The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1891-06-11
BRooKnAvEN PUBLIC SCHOOL.
Report of the Principal for the Term fo
IS9O-'91.

ISoO- VI
TO the Board Of Control:
GENTLEMEN :-In submitting to- you the
first annual report Of the BrOOkbaven
Graded Public School, ii is not necessary
for me TO remind You of the difficulties
that confronted us at the beginning of
the year. There was a doubt in the
minds of many as to when the school
opened; for seven weeks tho children
were crowded Oh uncomfortable benches
with their books on the floor; owing to
some misunderstanding on the text book
question it was nearly three months be-
fore the children were fully supplied
with the necessary books. In spite of
these aud other drawbacks your school
had II successful year.
ATTENDANCE.
During the year there have been en-
rolled l46 different pupils, representing
50 different families; SO were boys and
SO girls; 81 were from the county and
% from the city. The highest monthly
enrolment was 116 in the 4th or January
month; the lowest was 80, the first
month and also the last. This equality
WAS caused by decrease in the enroll
ment from the county and u correspond
ing increase from the city. The de-
crease in the enrolment from the
county IS owing to the fact that the
county term expired the last of January.
/ am glad to say that many of our coun-
ty patrons awaited themselves of your
liberal tuition rates, and continued their
children at school as pay pupils.
The average monthly enrolment has
been 1O2, and the average daily attend
ance for the year 81; this average would
have been higher but for sickness during
December and January.
HARDNESS.
On the point of punctuality your school
is not subject of pride. During the
year there have been 208 tardies. l have
not been able to obtain statistics
from any Mississippi schools on this point.
The city schools of Clarksville. Tennes-
see, during the scholastic year lsS9-90
with an average daily attendance Of 1000
pupils had bnt 90 tarcles. Tho City
Schools of Nashville Tennessee, during
1SSS-'59, with an average daily attend
ance of 6405 has had 1SS tardies. men
ton these two cases to show how much
our school must improve before it can
take high rank on this point.
GRADING AND COURSE OF STUDY.
AS you know. your school was not
graded in the previous years of its his
tory. This lack of organization was the
greatest obstacle against which we have
had to contend. To bring together
more than hundred children and clas-
sify them so that each will find his prop
er place, and so that each class or grade
will contain only such pupils as should
be together, is very difficult and del
icate task and one that requires time.
While our grading was necessarily I'M
perfect this year, what has been done
will enable us to do much better work
next year. Several of the pupils failed to
be promoted, but this was to be expected
when it is remembered that pupils are
more frequently graded too high than
too low.
The course of study us outlined last
fall has been adhered to with one eXcep-
ton. The desks were so long in coming,
it was such difficult matter to get text
books, and penmanship needed so much
attention, that l did not introduce draw
ing into the school, and think it wise to
postpone its adoption to some future
session other than the next.
The advancement made by those pu-
pills who attended regularly has been
very gratifying and augurs greater sue
cess in the future. We hope each year to
make the standurd higher until your
school shall become synonym of
thorOughness.
DISCIPLINE.
Many consider the discipline ola school
as the touchstone of character. 1t is too
often spoken of as applying exclusively to
punishments, but there are many other
agencies used in the discipline of a school.