Norwich bulletin., 1916-09-22
A PrevoCationa| Grammar Building
or Seventh and Eight Grades is One of Greatest Needs of Citys Educational System Says Annau Report of Sup- erintendent Edward J. Grahann-Manua Training and Domestic Science Proving Important Courses-Chief Items of Repairs to School Buildings.


 The course in manual training has been changed during the year. At first the pupils were required to malke a number of type fornns now each pupil is allowed and encouraged to plan and make the article in which he is interested.
 With this new course the pupils have shown a much greater interest in the work
 During the winter term a group of boys from the sixth grade in the Mount Pleasant School who were average for their grade and were losing interest in the regular school work was sent to the manual train ing room for one hours work each week, The principal of the school also gave them special work in % arith- metic applicable to the manual train ing work. The principal and teacher of the grade both reported that after this special work was given the boys, a marked improvement was shown in theIr general school work. It is hoped that more of this special line of work may be done in the future
 Stereopticons.
 Tn school buildings where the stere- optIcon lanterns are in use for the study Of geography and English. the pupils are doing an excellent work. The geography stereographs which contain 8 picture and explanation of
 
 ed to the different pupils for study. few days after the stereographs have been assigned, the class is taken to the Stereopticon room where the picture is thrown on the canvass. Each pupil gives his own lecture on the lan- tern slide to the class. Through this work the pupils are acquiring an abil- lty to speak and use better English and a the same time, receive more lasting mental picture of the geogra- phy work.
 library Reading in the Grades. A start has been made to establish grade and classroom libraries. We now have an approved list of supplement | tary books.
 Reading is one of the most import | ant activities of the elementary schools. Pupils should be encouraged ate and cultivate a taste for reading 1 while they are young. A love for good reading is one of the greatest acquisitions of the elementary school | life No work done in the schools is | of more lasting benefit than the de- 1 veiopment of a well-trained taste and l love for good literature. | School Gardens. During the spring term, Home | Garden club was organized, the ob- 1 ject of which was to arouse interest | and help the children in garden work: | to give them wholesome helpful en- l ployment during the summer vacation and to teach them the dignity and the | pleasure of real achievement. i Medical inspection. l With the establishment of medical | inspection and school nursing during | the year 1915-1916, Norwich placed | herself in line with other progres- l sive school systems. The results ob- 1 tained in the brief time it was in prac- I tT0O Pv111z l 1 line of work.
 General Tests in the Grade Work.
 It is the aim of the administrative department to unify the work of the schools and place it upon a common standard of achievement | Principals and teachers left to their own judgment have widely divergent opinions in regard to school manage ment, questions-question of disci- pline, promotions, teaching principles etc.
 Standards of achievement can be es- 1 tabiished for various grades and sub- jects obe taught so that what is accomplished may, in part, be meas ured. Through the tests given a req l. sonable judgment may be reached of the results achieved. | During the year various tests were given in the schools to the children of the different grades. Where local | COnQltlOnS varied a marked difference l In results appeared.
 The Evening School. During October the evening school 1 was transferred from the rooms in the city hall to Broadway school Ii 1 was necessary to make this change on account of the overcrowGed conditions ] and lack of classrooms
 The work of the evening schools is constantly being boadener In addition to the classes formed for those who are unable to read and write. we now have three classes in cooking. a class | in sewing and class in citizenship l principles.
 Our Needs.
 | The greatest need of our education al system is a central prevocationa, grammar building for the seventh and eighth grades. If we could bring the upper grade pupils of our town to one center we could differentiate the in struetion to meet the needs of diff ferent groups of children. We have | broadened our grammar grades by adding manual training and domHstic science, but this is not sufficient tc meet the present day needs of our chil dren, many of whom leave school al an early age because the school does not give them industrial opportuni ties. Some leave school because o1 the attraction of wages or necessity but many chiefly, because they have 1 natural lncnnGuonS that lead away For those not destined ultimately tc enter the professions, such pupils 1 would remain in school longer and re- ceive more adequate training if the school offered alongside the regular work parallel courses in industrial commercial and domestic instruction
 The advantages of such an organ. ization would be:
 l. Differentia Ion Of school work at the beginning of the seventh grada 1 ?. Departmental teaching.
 3. Better teaching
 ! 4. Better equipment.
 5. Enriched curriculum.
 6. Promotion by subject T. Improved physical conditions fol pupils.
 8. Transition to high school atti. tude and methods.
 Under our present system in manJ of our smaller schools one teacher ha, to do the work of two and even more grades. It is obvious that the chil. dren in these schools do not have ths advantages that the children have where departmental work Is done Nc argument is needed to establish the fact that a teacher can become more expert in her teaching when she has te