The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-07-10
SCHOOL DISTRICT YEAR
Continued from Page ~


pations for both boys and birls. This
freshman course of study is a prelimi-
nary arrangement with a view to the
reorganization of the school system of
the district on 12-year basis-six years
elementary and six years secondary. =
''The BOYS and girls club work at
the present time forms n large part of
the educative process; and it is fine
that it is 50. \ supervisor in agricul-
ture, who could offer courses in the high
school to older boys who now are in
terested in the home farm and who
could also supervise and direct all Of
the agricultural and garden projects
during the spring and summer, would
be splendid addition to the teaching
force of the Brattleboro high school |
hope this extension of our high school
work may be speedily brought about. Y
Miss Florence Nj. Wellman, superin-
tendent of grades, reviews the work of
| the grades, including the various club
activities, and has the following to say
about junior high schools:
Last March a committee from the
| High School Master s club of Massa-
chusetts printed a report on the junior
! high school based on a QUESTIONABLE sent
to all places in Massachusetts. One
hundred and fifty places reported they
had junior high schools; 81 having the
| 6-2I plan; 40 the 63-3 plan, and Is
the GO plan. Twenty-Five other places
reported different divisions.
"This present school year, 1916-1917,
there have been eight junior high
schools in Vermont; at Burlington.
Cabot, Concord, Highgate Center, JEFF
fersonville, Plainfield, Randolph Cen
ter and Waitsfield Four junior-senior
high schools have been established at
Bradford, Essex Center, Iinesburg and
| North Troy.
''Thc Junior high school is strongly
endorsed by the L. S. commissioner Of
education and by Commissioner lille
gas. \ supervisor for junior high
schools has been employed by the state
and the state will also give substantial
financial help to places having Junior
| high schools.
The important question seems to he,
how may we more closely articulate the
work OF the elementary and the high
school? One solution of the problem is
for grade and high school teachers to
work together that courses may be
more carefully planned, useless rcpcti-
ton avoided, and provision made for
the earlier introduction of certain high
school subjects.
The per cent of ninth grade pupils
who do not enter high school has for
the past two years been zero. Last
Iyear no one dropped out and this year
the pupils have all signidcd their in
tcntion Of entering high school.
We also have departmental teach
ing in the upper grades and supervised
Istudv.
II will quote from the report t
which | have already referred:
The very lNarly unanimous agree
mcnt among educators is that til,
seventh grade is a better place than tn,
ninth grade to begin foreign Ian
lguagc l should like to introduce mex
September a modern language in III,
, upper grades, using the direct metho,
With no outside study.
\ junior high school means
grouping of grades seven and eight o
, Of seven, eight and nine to form ncy
educational unit in which there shall b
some freedom of choice OF studies b,
: the pupils, considerable change in tn
: traditional content of the subjects an
methods of instruction. departmental
Z, teaching, promotion by subjects, an
$ prc-vocational work.
D In his report as supervisor of musi,
Frank NJ Cram refers to the prcvalen
| idea that music il q -utIitarian sui
r iect. a subject that is offered to ST.
5 dents who like their recreation serve
in that manner This idea has bee
q dispclled to some extent and il mus
he entirely removed before ideal wor
4 can be done.
Throughout the year there has bee1
= in the grammar grades, special en-
!, rhasis laid not alone on the singing, hl
!, on working knowledge Of the fund
= mentals of music writing. This stud
: of the technical side of music has
most eases led to a greater freedom
n singing, giving the pupils q relief fro
z, constant attention to keys, interval
ie time motions, etc.
1T For the greater part of the year
c MOBILIZATION class, composed Of IL his
school girls, met once each week
IS, learn more about the correct use of Il
s. voice. \ cantata, The Garden of Flo
" crs was near completion when mectin
is were suspended for lack OF convenic
ID time aud place A strong advance st
could he taken were there offered
y the high school class subjects such
=, vocalization, harmony and music a
- !. probation, for which credit is given
:, entering most of our colleges.
- Much interesting material is fou
~ in the report of Edwin NJ. feeney,
~ lpcrvisor Of drawing and manual trai
a. ing, to which an abstract would not
Justice 1t should be read III its {
tn tircty by every person in the distri
mt Miss Rosamund W. Ashley, domcs
IN science teacher, urges that houscht
he economies be put on a par with classic
1r- subjects and that a four-years couI
IN be established in the same way as
n commercial course Miss Helen
m Dunn, school nurse, reports 3Is exc
es, sions ON account of disease. Speak,
IL Of testing the eyes of children she s.
m that one little girl never had seen
trees on Wantastiquet mountain III