The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-04-01
School Facts.

my statistical report to the state superinten-
dent of education and find some facts which
are very suggestive and are doubtless not al
together peculiar to this town OF Waterbury
Perhaps II they are made public they may
point an exhortation to more than simply
the people of this vicinity. The facts and
figures to be referred to are derived from an
swers by teachers and district clerks as
given in the registers of this school year.
The district clerks reports show four hum
dred ninety-nine persons in town between
five and twenty years OF age. Only four
hundred two scholars between five and
twenty are reported by the teachers "a at
tending school the past year. Where were
ninety-seven? But let us look to see how
well those attend who make any pretence at
going. / find that there were 2,424.9 days of
school kept in town; but that the pupils OF
the town averaged to attend only 1,445.2 Of
these days of school; that is only fifty-nne
one-hundredths, or little over one-half OF
the days in which teachers were employed
and the expenses of n school were main
tanned, were actually used by the scholars
of the town. Is that economy? How can
it be that shrewd Yankees allow such a
state of wastefulness? But look little
closer. Out Of the four hundred fourteen
pupils of all ages who attended school, only
three hundred eight averaged to be present
any part of the day; and only one hundred
thirty-ive were present every day. In one
district only two out of twenty-nine had no
absence marks; in another, where there
day: in another only one out of eight had
no absent mark. l found that there were
two hundred thirty cases of dismissal before
the usual time of closing school. In one
school of 147.5 days in length there were
eighty-ive cases Of such dismissal; in an
other OF ninety-seven days, twenty-eight
dismissas. There were several of the schools
that were honorable exceptions and had no
cases of dismissal before usual time. There
was one school that had no instance of alb
sence or dismissal before the usual time of
closing school, and only four tardy marks.
The next best was where eight out of ten
were not absent, with eleven instances of
hardness, and no dismissal before time to
close school. But the tardy marks are
something enormous and certainly ridicu-
lous. There were eight hundred twenty-one
instances of hardness. In one district as
high as three hundred thirty EIGHT instances
are reported; in another, of twenty scholars,
sixty-nne instances; in another of sixty-one
| pupils one hundred ninety-six tardy marks.
These things are all wrong and ought not
to be suffered. There are several considera-
tons by which it is wrong. Irregularity in
| attendance is an annoyance to teachers; it
is great hindrance to progress in the
| studies; it is injurious to the interest of the
school; it is a prohigate use of money
| This latter is an argument more powerful,
! l fear, with many than the others, which are
really the most important just think oft,
| the schools cost for expense of teachers,
| fuel new furniture, incdentals, repairs,
paid on old debts, S4 ,027.7S and not half its
real benefit was made available, because Of
| absence and hardness on the part of pupils
all allowed by parents! Parents who will
allow this after due warning would seem to
need a guardian put over them, because of
wastefulness in the use of school money, if
for no other reason. Let some way be found
| to have all the children of school age attend
school, have them there on time, stay all
day and go as nearly every day as pos
sible. This will help the grade and
character of the schools as much as any
thing, aside from good moral character
in the teachers and frst-class teaching.
There is too little attention given to
the schools by the officers of the districts
Only fourteen visits are reported in all the
| town by prudential committees, and these
were made in four of the seventeen districts
| A fair number of visits by others were
made; but fear close examination of the
names would show that large per cent of
these were by persons not parents of the
| pupils, or in any way Interested in the
schools as such Let parents call often and
witness the practical workings of the school
room. The character of the schools would
be helped. Good teachers would be encour-
aged to do better work, and poor teachers
would be either shamed out or intelli-
gently driven out. The plan too often
seems to be to get the cheapest school with
out regard to quality. This is poor economy.
Where there are fifty or more pupils in reg
ular attendance during all the year two de-
partments, at least, should be sustained.
One teacher cannot do justice to so many as
fifty pupils in one school, where they are of
all grades from A b C's to higher arithme-
tic and physiology. 1t is utterly impossible.
No teacher however versatile, can do JUS
tice either to himself or his school. In such
cases grade the schools and secure the best
teachers for each department, and so exer-
else true economy We have but one graded
school in town. There should be at least
two others. In one of our districts-and
think in more than one-it has been neces-
sary for the teachers to call to their aid
some of the older pupils This is wrong.
The younger pupils are thus unjustly dealt
by. By this theory it appears that anything
will do for the little scholars, when the
true theory is that only the best will do for
the primary classes. Grade the schools as
fast and as thoroughly as possible, and stick
to every inch of ground thus gained in the
past. find that the average number of
weeks school for the town was 23.S. There
was one district that supported thirty-two
weeks, and that same district might protita-
bly, have supported at least thirty-eight
weeks of school. One district had thirty
weeks, one twenty-eight eleven had twen-
ty-four, and the remainder had twenty, or
less The law requires, for the next year,
that twenty-four weeks shall be the mini
mum, and it is TO be hoped that the average
minimum will be kept much higher than
that. The average rate per cent of tax in
all the districts was. 209. One district
raised as high as sixty-fve per cent, one
fifty per cent one forty per cent, the others
twenty-five per cent, or less, and one as low
as four per cent. This certainly is very I'M
equal taxation. How the town system
would affect this and the general interests
of the schools is matter of mathematics
and Judgment. Let no one think that in my
observation of the schools of this town L
have seen no excelences. / express it as
my opinion that no better material for first
class schools exists anywhere; that the
tpapbarS have hppO conscientious and that
average success was the result; but l speak
of these matters of criticism that greater
progress may be made next year.
ID. e. MILLER, Superintendent Of Schools.
Wntorhi,r,r