The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1909-02-19
SCHOOL MATTERS
Letter Of Superintendent Brinson to
the School People of Marion

{ ~ TIC 1CoSAOASs ooPOA fASSASs oSAOAS
and All Parties Interested in Our
! Educational Welfare:
Dear Friends-The school year of
19OS-19OS is drawing to a close, in so
far as the teaching goes, and wish
free talk with you upon matters Of
mutual and vital interest.
To the teachers would say to keep
your schools together in just as Wig
orous condition as possible and close
up the year with as good feeling and
full attendance as possible. 1t will
give impetus to next years work.
would call your special attention
to the necessity of making all your
reports full and accurate and filling
out all the information indicated in
your registers. All this is essential
to this office in making up the annual
report to the state department of edu-
cation. l would call your attention to
some errors that a number of our
teachers are making in compiling
their monthly reports. In line CD
the information has reference to those
pupils who have been enrolled in
some other school, and then come to
your school, thus making a double en-
rollment. Your regular pupils who
have not been in another school since
July l should be reported in line ID.
The same directions need to be OBJ
served in reporting the aggregate at
tendance in lines ca and 90 and the
average attendance in lines ca and
tS). Also in reporting line (1O) 1 no.
tice that the reports so far under the
head of both" in almost every in
stance give the sum of the male and
I female. In many cases this will not
] be correct, as it will frequently be
that the most girls will be in attend
ance upon a different day from the
one upon which the most boys were
in attendance, in which case the
! greatest number of both" will not
be the sum of the males and females.
I'm 09) be sure to insert the date of
the beginning of the term, and not
the month just closing.
There should be a report from each
teacher il those schools having more
than one teacher, with her account
filled out separately from the other
teachers, and each separate report
signed by the chairman OF the local
board of trustees, or in his absence
by the other two members. Each
teacher should have a separate regis
ter. but as some of the schools where
there are two or more teachers nave
but one, and ali the school records
are in one. we shall continue the rec
ords as they are for the remainder of
this term.
COMPLAINTS have come to the at
tention of the board that the time in
some instances is not being fully
taught Particularly is this the case
with some colored schools. The
board and superintendent desire to
call your attention TO the legal re-
quirements in this and all other mat
tiers and to impress upon all parties
that the law is not a dead letter. In
this connection We would call upon
the trustees and supervisors to exer-
else care and discretion in signing re-
re 10 ho7
are actually correct ito the best of
your knowledge and belief and avoid
signing in a perfunctory manner, SIM
/ ply as a matter of course.
To the parents and guardians 1
would earnestly appeal to keep your
children in just as regular attend
sibly allow. Time missed from
school is not measured by the actual
time lost from attendance, but in di-
minished interest and discourage
ment.
Quite a number of the teachers,
particularly the colored ones, have
grown into the habit of giving orders
on their warrants before they are is
sued, and in some cases before they
are earned. This practice we wish to
/ discourage and shall work out as fast
as possible. 1t makes extra work on
the Office, and in many instances is
not to the advantage of the teacher.
We will also state that it will not be
. necessary to call or send for your
warrants. as they will be mailed TO
your addresses as promptly as posi-
| BILE.
regret that l shall probably not
be able to visit all of the schools
during the present term, but assure
you of my personal interest in every
school in the county.