The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-02-25
WEDNESDAY MORNING, FEB. %.

W eighty CoHtS pcT pupil III Tile grammar anu
primary schools. One dollar apiece for each
pupil would furnish all the school supplies
needed for use in these schools, or say an APP
preparation of s., 900 per annum beyond our
present appropriations. Among other adyan-
tages may be mentioned the following
l. A better treatment of the books could
be expected and enforced, and the sight of
books disfigured by pen and pencil and mutt
ted by wilful misuse would cease to offend
the eye of the teacher or visitor. A pupil may
perhaps do what he pleases with his own book,
but he will hesitate long before he mutilates Oh
disigures loaned book, when such treatment
exposes him to certain penalty. both teacher
and parent being responsible for the good usage
of the book.
2. Many pupils are now kept out of school
from the sheer inability of parents to provide
school books, while they are not willing to in
cur certain odium which they believe at
taches to report as Parent of INDECENT chill
dren." In many families where there are sew
eral children the burden of buying books made
necessary by promotion is very great. And ii
bought must be procured by slowly accumu-
lated savings SO that in many cases weeks
elapse after the beginning of term before the
children of many families are supplied with
their books. If, however, all the books were
supplied from one common stock, placed in
charge of the teacher, and issued promptly at
the beginning of the term, much delay and in
convenience now suffered would be avoided,
and no sense of inferiority felt, because all
would be supplied alike.
B. The greatly diminished expenses to the
city as whole. The average life of school
book above the primary grade is about four
years, in the primary grade about three years,
varying somewhat as to binding, use, &c.
Now when any pupil passes from lower grade
to higher his school books are often of no use
unless he has a younger brother or sister to be-
queath them to- If he can sell them at all it
is at low price. Or if he moves into another
place where the same series is not used, the
books must be laid aside. Under the proposed
arrangement these books might be used by
other pupils of successive classes. Besides in
the purchase of so large number of books by
one party, for cash, a large sum would be
saved over the retail price and the community
would gain the difference.
The schools have not lacked supervision dur
ing the year. The various members of the
board have reported infinitely upon the schools
under their charge, and their visits have been
supplemented by those of the superintendent
who has been ready at all times to assist, when
assistance was needed. The course
of study has been carefully scrutinized and in
some essential particulars amended, many
features of practical use having been intro
duced. 1t is not to be supposed that it is all it
should be now, but so far as the changes have
taken effect the result has been beneficial
Modes of instruction have received much at
tention both from this board and at the month
ly and grade meetings Of teachers, at winch
the superintendent is present. and methods
which have approved themselves by successful
results elsewhere, are discussed, and if found
to be adapted to our system of schools and SUI
perior to those in use are adopted. constant
improvement in school methods is noticed as a
consequence of this course.
We believe that the discipline of the schools
has never been better than during the past year.
Few cases have been reported to the board re-
curing their action, and the monthly reports
of the principa show falling off in the num-
der has been passed respecting the detention of
pupils after school hours which we believe will
be productive of best results. No pupil can
now be detained at school during any part of
the noon intermission, nor after the afternoon
session longer than half an hour. Possibly
some good might be gained in the detention
after school hours for purposes of study or dis
cipline by judiciouS teachers, but all teachers
are not judicious. and children have been fire.
quently detained to whom the detention is
serious injury and grave injustice. In some
instances this injustice has been carried so far
that whole classes have been detained for the
fault of single scholar, or pupil sentenced
to remain after school every day for a week
for single venial fault 1t is an easy thing to
pronounce such sentence, but "lingering
punishment long drawn OUT will often fail of
o salutary effect. To many children the regu-
lar work of the prescribed school hours is quite
as much as they can bear, and the extra hours
only result in injury to their health.
All cases of corporal punishment must, by
the rules of the board, be reported monthly for
their consideration. with their causes extent
and effect. Corporal punishment, as some one
has said, is "a confession of weakness to wick
edness," the weakness of the teacher to the
wickedness of the pupil, and while it may
sometimes be necessary, it should be always
the punishment of last resort, and cannot be
administered with too much discretion.
The subject of truancy has received much
and careful attention at the hands of the COM
mittee during the year. but without the result
which we hoped to attain. Notwithstanding
the unremitting efforts of the truant officer
Al 80 ILL.,
of children are habi.ual truants, playing about
the streets and wharves of the city. In some
cases this is within the knowledge and by con-
sent of their parents in others without this
knowledge and consent owing to the adroit
management of the delinquent. The various
devices put into operation by the truants to
escape detection and avoid arrest would make
an amusing chapter in this report if the effects
were not so sad. The territory of the city is
too extensive, and the cases of truancy are too
numerous to be dealt with efficiently by one
truant officer. There should be at least two.
appointed by and to be under the direction of
this board, to accomplish part even of what
is desirable in this field. To say nothing of
the effect upon the well being of this commu-
nifty of boys growing up in idleness and in
daily practice of all the evils which ideness
engenders, the effect upon the schools them
selves is disastrous. Truants brought back
from the streets and kept in school by force
with all their bad habits, and far behind their
classes, greatly retard the progress of the
schools in which they are placed and only sell
dom do they become good law-abiding pupils
1t is worth while to consider if some separate
school should not be established for habitual
truants. Not like the intermediate school
abolished by the board few years ago, nor
upon the same plan, but an Attendance school,
to which all truants found upon the streets
should be first sent, to be under the charge of
a wise and humane master, there to be on pro
baton, those who merited it to be returned to
the schools in the district where they reside,
and those who after patient trial failed to re-
form, to be sent to the State Reform School
during their minority. The schools thus puri-
fed and relieved of a heavy burden would be
immensely benefited, and the truants be re-
formed at home or at least kept from contain
mating others by evil influences.
Two opinions, among many others, appear to
be current in every community and may fairly
be called upon to prove themselves correct. |
The first is that any person with sufficient edu-
cation may be, and probably would be sue |
cessful teacher. This is often enough disproved |
to show its incorrectness, though that is not |
always an accepted result. The other is that |
any person whosoever knows enough to criti-
else school objects, needs and management. |
Few people, comparatively speaking, criticise |
the methods in other professions than teach |
ing, fewer still, perhaps, offer advice in the |
details of trades and the mechanic arts, but |
few are they who do not criticise schools and |
school methods. Intelligent criticism on these |
subjects is always in ORDER and should ALWAYS |
giving way to new ones, not always with the |
good results hoped for by the school authors |
ties, nor with those expected and expected by |
right by those who have the pupils interests |
most at heart The concerns embraced in the |
general term of "school management" are
diverse and complicated. A method success
full in country school will not necessarily be
SO in the city and yice versa. Systems of edu-
cation seeming to work admirably in one
country will not always work well when trans
planted to another or grated upon the system
of a country whose genius, habits of Thought
and action are different. If only the object of
a common school education could be fixed. all
efforts to secure that object could be directed
to that end by all who have an interest or con-
Germ in it, but ill-advised or hostile criticism
will not forward such result.
This matter would be somewhat smplified |
If larger proportion continued in school dur
ing the whole of the ten years course compris-
ed in the primary and grammar schools An |
examination of the statistics contained in our
reports and extending over several years shows
that out of 1000 pupils in the lowest class ten |
years ago, only It's are to be found this wear in |
the first class in the grammar schools; that is
to say, in the course of ten years S25 pupils out
of 1000 drop entirely out of school. So that If |