SUPERVISOR'S REPORT.

SELECTMEN OF HOPE:

Gentlemen, As required by law, I herewith submit my annual report on the schools of this town, for the year ending Feb. 28, 1886. Yours respectfully, D. H. MANSFIELD, Supervisor of Schools.

Hope, Me., Mar. 1, 1886.

TEACHERS AND TEACHING.
District number one had three terms of school, each taught by Miss F. J. Taylor of Hope, a Normal graduate and an excellent scholar. The scholars made good progress under her tuition, and her services were valuable to the school.
District number two. Spring and Fall terms taught by Miss Nellie B. Leach of South Union, a teacher of ability and experience. Progress satisfactory.
Winter term taught by Chas. O. Rokes of West Camden, a teacher of some experience but of limited scholarship. The scholars were interested in their studies and made fair progress.

District Number three. Spring term taught by Mary Maxcy of Hope. This was hardly a satisfactory term of school, but it was not all the fault of the teacher. I believe she conscientiously worked for the good of the school.
Fall term taught by Minnie Barnes of Hope. She labored hard to make the school a success, and her efforts were not in vain.

Winter term taught by Chas. Smith of Appleton. As it was but five weeks in length, but little benefit could be expected.

District number four. A short term of three weeks was held in March, under the instruction of W. S. Payson of Hope. Mr.
Payson knows what he is teaching, and knows how to teach it.
His equal as a teacher is seldom seen.

The regular school year was divided into three terms, all taught by Miss May E. Rowe of Newport. Quick, active and energetic in her movements, and ambitious in her vocation, she met with success in the school.

District number five had also a short term in the Spring, besides the regular Spring and Fall terms, all three taught by Minnie C. Barrett of Hope, a Normal graduate of long experience and ability. Her labor in this school was crowned with success.

The Winter term was taught by W. H. Bartlett, a teacher of much experience and so well known in this town that comment is unnecessary.
The scholars were much interested in their studies and made progress, but the order was not so good as in other schools.
As a whole the scholars in this district are far ahead of the other scholars in Hope.

District number six had but two terms of school, yet the scholars made much improvement.
The Spring term was taught by Minnie Barnes of Hope.
This was her first experience in teaching, and she labored hard for success and fully achieved it, satisfying everyone.

Winter term taught by Wm. H. Hull of Damariscotta. the same teacher who so successfully taught there last winter.
This school has made rapid progress within the last two years.

District number seven, which is nearly twice the size of any other district, had three terms, all under the instruction of Miss Rena Martin of South Hope. She is a hardworking teacher, whose labor in this school was of great benefit; each term being very satisfactory and profitable.

Our schools have equaled, at least, if not surpassed what they have been in former years; yet 1 cannot feel that all has been done that ought to have been; that the scholars have made all that improvement, or received all that advantage from attending school that might have been made and received. There appeal's to be too much indifference on the part of parents. They will send their scholars to school at the commencement;
if they learn, it is all right; if not, the same. You ask them about their school and they say: "I guess we are having a good school, I don't hear any complaint;" instead of saying, " We are having a good school, I have been there to see." But we need better schools and longer terms, and every scholar in school each day. We need to choose agents who are earnest in the work of education, and who will seek for the best teachers and be in season before such are engaged. Each annual school meeting should be called as soon after the annual town election as possible, so that the incoming agent may have time to get a good teacher. And let there be permanency in teachers; a really good teacher is worth to the school nearly twice as much the second term as the first.

Also I would most earnestly and respectfully call upon all interested to enforce a better attendance of their pupils on their respective schools, as there appears to be a great lack of it in our schools. Let each parent see that his or her scholars are in school at the proper time, and on all occasions within the range of possibility.
We pay a large sum each year, besides the cost of schoolhouses, books, etc., for each scholar, and then send him to school only a part of the time, some none at all. As near as I can tell from the returns of the teachers, over fifty scholars neglect the privilege of our schools almost entirely. Let us employ the very best teachers we can get, compel the punctual attendance of our children, and encourage them to strive for such an education as will fit them for the greatest usefulness and happiness. Do not let your children stay away from school for trivial causes, but remember that every day they are absent is a day lost, never to be regained. and sure to place them at a disadvantage with those who regularly attend.

A great evil in our school, fostered by the impatience or mistaken ambition on the part of the parents, is the premature advancement of pupils, especially in reading. It is no advantage, but on the contrary it is a positive injury to a scholar to be stumbling through a book in which he is not qualified to read. Let no reading book be changed for a higher grade until you have ascertained from the teacher that the change is really desirable, and that the book is adapted to the needs of the child.
for whom it is required.

But above all, whatever else you do, never speak of the teacher in disparaging terms before your children. Never destroy your children's respect for their instructor by unguarded remarks in their presence No course can be more destructive of order and discipline in the school than this. It is the chief cause of failure in many schools. Let it be reformed altogether.

SCHOOL BOOKS.

There are sixty dollars worth of books owned by the town, and kept for sale to the scholars. They have been divided, and one third placed in the hands of A. P. St. Clair, one third in the hands of L. P. True, and the remainder are in my, possession, besides books which I have bought with my own money, to the value of $24.31, making schoolbooks now on hand to the value of $84.31.
Not deeming the Fish-Robin arithmetic suitable for the use of scholars in our schools, and after a thorough examination of several arithmetics I decided to change for Raub's arithmetic.
The change has been made in all the districts but one, and at a cost of $31.20. The actual cash value of the new book was at least, on an average, one third more than the old one, so that the actual cost of the exchange was not far from $20, and the new book is sold for 60 cents, whereas the old arithmetic cost 72 cents. I am satisfied that the change will be of much value to the scholars in the near future.