Putnam patriot., 1917-02-16
CONGESTION
in SCHOOLS
Superintendent Recommends luquiring
Into Portable SchOOlhouses
Compares puinam's Schools With Other
Schools

Schools
In his report on schools for the
month of January Superintendent
Harold W. Files submits his report in
part as follows:
To the School COMMITTEES;
submit herewith my report of the
public schools for the month of Janu-
airy.
The total enrolment for January
was / - boys and All girls, as eompar
ed VIA AIS boys and 420 girls for
the month of December.
If our schools were brought to an
enrolment of not more than 40 pupils
per room, and this is too great num-
Der for best work, we should have diff
ficulty in providing accommodations
for our pupils. am given to under
etand that an act has been introduced
in the legislature which will, If given
passage, deny state aid 10 towns hav-
ing schools in which more than 40 pu-
pills are registered in single room
Whether this act becomes a law or
not, and il Is reported To have the sup
port of the State Board of Education,
the time is coming when we shall be
Obliged to provide extra school room
for an increasing school population.
No one can tell how soon after the
coming of peace our growth in popula-
lion will stop, If IL stops at all. No
one can tell how soon we may have to
settle serious congestion problems.
Putnam seems entering upon period
of healthy growth in population and
1t seems reasonable to believe that,
under ordinary conditions, this growth
will continue.
To make effective provision for the
housing of additional pupils, 1t seems
to me it would be well to have a SUBJ
committee appointed to inquire into
the desiraoility of the portable type of
school buildings. The use of this type
of school structure Is becoming general.
AT the Israel Putnam school, TO off
!, set certain tendencies ifiat were not as
| they should be, 1t has seemed necessa.
| ry To require the teachers in turn 10
supervise the playground activities
| during the recess periods. With two
exceptions the teachers have taken up
the playtime supervision work will
lingly and finally with enthusiasm. 1
| regard this supervision as of sufficient
importance rs 10 WAR mt your com.
mittee's passing rule = curing it OF
all teachers. This Is, also, in accord
with recommendation of the inspec.
| tors.
For some months now 1 have been
| examining and testing texts in arith-
metic and geography With teachers to
| settle upon texts that we could use tC
| best advantage. The superintendent
was authorized to take up this matter
with the teachers, the understanding
being that texts asked for by majori
| ty of teachers would be adopted by the
committee. The preference of the
teachers is ready for your considera.
| tion.
| At the last meeting | was authorized
TO arrange for an address to high
school students, parents and interested
citizens on the desirabiity of Spanish
instruction in the high school. have
| tried to arrange for such an address
and conference with Edward Berge,
Sober, of the High School Of Com
merce of Boston, but have been unable
| to arrange for definite date because
| of sick ness among the teachers.
Frequently it is said of us that ouI
schools are not what they should be
| Willingly is it admitted that the
schools are not what we would like TO
have them or as we plan to have them,
but the public who are interested in
| these reports should be interested to
| know certain things that come to ouI
attention.
| We have pupils coming to us from
| other communities, urban and other
| wise, communities where the schools
are, by reputation, excellent. These
pupils have not been able, generally
to take up the work of the correspond
| ing grades in Putnam. In no single
case has a pupil appeared who has
been in ,advance of corresponding
grade 10 the Putnam schools.
Putnam pupils have been, transfer
red to the schools OF other communities
and have yet to learn case where |
Putnam pupil, in regular standing il
his grade, has failed to enter, without
| conditions, the corresponding grade In
the schools to which he has gone.
This means something and SHOULD
be digested. II our schools are poor
there are many others in larger com
! munities than ours, schools with
reputation for excellence, that ar
really poorer. We are accustomed Il
hearing criticisms and it is refreshing
to hear of comparison that is favor
able TO us once in while. Thi
should be gratifying to those parent
and citizens of Putnam who read thes
reports.
/ am pleased to report that the in
spection of our penmanship work b.
the special Palmer supervisor show
only one teacher in whose room poo