.
AHAZ BASSETT, Clerk and Supt.
LINCOLN .- Truancy .- The worst evil that the teacher has to contend against is irregular attendance. Some parents have an idea that their children can be kept out of school for every trifling excuse, because the school is free. Truancy and how to guard against it is a subject that has long engaged the attention of teachers and those interested in popu- lar education. It is now universally regarded as the most dangerous evil that exists in connection with the free school system. When a child once passes over a few lessons not learned or recited, he loses all interest in his studies and soon dislikes school. Parents often com- plain that their children do not like to go to school and cast the blame upon the teacher, when they are themselves wholly in the fault, by per- mitting them to stay out a few half-days in each month or terin, or by detaining them for some trivial excuse. If the benefits and importance of obtaining a thorough education were more conscientiously appre- ciated at home, there would be far less cause of complaint from truant scholars. The attention of the parents is earnestly called to this subject, and it is hoped that they will give it their serions consideration, as the remedy lies with them alone. And we would again call the attention of the teachers to the following rule, adopted at a meeting of the com- mittee in 1872, and urge its vigorous enforcement.
" In order to secure constancy in attendance, any scholar who shall be absent from school three half-days without proper excuse, shall not be admitted except by permission from some member of the committee ; if absent five half-days permission must be obtained from the superin- tendent." This rule is scarcely ever put into practice by the teacher. During the past year but one instance has come to the notice of the
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committee, and yet this evil of truancy is so serious that too much vigil- ance cannot be exercised in regard to it .- School Committee.
NEWPORT .- Compulsory Education .- Compulsory education must speedily be regarded as of pressing necessity. We enjoin upon you to pass a law giving full powers to officers to report those children who are habitually at large in the streets, never or rarely attending any school, contracting habits of vice, and preparing by steady steps, to become inmates of our reformatory and penal institutions. The impending danger to any community, is measured by its degree of ignorance. Prophet need not foretell to you, that we have in the idle, drifting children to be seen day by day in our streets, the seed, sure to produce fruit, of profligacy and crime. We entreat you to make special effort this year to cause the arrest of habitual truants and those not attending school.
While personal liberty is an inherent right, its limits have been grie- vously transgressed, when the people of this State have the appalling statistics of untaught, unlearned thousands within its borders, a greater number per capita than in a majority of the States of the Union ; "ex- ceeding one person in eight of this State, over ten years of age, cannot read nor write."-THOS. COGGESHALL, Chairman.
School. Attendance .- Soon after entering upon the duties of this office, I turned my attention to this subject. Arrangements were made with the teachers to report the names of those frequently absent, together with the excuses given for such absences. A list of the most prominent was made, and the parents of such were visited. In nearly every case, the co-operation of the parents was secured. Twelve of the number selected were confirmed truants. The percentage of attendance increas- ing, these twelve soon became marked cases. I then posted myself in the law relating to such cases, and parent and child were made acquain- ted with the city ordinance, regulating or controlling truancy and absen- teeism. Some did not know that such law existed, and were not only willing that the law should be enforced, if other means failed, but were willing to attend to the matter themselves, and thus insure the atten- dance of such truants. This being done, the number of truants was reduced to three during the summer term, and the percentage of at- tendance rose to above ninety, and to that number has it been held dur- ing the entire year ; the highest per cent. during any one week being 96.5, and the lowest 87 ; the latter owing to the prevalence of scarlet fever.
We found on investigation, and find now, that some parents are often too indulgent in regard to this matter of attendance, allowing the pupil to stay at home to see some petty show, or on account of some slight indisposition on the part of said pupil, said indisposition being mainly disinclination.
Parents are too apt to forget that habits grow. Disinclination, if al- lowed to continue, soon becomes stubborn resistance, and consequent absences, a falling from grade. Then, too often, alas, the school de- partment is charged with the fault, and the teacher is made to suffer, because of the indulgence of the parent. We, as teachers, know that
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frequent absences from school, create distaste, from the fact that said absentee falls behind in acquired knowledge. A dislike for school exer- cises and school restraint, being engendered in the mind of the pupil, he is unfitted to reason fairly of the daily progress of the school, and the parents judge too often from the report of such disaffected ones.
It has been our aim to remedy as much as possible this evil Teach- ers are urged to become acquainted with the parents of their pupils, and the parents with the schools, and we have found that such visitation, and consequent mutual understanding, has been productive of beneficial . results.
I would not leave this subject without a word in regard to the practice of taking children from the schools, and placing them in stores, or in business, before they are fitted for such positions.
I would call attention to the fact that the mere matter of increase or decrease in attendance will not affect the cost of maintaining schools, unless such increase or decrease should render it necessary to open new schools, or cause some to be closed for the want of attendance. That is, it costs no more to teach 56 scholars of the same grade than 46, or even 36. Therefore, though there may be a diminution of members in actual attendance, the falling off may be so generally distributed as not to affect, materially, the schools of any one town or city, thereby rendering it impossible to curtail expenses in consequence of such dimi- nution.
Further ; the school department has repeatedly called for the enact- ment of a compulsory law making it obligatory on the part of the par. ents to send their children to school, at least one-half of the school year.
On looking at our records, I find enrolled in the Intermediate depart- ment, 1st grade, 300 pupils.
By following the record of each successive year, we find,
In the fourth grammar grade 160
In the third grammar grade. 98
In the second grammar grade. 56
In the first grammar grade, but 32
out of the 300 who started in the intermediate schools of this city. These figures represent the maximum, for in no grade except the last has any deduction been made for scholars entering above the intermedi- ate by special examination. If we follow the records further, or through the High school, we find but eleven of the three hundred who have had the advantages of a full school course.
Now, if our schools are to be judged by the numbers who rise to emi- nence in any profession, and but thirty out of three hundred have the opportunity to prepare, through disinclination on the part of the parents, or the want of a sound school law, our schools certainly will have but a poor showing.
We hope the matter will be taken up and a thorough investigation of the subject given. We court such, feeling that from a perfeet under- standing of this question comes our surest help .- T. H. CLARKE, Supt.
NORTH KINGSTOWN .- I find by careful observation, that truancy of scholars is not so general, as formerly, though existing to an extent
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which not only deprives the scholars who practice it, of the benefit they would otherwise derive from their punctual attendance, but also robs the districts of much of the publie money.
It is gratifying to find a few teachers faithfully exerting themselves to impress their scholars with the evils arising from truancy. I visited a school in the southern part of the town, recently, whose register showed thirty-seven names. Thirty-five were present when I called, the two absent ones, I was told, were sick. There were two scholars pre- sent who were absent the day before. The teacher in calling the roll reminded them of their absence, the previous day, and inquired the rea- son. The boys were too truthful to give the teacher any other reason than the true one, which savored more of truaney than sickness. He, thereupon, lectured them in a simple, good humored way, telling them, they could not afford to lose the link of this one day's absence, and must therefore exert themselves that day to restore it, the boys seemed quite ashamed of their delinqueney, evidently feeling the force of the teacher's pleasant and pointed words. This instance is mentioned as an illustra- tion of a teacher's influence in counteracting the thoughtless habit of truaney, as well as an example to such teachers (if any) who maintain any indifference towards such scholars as indulge in truancy or even other habits of immoral nature.
If we have any teachers who are indifferent as to the truaney or other immoral habits of their scholars, they may say that they are not respon- sible for the moral character of their scholars ; if so, they are certainly deficient in a most important fitness for their position.
A. B. CHADSEY, Supt.
PAWTUCKET .- Truancy and Absenteeism. I propose to say, but little upon this subject. It was fully and ably represented by the School Board of last year. I fully coneur with their views. This has always been, and is to-day, the great drawback to the best advancement of the welfare of our schools. Older and more experienced writers than my- self have exhausted this subject long ago. Their theories have been often put into practice, and have as often failed. Legislation upon this evil has brought about no material change for the better. In view of the above facts, shall we cease to put forth our best efforts for the sup- pression of this evil? By no means. Then how shall we stop it? I am not prepared to answer the question. The Legislative Committee on Education have been considering this matter for the past two or three months, and until we receive the benefit of their united wisdom. I would suggest to our teachers the following, which if persevered in, will mate- rially lessen upon their registers the number of marks of absence and tardiness : Endeavor to make your school-room so pleasant that your pupils can only with difficulty be kept away. For children will always fre- quent those places where they receive the kindest and most attractive welcome.
I do not mean that we should gratify every whim and eaprice of a child, but we should bear in mind that children are not grown people. which many teachers are very apt not to remember. Let the teacher mingle with them in their plays and take an interest in their legitimate sports. "But," says the teacher, " by this means I shall lose the re
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spect of my pupils, and the course is undignified." With this opinion I beg leave to most respectfully and emphatically differ.
Then, again, let the exercises be somewhat varied. Give them fre- quent talks upon the topics of the day. Encourage them in reading the best papers and periodicals. Have them in school, and let the pupils read them there. They will be more benefited by this course than they will be by sitting idle in the school-room. or seeking out new ways of annoying their teacher. In short, let the teacher interest himself in that which will interest his pupils. By this means lessons will be better learned, cases of discipline less frequent, and cases of absence and tardiness greatly lessened .- PHANTEL E. BISHOP, Supt.
PROVIDENCE .- Few things more embarrass the committee in the con- duct of the schools than the sudden increase and decrease of the num- ber of pupils to be cared for. It has more than once happened that a denominational school opened near one of the public schools has so re- duced the attendance on the latter as to lead the committee to close it. only to reopen it at much inconvenience and expense after the denomi- national school had itself been given up. It will probably before long be necessary for the committee to meet a similar difficulty again, and it would seem expedient not to diminish the amount of accommodations provided in the public schools. A large and sudden decrease in the at- tendance of the pupils will probably be followed by a slow but continu- ous accession of learners till the school rooms are again filled, and meanwhile it seems better to give the reduced number of pupils the advantage of more time and more attention on the part of the teacher, than to make a reduction in the force of teachers follow at once a re- duction in the number of pupils.
Ten years ago, the editor and superintendent of the census statistics of the city of Providence, gave the number of children betweenthe ages of five and fifteen, as one-fifth of the whole population. Of the 10,956 children then in the city, of an age to attend school. 9,889 were found to be at school, and of these. 7,401 were actually in the public schools. During the past year, 9,165 pupils were registered in the ordinary public day schools.
As the city registrar in a recent official communication to your body estimates the population of the city at 78,500, the above figures show that the public schools have not held their own place as agents of public instruction .- School Committee.
One of the greatest obstacles to the successful working of our schools, is truancy and absenteeism. Ought these to be longer overlooked or ignored ? More than sixteen years ago the Superintendent urged upon the committee, in language as strong as he could command, the dangers of these evils which were menacing the peace and prosperity of the city. Since that time there has been a large increase in the number of those who are growing up in ignorance and vice. Youthful crimes have mul- tiplied and continue to multiply in a geometrical ratio. Who can tell how soon, unless there is some check, Communism and Agrarianism will be rife and rampant in our streets.
A small stream near its source may be without difficulty, stopped or turned aside, but if allowed to go on increasing in depth, breadth
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and volume, it will soon acquire such impetuosity that no human power can restrain. Moral and spiritual laws are equally uniform and certain in their operation.
I am fully satisfied that much good can be accomplished by the ap- pointment of one or more suitable persons who are really friends of this unfortunate class, with large sympathies and warm hearts, to co-operate with the Superintendent, parents, and teachers in securing the attendance at school of those thoughtless and inconsiderate youth who run away or absent themselves. By such aids large numbers might be gathered from the streets, and saved from the haunts of vice. Such persons should not be regarded as police or truant officers, but as true, sym- pathizing friends of the young, and should use none but the most persuasive means to accomplish their work.
There is besides a class who, willful, obstinate, ungoverned and un- governable, upon whom the stern mandates of law should be enjoined. Such should be provided for in some Industrial school, to be trained and educated before they become fit subjects for the Reform school or State . prison.
We have also in our city a number of young persons who are em- ployed a part of every day in selling papers, peddling candy, etc. Most of these are worthy, exemplary youth, who seek these employments for the laudable purpose, of either aiding themselves or their parents. Such should be encouraged and protected, so far as they can be without neglecting their education. There is also another class who are vicious and vile, and have no other object but to get money for the vilest pur- poses. These are sometimes employed by dishonest clerks to dispose of articles which they purloin from their employers ; and worse than all they are often seen enticing children from our schools, and distributing obscene prints and books. Cannot the deserving be protected in their lawful trade and the streets be rid of the nuisances .- DANIEL LEACH, Supt.
SOUTH KINGSTOWN .- It must be manifest upon a moment's reflection, that the first element of success in school is regular attendance. It is of little consequence how excellent may be the literary qualifications of our teachers, or how pains-taking they may be to communicate instruc- tion to their scholars, if the scholars are not present, they cannot receive such instruction, or if they are irregular in their attendance, they can receive but little benefit.
Again, it has somehow come to be understood, that our democratic or republican institutions-their well-working and perpetuity-are based essentially upon the intelligence of the great body of the people. Our institutions have nothing so much to dread as the unthinking, unreason- ing mass. It is conceded that it is from this view that our legislators are justified in levying taxes upon property indiscriminately for the sup- port of the public schools. This seems to be the basis upon which this thing rests-that a State has a right to adopt such measures as are essential to its self-preservation. Now, if these things be so-and we do not see how they can be successfully controverted-then, as a neces- sary consequence, the State must have a right to compel truants and illiterates to avail themselves of the privileges which the State affords
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for their education. And more than this, the State is at great expense in establishing and maintaining Public Schools-free to all-that its in- stitutions may not be threatened nor its perpetuity endangered ; and, as a necessary consequence, it has not only the right to enforce education, but it is in duty bound to see that the illiterates for whom these institu- tions are established, avail themselves of their benefits. And so our Legislature has enacted a statute authorizing our Town Council to pass an ordinance regulating entirely this question of truancy and absen- teeism. Their attention has already been called to it, and doubtless will be again soon ; and when an example has been made of a few of the worst cases, we have no doubt that we shall see that a most salutary in- fluence has been exerted upon our schools. When reason, self pride, and self respect have, in vain, been appealed to, nothing remains with which to correct the evil but coercion.
In the meantime let us do what we can in creating a correct public sentiment upon this question. Every boy of proper age, to attend our Public Schools, and for whose benefit the schools are established, when found loitering about the streets or lounging about places of amusement during school hours, may very properly be treated as a deserter from the post of duty .- ELISHA F. WATSON, Supt.
WARREN .- Compulsory Education .- It would certainly be a public benefit, if some disposal could be made of certain idle and vicious boys in the town. They do not go to the schools themselves, where at this age, they ought certainly to be, but give themselves to vicious practices, and often persuade some of the pupils to play truants to the great an- noyance of their parents.
This influence is nothing but evil, and they ought to be made to at- tend the schools here, or be sent to the reform school at Providence.
Some arrangement ought also to be made by which boys who often play truant against the wishes of their parents shall be made to attend school Some of the parents would appreciate such help on the part of the authorities. Your Superintendent would commend both of these matters to the committee for action.
Can there not something also be done for those children of tender age, who, (in violation of law, ) by reason of the greed of their parents, are kept at work all the months of the year, deprived of acquiring even the rudiments of a common education, are coming up in ignorance, and will cre long make the State pay dearly for this wrong and neglect to them in their early days. If anything can be done it ought certainly to be done without further delay.
It plainly is a matter of philanthropy. It appeals to all the humane, and patriotic, and Christian sentiments of every true man. It should arouse and enlist all our energies.
As a people we shall rise safely only as we take humanity up with us. We cannot afford to neglect the proper culture of these helpless and needy ones.
It is an obligation we owe both to them and the State.
May the day soon come when compulsory education shall be the law of the land .- S. K. DEXTER, Supt.
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WEST GREENWICH. - Irregularity of attendance seems to be the greatest obstacle to the success of our public schools, the percentage of attendance in most of the schools ranging from fifty to seventy-six per cent. Regulartiy of attendance would do much to encourage the teacher and promote the best interests of the school .- CHARLES F. CARPENTER, Supt.
WOONSOCKET .- Attendance .- The number of teachers is the same as last year-twenty-one ; four males, and seventeen females.
The number of children in Woonsocket under 15 years of age, according to the census of 1870, is 3,517
The whole number of different pupils belonging to the Public Schools, of all grades during the year, about - 1,349
Average whole number of pupils belonging during the year, 939 Gain for the year, - 86
Average daily attendance of pupils in all the Schools for the year, 1 -
- 779
Gain for the year,
- 86
The first impression which the statistics make is one of encourage- ment. Whereas last year it seemed that only about one-third of the children of school age were in the Public Schools, it now appears that more than one half are in them some portion of the year, and if we take into account the fact that there are several hundred children, more or less instructed in the Roman Catholic schools, and that about 150 at- tended the Evening schools, the number of children of school age who are entirely neglected, is probably less than two hundred. These child- ren, however, are enough to excite the commiseration of a benevolent community, and enlist in their behalf the sympathies of the humane.
The more the facts presented in the foregoing statistics are considered, the less satisfactory they appear. Out of the large number of children of school age in this place, less than 600 attend the Public schools regularly throughout the year ; and the number that attends year after year con- secutively, is yet much smaller. What, then, must be the effect upon the condition of the schools of such irregular attendance? If a pupil is out of school one term, a review is necessary. If the absence has been protracted through several terms, a more extensive review is de- manded. Now multiply such cases, and then try to harmonize the in- terests of these various pupils. Solve the question which presents itself to the teacher; "How shall I classify these pupils?" If the teacher attempts to make a class of each pupil, because no two are just in the same place, and no two would naturally progress at the same rate, one needing but a few days for review, and another weeks or months, one being quicker and more studious than another, if he has sixty pupils, he will have just five minutes for each pupil. Now, let the teacher hear a recitation in each of the studies-Reading, Arithmetic, Geography, Grammar, &c. There is not a minute to a study ; a teacher ought to have at least a half hour for any single recitation. This shows the absolute necessity of classification ; but classification of such pupils as have been indicated, implies that some are pushed forward unduly, and others held back ; that some must work to disadvantage, in ignor-
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ance of primary principles, while others lose interest and enthusiasm over the old story. Now, to add to the discouragement, at the end of a term, when the teacher, by great pains-taking, has succeeded measur- ably in harmonizing and unifying the class, one half leaves. At the beginning of the next term a great part of the school is new. What must become of the last term's classification? What must become of consecutive work or steady progress? At the beginning of the last Fall Term over two hundred pupils who were not in the Summer Term, entered the schools. Adding to this number the promotions made, nearly one-half of every school was new scholars. It is easy to conceive how much more rapid the progress in our schools would be if pupils, instead of dropping out a term here and there, continued steadily from term to term. The advance would be continuous, and the results correspondingly gratifying. It is time parents and the friends of schools gave these considerations serious attention.
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