HomeMy WebLinkAbout1852-1853 School Committee ReportREPORT
OF
THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE
OF
LEXINGTON,
FOR THE YEAR
1852-53.
BOSTON:
CROSBY, NICHOLS, AND COMPANY,
111 WASHINGTON STREET.
1853.
REPORT
OF
THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE
OF
LEXINGTON,
FOR TIIE YEAR
1852-53.
BOSTON:
CROSBY, NICHOLS, AND COMPANY,
111 WASHINGTON STREET.
1853.
J
CAMBRIDGE:
METCALF AND COMPANY, PRINTERS TO THE IINIVERSITY.
REPORT.
DURING the past year the schools in our town have not
been disturbed by a single instance of such gross insubordi-
nation on the part of a single scholar as called for any direct
action from the Committee. Nor have they, in any case,
been unsuccessful through the unfaithfulness of the teacher.
It is something for which to be grateful, that each term has
shown some advance on the part of the pupils. Even now,
with all the increasing attention paid to general education, so
much as this cannot in all cases, with truth, be said of the
schools in our State. If your Committee dwell somewhat upon
the deficiencies they have observed, it is because they know
that the first step towards improvement must necessarily be
a deep sense of these deficiencies, — because there is so strong
a tendency in man to overlook his defects, — and because such
deficiencies do really exist, though they may not be peculiar
to our schools. There is no danger, in any case, that we
shall be too much impressed with the importance of their cor-
rection.
If but little is said in praise of our schools, it is because
the Committee think, that, except as an encouragement to
make them better, no good can come from such praise, but
that much harm may thence result, by leading us to be satis-
fied with the present condition of our schools, and by inducing
us to suppose them to be better than they really are. So in
both ways we may be brought to the conclusion that we have
nothing to do for their improvement. The Committee are
glad to state, that they have good reason to believe the schools
4
5
do, as a general thing, improve from year to year, and that
their condition during the last year has been quite as good as,
if not better than, the average for any number of years past.
The most general defect, existing more or less in every dis-
trict in town, is a lack of interest, on the part of parents,
in the real well-being of the schools. This is shown by the
infrequency of their visits to them. The Registers, which are
doubtless somewhat inaccurate in this matter, mention not
more than two visits, made by parents, in all the schools in
town, throughout the year.* While the Committee do not
doubt that, within the school -room, the teacher, so long as he
holds his place, should be permitted to govern alone, they are
sure that the manifestation of interest by parents in occasional
visits to the school, and in a free and full and friendly con-
versation on the studies, dispositions, habits, and government
of their children, would be gratefully recognized by the teach-
er, — would make his hard work easier, would do very much
to correct any prejudices against the teacher that may have
been formed, — would help to keep him from making such
mistakes as might impair or destroy his good influence, and
would so increase his interest in, and attachment for, his call-
ing, as to render him much more successful. Parents should
bear in mind, that it belongs to them to take the first step in
such a conversation : while in their whole intercourse with
the teacher they should remember, that both are laboring
for the same object, and so should, as much as possible, ex-
clude harsh thoughts, and abstain from drawing unfavorable
inferences from his errors.
This lack of interest is more clearly shown in the trifling
causes for which parents often allow or oblige the absence of
their children. The frequent instances of tardiness and ab-
sence in our schools, strongly call for the attention of parents
and school districts. The School Committee have the power
to prescribe rules in this matter. But it would, they thought,
be useless, and perhaps prejudicial, for them to exercise that
* This remark does not, of course, include the closing examinations.
These are usually quite well attended.
power without a more hearty cooperation, on the part of par-
ents, than they could find reason to anticipate. Until public
sentiment becomes more alive than it is, generally, in our
country towns, they will, in this most important respect, be
behind the large towns and cities. As soon as there is rea-
son to suppose that the community by cheerful acquiescence
will authorize it, the School Committee will, doubtless, gladly
avail themselves of the opportunity to advance very much the
interests of education, by prescribing rules that shall insist
upon the punctual and constant attendance of the scholars.
The more stringent parents desire such rules to be made, the
better. They will be very unlikely to pass the bounds of
reason. They will be quite likely to mistake on the side of
leniency. As a general thing, the community is not aware
of the hindrance a single scholar, by his absence, may be to
the progress of his class. The instance in a school last win-
ter is perhaps no remarkable one. Then, a class was obliged
to go over the same ground on four successive days, at least.
The teacher was explaining the use of the multiplication
table, one day, to a young class. On the next day a scholar
was present who had been away at the previous exercise.
The teacher must go over the whole explanation with him ;
and to him alone must the time be given which had already
been given, for this purpose, to the whole class on the pre-
vious day. On the next day yet another one came who had
been absent on the two days before, and on the third still an-
other. We need not wonder if the class grew listless and in-
attentive at last, nor if a repetition of such instances should
deprive them of all interest in their study. It is easy for any
one to perceive, if he will think a moment, that, with very rare
exceptions, every instance of absence must be a great draw-
back to a whole class, if not to the whole school. So may one
irregular child cause much injury to the school, and derive lit-
tle or no advantage from it himself.
Parents, again, might with profit show an increased interest
in the teacher's success, by occasionally inviting him to see
them at their homes, — not merely giving a general invitation
to drop in when convenient, which in most cases is little better,
1*
6
practically, than no invitation at all, but appointing a time for
the visit. And bearing in mind that, alone, he can toil with
but little success, they should show him, by their personal
treatment of him, that his services are prized, and his right
efforts shall be seconded. He, with themselves, is the teacher,
guide, governor, of their children. Certainly in no instance,
therefore, will they take so strange a course as, before the
child, and systematically, to take his part against the teacher.
Nor yet make him the informer, or, child as he is, -- with a
child's passions, inclinations, short-sightedness, with his partial
way of looking at and reporting what affects him, — make
him the sole witness against the teacher.
The Committee have quite frequently called the attention
of the several schools to the general neglect of a book that
should at least be in the hands of every child of ten or
twelve years of age. They would commend the same subject
to the notice of parents. Surely there must be room for im-
provement in a school, when we are told what has been said of
one, and what probably might be said of many, of the schools
in town, that not more than two or three Dictionaries are
to be found in it. A Dictionary like the Comprehensive Dic-
tionary of Worcester should be at the disposal of every scholar
old enough to use it. And he should be taught to use it, as
well at home as at school, — should make it one of the treas-
ures with which he is never in life to part, — nor cease to con-
sult it till he has sounded the meaning of all the words with
which he meets, or that he has occasion to use. It would be
a curious and profitable matter for consideration, how much
vague reasoning, and how much misunderstanding and conse-
quent unjust and harsh feeling, have resulted from indefinite or
incorrect ideas attached to words, — how many quarrels have
hence sprung, and how many seeds of permanent alienation
have so been sown. The Committee have been surprised to
find how few words could be defined correctly in the sev-
eral schools in town. The parrot -like repetition of words to
which no meaning is attached must ever be an effectual bar
against good reading. The Central Grammar School has been
4
7
the freest from this fault, and at its last examination the third
class, particularly, acquitted itself very creditably.
While we are glad to say, .that the order of no school has
been very bad, we regret that we cannot say more than we
may on this head. Good order is, of course, one of the first
essentials of a good school. We should like, therefore, to say
our schools were almost faultless in this respect. The Primary
School in the Central District was as orderly, perhaps, as is de-
sirable for a school of that class. The West School also, the
Northeast Winter School and the Summer School in the South
District, the first named especially, have done very well.
One of the most important exercises in our common schools
is that of reading. We have already referred to a hindrance
to success in this exercise that we hope soon to see removed.
The most important preparation for the quite young scholar,
certainly, is the ability to modulate the voice so as readily to
give any required tone or sound. This must be the result of
much painstaking on the part of the teacher, and many exer-
cises on the part of the scholar. The teacher in the Primary
School in the Southeast District has been highly successful in
this. Her first class, for its age, is superior to any other in
town. There is too common a tendency for teachers to allow
their scholars to pass over more ground than they can go over
with thoroughness. It is irksome to insist upon exactness in
details. Scholars find it tedious so to perfect themselves, and
parents are too apt to measure a child's diligence and profi-
ciency by the number of pages he has gone over in a given time.
The Committee found that the Winter School in the Northeast
District had avoided this mistake. The class in Algebra bore
well a very detailed and thorough examination. The Summer
School in the South District, the two Grammar and the two
Primary Schools, and the West School, are to be in general
commended for this. The class in Mental Arithmetic in the
last-named school appeared remarkably well. A class of
young scholars went through long processes in their minds,
without the aid even of the question -book, in a manner that
would have done credit to some of our most advanced scholars.
The teachers in the Centre Grammar and in the Summer
r
8
School in the South District are to be especially commended for
their exercise of skill in leading the scholars to comprehend the
studies pursued, and for the interest the scholars seemed, con-
sequently, to take in their exercises. The teachers also in the
Southeast Schools are to be prized for the interest they take
in their calling, and for the efforts they make to be faithful.
From the manifest improvement made by the teacher of the
Grammar School during the past year in skill and in enforcing
order, and from the unanimity and support he receives from
the district, all springing from his devotion to the school, the
Committee anticipate yet better things, for the year to come,
from the school, than the last year has produced.
Whatever doubt there may be about the propriety of offering
prizes for success in any school exercise, on account of unfavor-
able moral results, it seems evident that a prize offered to the
one who should make most advancement in penmanship in the
South Winter School, excited a zeal that led to very marked im-
provement in that respect. The writing -books showed that the
school had improved more than any other in town in this
branch.
The Committee would recognize the liberality of the town in
its appropriations for common school education. Probably as
large a sum is appropriated for instruction as is really needed
for that purpose, for the present. Certainly the schools have
been kept for as large a portion of the year as the highest good
of the child requires. What is more needed, we would repeat,
than any thing else now, is that lively interest taken in the
studies, and in the docility, orderliness, and respectful manners
of their children, by parents, which shall lead them actively to
second the efforts of the teacher. In the two village schools
especially, as in village schools generally, the latter part of this
remark will apply. The Committee have observed in their
visits some approach towards pertness, some lack of modest
deference, which cannot be corrected by the teacher, if he
works alone. The part of a wise parent would seem to be
to second all judicious efforts that the teacher may make to
correct whatever he may discover that is offensive in a child's
demeanor, wherever it may be observed.
9
The Committee are convinced that in no other way can a
sense of what is proper and becoming in a child's general con-
duct and bearing towards his superiors be made so delicate, as
by a proper inculcation of his moral and religious obligations
by both parent and teacher. They do not suppose the matter
has been entirely overlooked, yet they think teachers would do
well to observe still more faithfully the law of the State that re-
quires all instructors of youth
" To exert their best endeavor to impress on the minds of
children and youth committed to their care and instruction, the
principles of piety, justice, and a sacred regard to truth, love
to their country, humanity, and universal benevolence, sobriety,
industry, and frugality, and those other virtues which are the
ornament of human society, and the basis upon which a repub-
lican constitution is founded ; and it shall be the duty of such
instructors to endeavor to lead their pupils, as their ages and
capacities will admit, into a clear understanding of the tenden-
cy of the above-mentioned virtues, to preserve and perfect a re-
publican constitution, and secure the blessings of liberty, as
well as to promote their future happiness, and also to point out
to them the evil tendency of the opposite vices."
For the Committee,
WILLIAM F. BRIDGE, Secretary.
IRA LELAND, School Coma-
HOWLAND HOLMES, mittee of
WILLIAM F. BRIDGE,
Lexington.
TABULAR VIEW.
DISTRICTS.
TEACHERS.
E
w
n
a
0
Months in Winter.
H
Whole Number of Schol-
ars in Summer.
Average Attendance in
Summer.
Whole Number of Schol-
ars in Winter.
Average Attendance in
Winter.
Wages per Month in Sum-
mer.
Wages per Month in Win-
ter.
Scholars over Fifteen Years
of Age, in Summer.
Scholars over Fifteen Years
of Age, in Winter.
Centre Grammar,
Centre Primary,
Southeast Grammar,
Southeast Primary,
South, '
West, . .
North, . . .
Northeast,.
L. B. d,
Ira Leland,*
Sarah E. Richardson,
John B. Marston,
Susan E. Rice,
George G. Parker,
1 M. A. Merriam,
Lucy A. Downing,
Elijah M. Hussey,
Elizabeth N. Locke,*
L. A. Hussey,
f Charles Tidd,
i Lucy B. Fiske,
5
5
5
5
} 62
5
52
} 5
5
4
5
42
3
5
35
3 3
4
10
9
10
92
92
10
82,
83
4
54
73
49
66
45
40
35
28
36
50
39
49
36
25*
245
20
36
50
55
54
39
40
35
37
28
40
49
41
34
245
30—u
33
$ 50.00
20.00
50.00
20.00
20.00
20.00
20.00
20.00
$ 50.00
20.00
50.00
20.00
35.00
22.00
37.50
40.00
20.00
2
3
7
2
5
5
1
3
5
* Mr. Leland and Miss Locke were employed for a few weeks to finish schools which were given up by the former teachers that they might so
fulfil other engagements.
0