The morning call., 1891-05-14

work All the members were present eA-
cept Sabin, Director Brooks presiding.
REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT.
The following monthly report was SUBJ
mitted by Superintendent SWEET:
In accordance with law l herewith submit my
fourth monthly report on the condition of the
sch0Ols.
During the month have visited and examined
every class In the following schools: Bartlett
Primary, ShOIwestreeJ Primary, Moulder
Primary, Starr King Primary, Eighth street
Primary, Turks Primary, Golden Gate
Primary, HermaD-sireet Grammar, South Cos
mopolitaR Primary, Columbia Primary, Broad
way Grammar North Cosmopolitan Grammar,
GTeenwieh-street Primary, Washington Gram
mar, PowelEStIeet Primary Mission Grammar.
/ have visited about hall The classes IN The
Valencia Grammar, Noe and Temple street
Primary, franklin Grammar. South CoSmo-
pOliIau Grammar School. nave made short
visits 10 the following; Washington Evening,
South COSMOPOLITAN Evening, Lincoln Evening,
Emerson Primary, Befnal Heights Primary and
Paramount Primary schools. Altogether, during
the month, since my last report, i have visited
22l classes. hope during the next two weeks
10 visit ali the remaining schools, except few
OF the remote outside schools.
The law requires the Superintendent to visit
"eVery school once IN six months" This could
easily be done by visiting one or two classes IN
each school and calling II visit" But
school VISIT ought To mean visit to each
class aud teacher Ii members OF the board aud
citizens generally have failed TO mud ms III my
Office, they viii understand that have been our
visiting schools.
During The month have called several meet
ngs OF the teachers TO talk over the course OF
study. These meetings have been held in the
Girls High School Building, from $3.50 O'Clock
TO 5 O'Clock in the afternoon. They have been
held as follows; Thursday, April 30th. Fifth
Grade: Monday, May 4th, Fourth Grade; Thurs
day. May 7Ih, Third Grade; Friday. May Sth
Second Grade; Monday, May llth, First Grade.
There are three more meetings 10 be held.
CONDITION OF THE SCHOOLS.
Ny visits and examinations, thus far have
been confined mainly 10 The primary grades be-
caus they form the vital part OF The school sys-
TEN.
lie essential things TO b learned by children
10 The five primary grades are reading, writing.
spelling. arithmetic aud enough of language to
write a letter correctly. All these things are
well cone in The classes have visited.
The handwriting OF The children Is particularly
good. Even in the receiving Classes" the
little children from 10 years OF age, that have
attended school lrss tnan year write very
neatly on states, and in some classes, write with
pen and ink on paper.
In all the schools The children are quick at
figures.
In some schools they are very accurate. The
main criticism 10 be made Oh the teaching OF
arithmetic 10 The primary grades Is the gener al
tendency 10 long, complex ana tiTeSOine opera
ions with very large numbers, instead of SIM
pie short, business drill on ordinary business
forms Of reckoning. But this is not so much The
Iaut OF tile teachers as II Is OF faulty eXt-bOOks
and OF iHteTminable written eXaminal ions In
tended 10 worry and puZZl5 children Instead of
lDSHuctlnB them.
READING.
Reading is the most important thug TO be
taught IN the primary grades. because IL is the
key thai unlocks To the child the vast store
houses OF the, knowledge OF tile world. 10 the
receiving classes" The me huds OF teaching be-
ginnerS are good but 10 the first, second, third
and fourth grades there is dearth OF good read
Ing mailer. The children soon master The les
sons found in tile limited pages of the official
State first and second readers, and then they
need something new TO read, instead OF taking
endless reviews on lessons which they know by
heart No one series of primary readers con-
talns one-tenth OF what an Intelligent child
ought TO cad 10 a year.
few schools have been partially supplied
Win supplementary reading matter, but many
nave not. The apparatus Tor teaching reading
consists OF good books. Books afe so cheap that
The children ought to be we'll supplied with them.
In this respecl our city schools u. e ten years be-
hind the times In comparison with the country
district schools OF California, or with the schools
OF cities towns and villages of Massachusetts.
This leads me 10 call yOnr attention to the
Safe school law in relation TO school libraries.
The revised school law Of 1866, which. slightly
amended, has remained In force ever since, pro-
vided that 10 per cent OF the State arpoItion-
ment OF school moneys 20 each district, not 10
exceed 500, should be set apart as a School Lii
brary Fund, TO be expended exclusively In buy
ing books for school Libraries. In Incorporated
cnies the amount so reserved is 500 for every
1000 census children.
This law has been strictly obeyed throughout
the State except In this city, where, for the last
defiance OF law, the library money has been di-
Yetted 10 other purposes. l trust thai this
board VIII abide by The law. l think / am au-
tAOIZed duQ required Dy law, as City and County
SuperlHte ndeBt, 10 insist upon II. / call your
attention 10 II now IN order that you may include
IN your estimate OF ex enSeS for the next fiscal
year Inc sum OF $1,000. the amount REQUIRED by
law 10 be SET apart library fund. Most OF
this MONEY ought 10 be expended Ia buying suit
able Supplementary reading matter for the pTi-
mary grades, in which the children are growing
at
present which they swallow as reluctantly as
dld The boys in DotheDoy's Hall when treated TO
their morning dose Of treace and birthstone.
Some OF this money ought TO be expended Ia
school dictionaries, with which not one class
room IN len IN the grammar grades IS supplied.
Perhaps ought 10 state here that through the
efforts OF the Society for The Prevention OF
Cruelty 10 Animals the schools have been partly
supplied with one OF their books, which is either
given away or sold al cost Of publication. BLACK
Beauty, or the Story Of Horse" has been read
In nearly all the schools with The most intense in
terest and delight. That book has supplied the
most elective reading lessons OF the Whole year.
kINDERGARTEN WORK.
The free kindergarten schools have had
marked effect on The appearance OF the pupils in
The lower primary grades. In the Eighiil-streeI
Primary most of the pupils were trained for one
or Two years IN The Stanford kindergarten on
BTannan street. The clean, tidy, bright and
Well-maDnered children at the present time form
a pleasant contrast 10 the appearance OF that
school before the advent OF the kindergarten.
The free schools OF the Golden Gate Kinder
garten Association, together with OtEer similar
associations, are In fact training establishments
for The public schools. They form the sub
structure OF the work OF free education. The
kindergarten songs are heard in ali the primary
grades. The kindergarten work introduced two
years ago into The receiving classes has been
fairly done, though rather 100 much OF II Is re-
quired.
The most Objectionable feature OF The work Is
the clay modelling; not because modelling ia Itself
is OF value, but because il is out of place n the
large classes and crowded rooms OF the public
school. 1t is the judgment of most OF the Driuci-
pals and the opinion ef nearly every teacher
who has handled The clay and taught the chill.
dren, that clay modelling gives no results that
compensate for the loss OF time, the incOn-
venience, tie dirt and disorder that follow
10 its train. The mothers OF the children
protest against II. They fear contagion
from the filthy clay which their little
girls are forced to handle. This clay is worked
over week after week and month after month,
handled by fifty children in class, until 1t is in
sucn condition that the teachers handle IL with
gloves and 90 home at night disguised aud nau-
seated. Teachers, children and mothers all
stand in dread of this infectious dirt. There is
no objection to the use Of clean clay in making
relief maps II teachers so desire 10 use IT, In an
art school, with suitable room aud with clean
clay, modelling forms a most valuable means of
training. But it does not follow that therefore,
II should he crowded into every public school,
irrespective OF conditions and surroundings.
This latest OF educational "fads' has had Its
run, like the measles and wbooping-cough. tits
time to stop lI. Sweep out the school rooms,
wash the hands and faces and clothes OF the
children, ana wait patiently for some Wild re-
former TO Introduce INTO the public schools
some new noiien-say cooking, Or dancing, or
Spanish, or washing and ironing, or French, or
sewlng-machDes, or entomology, or "How to
Use Jaek-knife," or The only scientific method
OF spinning tops, or playing marbles, or flying
kites.
SEWING
Sewing In school Is another yexeu question
In the schools for girls exclnsivey-the Broad
way, Denman aud Lincon-it seems TO be sue
cess. The only complaint Is that there is too
much OF il, especially in the line OF fancy work.
But in the mixed schools, where classes are made
up OF boys and girls IN the same class. the CON-
plants are long aud Oad Ii is exceedingly difficult
for the teacher TO keep the boys occupied whiie
the girls are AT work during the sewing hour. Ii
is true the boys might be ordered by thu board
to take up needle and thread and thimble, but
then here would be rebellion. The teachers
have done their best, but the sewing Is an admit
ted failure. l think II would be IN accordance
with good common sense 10 strike sewing out Of
the course except in schools exclusively for
giils, and even in those schools To leave the