The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1876-04-14

l
airy, Intermediate, and Grammar. OBJ
ject lessons were introduced into all the
grades. ani drawing into the Primary
rooms. There were also exercises in
composition, defamation, and map
drawing, prescribed in some of the
higher grades, and the word method
was employed in the lowest Primary in
connection with the alphabet. No exer-
cises in numbers were given until the
third year. This was the course marked
out, but it was not closely followed,
principally because the teachers employ
ed were not acquainted with the meth
DDS Of teaching.
Two courses of study were adopted
for the High School, English and Class
ical, each extending through four years.
The Classical differed from the English
chiefly in substituting the study of Lat
in and Greek for the higher English
studies and some of the natural scien-
ces, thus accommodating those pupils
who were preparing to enter college.
The schools continued in this way for
two years, the Superintendent teaching
liz the forenoon and devoting the after
noon to supervision.
Mr.. Miller at this time, 1870, resigned
his position, and accepted similar one
in Lawrence, Kansas. He was a man of
| good education, and an enthusiastic and
| able teacher. He was educated at
Allegheny College, Pa. His successor
was William s. Wood, previously con-
nected with the schools of Cleveland
He began by giving all the schools
thorough examination to determine the
exact degree of advancement of each
pupil. He found that a great many
pupils were in grades for which they were
totally untitled, but he put each one
where he belonged, notwithstanding
what he or she might think of IT.
Wounded pride naturally played its
part in creating considerable dissatisfac-
tion at first, but gradually parents and
pupils fell in with the new regime, and
accepted the situation. He also revised
and changed the course of study into
one of eight grades, four Primary and
four Grammar. Music was introduced
into all the grades, and systematic
course of Object Lessons into the Pri-
mary grades. United States History was
introduced into the A and b Grammar
classes. The four years High School
courses were cut down to three years,
and Greek, or its equivalent, excluded.
Finding that there was number of
pupils in the High School who were
principally pursuing the common branch
es for the purpose of becoming teachers,
he organized them into a Normal De-
partment, and prevailed upon the Board
to employ a teacher for them. The
prescribed courses of study, up to this
time, seem not to have been very strict
ly adhered to, and no class was gradua-
ted from the High School until the third
year of Mr. Woods administration
The second year the upper floor of the
Central building was completed, making
total cost Of about $40, 900. Mention
is due to Mr.. G. w. Galloway, under
whose special direction the building was
built. He was one of the oldest and
most efficient members of the Board
He retired, after a service of about
twenty four years.
AT the beginning of this year, the A
and B Primaries were separated, as also
were the::C and D Grammar grades, and
the High School, and A and b Gram
mar grades were moved into the upper
story, the Grammar grades remaining
under one teacher as before.
Elementary Physics was also intro
duced into the b Grammar, and map
drawing into all the Grammar rooms,
with good results. The course of in
struction was also much improved in the
lower Primaries. especially in the meth
DDS of teaching reading.
The following year, drawing was in
troduced into all the Primaries. Most
of this was done upon states and the
black board, the teacher alone having
book, and as this consisted merely in
copying pictures, without any regard to
system, the results obtained were not
very satisfactory.
In 1870, the two higher Grammar
grades were separated, and the Normal
Department transferred to the A GRAM
mar room, and merged into this grade,
pursuing the same studies with it. In
addition to these, they also received
special instructions in Orthography, and
attended lectures by the Superin-
tendent on the Theory and Practice of
Teaching, once week. Eighty three
pupils have been graduated from this
department since its inception, a number
OF whom have become teachers in the
schools both here and elsewhere.
The success of this feature of the
schools is due largely to the efforts of
Miss Eva Church, who has been its teach
er for the last four year,,
German had been formerly taught in
the West building by one of the regular
teachers there, for the accommodation
of the Germans living in that district,
the pupils going in from other rooms to
recite.
A separate teacher was now employed,
and room fitted up in the Central Build
ing for this branch, the classes passing
in from the High School and other grades
for recitation. Any pupil could thus, at
the option of the parent, pursue the
study, who sustained a sufficiently high
standing in his other studies to warrant
it. In the High School, however, it was
made optional for Latin.
Written examinations were conducted
each halfterm, or six times during the
| year, the questions for the examination
at the middle of the term being made out
by the several teachers, and at the close
by the Superintendent; the final one of
the year including all the work passed
over, and determining the promotion OF
the pupil. Some OF the teaching in the
High School still continued to be done
by the Superintendent as before.
The following is list of the pupils
graduated for the several years;