The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-06-28

portant' work of general care and su
: pervision of the entire school The en-
. ployment OF unframed teachers wa
limited 60 two each year. A complet,
set of pupils records, their ages
standings. etc, have been prepared an,
are on file in the superintendent of
flee. except a few of the earlier rec.
ords destroyed i'm the high school fire
The enrolment of teachers was In.
creased from l22 to 2OS and the enroll.
ment of pupils from 5124 to 6,656
These are a few of the many items
that might be mentioned as indicating
the growth and progress of this busy
eight -year-period.
Nom Resident Students.
The rapid increase i'm the attendant,
Of nonresident pupils in our high
school is very gratifying. Last year
the total number of such students was
100; this year, 1874, two years ago 75
The total receipts for tuition were
1885, of which district No. Calumet
township furnished s2,9S5: district No
l. Osceola township. $2.34O; Mohawk,
STAG, and the remainder from various
sources, The increase of tuition over
that of last year was .$3,627. due In
part to increased attendance, but chief
ly To. an increase i'm the rate of tuition
from $40 TO $50 per year per pupil.
Teachers Efficiency.
| School superintendents throughout
the country have reached the unani-
nous conclusion that a teachers eff
cheney can only be made permanent
through continuous growth. 1t is well
known that as soon as a teacher re-
lakes effort to improve herself. to
I broaden her horizon, the impairment
of her efficiency begins. While it is
true that nearly all the teachers have
received excellent training in the nor
| NAL schools, yet such training has
| chiefly opened the way for more rapid
| growth while i'm service. How to slim
| ulate the teaching corps to greater
growth and increasing efficiency is a
matter OF such vital Importance that
II Is discussed at almost every super
intendents' meeting. Courses for read
y.
The holding of teachers meetings is
regarded by every live and progressive
superintendent as an Indispensable
factor in stimulating that growth which
is so essential TO increasing efficiency.
In most of the school systems, these
meetings are regarded as of so much
Importance as to be held frequently
and largely during the hours usually
devoted to school. II is held that such
meetings are so valuable that the
teachers ought not to be required to
attend them and listen to helpful in
struotion when tired out by a long
hard days work.sp In, any event, the
value Of the general teachers meeting
cannot be overestmated. Where the
holding of teachers meetings is neg
lected there interest and progress I'm
school work are at standstill 1t is
the school SYSTEM.
School for Abnormal Pupils.
We have had three grading rooms
for some years for the purpose of taxi
ing care of pupils who were misfits,
|. e., were in advance in some subjects
and in arrears in others BY means OF
individual instruction covering weeks
or even months, the subjects in arrears
were brought up to grade requirements
and the pupil placed in regular grade.
These inequalities sometimes resulted
from irregular attendance, from mat
nd In Of nj nj
times from inability of the pupil to
keep pace with the regular classes.
The plan is an excellent one, because
the teacher I'm charge OF the grading
room Is not given more than a dozen
pupils at one time, and so can give
that individual instruction which sets
the pupil rapidly on his way.
There are, however, more than two
dozen children in the schools of the |
district who are sub normal or below |
normal in mental ability. These, be-
cause of various handicaps, cannot
keep pace with the normal pupils and
place almost intoierable burdens upon
the teachers who have them i'm charge.
Some of these handicaps arise from
tho physical defects i'm hearing or
sight. or there is inability to make the
of the body respond readily
to the mind. The condition of a few
toward feebleminded-
ness. When this stage is reached then
they can be cared for at the Home for
the Feeble Minded at Lapeer, but un-
I'll they reach that stage there is no
adequate provision made for their care
and instruction, and not only do these
pupils suffer for want of training
adapted to their slowly unfolding men,
tai capacity, but the teachers are over
burdened with depressing and hopeless
tasks in trying to drag these slow
paced pupils along at the same speed
pupils. These unfortunates should be
gathered together in small groups and
put i'm charge of the most skillful ,
teachers I'm the corps, as a matter OF ,
Justice to these unfortunate pupils and
the overburdened teachers. II has ,
been in my thought for some time past ,
10 urge the board of education to es- ,
lablish such "A school or schools. ,
Manual Training Extension
The knife work which has haar1 car ,