Twenty-second Annual Report Of Superintendent Perry

To the Board of Education of the City of An Arbor: Gentlemen: - I heréwitïi respe;.'tfu) ly submit my 22d animal report o tho public schools of this city. Statlstifs are the most condensed fionn of hïstory, and, if well selected they are the most instructiva. Those that best set forth the work and diar acter of n scliool syKtem pertain to organizatiion, attendance and promo tioms. Tlie iiiiOBt important items of these classes for the year past are given betow: Studies. Boys. Girls. Total Latin 132 140 272 Greek 44 21 65 Germán 74 82 156 French 18 16 54 General Euglish 226 215 441 OldEnglish 2 14 16 English Grammar 99 78 177 English Literature 33 36 69 American Literature 7 9 16 Rhetoric 31 39 70 Physics 97 88 180 Botany 86 109 194 Physiólogy 14 33 47 rhemistry 64 27 91 Astronomy 43 24 67 Algebra... 1NÏ 186 369 Geometry 63 67 130 Trigonometry 22 3 25 Arithmetic 110 90 200 Physical Geography ... 16 26 42 Civil Government 17 23 40 Greek History 11 24 35 General History 117 87 204 U, S. History _.'. 98 115 213 Eoman History 18 43 60 English History _ l.É! 14 28 Folitical Economy 21 8 28 Commercial Law 16 4 20 Book-Keeping 60 32 92__ The total enroiment was 119 more tha-n that of '90- '91; most of this increase was in the primary (first ferar) grades. The per cent. of attendance was alm. a littlc higher. -5La g Enrollment, (Boys 357 277 4S7 1121 transfers excluded- tíirls 348 261 425 1034 Total 705 538 912 2155 Average numuer belonging... 570 461 78ri81á Average dally attendance 549 4-14 747J1740 Number of non-residents 348 52 48 448 Percent, of attendance 96 96.4 95.6 96 Number men teachers 9 .. .. 10 Number women teachers 7 12% 19 38 Number of special teachers.. .. 3 S 3 Number of days school in sussion 190 190 190 190 Average days attendance of each pupil _ 150 158 159 155 Average uumber of pupils to each teacher 37 37 41 38 Cost per capita for instruction Tost per capita for incidentals Total cost of schools per cap ita - To siKvw our estímate of regular attendance we have for several years printed thie ñames of all pupils neithor tarcl' n'or absent ïor the year. Th at liet tor the past ywir ii) as follows: HIGH SCHOOI.. Rose Andreas, Fred J. Austiu, Nellie Hrpkaw Uertrude Iíeakes, Minnie Caldwell, Emilíc F.berbach, Ella Uardner, Hany Hitchcock Henry Hayler, Víctor E. Kurtz, Amanda A Lutz, Kittie Miller, Maud Miller. Claude Newton, Olaaf G. Peterson. Clara E. Pinckney.Allie Kussell, Cora Robison, Edna Smith, Haunah Stein, Anna C!. Shannon, Louise Thompson, Emma Weitbrecht, Paulino Wurster, Ben J Wessinger, Louise P. Weinman. For kre ueari - Edward K. Muehlig. EIGHTH GRADE. Ki'h"i Flynn, Martha Hurd, Irank Phillips, Charles Swartout, John Smoots. For two years- Albert Dañe. FIRST WABD SCHOOL. Helen Almeudinger, Mary Bain, Waldo liurt, Lomsa ('oi-bin, ('liarles Divine, Osear Haarur Fannie Kiesselbach.Theo. Klegselbach, Emma' Koch, Albert Luick, Karl Mayer, Eme Nlles Carrie Steeb, Lucile Stone, Henrv Schnierle Willie Wotzke, Alfred Walker, Oscar Weitbrecht, Eddia Weinniau. For (too i,enr- Johanna Wurster. SECOXD WAM) SCHOOL. Miua Burke. Herbert Buss, .loseph Fiseher Geo. Frey, Herman Huhn, Loulsa Kauska, tmily Kauska, Oscar Lutz. liara Martin. Cari Rettlch, Eugeue Sinke, Lydia Schleyer, Hattie Schall. Flora 8cbwab, Allee Scttall, Bertha Schleger, Bertha Steeb, Fred Werner, Edwin W aguer. FOURTII IV.lltl) SCHOOI,. Ernest Belsor, .lohn Kusscll. Wm. Rnaf. Ida snaanon, alter ïuckor, sidnuy Martin. FIFTII WARD SCHOOL. Hattie Carson, Mand Murrey. For two vears- Katie Sharpe. S1XTH WARD SCHOOL. Albert Hall. The culminattou of a year's work in onr syisteni of schools is the promotion of sueceseful pupUs to higher grades. ThtKirctiiaHy, the number prómoted öhoiüd equal the number belonging at the cloae of the school ywar. But there are ahvays somO imperfectly claslsified, 1. e., uot adherinR to the curriculum, either in iuantity or Ufstribution oí studies, wh-iie otfeens are aaaiblé to teep pace witii tii.'ir eiasees. aear to thla ideal were the prömotions in primary and grammar graden the following table wlll sho'w: g A j 1 i t, o 1 Xumber properly in classes at r close ofyear- 40G 61073 2 Number fmperfectly classified, 24 53 77 3 Nuiuber promoted uncoudltioually .-. 2gü 539 827 4 Number promoted conditionnlly - 63 69 129 5 Extra promotions (skipped a grade) - 13 11 24 fi Nuriber returned to lower grade 10 2 12 7 Faíled to pass from irregular attendance 7 12 19 Alxrat t)l per cent. of the regular enrolment were moved forward one course. Of those piomoted conditionally, about two-thirds usually succeed im holding their allgnment. All grades above the seeond were promoted as the grammar grades were in '91, on their record and the judg-nient oí the teachers without final examínatkms. Pupils were ter prepared tor promotion because of the oinfeskm of examinations. Oases so promoted in '91 have shown no lack of stremgth in their work during the past year. A prospective examination for promotion acts as a restraint upon both pupila and teacher. Many things are memorized through fear of the questions that will be Bet by the superintendent, wMIe work that most strengthens the mpil for future studies ia correspondniily lessened. I believe no pedagogial principie s better ostablished thwa that the nost fruitful motive of a studenfs ffort.s te Interna 1 nat external-inter est in the subject matter of Btudy, ather than the teacher's will, honor rizes or high per cent. The normal ondition ol mind growth is freedom - voliMitary aictivity. Moreover the aod teacher will do her best work nder conditions of freedom- freedom as ix methodl3, quaintity of subject ïatter presented in a given time, lorm of pupil's acquisitions, and all he details of inoiting and impi-essing er pupil. I trust we are forever cue wlth the repressinic influentes of he examinatioii for promotion. The nly proper test for promotion ib crwer, and the only question that eede to ije answered ior each pupil 'ith referem-e to eách of hi's studies , "ivhat can he do iin it?" Tliis thought may suggest the onthjy teachers' meeting of Gramr and Primary gradee. Sonie of tlie topics of discussiou at these meetings have 'been: The study of ..hildren by observation; Testu of mimi gwwth.; Valuo and place of examinations; How to cultívate the er of attention; New ecniree in arithmetie; Field vork in geography; Observation studies in primar}' grades; Phonlcs, whei-e and how. It may rijílitly be supposed tliat the discussion of.some of these topics extended tlwaugh sereral meettoge. In addttiön to these meetings the cadets wttli half a dozen members of the sentor class of the High School M'ho expect to teacli, former a very interesting class which met weekly wit ]i the superintendent for study and instructiloii in the Theory and Art of Teaching. Their studies lncluded a survey of buen mental powers as are nïost frequently i-mployed in school exercixcs; applfcatton ol principies to pomts observod by the cadeta in school work; illustrations by meana of suppository cases; and the best means of atKngibhening the mental rafculties at the various atases of school lite. In addltiion bo these meetings of grade teachers and cadete, a reaDure of school admiinbtration that has preved quite bénélüclal during the p;it yi'ai-, has been a weekly meeting oï the teachers In each ward conductèd by the principal. ïlie maln Object of these mieethigfi was to seuiT the licst mamagement of the schoote throush ttnity of pilrpoöe and actiion. In same eaee they also scurtd the purpoee of diiscnssion upon room management and class inatruc tton. The experiment of tefeehlBg Gern.ui n the priiaary (llret toar) grades n Wftrd II. was hïghly eucccssful xth in qnantity and quality of work complished. In order to continue and entarge upon this experiment. vour Board have wisciy determtiied to put fierman into' the same I nary) grades in Ward III witli Mies hindert in charge of the instruction in both warde. A vexing ermdition lias leen conrontinK os regarding school ties. Sooine of the rooms in Wards I. and II. have becomt? too full for wicceesful management. The matter resolved itself into a. question of another building, or an additional teacher in a vacant room of the building in Ward IV., with a rearrangement ol ward boundaries. The lat ter alteroative tos ehosen ;is being tihe nrore economical. As a. result, mauy famil'ies tteat have hithertf been allwwed to send the'.r children to Ward I. or Ward II. will be a.sked t'o patroaiize other schools; and it is hpoed that they will aequiesce gracefuJly. A move ment that etrongly coinmends itself to my judgment is on floot ia nrany schools to increase the use of genuine literature in complete mater-pieces in grades beLow the High School. Our ward librarles, aggregating 300 volumes, are acccunplisliiiig soniething for us in tuis directton; aliso many of our ward pupils ure liberal patrons (sometimes too liberal) of the general library. But irt is impoBsibte for teacliers to pi-operly supervisie this reading. Again, -ve have a aood series of readers; but eelecttomj for a school reader are ot' necessity brief, unrelated, ehioppy, affording no opportunity of makiaig an adequate literary study of author or maister-pieüe. It is believed that complete master-plecee hxaa Hawthorne, Whittier, Lowell, Burroughy, Warner, Longfellow, ving, Holmes, etc., read íor Uterary purposas under a competent u-achcr are the 1et means a school can eniploy of lestablishing the right reading habi't, and creating a taste for good literatura; and moreover that a knowledge of good writers and some of thieir best produetions will proA'e of incalculable valué to these pupils im later years, whether In the study, the shop, ov the office. The 8th grade have been allowed these adVantagess for several years past, mucli to their good fortune in the line of literary culture. I believe a siniiiar treatment ehoiild be acoorded to grade 7 ait once. Indeed, i'f in 'the near future all the gra minar grades, 5 to 8 inclusive, ehould be permitted to read entire selections of literature, in.stead of being confined to the school series of readers, the result woiuld be a wlder intellectual outlook, and a more rapid devellopment oí literary taste. Another urgent need in our schools ie more observational work in primai-y grados, and etementary science in grammar grades. Object lessons, we have alwaye had, but they have not lieen Boientific enougli either in material or nuethod. What shall be the subject matter oï observational studies by childreu? All educators unite in saying Nature, in some of her myriad forma. And yet kt la doubt tul if there are half a dozen schools in the country where this work is well done. Even in Boston, once the home of Aggaselz, Supt. Seaver says "In respect to these nature-studies, our schools are srravely deficiënt both in methöd and n results." But we mut not be (üecouraged. A ltttle döme here iis better than none at all. "In ttoe vartous schools of our city ma y b? found the beRinninKs of snch nttompts as these: Daily weath attteuipt sae these: Daily weathWiuuow gardens wtth shoot.s from sccil peas, beans. whoat, oom, etc. for daily observation; First birds of spring; Leaf studies, form and venatlon; Trees dlating-uished by bark, lcul', truuk. lu'iKht, sliia.pe of top; Firld XM-k on slopes in conneotlon with tonas and wprk of water; Anima'.s, polly-wog, turtles, frog, bee, aman, ctoryaalte, etc.; chool museum for ■■ontriliiitcd apeciknens in zoology, mlueralogy, botany. In the lowesi gTadtes ol thie work, enipliasis is laiil on the faet of observation and discovery; in the middle graden the exereise passes int o the üollection of iacts and specimens; white in the upper Kraminar gradee, wttli toxt-boioks in pyheiology, phys1Ö8 and geoloRy, tlue work assnmes sometliing of eeientific classification mnd generadlzatton. Though nature study lia.s been Klow in talcing form and impulse, it is bound to become a prominent feature of the public schools. Tlie High School always demandB somr special notiice because of its prominente and its speclail needs. The enroliiM'fiT last yt-ar was larger tlvau for any preceeding yoar in l'.istory although the al tocrease was nob so great as in &ome farmer years. There is always dangex tlna.t a üiool will be meaaured hy its nurabers. It were better that it be masnred by ite character. It ougiht to be the h'.ghest ambition f the m-aaagcre and friendo of thls Iüjrh School that it becomc the best school of lts kind that condltlonri wil perniit. The numbers will take care of theimselves. .-Mvondnry schools ' are coming to be reg-arded a very distinct factor in tbc edn-ational workï. A distin gulebed lommittea of ten. with Pres. Eliot, of Harvard ae hairinan, was recently appointod by the National BdTieationa] Aeeoclatlon to undertake a Kcri.'s f inv'.sticatio:ns into the öouiwea of study of secondary 'scliools with ■reference to snbject-top: -s of iiisuuttion, time allotment for .studies, and niotlnods of ilistiiiction, with reterance to greater uniformity in prosranmu's of work and requii-ements for admission to college. We sUll look for important results of tlie woirk of this oonnnittee. Ti? torth-cominj? Co!umbLan Exposütiioin senda torta its smnmon.s to tlie sehooUi oí the laúd to nivi ;U1 account af tlit'ir standardsliip i. e., to present fnr iTTspeotiwn their organization, their Bchemee oí worfk, their methods of operation, and their producís. That tlie H.igh Sfhool frota its unique composition and cbaracter, and its responsibility to a oonstituency tered all over the middle and western states, e hooi ld proiiiptly and generously respand to sueh a cali, muy well le a.ssnnu'(l by bcth management and patrons. Just what is wisest to be dione may not toe easy of decisión, but we may expect a presentation both sultabte and reepectable. The Columbinn vear is to be inniigurated by a great celebra tiom on the 21st of tire coming October, fiomiewhat uniform in character all over the T'nited -States under the auspices of the public schools in each locallt-y. It iis expected that all the schools, the churches. the military, patriotic organizations; and all citizens will unirte in this grand celebra - tion. I deern it warthy of mention here that thi Hfeh School (as well as most of tli lower grades), has abandonad the per centage niethod of recording tandings, using instead only four gradee of tscholarship, denoted by letters. We have tong obeerved that many pupUfi aro accustomed to rate themsel-es by their percentage record ratlver than by their eonscious jiower and attainiment. We belleve tluit artificia] Incentives of any kiml are EkHy to break down the ethica! spirit in youth whlch is the oliief element in genwine character and high attainment. ScholavNhip honors in same degree, seera inevitable in school management, but they should never be regarded by pupil or teacher as the highest motive of study. A long this line, it may be well to say a few words conoernijíg Hili School discipline. Situated contiguous to a great university, it is not easy to mia-jntain a sentiment that our school welfare, and the best interest of our pupila require a school, rather than a ooilege discipline. Some of OTir pupi'ls even would be benellted if tliey Óotüd have the supervisión of teaciuere in learnlng their lessons. It oulil prevent many a shiftletss mental habit and much waste of eoergy. A judicious school discipline ought to de-wltop self-control and as far as poeeible ma;ke tlie hi'glier motives regnam during this pivotal period of gi'owth of the will. Moreover many pupils come to us from distant hom-es at an age when they iieed rauch persona] care and supervi&ilon. Becau.se pupila are a lio wed to do o much of tlieir studyíng at home it is often sup poeed that the goverament of the H;gh School need but little attentton, but the fact is that its proper OTetelght calis lor unwonted wisdom, patk'nce, flirmnesg, and visilence on the part of the peincipal and1 all his aissistante. An important deductïon from all this te that school ethics, and all iiiat passes under the phrase, building of character, may be oí more conequence in a school than all the intellectual wotk aecomplMied, while int'llectual attainment itself is largely dependent upon moral character. Bvery school then should be permeatcd wlth a pronounced moral atmosphere, without whlelí it has no moral right to be. in the evenlng following the graduatlng exwises, occurred the animal meeting of the Alumni Assoeiation, in High .School Hall. whlch was lai-gely attended and Rreatly enjoyed. The teachers in all departments for the coming year will bs as folknvs: V. S. Perry Superintendent HIGH SCHOOL. J G. Pattenglll, Principal Greek aud Latin Horatio N. Chute I'hvsics Levi D. Wlnes Higher Mathemutics Alice Porter Latiu Mary E. Hunt Natural Scieuce aud" Algebra Mary E. Dickey -Germán ';!"1IS,?-j!ocelyn Mathematics W m. . Eagan Grammar and Old English J.C. McClenahau Business Branches Graee Taylor.Khetoric aud English Llterature Sara Whedon - English and Composition Jabez Montgomery, Astrouomy and Cheinistrv Anna H. Adams F'rench aud Latlii liliza K. Sunderland j - -History aud Politieal Economy hdward G. Maul Assistaut in Mnthematics yii?lienyon Elocution N ellie S. Loving.... Librarían GRAMMAR AND l'RIMARY DBPABTMENTB. CENTRAL BUILDING. Elizn C. Ladd, Principal Eighth Grade Anna D. RobinsOQ Abbie A. Pomd -II.IIII " FIRST WARD SCHOOL. Clara G. Plvmpton, Principal Seventh Grade Ermlie J. Eldndge Celia L, Burke- -IHIsixth Wllhelmine L. Beuder Fourth " Carrie Baxter Third " Maggie T. McDivitt.._.First and second " SECOND WARD SCHOOL. Mary Mulbollaud, Principal a . ,-,,., Fifth aud sixth Grades Augusta W. Walter Fourth Grade Etally E. Lutz_ Third Emlly Marshke Seeond " Carne P. Krause First " MelindaK.Mogk """ Emily Gundert Germaü TIIIUD WARD SCHOOL. Belle K. Edson. Principal Fiftn and sixth Grade Sara G. Come ..Third and fourth " Elizalieth J. Cowan ..Secoud Grade Bertha Feiuer First " Emily Gimdert Germán FOURTH WAUD SCHOOL. Annette L. Ailea, Principal Seventh Grade Lulu G. Downs Fifth and sixth Grades Charlotte L. Millari __Fourth Gradt Julia A. Howard Third Minuie A. Drake Second " Eugenia Mogk First FIFTH WARE SCHOOL. Mattie E. Goodale, Principal Fifth aud sixth Grades Gertrude F. Hamilton. third and fourth " Alice L. Treodwell Second Grade Anua L. Clinton First " SIXTH WARD SCHOOL. Cora B Gibhs Fifth and sixth Grades Ella 8. Wrlght Third and fourth " Mattie Cornweh, Principal First aud second Grades SPECIAL TEACHF.RS. Allee Himt Drawirg Lucy K. (Jole Muslc With gratitud; Sor the niany evldences af your kindly and active in fcerest in the management and work of the schooUs, tlii.s report is Eeepectiully èubmitted. W. s. PEIillY.