The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1899-11-10
THOROUGHNESS.
Bars Will be Raised Around
High School.
Superintendent Uline Makes Some Rec.
concentrations and Suggestions 10
the School Board.

The feature Of the school board
meeting Friday WIS report made
by Superintendent Uline. The first
part OF the report showed the enroll
ment, average attendance and tardi-
ness in each room for October, and
also the increase in the enrolment
since SEPT Both. The Franklin build
ing had an enrolment OF 305, average
attendance 279, hardness 3, increase
in enrolment y. Union building
enrolled POI, average attendance 80,
hardness Is, increase in enrichment Is.
Pleasant Grove buildiDg-enrolled 429,
average attendance 1927, hardness 16,
increase in enrolment TO- West Man
kato-enrolled 1S9, average attend
ance III, .taIdiness ., increase in en-
rollment 9. East Mankato-enrolled
IS. average attendance II. Eighth
grade-enrolled 116, average attend
ance 1C3, Hardness /, increase In en-
rollment 5. High school-enrolled
49,. average attendance l75, hardness
80. increase in high school building
13. Grand total-enrolled 1892, aver
age attendance 1907, hardness 80,
increase in enrolment SIS.
The remainder Of the report is as
follows:
I'm general discipline Of the high
school | find in looking over the eX-
perience Of the past month that L was
Justified in prophecying permanent
Improvement. AT the end OF last
month we were disturbed concerning
throwing OF matches on the floor, the
purpose of which seemed TO be ma
licious one. Fortunately we detected
the chief offender-a senior; he was
promptly suspended-and was rein
stated after much humiliation before
the school committee, the principal
and superintendent.
Another suspension occurred In the
Union building. The case was that
OF Nellie Thomas, who, together with
her mother, has long been notorious
in her relation TO the school. There
has been no petition for reinstate-
ment. The offense in addition to
general depravity was open defiance
OF teacher. should certainly oppose
reinstatement on any ground, but
should recommend instead that her
case be pointed out TO the proper
authorities as tit material for the
reformatory.
THE majority Of cases Of discipline
referred by the grade schools 10 the
superintendent are truancy cases.
The truancy rules, making it neces-
sary for parent or guardian to present
himself at the superintendent office
for the reinstatement OF the offender
after the first offense, have been in
general effective. Z But until regular
truant officers or special schools be
provided by the city or state, we shall
continue 10 be annoyed by certain
few PERSISTENT offenders.
81 called attention in my last report
to needed improvement in the degree
OF thoroughness in scholarship. Every
where In all the schools find children
struggling against terrific odds to do
work for which they have not been
prepared In order that the board
may fully appreciate this fact, 1T will
be we'll TO illustrate. In the hig h
school there are children trying TO
learn foreign languages-Latin and
German-who do not know the ele-
ments OF English grammar. had six
of such who stood below 50 10 the
recent examination in German. The
work In English in the high school is
crippled for the same reason. In the
sciences where mathematical exact
ness is required, find Juniors who
cannot or do not point off decimals
correctly, who fail to get correct re
suits because of weakness in long
division or numbers.
In answer to the question, How did
they get in the high school. / have
only to answer for those who have en-.
tered the first year of the high school
this September. The teachers and
superintendent, after comforting with
one another and with the chairman of
the committee on schools and with the
president of the normal school, decided
to admit candidates from the normal
and from neighboring counties, upon
their diplomas alone. All such candi-
dates were explicitly warned that their
retention in the school would depend
upon their own capabilities. Now,
after the first examination. we find
eleven must go down. One of these is
of the January promotion of last year
from the 9Th grade; six are from
neighboring counties, five of whom
entered this year; four are from the
normal, of whom two had not quite
finished the work of the 8th grade, but
were given the same conditional chance
with the others. This kind of work