The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-02-27

lcHutlI VI OcHuulS was Iedu last evening,
As the report is lengthy, only an abstract
can be given.
The statistics for the year, not yet being
made up, will be given later.
SCHOOL ACCOMMODATIONS.
No school houses have been built this year, and
no extensive repairs have been made upon old
ones. Not for decade has so little expenditure
upon school buildings been made in year. Fur
ther expenditure is needed, however, before the
necessary demands of the schools can be said to
be fully met. The cases which demand the earli-
est attention are: J., The erection of a school
house for the use of the School street district.
The building now in use was ten years ago pro-
nouneed by tine committee on public buildings of
the City Council, "untlt for further use" The fol-
lowing report was, in September, made to the
School Board by its Supervisor:
To the s. s. Committee of the city of Portland:
Having been assigned by this committee to the
supervision of the primary school No. q, School
street, beg leave to report that the building and
premises occupied by this school are unfit for
public school. and unworthy of the city.
CHARLES B. MERRILL,
Supervisor of Primary No. z.
This report was approved and ordered to be
sent to the committee on public buildings of the
City Council for their consideration. If lot can
bessecured in a suitable place. by change IN dis
cOmmodate the present School street district, and
afford relief to the crowded rooms in the Brackett
street and Vaughan street school houses. To eff
feet the latter purpose, the location for the new
building must be selected with great care. 2,
The need Of more school rooms on Munjoy Hill is
very pressing a new primary school .I house EN- IN
the Shailer district is needed as five of the eight
rooms inthe present building are. now used for
grammar school purposes, and the other three
rooms viii soon be i9r @ ds ,,at
to be so used 3, The next pressing need IS N Q
ventilation of three of the present buidings,-the
High school, the Centre street and the North
school houses. Other buildings need attention Ill
the same direction.
1t is a source Of encouragement that the citizens
,E or n icf hAN
a school house cellar suspected of containing I'M
pure gases should be made healthful beyond a
doubt. How much less, culpable is It to allow
rooms to remain in condition sure to lower the
vitality of children by foul air than it Is to permit
imperfect sewer pipes to spread infectious odors?
PARTICULAR SCHOOLS.
The usual account of the practice school fol-
lows and this will be included in the full report,
This account gives the changes that have occur
red among the teachers of the schools Special
notice is given of the designations of the follow
ing teachers long in the service of the Portland
Schools: Miss Fannie A. Bancroft who served
from 1866 to 1867 in Primary No. 1, and since
that time in the North School; Miss Julia W.
Casco St. Primary, from 1878 to 1879 in the girls
grammar school, Bracket street, and since that
time in the Butler school; and Miss Amanda l..
school from 1871 to 1872, from 1872 to 1880 i'll
the Cumberland street grammar school and since
that time in the High School The services OF
these teachers hGve been highly appreciated by
the city.
The improvements in the plumbing of the MoHl-
ment street school house are described at length.
The opinion is expressed that the imperfectonS
found i'll the work have been remedied.
In the account of the island schools it is stated
that there are about a dozen children belonging
to Portland on Crotch Island who have had practf-
cally no schooling furnished them for several
years. There are as many children on the island
belonging to the town of Cumberland. and these
would form one respectable school, The portion
of the island belonging to Portland is casSed with
Long Island, but the distance across the water
renders the union with that district impracicable.
1t is suggested that there is injustice in with
holding their proportion of school money, over
5000 per year from these children.
High SchO0L-For particulars relating to this
school reference is made to the principals report
soon to be published.
Portland School for Deqf-This schooi, sup
ported mostly by tuitiOns from the State is in a
very prosperous condition. There are now forty
seven deaf pupils from various parts OF the State
attending this school. A full account Of the
school was given in last years report and refer
ence is made for further Information this year to
the report Of the principal, Miss Barton.
PROGRESS OF THE SCHOOLS.
4ttendaice-The good attendance on the city
schools reflects great credit upon pupils teachers
and parents. The attendance in the lowest classes
of the Primary schools has been during the winter
more than usually regular. Owing to the low ebb
into the country. The school population has
therefore but slightly increased. The attendance,
however, compared with the school population
has somewhat increased
The truant officer, Mr.. Beals, has devoted his
time faithfully in aid of the effort of teachers to
secure prompt and regular attendance.
Industrial Home SchooE--In spite of the efforts
of the truant officer there is large class of chill
dren in this city under such influences, or SO de-
pTived of home restraint, that their attendance
on school is scarcely worth mentioning except as
it is a source Of yexatious disturbance to the
school rooms where they are enrolled. This Is
not so much the fault of the children as OF the
circumstances in which they are place6.
1t is suggested that an Industrial Home School
ought to be established for these children: Can
nn hQ n q n
such a home for children who are without suitable
homeS,-mere waits upon the streets?
Too EARLY A9riudl at ScIoOI-ComplaintS reach
the superintendent's Office that ''chidren of the
primary schools on reaching their Schoolh0uses
are often kept waiting outside in the cold. +"
Teachers are advised never to allow their pupils
to remain outside exposed to inclement weather
even though the required time for opening the
schoolhouses may not have arrived. There are
some difficulties attending this direction. Teach
ers are not required by the rules OF the scio oil
board to be present and open their rooms until a
quarter before 8 i'll the morning, and quarter
before 2 O'Clock in the afternoon. Some of the
teachers, especially of the lowest classes, find it
necessary to reach their rooms much earlier than
this, to put their work for the day upon the
for prompt and successful work. 1t would be I'M
practicable for these teachers first arriving to
throw open the doors of their buildings. Such an
arrangement would interrupt their preDara tory
work, and entirely defeat the object of their own
coming. Two or three hundred children could
not be allowed to roam about the building with
out care. These teachers would soon cease to
come until the regular time of opening the school
buildings. This would result in the non-admis-
sion of children arriving too early and to their
exposure as now.
The only practicable way of avoiding the expos
ure of school children arriving before the opening
of school is not to allow them to arrive at the
schoolhouses before the time of opening. Both
parents and teachers should assume their share of
this responsibility, the former in not allowing
their children to start from home earlier than
Is or 20 minutes before 8 O'Clock in the morning.
and in the afternoon; the latter in not allowing
flaofr flG
school yards and buildings before the regular
time for admission.
COOPERATION OF PARENTS.
The influence of parents upon the welfare of the
schools cannot be over estimated. The invisible
power of many teachers lies in the hold they Sc
cure on parents. If a teacher once secures paren-
tai confidence and support his hold upon his
school is sure. Such teacher can easily dispense
with all the seyerer forms of punishment 1t be-
comes grave question then how to secure the
confidence of parents. Letters to parents seldom
produce the desired effects personal interviews
are more egective. An interest in children suffi-
cient to prompt teacher to search out parent
for the sake Of the needed aid will generally win
1t. An ingenious teacher VIII devise many other
ways to secure and retain parentA assistance.
Some parents are unreasonable and make de-
mands that cannot be complied with, but gentle
frmness, with proper explanations showing the
justice and necessity OF the refusal, will often dis
arm the unreasonable. "A soft answer turneth
away wrath" is a lesson every teacher needs to
know and practice. Nothing is more disastrous to
pupil and teacher than conflict between teacher
and parent especially in the presence OF the child
yet teachers often allow themselves to be drawn
into such conflict, when it might easily be avoid
ed.
School Fork-Teachers and pupils have mani
tested an earnest endeavOr to secure pf0htable
years work. Nothing has occurred to impede good
work the conditions have all been favorable; no
serious diseases have prevailed; no i'll natured
discussions in regard to school management have
occurred to divide the community and harrass
the teachers. Parents have manifested kindly
interest in regular attendance, good order, and
steady progress of their children. This has been
shown by frequent ylsitations upon the schools,
and by the infrequency of complaints concerning
the teachers or their work. as well as by the quiet
demeanor of the children.
Course of Studg.-This has been but slightly
modified this year. Two new books have been ill.,
troduced, an Introductory Geography in the
third primary class, and the old time Colburn's
First Lessons in anew dress in the upper three
grammar class 1t is the opinion OF many of the
teachers that this has imposed too much work
upon the third primary class.
PlySlology and Hygiene with special reference
TO alcoholic drinks, Stimulants and narcotics on
the human system, as required by statute, has
been introduced in all the primary and grammar
classes This is the only study required by law in
all the schools. A brief lesson is given, directly
on the opening of the schools, in the morning
This has proved quite satisfactory. In this exer-
else children and teachers seem interested; and
much useful information respecting the human
BODY and laws of health Is gained i'll addition to
tne instruction which the law is especially de-
signed to secure.
Anatomical charts are used in this study.
The Programme of School Work.-The origin of
this is given. and mast reDOrlS referred to. The