The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-09-12

| Slde or College Street,to Prospect street, neither side of Prospect street to Sach- em street, both sides of Sachem street l to Whitney avenue thence to the june l tion of Orange and Pearl streets, neith- CT side of Pearl stret to Humphrey street, neither side of Humphrey street, l to Wallace street. neither side of Wal lace street, to the railroad thence along railroad to Franklin street. to Chapel street. Children residing on Franklin street, between Summer and Chapel streets may attened school in either the Wooster or Eaton sub districts, but child will be compelled to at | tend the school he enters for the re- mainder of the year) both sides of Chapel street to Church street, both sides of Church street to Elm street, to place of beginning.
 i The following distribution of library and apparatus fund was recommended: 1 Webster district, $1O0; Eaton district, $100; Wooster district, $100; Dwight dis trict, $60; Winchester district, $160; Lowell district, $150; Washington, S15O; Strong Woolsey, S2l0; Welch, S13o.
 Committee on special instruction rec | Simpson from Welch kindergarten to principal of Fair street Kindergarten school at a salary of $450. The com mittee reported that the services of one additional teacher in the German de- partment will be needed at the Hill house high school, and asked for power to fill such position; that the system known as the Larson's course in wood- work be used in Boardman High school 1 for the grammar department; that an amount not exceeding $500 be appro :, priated for the use of the department of drawing, from study and colors, $500 of this amount to be used in the pur- chase of permanent equip nt for thcs schools which have not been supplied in the past.
 | The committee recommended that the facilities for teaching cooking at the Boardman High school be increased. Authority was asked to employ another ateacher of cookery at salary not ex- ceeding $500 per annum, and to fit up kitchen in the basement of Strong school at an expense not exceeding $450; that the committee on supplies be | duLuOElIGu tO GSpEllQ 1lOL HtSlS tHetli $250 for equipment.
 l The committee also recommended that an evening class in cooking be op- ened in Boardman Manual Training High school, not exceeding four nights l in the week; also that the extra teacher 1 be employed as teacher of the same.
 Superintendent Kendall made the fol- 1 lowing report on the mode of admitting candidates to the high school. which 1 was adopted:
 Admission to the High School. l I believe the prevailing method of admitting pupils to the high school by a formal and stated examination, de- signed to test their knowledge in cer- tain studies night with advantage give way to a more rational method. The true test of pupils fitness for 1 high school work, in the main, is his ability to do the work of the high school and the persons who are the best judges of that question, are the principals and teachers, who have had the pupils in charge and who know their power and ability best. These persons should, in my judgment, rec ommend those who are fitted for the high school and should be held respon- sible for such recommendation. If any parent should feel aggrieved because his child was not recommended, such child should have stated examina tion
 The objection to the present system is that it narrows the aims of the teachers in the grade below the high school by concentrating, in part, their attention upon cramming the minds of the children with a few facts on a few subjects. Breadth of new subjects and development of character will hardly characterize the instruction in this grade if the pupils are to be examined at the close of the year and the success of the teachers work judged, in part, by the number who successfully pass the examination. There can be little real growth and advancement in the teaching process while the present sys- tenn continues. The present system, too, is unfair to children, inasmuch as some of them, by reason of the ner- vous tsrain of the examination and the attending exciting circum- stances, cannot do themselves justice and there is an element of chance in the matter, which cannot be success fully eliminated. be the questions ever so fair. A failure to reach a certain per cent. may change the whole cur rent of the child's life. The present system makes no account of differences in pupils. One child may be more in- dustrious than another, more conscien- tious, more painstaking in his studies, more regular and punctual in his at tendance and have more power to work an inherited brightness or by spurt at the end of the year and by virtue of the cranming process may pass the examination while his more deserving school-rnate may fail. It may be said | that recommendations simply by the | teachers would lower the standard of admission and crowd the school I would not look for such a result. In my judgment, the number of children entering the school this coming fan will ! be about the same as would have been i the case had the method I have briefly outlined prevailed. Principals were asked early in the spring to report the number of pupils in their respective i schools who would probably be ready for high school work in September and the estimates did not vary 3 per cent. | from the number who actually entered ] the school upon examination
 | l recommend that on and after June | i il- ;,