1872-1873 School Committee Report

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t7 ill � 1 I 12 13 There are, ho-,`fever,-other tables in the same report quite as as a whole, has been good and we are well pleased with the j interesting although not quite so pleasant for us to contemplate. success of the year. Much good seed sown is beginning to From one of these we find that in regard to the amount raised bring forth fruit, and although you may not be able to see the for schools in proportion to our valuation, Nve stand the one bun- results of the changes we have made,'and of the plans we have . dred and third town in the State, and the twenty-second in the adopted, we are sure they itre working well and that in good county. And as to the payment of teachers, which is the time you will be satisfied. strongest point in the argument, there are eighteen towns in Never before have our teachers labored so earnestly and sys- the county that pay their lady teachers less than we do, and tematically, and they have never appeared so cheerful in their thirty-eight that pay more. To compare further, there is not work. Our old teachers—those who have been with us longer a single town in the county where they pretend to have yearly than the year—have been continually improving,and we have schools, in which male teachers are }paid less than in ours. for them and their schools only commendation. 'I So long an argument was possibly not needed, but we ask But, success has not been confined to those schools where we for such an increase of appropriation that we felt you would have retained former teachers. Very radical changes were not understand the necessity without explanation. made at the beginning of the year in the Adams School. As To sum up : we need'for the current year; and ask you to mentioned elsewhere, a primary department was established and i appropriate,— a teacher without experience placed at the head of it. Another equally inexperienced was appointed to the intermediate grade For instruction, fuel and care of rooms $9,500.00 in place of one who had held the position, with the a roval of the extension and fitting up of the Hancock Primary p pp school-room 1,350.00 the people, many years. In spite of these changes, or rather out-house and screen fence 100.00 on account of them,the condition of things has improved many per cent. and the eo le should be proud of the three good shingling Hancock School house 2G-i.00 p p P shingling High School house 150.00 schools in that building. i floor at High School house l 75.00 The formation of the Primary School there was in part an ex- furniture at High School house 400.00 periment, and we are sure the parents would sooner vote to philosophical apparatus 500.00 abolish the High School, popular as it now is, than to lose the fencing and improving Howard School lot 175.00 Adams Primary. Those who were present at the recent annuaL fencing and improving Adams School lot 175.00 visitation could not fitly express their gratification. finishing High School lot 75.00 At the High School also, we have had two new teachers, but small repairs and incidentals 500.00 the change in the tone,of the school has been like magic. The people know well what has been accomplished there during the 13,365.00 year and no extended comments by us are needed. The school REVIEW OF THE YEAR, was never in better condition than now, and never more de- Some of our schools were delayed in beginning the first term servedly popular: See to it that it receives no harm. of the year on account of scarlet fever, and in most of them The Bowditch and Hancock Primary Schools have also been the numbers were small for some weeks. There was also much under the charge of new teachers and both schools have been sickness during the spring months among our teachers, and in4. gradually improving. We wish we could say the same of the latter part of the year progress has been interrupted by the Franklin and Hancock Grammar Schools, but we fear it will frequent excitement_on account of small-pox. There have also require many months of successful work to place the latter been more changes than usual in our corps of teachers. schools in th(5 condition they were in at the beginning of the I Notwithstanding these drawbacks the progress of our schools, year. Y j