The Portland daily press., 1875-03-09

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lev. Washington Griffin, Chas. Il. MerrlIl'
Jerome Rumery. G. X. Ladd, o. X. Legre"'
A. Edwards. VIZ n,or
Surveyors of Ship Timber-Joseph w. Dyer'
William w. Dyer, ID. w. Brown; henry y at
ey, Charles Jordan, Lorenzo Taylor, Na'n'"
Dyer, William Curtis, Nathaniel Walker;
Cullers of Hoops and Staves-Geo BuTII bha
Emery Gushing, Thos T. Sawyer,J. +, hop HM'
Loring Lombard. Daniel Dacy. Abraham NJ w.
Whitmore, Geo. Dow, John Brooks, geo. ia "a
Lellan, Edmund PhinEey, Joshua HoDus' Hu-
win Dow, Levi j. Jones, Albion Harmon
Surveyors of PIastering-Joseph Craig. r. K.
Galley
The voting for the officers was quite straight,
The majority of them received the vote OF tne
Republicans, while their several opponents re.
ceived about eight votes each, or the v"tes oi
the Democratic members.
At the close of the election the convention
dissolved.
Annual Report of the School COMMITTEE.
The following is an abstract of the report OF
the school committee which was presented 10
the City Council last night:
PRELIMINARY.
The first portion of the report is devoted
to the election and organization OF the conl-
mittee. 1t reviews, in brief, the circumstances
that called the triumvirate-Messrs.l alpot'
True and Colcord-into existence, and the re-
cent act of the Legislature that transfers
their duties to a committee of seven, adol-
tional to the Mayor. The report next pro-
ceeds to speak of the general work OF the
committee; how they visited all the schools
together to get acquainted with the teachers
and learn the general character of the tasks
they had in hand. They observed the meth
DDS of instruction and government from the
High to the Primary Schools, and ATTENDED,
upon the examinations. The primary schools
were divided among the committee, 10 ens sr,
a careful inspection and examination. Inc
committee believe that every influence oihcial
visitation could bring to bear upon the teach
ers was employed, and that, with rare excep-
tons, the teachers, in all grades OF schools,
seem to have been actuated by high sense OF
duty, zeal, and enthusiasm, and determna-
ton to adopt every valuable suggestion that
afforded improvement in the method of in
struction, whether learned from other teach
ers, or publications. They confirm the opin-
ion of our intelligent citizens that we have
teachers of superior intelligence and qualih-
cations in the lower, as well as higher, grades
of schools, to whom the public owe debt OF
gratitude for their faithful services.
MEETINGS oP COMMITTEE AND TEACHERS.
Five pages of the report are devoted to the
Wednesday and Saturday afternoon meetings
of the committee for consultation with the
teachers, in reference to various matters OF
regulation, discipline, or instruction, such as
length of sessions, object teaching for primary
schools. marking scholarship and department,
and music teaching. Parents and friends OF
education attended these meetings, that at
forded valuable suggestions, brought parents
and teachers into more intimate relations, en-
couraging the teacher by the parents sympa-
thy, and affording the latter an insight INTO
the peculiar delicacy and difficulty OF the
teachers duties. AS a result of these meet
ings the committee established the afternoon
sessions of two hours in the Grammar and
Primary schools, the practical workings OF
which have proved every way advantageous.
The committee then refer to the restlessness
that had obtained in the primary schools dur
ing the last hour, caused by the WEAKNESS OF
Young children. Where children were sent to
school, and their tuition and board paid. at
the brightest period of their youth, they were
expected, as a matter of economy, to use their
whole time and acquire, in year or two, the
education for a lifetime. But even IN
country academies, these pupils work
only, at most, seven hours per
day. When children, however, begin
to attend school at five years of age, and
attend continuously, vacations excepted, for
IL years, daily session of six hours re-
auires degree of intellectual attention en-
tirely incommensurate with the conditions OF
health and happiness. The Grammar schools
were included in the arrangement, and 1t has
been proved, nothing has been lost by the
change, while the teachers have gained no re-
lief since their duties have confined them
more hours than required by the sessions.
The primary school children far outnum-
Der those in all the other grades of schools.
Especially in the milder months, the children
of the lower classes-many apparently under
five years of age-over- crowd the sitting
accommodations. 1t is difficult to hold the
attention of these little people over few
minutes at time, or teach them habits of
school exercise, or drill, all that can be
done is to let them sleep or play,
and their minds are SO immature
the committee found large classes who had
been for months under training, who were not
thought sufficiently developed to attempt the
comprehension of a, b, C. Parents do
not stimulate precocious children by curl
osity about books and letters, and now that
compulsory education is provided for by the
State so as to insure knowledge Of reading,
writing, and the elements of science for all
our people, it is hoped the law will fix six
wears as the age at which the public school
life of children shall begin. After due consid-
Grafton the committee suggest that revision
of the course of study, better system of OBJ
iect teaching, oral instruction in the simpler
facts of science with model or pictorial illus
trations, the training of the hand and eye in
slate chalk, and pencil drawings, with
only arithmetic enough to master
the simple rules, would put
the children into the Grammar Schools with
better trained minds to enter upon course of
study there than by pursuing the course of
study now prescribed for that grade. The
kindergarten experiment in this city should
be observed, and like plans adopted and in
vented by some of our own teachers.
WRITTEN EXAMINATIONS.
At the beginning of the fall term, the COM
mittee adopted a practice of monthly written
examinations since it had been noticed that
candidates for admission to the High School
often could not answer questions that differed
in form from those laid down in the text
books, These examinations have been kept
up during the year. Before the end of each
month, series ofquestions were prepared by
the teachers, examined, corrected and ap-
proved by the committee, by answering
which each scholars general knowledge
of the subject studied might be fairly ascer-
tanned These examinations have indicated
fair intelligence, diligent study, and many are
models of admirable arrangement, correct COM
position and elegant penmanship. Every per-
son of studious habits knows how much more
critical and accurate his knowledge is of any
matter that he is obliged to make an orderly
written statement of. Often, when he thinks
he is familiar with a subject as soon as he
attempts to write out his information, he dis
covers multitude of details and conditions
lacking about which he has to freshen his
mind by further investigation. 1t is believed
the effect of these examinations has been to
give the scholars a new interest in their studies
to make them more careful to remember par
ticulars which they are liable to have to repeat
without access to book, to generalize their
knowledge and enlarge it beyond the imme-
date range of questions upon which they
have been drilled by their teachers. These
examinations will also advantage Grammar
school pupils seeking admission to the High
School.
ADMISSION TO THE HIGH SCHOOL.
The committee have believed the course of
study prescribed for the High School could
be more advantageously pursued, if scholars
came to that school with a more thorough
knowledge of English Grammar, Geography,
and Arithmetic. The higher branches taught
in the High School imply thorough
acquaintance with these elementary studies, as
we'll as degree of mental discipline neces-
II.