Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1876-02-16


You my twelfth quarterly report
which is for the term ending Decem
Der 24th, 1875.
BY the statistical report here
with presented, you will observe
nothing perhaps worthy of especia
mention. While it exhibits Sigh
improvement in some respects oyel
previous reports. on the whole i
shows fair condition which com
pares fayorably with other school:
Of similar size.
The per cent. of hardness is less
than for any year except the last
and is not quite one third Of one
per cent. above that of last year.
This, probably is due to the fact
that this year tardy pupils were
not required to report to the Prin-
cipal before entering their own
rooms as they were required to do
last wear. 1t still remains below
one per cent, however, where we
hope it may be kept. 1t is a some
what curious fact to note, that those
most frequently tardy have almost
ulways been those who live only a
few steps from the buildings in
which they attend school, and a
little inquiry shows that this tardi-
ness is generally occasioned by
some trivial matter as little errand
or an empty wood box or water
pail, the pupil apparently trusting
that the little time left will prove
to be time enough. 1t is also worthy
Of note that about one-half the
cases of hardness belong to about
one fiftieth of the pupils, so that
ii ten Of those most frequently
tardy, or their parents for them,
could he brought to realizing
sense of their duty in this matter,
the percentage Of hardness would
be reduced one-half.
Hardness, however, is by no
means so fruitful a source Of mis-
chief and failure as absence. While
our percentage of attendance COM
pares favorably with other schools,
and is in fact higher than that Of
como Of the old and large union
schools in the southern part of our
state, yet it is 10y no means what
i should be. 1t is the same with
absence as with tardiness-the in
quiry into facts will show that these
absences are due mainly to few
pupils in each school, and we may
further learn that the parents of
these pupils are generally in the
habit OF keeping them out for
trivial reasons, and when they come
back tie teacher is expected TO re-
ceive them back just the same as
IL only night had interviewed.
Parents very often reason that
they ray taxes to support the
schools; that the schools are free
20 I'll persons Of school age, and
therefore they are entitled TO send
their children when they please,
and keep them out when they
please; and that the Board of Ed
ucatiop, or their agents, the teach
ers, have no right, whatever, to
interfere with them in the exercise
of this supposed right.
This is substantially the reason
ing of no small number of the
parents who send their children to
school. OF course neither the
Board Of Education nor the teach
ers have any desire to intefere with
this supposed right of the parents,
provided that, in the exercise of
their so called right, they do not
interfere with tho other members
Of the school. But it needs no ar
gument to show that in q graded
school, the absence of q pupil from
classes occasions loss not only to
the absentee, but TO every member
OF the class, and this loss is in both .
time and instruction, and is OF
course in proportion to the length |
and frequency Of the absentees.
Pupils are of necessity taught {
IN classes and very little time can 8
be afforded for individual instruc- ,
lion, except before and after school, {
Ind during recess. In fact almost /
all the individual instruction given c
is impaired ut those times.
While pupils are absent, instruc-
Ton is given to the entire class on /
principles and subjects which must {
be understood by every member of 4
he class, before the class, as such, /
,an successfully proceed or prof. S
ably take up new branch of a
study. When the absentee returns s
he Of course must take the teachers +
inc away from the rest of the I
school, and have q full explanation @
II the subjects passed over during @
lis absence, before he can go on v
With his class. This we may safe {
y say Is done every day in every s
chool throughout the city. v
Those pupils who stay out for I
rival causes are always the very v
lst ones to make up lost time. 1
hey are not of that kind. Pupils
mo have energy enough to do, I
hat have energy enough to come a
0 school regularly, and also energy r
nough to be sick or ailiDg not a
tore than one-tenth as often as n
he class above mentioned, or Of G
,eling of Incidence or something p
inbred to IL does creep over them, /,
icir sensibilities are not sufficient a