Waterbury Democrat., 1902-12-24

I boards redreSSed.
 Mill Plain-Three additional win idows placed in rooms and new flag pole set up in yard.
 l Bucks Hill-The school room has been curtained, closets repaired and low blackboard purchased.
 T East Farms-Cloak rooms, etc, paint I ed. Fences repaired Blackboards re l dressed
 The city may well be proud of the 4 physical condition of these schools as a whole
 These schools, since January 1, have been visited regularly each month, grade meetings have been held and much time has been spent in endeavor. I ing toNget them into line with the larger fschools. Arithmetfcs, geographies. spelling books, readers, including sup plementary books, all similar to those used in the city schools have been given out, and it is hoped that before the close of 1903 the books may be uni form throughout all of the city schools.
 The action of the board i'll allowing pupils above the sixth grade to attend the larger, schools has been of greatest assistance in grading the district schools and in making appreciable progress. By reducing the number of classes in each school it has been pos sible to arrange the classes on q well I graded basis. Of the twelve district schools not more than five could now be classified as mixed or ungraded, and even in these an effort is made to keep class lines. The teachers are working faithfully with their classes and there is a decided forward movement. New books and new requirements have add- ed to their burdens, still much improve ant has SI, xy,ol#s sl been made gfadually and teachers given time to adjust themselves to new conditions. In all of this work the va rious committeeman have given the s1l- perintendent, the most cordial support. And this is true. not only of the com mitteemen. but also of the citizens liv-
 ing in the districts whom l have met.
 It has been very gratifying to find that
 in the effort to secure well kept and
 sanitary school houses, proper books and courses of study, and trained teach
 CTS for the districts. the committeeman
 were as strenuous as anyone. The I changes made in June in the teaching
 force have, by increasing the number
 of experienced and trained teachers,
 materially strengthened the corps.
 Evening, Cooking and Kindergarten
 Departments.
 The evening school has continued | to flourish. The Swedish and Italian t@ departments are we'll attended and
 the results are good.~ The recently
 opened Lithuanian department has
 forty (4O) students. The attendance
 this fall has eclipsed all previous re- Icords.
 Through it's graduates, now substi-
 tuting or teaching in hedistrict schools T fl1n rai1 irc icJI
 oughness of it's training course, These < graduates without an exception are do > ing first class work. At the present
 time no less than nine rooms are used
 for the practice department though less
 rooms will be required next year, on ac-
 count of smaller classes Of pupil teach
 CTS. -l The kindergartens in the Barnard and Walsh schools opened with Ii at
 tendance of one hundred and thirty
 Q3O, which is very satisfactory for the
 first year. These rooms are fully
 equipped and will prove an important
 factor in the educational system o1
 this city. I would recommend that ir
 September 1903. kindergardeps be op # ened in the Elm street and Washing ton schools. . >, .-.....- .. s@s....s..
 No less than one hundred and twenty
 young ladies are taking the course 1T
 cooking. This course is at present op-
 en to the VIII grade pupils and a linn = lited number from the senior class 1T II. lhigh school. The work has been lait ot Ebut in a very practical manner and tht n- results obtained during the past veal re have been very gratifying. Of these x two departments, new to us. Jacob Rii! an says the Kindergarten is the foundation if and the cooking school the crown O ad modern education. w The Course of Study. C. The revised course in arithmetic ha. or been placed in the hands of the teach or lers. It differs from the last cours ar lin few particulars The exDerienc, II II 1of the past four years has shown tha II IT lcertain notifications should be made 'u' largely in simplif1cation and bette
 gradation. Special emphasis has beer rs placed upon mental drill and the con n nection between this drill and tn, If practical problems of everyday life n. The plan throughout has been not t, re oyertax the pupil but to keep him full,
 occupied. Teachers have found Iittl he if any difficulty in covering the ground ed in a thorough manner. Of late ther ,m has been among educators a movemen A IlO dUOllSn the nrSt yea Tt and sometimes even in the secon in- year This is matter for seriou in consideration. Not every change a6 res vocated in the course of study is feas for ible, yet every plan. noe matter hoJ ,nt radical, has it's enthusiastic support Ito CTS. Many of these much heralde ks new departures are after thoughtfr ,es scrutiny found to be only tn pm discarded and fossi1ized notions c ks more than a century ago. The no1 he city or originality of any suggeste ,ut change is no criterion of it's usefuInes est or practicability.- The mind of tn uf- young child is too precious to be care
 lessly eyperimented upon. We shoul ne be progressive yet conservative, not i 'eh too great haste to follow every e6luca
 tiOnal will-o'-the-wisp.
 ,en The course of study in reading, lar ooi guage and literature, including tn ,,u su- work for the High school, has been rt ' .ro sised and printed The principf
 changes made were the revision of tn