The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1827-05-02
REPORT.


REPORT.
The.School Committee Of the town Of Wor-
ccster, appointed last Spring, pursuant to an
Act of the Legislature, entitled - an Act fur
Their to provide for the Instruction of Youth"
passed in the winter session of lo26-beg leave
TO report to the town their doings during the
year.
Ycnr Committee felt at first the responsible
~ and difficulty attending the duties OF their
appointment /; and they entered OH them not
.vithant much anxiety that every measure
adopted in the Introduction of new order of
things respecting our Schools should be for
the general good, Having learnt by expert
once, as members of the Board of Overseers Of
the Schools in the Centre District, the impor-
lance of Book of Records, they appointed, at
their first meeting, Clerk, with instructions
to procure a suitable blank book, in which to
record whatever might be judged important in
their doings. They then sought first to under
stand the Act providing for their appointment,
and the duties therein pointed out for them to
perform; and having, as they thought, done
this, the next thing was to consider how they
might discharge these duties to the greatest
advantage and acceptance of the town. To
aid them, they accordingly invited the Com
rnittee-men of the several School Districts to a
meeting for consultation, as to what might
meet the wishes and feelings of the several
Districts Having obtained what information
they could, the Committee then passed the fol-
lowing vote, as appears from the records, name
iy, That this Colamlttee request the several
Committee men of the respective Districts to
select such persons to keep their respective
Schools, for the ensuing summer, as shall to
them be agreeable, subject to examination by
this Committee, and to be approved by them,
as the Act pointing out their duty requires"
Accordingly the several Schools were furnish
ed and taught by instructors obtained as near
~ IN conformity 10 tins rule as practicable
The Committee attended to the opening,
monthly, and closing examinations, in conform
Ity to.the provisions Of the Act requiring the
same, and were in general pleased, and in
some instances, highly gratihed with the order,
attention and progress OF the Schools, and the
devotedness Of the instructors to their duty
Thus closed the labor of the Committee for
the summer. On the return of the season, the
winter Schools were opened in the same way
the summer Schools had been, except that the
Committees of the several Districts were con-
suited separately and individually and the
Committee thought it a pleasing circumstance
that in most instances, they were enabled to
employ Masters acceptable to the several Dis
tricts. Here, too, the opening, the several
monthly, and tho closing examinations, were
attended to by the whole COMMITTEES, or, in the
absence of two Of them at General Court, by
the other thgee-except in case or two, where
! the duties of their sacred calling prevented
Before closing this part of their Report, the
Committee would observe hero, that they con-
sidered early what plan of examination to pro-
coed upon, and concluded on the following,
namely THAT at every examination of a
School "a the examiner should note tho time
when he examines, the whole number of Schol-
airs belonging TO the School, the number absent
ana tho number present, the number of each
class, the subjects in which they are examined
their appearance in exanina,iony the scholar at
the head, and the next best and finally, the
order and discipline of the School, and the
comparative standing of the Scholars from time
TO time-the whole to be passed to tho Clerk,
TO be kept on file in order to the better ac-
complishment Of all which, the Committee or
dered. further, that the same School Registers
should be used by the several instructors,
which are used in the Schools ia the Centre
District, wherein the daily conduct and atten-
zion or negligence of each Scholar might be
carefully noted for inspection. And the Com
mlttee nave the satisfaction to believe, that
the pan adopted has been attended with good
Objects Ihey think the Schools are imnrov-
ing and IT has been particularly rleasino to
them to observe how the younger Scholars es
pecially, are becoming more and more thor.
oughly acquainted with the first elementa If
spelling and reading, for not ATTENDING ~
which, on FIRST going to school, so many grow
up with little or no taste for reading and rem
aral improvement. The Committee will only
Id, on this part Of thcir Report, that they