Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-12-01

DAY night, 1t was suggested by some
of the members that it would be
well to report through the city
papers what our schools are doing.
Upon general principles 1 am OPP
posed to anything of this sort /
think that the legitimate way and
place to determine what the schools
are doing is in the school-room,
during school hours.
To meet the wishes of the Board
upon this subject, 1 will have to
address my monthly reports to
them. Our schools opened on Sep
TENDER Sd with a good showing,
though it was plain to see that the
people were somewhat shy of US,
not knowing what we intended to
do. The first thing to do was to
take mass of material and organize
it into schools. AS to how this has
been accomplished / leave it to the
patrons of our schools to determine.
Suffice it to say that / am willing
thus early to compare our schools,
even with our limited accOmmOda-
lions and facilities, with any in the
State, and am not afraid to assert
that in point of order, discipline
and progress they will not suffer by
the comparison. Let me urge,
though, that the people come to the
schools and see for themselves, and
not depend upon others for their
information as regards the schools.
/ am glad to add that the schools
are already attracting considerable
attention and their efficiency is being
amply testified to by those who have
visited them during the first two
months. 1 would also like to testify
to the energy with which our
teachers are working, and will add
that they show commendable de-
sire to learn all they can o. the
graded system. Their work is
doubly difficult though from the
fact that they have never taught in
graded schools previous to this.
They have been organized into
Normal class which meets twice
week to discuss upon subjects and to
receive instruction about school
work. 1t will not be very long be-
fore we can begin to draw from our
own schools for teachers. The Board
will very wisely adopt the policy to
take their own graduates for
teachers, as they will of a necessity
be more familiar with the workings
of our schools than outsiders. This
should be an incentive to our boys
and girls. AS regards corporal pun
ishments in our schools, we have to
say that during the first school month
there were six, second school month
there were five and the third month
only four, a total of fifteen. am
glad to say that believe the occa-
sion for the rod has passed and that |
our schools are in such condition as
not to demand its use in future. If,
however, circumstances should de- |
mand it, we shall administer it in
the future as in the past, without !
fear or favor. The attendance of |
the pupils has been very. good con-
sidering everything, but it is not |
near so good as we intend to have |
it. For instance, in the first week
we had 80 tardinesses, in the second |
week "a, and last week 50. Now |
such as this is SO entirely unneces-
sary that we can not and will not |
have it in future. Hardness, except |
in very rare cases, can be avoided. |
In the Howard building at Nash
vile, with an attendance of l 300,
they rarely have more than two or
three tardinesses a week. We can
and must do as well as they. The |
per cent. of ATTENDANCE for the first |
week was 94.7 per cent, for the
second week 81 per cent, and for
last month 94.4 per cent. While l
say this is good, we can have it
better. Quite number of pupils
have entered school since the open
ing, showing that our people were
holding back to see what the schools
would do before they began to pat
ronize them. The total enrolment |
so far is 222 white and 211 blacks.
The average attendance in the white
schools is about 200, in the colored
about 40. When our people be-
come fully acquainted with the
rules of the school we expect such a
hearty cooperation from them as to
insure us having much better at
tendance, and at the same time |
render our work much easier and
more pleasant, by pulling with us
instead of against us. The question
of one or two sessions a day has
been considerably discussed lately.
We have taken the tronble to in
form ourselves correctly as to the
wishes of the people upon this sub
ject and find them to be Overwhelm-
ingly in favor Of one session a day. |
The Board at its meeting Tuesday
night resolved to have one session a
day for the next two months, and |
then if things work smoothly to |
continue under this system. Our
own opinion is that it would have |
been much better to have opened |
the schools in September with one
session a day, and to have adhered
to that throughout. We now think
that it would be best to adopt the
system of one session a day without
any proviso whatever. The people |
would then know just what we in
tend to do and would not be expect |
ing another change soon. In con-
clusion / would say in justice to the
teachers, the School Board and to
myself, that the schools have been