The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-03-05
CITY REPORTS.

Report of the superintendent Of Schools.
| The following Is an abstract of Superinten-
dent Tash's report:
| SCHOOL ACCOMMODATIONS.
| No new building has been erected this year,
| necessary repairs have been promptly and eco
| nomically made by the superintendent OF school
| buildings. The most important change in any
| building has been that made by the city gov
| eminent in the Spring st. School house. This
| building has been changed from one of three
| rooms to one OF six in very satisfactory man.
| ner The hope is expressed that some other old
| buildings may be equally improved, particular
| ly the building on Chestnut street, which now
contains in very unsatisfactory roomSthe largest
| separate primary school in the city. Two adj
| ditona rooms need to be finished in the Shall
er School house to accommodate pupils in that
| part of the city, every school room east of the
| City building being now fully occupied. The
| conditions OF the school buildings are represen-
| ted as having been greatly improved within
| three or four year, and when these few mex
| pensive repairs sllu6ed to shall have been
made, Portland will stand among the foremost
cities in the country in her material provisions
| for her schools.
PARTICULAR SCHOOLS.
A brief history for the year of each school is
| given:-The Shaiier School, the best estab-
| lished is well spoken of; its rooms are some OF
| them over crowded; more room is neededithere.
In the North School house every room is fnll:
Jn6 usual good WOrk Da> De60 done mere his
year, although great changes were made in the
school on the opening Of the Smaller School.
Primary school, No /, having been reduced in
numbers, is doing much better work than for
merly. In the Chestnut street School, under
its new principal, work is improving in most
of the rooms; but in those rooms containing 70
pupils improved work cannot reasonably be
expect d. This condition emphasiz the ne
cesitysof improvements IN the building. The
building is capable of furnishing eight good
Iao and hall oh, daA for
purposes. The progress of the classes in Prim-
airy No. f. Casco street has been. as usual, SAT-
isac,ory Spring street Primary, No. 5, Prac-
Ice School, has been greatly improved by the
changes in its building. Besides educating ov-
CT 200 pupils III a superior manner, and at
much less expense than in any other school
of equal size it is giving to the daughters of our
citizens unusual facilities Tor becoming pre-
pared to teach. In the Park street Primary,
No. 6, no changes have taken place among Tvs
teachers and the school is doing faithful and
prosperous work. Miss Grover, the first assis-
tant in Primary No. 7, on School street, has
been put in charge of Primary No. 2. The
work OF this school is we'll spoken of. Primary
No 8 on Bracket s rect is one OF our largest
primary schools. One new room has been adj
ded this year with Miss Isabella Hamblin
as its teacher. The work OF the school is spok-
on of as decidedly improved during the year.
and quite satisfactory. The teachers have
seldom been absent from their work. In
Vaughan Street Primary No. the usual good
work has been done. The building above the
ward room furnishes only three school rooms,
owing TO the increase of school population in
this growing district much of its territory has
been annexed TO other districts, often to the
discomfort of its families: One of two altern-
atives is soon to be chosen, either to give up
this entire building to the school, and provide
a ward room somewhere else, or to build new
school building further to the northwest of
this. Improvements in the West School are
noted; the vacancy caused by the absence OF
Miss Buzzelle is satisfactorily filled by SUI
perior and experienced teacher, Miss e. s.
Getchell, from Cambridge, Mass. The Cen
ter Street School has recently lost by resigna-
ton its valuable principal, Mr.. l.. B. Sbehan,
but his place is filled by Mr.. 81 Patten, who
had previously taught very satisfactorily as
substitute il, several other schools in the city
Both departments of the Center Street School
are doing satisfactory work. The Cumberland
Street Grammar School is well organized and
in prosperous condition. The school has re-
Gently lost valuable teacher, Miss Emily A.
Small, ana Miss f. /. Pollister takes her
place. The Butler School, our largest gram
mar school, is spoken OF III very high terms,
both as regards its organization and its school
work. Several changes have taken place in
its teaching force during the year. The va
rious departments OF the High School are in
very efficient condition. The study of book
keeping and review of arithmetic have been
introduced into the work OF the third class.
The usefulness of the school to the city was
never gre alter than at present.
The island schools are commended. The
work III the PEAKS Island School compares
fsvoraby with that in any other OF the city
schools. Tht substitution of snmmer Term
at Long Island in stead of the winter term has
greatly Increased the school attendance on
that island. In he winter term of 1882,
though every reasonable exeriiOu was made
by tho teacher, only dozen or SO attended the
school. The same has been true for several
winters. The roads being nearly impossible
III winter and the distances children have to
travel is so great that very lew Can attend
with any regularity at that season. In the
summer over 60 pu pills attend quite constant
| w. II may be added that those who attend in
winter also attend in summer. Some of the
citizens D the island complaining OF the
loss of their winter term, but before restoring
| it they should be able to show that 1t Will be
of more value than summer term, or at least
of equal value.
The teachers are spoken of as having done
faithful and efficient work during the year
More efficient than yer before fer the follow
ing reasons: IA better condition OF school
buildings; PA less number III room; j.
Better classification; 4-Better understanding
| aud appreciation of school work; "a Letter
| condition of the classes on promotion; elm
| proved text books and other school appliances.
| GRADE MEETINGS AND PORTLAND TEACHERS
ASSOCIATION.
The value of the grade meetings is set forth.
/ Work has by comparison been improved. The
! regular monthly meetings have been held the
| first Monday evening OF each month except
| when the hall has been other wise occupied.
CRITICISM OF OUR SCHOOLS
| A proper criticism of the schools, of their
| organization, and of the work done in them,
| when founded on careful and intelligent in
| specton, is not to be deprecated, but rather to
be invited The schools of this city form to-
| gether graded system arranged on the same
| general plan, and carried on with the same in
| strumentalities as the schools of all oher Cit
| les of our country where good schools can be
| said to exist. This system is distihctively
| American, though not wholly SO, and as sys-
| tenn it is gradually making its way, with more
or less rapidly, into all parts of the civilized
| world. Few persons of intelligence are reck-
less enough to attack the system, and fewer
| still have the desire to do SO coupled with the
| ability 10 make any real stand against 1t. The
| system SO commends itself to the needs and
| good sense of people who patronize free schools
| especially in every considerable municipality,
| that something else apparently better adapted
to meet these needs must Oe gradually intro
duced Def re this system will yield il place. In
| the growth and expansion of this school sys-
| tenn cities keep pace with each other, and
! whatever is found to be good in one place is
| soon appropriated by Others, and whatever is
| found harmful is gradually discarded by all.
| No one, then, can claim the credit of devisng
the system, and only in a limited degree,
| administered. The wise and the unwise work
of those who have preceded us,lthe varying no.
lions of those who work with and around us the
material conditions that everywhere hem us in,
must be duly considered in making any fair esti
mate ofany ones work in system of schools.
| A school committee, or other school officer, IS
notwholly responsible for all good or evil that
now exists in the schools. They follow in the
tracks of those who have preceded them, eth
er under written rules, or under what ia wisely
regarded as equally binding, the law of prece-
dent, and they are guided at every step by the
parallel work of other communities which sur
| round them. Only the incoDsider those
generally who have little at stake in the COM
| munity or the schools are ready by a general
attack upon the present sy stem to take the risk
if they destroy 1t, of finding something better.
1t is, in the minds of the j1dicious wiser to re-
tain whatever of good has been already gained.
and modify this cautiously, making by degrees
such changes as commend themselves on trial
If those who have the schools in charge, faith
fully carry them on under the system as hand
ed down to them, making all possible
improvements in the system itself
without taking the risks of its overthrow, they
will have done all that the com munity can de-
mand, all that wisdom would dictate The
present system may not in every respect suit
all or any of us, but it is doubt the best that
l.