Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1898-03-18
THE CORNWALL SCHOOLS.
Annual Report of the Town School Sup
erintendent.

| districts of the town The number of pupils
has ranged from IL in district No. Z the last
| term to 30 in district No. the first term III
different children have attended school dur
ing the year.
In district No Miss Mae Cherbino taught
the first term, 1t was fair school with some
very commendable features. The second ana
third terms have been taught by Miss Edith
Gibson, an excellent instructor and good
manager.
| District No has been unfortunate in hav-
ing a different teacher each term. In the
spring Miss Lena Frost presided. IL was Inc
second term she had ever taught and both she
and the school steadily improved during the
| term. The fall term was taught by MISS Ger
trude Peet. This was also her second terms
work as a teacher and, as would be expected
from her parentage she taught good school'
During the term Just closed Dennis McHugh
has been the teacher and has proved himself
to be the right man in the right place
District No 3 has also been oOl1geu 10
change teachers each term Miss Belle Hal
non came first, and from the beginning no one
would have imagined it was her nrst term )
work Her success, it seems to me, was III
some measure due to the fact that her sisters
and brother in the school, treated her WIN
the utmost Difference. The second term was
taught by Miss Penelope Malone she also
had had no experience and, while she hau
| some excellent ideas about giving instruction.
she had much to learn in regard to the man
Lena Frost II as taught good school
In district No. during the first term Miss
Edith Gibson carried well forward the good
work begun the previous year the second anu
third terms have been taught by MISS Ethel
Needham, who came to the school as begin
ner in teaching. She is well posted on the
subjects which She teaches and has improved
much in management.
District No. has suffered from the neces
sary change of teachers each term In the
spring Miss Addie Foote was teacher She
was so well informed that she taught subjects
rather than text books. Her methods were,
however, rather better adapted to graded
than a country district school. In the second
term Miss Fuller was not the success that her
many terms of experience in Rutland county
warranted us in expecting. The third term
Miss Beulah Sanford has taught an excellent
school.
In District No. during the first two terms
Miss Beulah Sanford was teacher, giving
good satisfaction. The last term the work
has been well carried forward by Miss lhbbie
Sowle, a teacher of experience and ability.
! In district No. Miss Estelle Lane taught
the three terms up to the last month when her
illness prevented her from completing the
year. She is well adapted to teach little
children, of which this school has been
largely composed, and the parents cannot
fail TO be well pleased with the progress made
During the last month her work has been well
carried on by Miss Gertrude Peet.
As whole our teachers are conscientious
and painstaking. They none of them do per
feet work; never saw a teacher who did;
but they work hard and are always ready to
adopt suggestions and discuss methods for
Improvement. They deserve sympathy and
announcement and would be helped by more
visits from the parents of their scholars
Now and then a mothers name appears on
the visitors register, but seldom a fathers;
and, rule, the mothers are there only on
the last day when the lessons are laid aside.
You are busy and hard working men,
know, but you have no more important Dusl-
ness than the educatI on of your children, ana
you will be far be ter able TO cooperate with
the teachers in their efforts toward this end If
you drop in for an hour now and then and see
for yourselves what is attempted and what
accomplished.
You will not be obliged to make speech
unless you so desire; your mere presence and
attention will show your interest. and both
teachers and scholars will do better work if
they are, from time to time, reassurred In
this way.
Then, too, schools and textbooks have been
much improved since we were pupils, and
unless your experience differs from mine,
you may learn something yourselves.
There Is no pleasanter place in which to
pass an hour than a well.ordered school
room.
Your directors intend to employ only teach
ers who have control of themselves and of
their ScnOOlS, Out Ine InOlutTS anu SbpcClhhy
you, fathers, will greatly aid in managing
your children If you will always uphold the
teacher in her rulings, at least until you have
seen her and quietly heard her side of the
story. In my opinion, nine times out OF ten
you will be convinced that she was in the
right.
These remarks apply to others as well as to
the parents of the pupils. If any one sees
any reason for thinking any teacher is doing
poor work or is making mistakes in manage
ment, you will be working for the advance
ment of the school and confelrng favor
upon the scholar who you think has been i'll.
treated If you win express this opinion to
some one of the school officers and to no
other peri on whatever. There are few ways
in which you can do more real harm to a
child than by taking sides with him against
his teacher, and the more influence you have
in the community the greater the injury you
will cause. You need to be in the habit of
visiting a school often In order TO be able to
appreciate the prepleXities and trials teach
er has with that particular group OF pupils.
The attendance has been fairly good this
winter Some children have been kept at
home a few days by bad weather and a few
have been sick. But next term there will
probably come a time when it Will be very
convenient for some of you to keep some of
the boys and girls out of school to work.
Now, hope you will consider carefully the
best interests of the children before doing so.
would rather a child would go to school
every day for one year and stay out ali the
ne Xt rather than to pretend to go two years
and stay out a day and n half each week.
More would be accomplished. You do an in
justice both to your own children and the
others with whom they are classed when you
fail to make their attendance at school both
regular and punctual.
In regard to the condition of the school
houses. some small repairs are needed in and
about almost if not quite all of them. Paper,
paint whitewash, stove backing and i'm
proved sanitary arrangements are the crying
needs The directors will attend to all these
matters, am sure, if they feel that you are
willing to furnish the small amount of money
required. Several districts are greatly in
need of good, unabridged, up-tO date die
tionaries.
In conclusion allow me to repeat what l
have said in other words before, the best way
to improve your schools is to visit them
and look after them yourself as you would
any other department of your business.
| RaanactfullV aubmfttad