To the Trustees of the Beverly Independent Industrial School. Gentlemen: A
brief report of the second year's work of the school is presented for your
consideration.
The President of the Board' of Trustees, and the Secretary and Executive Officer,
presented in the First Annual Report a statement of the investigation of the
field, the establishing of the school, and the work done under its direction.
The year just closed has presented no changes in the scheme of administration
or the purposes of the school. In October Mr. Paul D. Stafford resigned as
machinist- instructor. Mr. Robert H. Lawson resigned in December. Both of
the machinist instructors now in charge are new to this kind of work. The
Secretary and Executive Officer is also new to this field of education. The
work of the first year was pioneer work, and in the work of the year just
closed is found a justification for the school. But the crucial test of this
particular plan of industrial education is at hand. Firm as its foundation
is laid, its development depends upon the immediate policy of the Board of
Trustees. The school must have an instructor who will be present at the school
in the capacity of a head master. I present below the reasons, which furnish
a basis for argument in favor of this departure. These reasons have been discussed.
First: The School
needs a head. It is impossible for the Superintendent of Schools to do anything
more than act as the executive officer of the scheme. A large portion of his
time is demanded, and rightly so, by the work of the regular schools. He cannot
be present at all times in immediate charge of the work. He should be the
inspector and leader. There should be a principal under him acting as his
agent in immediate charge of the instruction.
Second: A principal or director of the school is needed in order to correlate
the work of the factory and the school and in order to make certain that the
other instructors are not only proceeding along the right lines in their work,
but that they are proceeding along common lines so that there shall be unity
in the course of study, similarity in method and unity in aim and purpose.
Third: It is apparent that with the growing success of the school there will
be a demand for the increase of your enrollment so as to accommodate new applicants.
It will be impossible for your present corps of teachers to take care of an
increased registration.
Fourth: The mere accession from year to year of an incoming class of the present
size bids fair at an early date to fill your school up with pupils pursuing
different years of work. They must necessarily pursue different studies or
different parts of the same study in order that they may make progress. This
cannot be provided for without an additional teacher.