Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-07-11
sUPT. KILPATHIoK,s REPORT.

ing June II, 1874. For several rea-
sons that need not be stated here, l
have made the statistical part of my
report somewhat shorter than this
part of the report has been made
heretofore, and have given more
detailed account of the real work
performed in the different grades of
the schools.
The enumeration in the district
for 1878 was 100 more than in 1872.
Of this number about $50 have at
tended some school during part of
the year, leaving a remainder of l89
who have not improved the excel
lent opportunities so generously pro
vided by the Board of Education for
all our youth. Yet, If we base our
count on the age of 16, when the av-
erage scholar is obliged to leave
school, after completing the studies
most necessary in the business of
life. the number of children not at
tending is encouragingly small, and
the interest of our people In the
great work of education is shown to
be highly commendable and fully up
to the times.
Five hundred and sixty-six pupils
have attended the Public Schools
during the year, 45 Of whom have
been nonresident scholars, paying
over 5000 tuition. When we eonsid-
er that this is four times the amount
received as tuition by many schools
much larger than ours, we feel Justl-
fed in thinking it pleasing compli-
ment to the popularity and efficiency
of our schools.
The average monthly enrolment
has been 457; the average daily at
tendance, 4O3; and the per cent. of
daily attendance, "a. We have not
had as much tardiness during the
entire year as some schools the size
of ours have had in single month;
and there have been so few cases of
truancy that we have lost the count.
The increasing wants of the
schools have been met by the Board
in the erection of new building,
which furnishes two commodious,
pleasant school rooms, and by the
supply of two teachers more than
have ever been employed before.
This additional room and teaching
force have enabled us to grade the
schools on a better plan, and to do
much important work that has been
necessarily omitted heretofore. There
were formerly two grades in each
room below the High School, which
imposed upon all the teachers more
work than could be thoroughly done
and compelled the sad neglect of
some most important subjects. The
work in Arithmetic was very defect
i've in the lower grades; The schools
were all surprisingly backward in
Penmanship; the very important
subject of Composition was almost
wholly neglected, and English Gram
mar was SO imperfectly taught that
many scholars of the High School
could not correctly sign their own
names to any paper they were requilf
ed to prepare. This kind of work
was not the fault of teachers OF SUI
perintendent, but was the result of
over-crowded rooms and too many
classes. sA
The additional room and teaching
force so generously provided by the
Board, have enabled us to put but
one grade in each room; and if any
teacher has failed to do better work
under this plan than was ever done
in her school before, she has been
sadly neglectful. of duty and oppor-
tunity. The plan of putting one
grade in a room is the greatest ad-
vantage cities have over towns and
villages; and the Board are to be
congratulated on having sufficient
room in central place for the adop-
tion of such method. How well
the teachers have improved these OPP
portunities, the following results will
show:
The standard of Arithmetic has
been raised fully so per cent. in all
the lower grades, and the B. Prima-
ry School has done most of the
work in this branch that is usually
performed in the d Grammar de-
partment. The subject of Penman-
ship has been taught by system, with
the most encouraging results; and
we have demonstrated the fact that
pupils can best learn to write in the
Public Schools, where they have
much practice every day of the year,
and one year after another, through
eight successive grades.
In every department but one, two
lessons a week have been given on
the subject of Composition, in which |
scholars were not simply required
to write compositions, but were
taught the correct use of language,
the true idea of sentences, the rules
for capital letters and punctuation,
and how to get knowledge of their
subject before commencing to write.
The ease and accuracy with which
many of the little folks can write
three or four pages, on any subject
within their grasp, are snfnclent
proof of good work on this impor-
tant subject. Besides this practice
and instruction in Composition, we
have prefaced the study of grammar
with four years work on the analy- |
sis of sentences and the correction
OF false syntax, thus teaching gram
mar for six years instead Of two
years. The success and pleasure
with which the Primary scholars
took up their work, show that the |