The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-09-22
NOISY NO. |.
The Streets and Children
Combine To Distract the
Teachers.
-
EIGHTY CHILDREN TURNED AWAY
One Hundred Seats Too Few-GaS
is Burned Constantly in Three
Rooms = Draughty
and Cold.
IGHTY CHILDREN TURNED AWAY

"of course the Board of Education has
done the best it could with the oulioins'
but if YOU could find a worse word than
distracting, that is what it is said one
of the teachers in temporary School NO.
], as at the close of the session she sat-
holding her head in her hands.
That is certainly the condition OF al
fairs. The building has been arranged
as conveniently as possible, but'lt is per-
fectlv evident that it wasn't possible to
do much. There is so much noSe from
the street that even in the rooms where
there Is only one class recitations are
made difficult For the rooms divided by
partitions bedlam is mild term oh
the primary floor, where are the three
dark rooms, there are in the six paru-
toned rooms 262 children. The partitions
are eight feet high and the ceiling is
about as far again from the top OF the
partitions: AS consequence OF TINS open
space each class room hears the noise OF
six If by chance the six classes are re-
citing at the same time. as frequently
happens, the noise is deafening.s In ad-
dition to this there is an echo on the
partitions which adds to the distraction.
One visitor said three-quarters of an hour
in such surroundings is all lhdt - HeceS-
sary to drive one crazy.
Besides the wear and tear on nerves
made by this deafening noise, there Is
the added difficulty in teaching. Pupils
reciting cannot be heard at the back OF
the room. All pupils have to be brought
to the teachers desk so as to be heard by
the teacher and then the other pupils
can not hear the recitation or the teachers S
comments and corrections In reading
class when pupil reads, children two
rows from the front when paying atten-
tion to the lesson have to be told at which
paragraph to begin, because they cannot
hear the reader One teacher says she
expects to spend the next summer vaca-
tion in the insane asylum and several say
they will have no voices or throats at the
end of the term.
In the three dark rooms gas is constant
ly being burned. Each room has four
Welsbach burners. The mixture of gas
light and day light is very trying to the
eyes of both teachers and pupils. The
rooms are draughty and today they are
cold. One of the outer rooms had a
temperature this morning of IS and the
rooms where gas is burned were ga. The
partitioned rooms are especially draughty
on the heads of the children.
There are no yard accommodations and
for that reason there are no reeesses..
Formerly the children were given re-
cesses in the morning: Now they must
remain in their class rooms from nine
until twelve, or, be allowed to go out and
stretch, a few at time. When anyone
leaves one of the ,partitioned rooms he
must pass through all the others, thus
disturbing all the classes. The hats and
coats of both teachers and pupils hang
in each class room on pegs around the
wall.
There is but one flight of stairs and all
the pupils have to- use 1t. There are one
hundred seats less than there were in the
old No. l. Eighty children were turned
away for lack of room.
Principal Linsley when interviewed said !:
"Of course the building is not ideal and
If it were permanent we. would be dis
satisfied. As it is only temporary we put
up with it. We know the Board of Edu-
cation has done the best 1t could for US
and we have no fault to find with them. y
Miss S. ]. Root, Principal of the Pri-
mary Department, said:-"N Necessarily
the building is noisy and we would not
want to remain here permanently. The
teachers all realize, however, that they
would have been sent all over the city
If this building had not been fitted up
for US. so they are disposed to make
the best of It and they are grateful for
settled places"
Miss Root has no office She is obliged
to have her desk in one of the class
rooms. This is an Inconvenience, as
the entrance of people disturbs the reci-
tations