I LB 3412 I Ml A* 7 1 1915c 1 Copy 1 ARTMENT OF EDUCA THE CITY OF NEW YORK SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CITY SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS 1914-1915 PHYSICAL TRAINING AND HYGIENE PRESENTED TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OCTOBER 13, 1915 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION THE CITY OF NEW YORK SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CITY SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS 1914-1915 PHYSICAL TRAINING AND HYGIENE PRESENTED TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OCTOBER 13, 1915 xf /6V 2 /lA I CONTENTS >A l .A* \ PAGE ^iK*' Letter of transmittal 3 Scope 4 Corps 4-5 Correlation of Athletics, Physical Training and Hygiene 5-6 Hygiene: G Instruction in hygiene .'. 6- S Cooperation with the Board of Health 8-9 Experimental — teachers' examinations for physical disabilities. . . . 9-10 Cooperative experiment with the Board of Health 10 Hygiene of the eye 10-11 Pupil organizations for school hygiene 11 "How to safeguard the health of the child" . 11 Lectures on first aid 11 Soap and towels 12 Sanitary floor dressing 12 Truants 12-14 Tests of vitality and school fatigue 14-15 Physicians in high schools 15 Dental hygiene week and tooth brush day 16-17 School Health News 18 Physical training: 18 New syllabus 18-19 Double sessions 19 Prevocational schools 19-20 Special teachers 20 Normal instruction 20-21 Promotion license 21 Class competition in health "... 21 Posture 22 Vocational schools 22 High schools 22-23 Evening high schools 23 Physically handicapped children — 23 Deaf 24 Blind 24 Crippled 24-25 Pretubercular 25 A thletics: 27 James E. Sullivan 27 After school athletic centres 27-30 Standard activities — Boys 30-32 Standard activities — Girls 32-37 Summary 37-38 D* Of D. ^ LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL New York, July 30, 1915. To the Board of Education: Ladies and Gentlemen: The annual report of Dr. C. Ward Crampton, Director of Physical Education, shows the development of the organization of this depart- ment of the public school system. The importance of laying a healthful physical basis for the complete education of the children and youth of our City is generally recognized, but the means and method of its accomplishment have not been provided. This report shows a comprehensive plan of organization that is being worked out within the department and in cooperation with the City health authorities. Dr. Crampton has presented in much detail the essential features of the work inaugurated. All through the report he emphasizes the relation of physical training to health. The new syllabus in physical training and hygiene is described. Lessons in hygiene and in physical training are carried on with the aim of contributing to the health and physical efficiency of the pupils. Teachers and pupils are coming to understand the vital importance of both. The teachers are learning how to discover physical defects in the pupils and to what extent these defects are a handicap to the pupils' scholastic progress. The pupils are being trained to understand the importance of the care of one's health, the observance of the laws of hygiene and the value of physical training, athletics, games and recreation in developing efficiency. Closer cooperation with the Board of Health is being secured in order to safeguard the health of pupils in school and in the use of the school as a medium by which information concerning health and hygiene may be transmitted to the citizens. Dr. Crampton shows the importance of appointing physicians in high schools, explains the plan inaugurated for special training of teachers for class-room work, and reports upon the supervision of classes of defective children. These matters invite your earnest attention and consideration. Respectfully submitted, CLARENCE E. MELENEY, Acting City Superintendent. July 15, 1915. MR. WILLIAM H. MAXWELL, City Superintendent of Schools. Dear Sir: — I submit herewith my sixth annual report as Director of Physical Training : SCOPE The department under my direction has now three coordinate forms of activities: physical training, athletics and educational hygiene. Each renders its peculiar service to education, and com- bined they form in addition a solid comprehensive program for the benefit of the present and future health, happiness and efficiency of the children of the City. CORPS 1 director of physical training. 3 assistant directors of physical training. 2 assistant directors of educational hygiene. 3 inspectors of athletics for boys. 2 inspectors of athletics for girls. 47 special teachers of physical training in elementary schools. 90 teachers of physical training in high schools. 6 teachers of physical training in training schools. 1 teacher of physical training in truant schools. 1 teacher of physical training in trade schools. 2 teachers of physical training in vocational schools. 9 teachers of physical training in pre- vocational schools. 12 teachers of physical training in evening high schools (men) . 10 teachers of physical training in evening high schools (women). 313 teachers assigned to after school athletic centres (men). 185 teachers assigned to after school athletic centres (women). 4 substitute special teachers of physical training assigned to technical office work. CORRELATION OF PHYSICAL TRAINING, ATHLETICS AND HYGIENE Under one direction, physical training, hygiene and athletics are supervised by different assistants, but each by its own method influences the same children and in manifold ways they support each other. This is clearly indicated throughout this report. Some of the major correlations are as follows: The new syllabus provides "an athletic period" which is given instead of the more formal lesson once or twice a week. The organi- zation of this period is similar in all respects to the athletic centre. The class is formed into small squads each of which pursues one or another form of athletic activity under the direction of its captain. From time to time, the teacher instructs the whole class in some new feature of the work, but the major portion of the time he goes from squad to squad demonstrating, instructing, encouraging and making records. This is a period primarily designed to instruct children in the forms of athletic activities which they may use during their natural play time (the afternoon), where facilities are available. The athletic centres, clubs and teams engage in a full, free use of these play forms and return to the required physical training work in the athletic period, the profit of their practice. In each activity, pupils engage in standard athletic tests which are recorded, and each pupil seeks to improve his record from month to month, and term to term. This gives a lively personal interest in athletic training. The formal lessons contain hygienic exercises which are specially designed to strengthen heart, lungs and the sympathetic nervous control of blood distribution. These constitute the foundation or vitality which is expressed in endurance in athletic events, and under the strains of life processes. The pupils are made aware of the fact that an intelligent athletic training and training for living are syn- onymous, and that a daily practice of hygienic exercises is useful in both. The new syllabus provides a series of mimetic exercises. These imitate important game and athletic movements such as putting the shot, standing broad jump, playing baseball, etc., and by their use good practice in actual play is definitely learned. Ordinarily, the boy has merely an academic interest in health which may be made lively and personal if he realizes that health is necessary for supremacy in running, jumping and basketball. Teach- ers in charge of after-school athletics have been instructed to em- phasize the fact that the rules of athletic training are the laws of health; that the use of the tooth brush, the cleansing bath and attention to proper mastication will improve athletic performances. This supplies to the pupil a motivation previously wholly lacking and gives to the didactic instruction in hygiene a definite point. Athletics, considered as exercises, is, in itself, an hygienic procedure and a part of the health program, and by its practice pupils obtain appropriate daily exercises which tends to keep them in good health. They gain a knowledge of the modes of physical recreation, a skill in their performance and an interest in them which will serve well during adolescence and adult life. In this matter, athletics and hygiene join in an endeavor to make for a life habit of exercise. The work in hygiene, physical training exercises of the school session and the athletics and athletic centres of the afternoon form an interlocking program designed to foster and develop health and vitality. During the year I have held conferences of the Directors of Physical Training and Educational Hygiene and Inspectors of Athletics, at which the methods of correlation have been discussed and plans developed. HYGIENE Instruction in Hygiene Realizing that the present syllabus in hygiene was not efficient, I devised and tried in various schools a new syllabus which is now before the Board of Superintendents for consideration. While the old syllabus was mainly didactic, the new is personal and objective. It provides instructions for the control of class-room hygiene by the teacher with reference to seating, temperature, ventilation, light, immobility, etc. The Daily Morning Hygiene Inspection is called for and methods for its use are given. Three hundred and one schools had already put this into practice. The purpose of the Daily Morning Inspection is to observe the success of pupils in putting into actual daily practice the instruction given. In this respect it is an efficient test of the school work. It also promises a discovery of early signs of illness and will do much to prevent the spread of contagion, and in our experimental work it has been found to establish a close and effective cooperation between the home, the school, the medical inspector and the nurse. Characteristic of the purpose of the new syllabus to make daily living hygienic, is the "Daily Routine." This is a schedule of the daily hygienic features of child life. A typical program beginning with getting up in the morning and ending with opening the window of the bedroom at night is written out by each pupil and taken home where it will be of best use to both parents and children. The teachers are required to make an annual test of vision and hearing. This will supplement the work of the medical inspectors of the Board of Health who cannot now cover the whole field. Di- dactic instruction is continued, but it is based primarily upon the daily inspection, daily routine and the personal daily experience of the children. Mere anatomy is discarded wholly and physiology has been subordinated. Topics for ten lessons for each term are given in detail. Each term has a general subject which is considered with reference to daily life and its application to the home, seasonal hygiene, alcohol, tobacco and anti-tuberculosis measures. Realizing that many children leave school directly to go to work, a special term outline on the Hygiene of the Worker has been offered to be used at the discretion of the principal in pre-vocational schools and for classes of children preparing for work. Many of the older girls will upon leaving school assume household duties and many are already important influences in the home. To meet their needs a special term outline has been furnished on Home Hygiene. Where this syllabus has been tried, it has aroused the keen enthusiastic interest of the pupils and teachers and has made an important and easily noted difference in the appearance and health of the pupils. Cooperation With the Board of Health The Board of Health has for many years conducted the medical inspection of school children, and the fact that two City departments come in official contact with the pupil has made local and general interdepartmental relations subject to strain. The employment of Assistant Directors of Educational Hygiene, assigned to all matters relating to the health of pupils and teachers, has given the Board of Education a Bureau of Educational Hygiene with general powers. This formal entry into the field of specific health activities provided an opportunity to adjust the work of the two departments to each other, and upon receipt of authority from the City Superintendent and President of the Board of Education, I approached Dr. S. S. Goldwater, Commissioner of Health, with a proposition to hold periodical conferences with his subordinates. Two such conferences have been held, important matters were dis- cussed and many plans for cooperative action have been formulated and put into operation. The field of work of the two departments was first carefully analyzed and defined. It is agreed that under present conditions the Department of Health was primarily con- cerned with medical inspection, and the Department of Education with all other matters, but that each department with its jurisdiction over health affairs had a definite interest in the field of the other, and the freest consultation on all matters was agreed upon. With reference to physical defects it is agreed that the teachers might make simple functional tests of eyes and ears, and that some plan should be devised for the cooperative recording and following-up of these cases to treatment and cure. It is agreed that the instruction of pupils and teachers on matters of health is the duty of the Department of Education, but that such instructions might properly receive the vise of the Health Depart- ment. Since the inauguration of this plan, there has been constant 9 reference of important matters to and from the Department of Health, and cordial relations have been established. Experimental Work in Teachers' Examinations for Physical Disabilities Previous to the inauguration of our cooperative plan, it was decided in connection with the preparation of the new syllabus in hygiene to test the ability of the teachers to make functional exami- nations of the eyes and ears and to follow-up the cases thus dis- covered to treatment and cure. Accordingly, the new syllabus was introduced in six public schools. This provided for lessons in hygiene, the daily hygienic inspection, the daily routine, testing eyes and ears, etc., notation of evident signs of illness, and the noti- fication of parents. This experiment was remarkably successful, and demonstrated beyond doubt that the teachers, who were carefully instructed not to assume medical function or authority, were able to note and obtain evidences of physical deficiency and to stimulate effective parental interest. At one school 42 teachers were given this instruction, 1,648 pupils were examined on one "Health Day." Of these, 1,128 pupils, or 68 per cent., were found to have 1,343 defects (1.19 defects per pupil). In an average time of six weeks, 28 per cent, of the cases were "terminated" — i. e., they presented certificates from a physician or dentist stating that they were under treatment. Twenty per cent, of all defects have been found cured or substantially improved. In addition to these percentages, 143 children with defective teeth and 14 with general defects have already promised treatment during the summer. This compares favorably with the results of medical inspection in various cities where the follow-up work has been pursued for six months or a year. In the other schools similar excellent results were obtained. While this experiment clearly demonstrates the efficiency of the teacher in a certain field, yet it cannot be taken to indicate that the doctor and nurse are unnecessary. By the cooperation of the teachers we can be assured that all pupils will receive definite attention at least once a year, and that the doctors and nurses will be enabled to devote their attention efficiently to the medical field which cannot be covered by the teachers. 10 A parallel experiment, conducted independently by the Board of Health in one other school, indicated that teachers could discover 72 per cent, of all defects. Cooperative Experiment With the Board of Health After conference with the Board of Health, it was decided to terminate independent experiment and to engage in the working out of the new syllabus in hygiene, placing the principal, teacher, physician and nurse in their appropriate fields and in cooperation with each other, thus combining all health activities of the two departments — physical training, hygiene, athletics and medical inspection — in one consistent health program. Hygiene of the Eye As a result of the work of the Committee on the Hygiene of the Eye, called by Dr. Dennis J. McDonald, important recommendations were made to the Board of Education, and several matters have been put forward. (See p. 19 of the Sixteenth Annual Report of the City Superintendent of Schools — Physical Training and Hygiene.) At the request of the Superintendent of School Buildings, I have prepared suggestions for a circular of instruction to teachers in rooms insufficiently illuminated. This related to the use of artificial light, cleanliness of windows, the display of dark colored pictures, the use of shades and the maintenance of a proper reading and working distance. Owing to the fact that dirty windows may reduce as much as 20 per cent, of light, the Committee on Care of Buildings was asked to instruct the janitors to pay particular attention to rooms deficiently lighted. Further recommendations were made to the Committee on Buildings with reference to the improvement of illumination of such rooms by whitewashing the walls of adjoining sections of the school building. In accord with the action of the Board of Education approving the recommendation of Committee on Hygiene of the Eye, I was in- structed by the City Superintendent to prepare standards for type, paper, illustrations, etc., for use in school text books. After a critical survey of the standards adopted by Cohn, the British Asso- 11 ciation, the American Medical Association, the American School Hygiene Association, the American Association for the Conservation of Vision, the report prepared by Superintendents Straubenmuller and Haaren on the subject (adopted December 3, 1908, by the Board of Education) and other scientific work, the tentative standards were prepared and sent to the Board of Superintendents. Pupil Organizations for School Hygiene In the course of a survey of hygienic conditions affecting schools, I discovered that 204 schools had pupils' self-government organiza- tions of various kinds which had some duty with reference to health. These were sanitary squads, civic leagues and health departments of school states or cities. These schools were asked for reports of their methods of organizations. With the assistance of the Pupils' Self -Government League, Dr. Frances Cohen, Assistant Director of Educational Hygiene, prepared a pamphlet describing the best typical methods of pupil organization. This should be printed and circulated among the schools, for the results of such organizations in improving the physical conditions of pupils are excellent. Pamphlet: "How To Safeguard the Health of the Child." In response to a request from the Committee on Hygiene, a pamphlet for parents on "How to Safeguard the Health of the Child," was prepared by this department. This deals with the simple hygienic affairs of daily life and gives good counsel to fathers and mothers. It provides a basis for making the school instruction in hygiene effective in the home, and seeks to establish an intelligent cooperation. This, I submit, should be printed and put into circu- lation. Lectures on First Aid Dr. Goldberger made arrangements with the Society for First - Aid-to-the-Injured for a series of five lectures to the pupils of the Stuyvesant Evening Trade School. One hundred and seventy-five attended, and seventy-eight secured diplomas from the society. It is recommended that this service be extended to other schools. 12 Soap and Towels The Board of Health has called the attention of the Board of Education to the fact set forth in my last annual report that no facilities for pupils to wash their hands are provided in the schools, and recommended the provision of a reasonable supply of soap and towels. The Board of Health has now called public attention to this lack of equipment, stating that "consideration of health and of common decency demand that the existing defect should be remedied." I beg leave to renew my recommendation to the effect that every school should be furnished with at least one sanitary soap container and a stock of paper towels. Unless this is done, our instruction in personal cleanliness lacks point. Sanitary Floor Dressing In previous reports I have called attention to the necessity of eliminating dust from class-room air. It has proven impossible to prevent dust rising from the crevices of the wooden floors of the classrooms during the physical training exercises. The most careful use of the best methods of cleaning has proven inadequate. At my request, a test of the efficiency of the application of the sanitary floor dressing to the floors was made by a technical expert, and Dr. Goldberger has conducted a series of exhaustive biological and physical experiments. I obtained the approval of the Bureau of Fire Prevention, and the Committees on Supplies and Care of Buildings have given their consent, and floor dressing may now be supplied to the schools. Truants At the request of Mr. John W. Davis, Director of the Bureau of Attendance and Child Welfare, I assigned Dr. Goldberger to the medical examination of children reported for truancy in the Second District. This was most detailed and thorough, including weight, nutrition, date of last vaccination, physiological age, stigmata of degeneracy, blood pressure, heart and lungs, teeth, ears, eyes, etc. A mental examination was also undertaken by another department. The results are as follows: 13 TABLE SHOWING PERCENTAGE OF PHYSICAL DEFECTS FOUND IN A GROUP OF EIGHTY TRUANTS DURING RECENT INVESTIGATION. No. of Percentage Cases. defective Number examined 80 Free from physical defects 7 Defective teeth 73 91 % Defective vision 17 20. 1% Defective hearing 6 7. 5% Defective nasal breathing 8 10. 0% Hypertrophied tonsils 13 10. 6% Anaemia 2 2. 5% Defective nutrition 21 26. 2% Cardiac disease 4 5.0% Pulmonary disease 1 1 • 2% Orthopedic defects 20 25. 0% Speech defects 6 7.5% Masturbation 66 82. 5% Tobacco 60 75. 0% Alcohol 19 23.7% Enlarged thyroid 1 1-2% Nervous diseases 1 1 ■ 2% TABLE COMPARING THE NATURE AND PERCENTAGE OF DEFECTS FOUND IN THE REGULAR ROUTINE PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS MADE DURING 1912, BY THE BOARD OF HEALTH, AND OUR EXAMINATION OF TRUANTS. Board of Health Find- Nature of defect ings, 1912 Truants Malnutrition 2.9% 26.2% Defective vision 7.3% 20. 1% Defective hearing 0. 5% 7. 5% Defective nasal breathing 7.6% 10. 0% Hypertrophied tonsils 10.4% 10.6% Defective teeth 49.4% 91.2% Pulmonary disease 0. 1% 1-2% Cardiac disease 0.5% 5.0% The prevalence of physical defects in truants is clearly shown and is of grave significance. It is demonstrated that truancy is quite as much of medical as of scholastic interest. These results point to the necessity of extending this examination to all districts in the City and to the prompt establishment of measures to remedy 14 the conditions. One of the most striking of Dr. Goldberger's results is the fact that truants almost uniformly show a high blood pressure corresponding approximately to the normal of adults of the age of twenty-five. This has been verified by examinations made by him at the Parental School where it was found that the boys on admission showed a high blood pressure, but after two or three months stay at the school this became practically normal. This has an important bearing upon the function of the Parental School and the benefits derived by the truants under its care. It may also indicate the possible reason for the increased prevalence of degenerative diseases of adult life which are the most important factors of morbidity which have not been reduced by modern sanitation. Tests of Vitality and School Fatigue Hitherto we have been unable to guide our management of pupils in the school upon the basis of definite knowledge of the vital cost of school work. As a result of a series of investigations on blood pressure and the frequency of blood cells, I devised a test of efficiency of the vaso-motor system which controls the distribution of the blood, and this promises to be an accurate measure of vitality. This test will measure the vital wear occasioned by the day's work, the gain in vitality from a night's rest, or from the week-end or a vacation. The record is made in definite percentage form which provides a basis for statistical analysis. In a series of thirty-four cases tested before and after the school day's work, there was an average loss of 8.4 per cent. In the series of fifty-nine cases which were tested on Friday and again under the same conditions on the succeeding Monday, it was found there was an average gain of 6.4 per cent. In seventy-six cases in a girls' high school tested before and after the Easter vacation, there was an average gain of 12.8 per cent. Fourteen of these cases were "run down" or ill before vacation, but these recuperated to the extent of 16.4 per cent. Twelve were ill during vacation and lost 5.7 per cent. Similar records were made on the teachers of P. S. 33, Bronx, by Dr. Goldberger, and similar results were obtained. A careful note was made as to the manner of spending the vacation. In all those who had a restful week the gain varied from 5 to 32 per cent. In three cases who reported personal illness, or illness or death in the family, there was a loss 15 of 20 to 30 per cent. It was found that as a result of two months work, twelve teachers showed a loss of 8 1/3 per cent, in vitality. This corresponds closely to the loss occasioned by one day's work, and the teachers apparently start the day in about the same condition that they had two months previously closed it. At the request of the New York State Ventilation Commission, I drafted a set of tests to be used in connection with their experiments in the effect of recirculated and outdoor air in P. S. 51, The Bronx, and the work is now in progress. While the report has not yet been made, yet experimental work in specially devised cabinets has revealed the fact that one ventilation factor at least, i. e., temperature, has an important influence on vitality. Using our test of vaso-tone, it was found that the subject showed 50 per cent, better condition at 68 degrees F. than at 86 degrees F. Physicians in High Schools It is generally agreed that physicians should be attached to the high schools to discover and remove physical defects and to direct the health activities of the schools. The High School Committee considered this matter and deferred favorable action on account of lack of financial ability. That this service may be of the greatest benefit was made clear by the assignment of two physicians of the Board of Health (a man and a woman) to the Eastern District High School at the beginning of the fall term in 1914. This arrangement was made by my office at the request of Mr. Vlymen, the principal of the school. Parental consent was obtained for a thorough exami- nation, and the physical training teachers followed up the cases and kept all records. The whole entering class was examined, and of 289 cases 169, or 58 per cent., were defective with 261 defects. Of these 231, or 88 per cent., "terminated," *. e., cured or improved; a result more than three times the average record of medical inspection work. This conclusively proves the necessity for such service and the efficiency of the method followed. Unfortunately the Com- missioner of Health decided not to renew the assignments, and the only course to follow in the future is to engage and assign our own physicians. 16 Dental Hygiene Week and Tooth Brush Day The almost universal prevalence of decayed teeth among school children has continued for many years, and it is the consensus of medical opinion that much illness and disability has resulted there- from. To bring to the attention of all the children and all the parents of the city the necessity of dental care, I proposed that the week of May 24-29 should be designated "Dental Hygiene Week," and May 28 "Tooth Brush Day." This was approved by the Acting City Superintendent and the President of the Board of Education. Accordingly circulars were issued to the principals of the schools calling attention to the matter, and an issue of the School Health News was devoted exclusively to this subject. A plan for the week was suggested as follows: Monday — Talks by the principal in assembly. Tuesday — Lectures by dentists. Wednesday — Special instruction by the teachers and announcement of the Tooth Brush Drill and inspection. Thursday — Meetings of Parents' Associations and Mothers' Clubs. Friday — Tooth Brush Inspection and Drill. Saturday — Dental Hygiene Field Day. While in some cases the idea of instruction in dental hygiene was apparently new, yet the response of the principals and teachers throughout the City was sufficient to make a deep impression on practically the whole school population. The First and Second District Dental Societies and The Bronx County Dental Society appointed committees and organized corps of lecturers who addressed the pupils of one hundred and twenty-five schools. More than thirty Parents' Associations devoted their meetings to this subject, and on Tooth Brush Day it is estimated that over four hundred thousand (400,000) children brought tooth brushes to school and practiced the Tooth Brush Drill. The Dental Associations provided banners to be given to the class in Manhattan, Bronx and Brooklyn which showed the best drill and the best kept teeth. It is impossible to estimate the benefit derived from this campaign, but it is clear that at a negligible cost the whole City has been apprised of the importance of dental. hygiene, and that this work may be 18 followed up in the future to still greater advantage. The movement attracted a widespread interest, and other large cities are preparing similar campaigns for the fall. "School Health News" Through the courtesy of Dr. S. S. Goldwater, Commissioner of Health, this department was offered one-quarter of the pages of the School Health News which the Bureau of Health Education of the Department of Health was preparing to issue to the school teachers of the City. Two issues have been printed and distributed through the Bureau of Supplies and the offices of the District Super- intendents. This is an earnest of the efficiency of the cooperation existing between the two departments, and it provides a most wel- come means of giving the teachers important counsel on matters of health. PHYSICAL TRAINING (ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS) New Syllabus The new syllabus for the last four years of the elementary school has now been in operation for a year. The difficulties attending its introduction have been practically negligible. The definite, concise instructions, the simplicity and naturalness of the exercises and the manifest ease in understanding the purpose of the required procedure, all appealed so strongly to the teachers that the old course was gladly discarded for the new. The teachers have exhibited a keen interest and enjoy it for they now know what results are desired, and they can observe from day to day the progress made. There has been a change in the general attitude of pupils toward the subject. The purpose of the instruction has been put within their grasp and they have become interested in their own personal advancement. The continuity of the progress from term to term was clearly shown by careful inspections during the first week of February. It was found that the pupils knew exactly what to do and no time was lost in continuing uninterruptedly the work of the previous term. 19 That physical training has come to mean something to be sought rather than to be avoided as a task, is indicated by the fact that in three district athletic meets, each with approximately one thousand contestants, the boys, trained in various schools met and exhibited in unison physical training exercises taken from the syllabus; — another evidence of complete correlation of these two subjects. The athletic period has proven a most popular departure. Aside from its corre- lation with after school athletics, it has served to indicate that in every class there are a few natural leaders who if given a little instruc- tion and assistance will carry on an athletic period in an efficient and boy-like manner, and in some respects quite superior to adult control. This has multiplied the efficiency and rapidity of our instruction. The organized recess, standardized two years ago, has been better understood and used than ever before. Some principals have placed it in operation during a part of the noon hour for the benefit of children who do not go home to lunch, and in some cases it is used before 9:00 o'clock. It has been adopted as a mode of caring for little children when they are assembled on the playground, and it provides safety, pleasure and instruction. Double Sessions Double sessions tend to interfere with the instruction in physical training. While in many cases the time spent in the playground has increased, yet the attendance is in such large numbers that only play activities can be indulged in and formal and corrective work is neglected. Pre-Vocational Schools Special teachers of physical training were put in the pre-vocational schools. They conducted the regular physical training, gave instruc- tion in hygiene, made simple tests for obvious physical defects, followed them up to cure, and conducted a morning hygienic inspec- tion. The adjoining parks and gymnasia were used where the school buildings did not provide sufficient facilities for physical training. Special teachers also supervise the posture of the pupils 20 in the shops. This is particularly important in millinery, dress- making and other sedentary employments. In power machine and other machine work where the operator is constantly standing and other more or less static occupations, there is a decided inclination to assume bad posture, which interferes with all vital activities and reduces efficiency. In other activities, 'such as carpentry and electric wiring, there is less need for correction. Special Teachers The special teachers continually leave the elementary school corps for the high schools because the salary is greater, and as a result there are ten substitutes in a corps of forty-seven teachers. This is obviously wrong. Special teachers are engaged in supervision and administration, a higher grade of instruction than teaching, and should be paid correspondingly more. Normal Instruction In my last annual report, I recommended the provision of a special normal course in physical training in the teachers' training schools; normal instruction in the evening high schools and instruc- tion in the day high schools of applicants for junior assistant license. As a result, classes for women school teachers were conducted in the Harlem and New York Evening High Schools. The work was carefully planned and expert teachers assigned. More than one hundred teachers were enrolled in these classes; fifty-seven who received a rating of over 70 per cent, and attended ninety hours were given a special certificate; the balance were given a certificate in accordance with their merit. This has given the schools of the City a great profit. The method should be continued and the number of classes increased. In response to your request, I was instructed to select thirty teachers to take a special course of forty days, one day a week, in physical training at the training schools. This was done, and the courses are now in progress and the benefit of the instruction given is already apparent in the schools. These classes combined with the classes in the Evening High Schools should be greatly extended, 21 for by these means we can place in each school one or more teachers who are able not only to conduct physical training work on the departmental plan, but to aid other teachers. The departmental assignments of physical training are increasing with profit to the schools. This plan should be extended to the third, fourth, fifth and sixth years. Promotion License Two examinations for promotion license in physical training have been held, and each candidate was given a practical test in the classroom. While the performance of the candidates at the first examination was good, the improvement in the second exami- nation was most marked. Many of the teachers who had been trained only in the normal courses indicated above, compared favorably with the graduates of normal schools of physical training. In the future I hope that the physical training in the elementary schools may be taught entirely by teachers who have had special normal instruction. Class Competition in Health Monthly records of progress in posture are now kept. In various public schools the results of the morning hygienic inspection have been tabulated and monthly records kept in several schools, notably P. S. 88, Brooklyn. A record of the prevalence of physical defects has also been kept and the Board of Health has experimented in this plan. In athletics, class competition has long been a standard event. It is our purpose during the coming year to standardize the system of class records and to organize tentatively inter-class competition. This will be supported by an individual pupil's record card which will contain his record of personal hygiene, athletics and physical training and uncorrected physical defects. Experiments have already been made in this direction in athletic centres where each boy has been supplied with a card on which he keeps a record of his athletic performance, and on which frequently appears hygienic rules for training. 22 Posture In most parts of the City the posture of the children has strikingly improved. Improvement in posture is not due so much to a more or less mechanical effect of corrective exercises as to the improve- ment in health and vitality resulting from increased participation in athletics and the use of hygienic exercises. During the year several of my students conducted a series of investigations on the relation of good posture to other features of school work. It was found that pupils with good posture were 11 per cent, better in deportment, 25 per cent, better in manual training and 8 per cent, stronger. Those whose teeth showed good care had 33 per cent, better posture than those with defective teeth. Those with bad posture were absent three and one-half times more frequently than those with good posture. In addition, it was found that those children who had ample and well selected breakfasts had a posture 50 per cent, better than those who had poor breakfasts. These interesting figures indicate the clear relation of good posture and vitality. Vocational Schools Two teachers were assigned to the vocational school for boys. They proceeded at once to develop a consistent program of hygiene, physical training and athletics. Careful physical examinations were made and the work was well under way when both were appointed to high schools at a higher salary. After a lapse of three months two other teachers were found, and the work is now resumed. In the vocational school for girls a most efficient plan of medical inspection, physical training, hygiene and athletics is under way. This efficiently prepares girls for the strains of labor and gives then! a habit of exercise and care of the health which provides an excellent foundation for a life work. High Schools The physical training in high schools for girls has progressed rapidly and systematically under the inspection and guidance of 23 Miss Josephine Beiderhase, and a similar assistance is much needed for the boys' schools. Seven meetings have been held, and a com- mittee on course of study has been formed. Standards for posture, the posture test, corrective exercises, hygienic exercises and typical physical training dances have been tentatively adopted and circu- lated for trial. In twenty buildings (main and annex), physical training is con- ducted under unsatisfactory, and, in some cases, bad conditions. Over- crowding, insufficient light and ventilation and cooking of lunches during the physical training lesson are not uncommon. These conditions should be remedied, and in all new buildings, gymnasiums should be placed above the street level at least, and preferably above the first floor. Evening High Schools Miss Beiderhase's work in the evening high schools for women has brought excellent results. In ten high schools there were 19 teachers. Students were registered from one to four evenings a week and various plans adapted to local conditions have been adopted. The most satisfactory part of the work has been the normal classes reported upon elsewhere. In view of the fact that all of the teachers in evening high schools teach during the day, I would recommend that none be employed for more than two evenings a week. There were 13 physical training teachers for men in 10 evening high schools. The work included gymnastics, games, athletics, the two-minute drill and talks on health. Physically Handicapped Children The work of this department for the physical welfare of the blind, deaf and crippled has continued with increasing success under Dr. Aldinger and Miss Adele J. Smith in the following classes: Blind Schools 17 Classes 17 Deaf Cripplei 3 20 31 51 24 Our purpose is to develop the physical abilities remaining to these children so they will be able to compete successfully for a living, and not to become an economic burden. The Deaf Despite all handicaps, these children, characteristically lacking in vitality, endurance, rhythm, posture, alertness and physical courage have gained all these in fullest measure. They follow the regular syllabus, and their work compares favorably with the best in the City. Swimming has been taken up with enthusiasm; basket- ball teams formed and athletics in general used with effect. A "board of health" with duties with reference to personal and school hygiene has been formed from among the pupils. The Blind In cooperation with Miss Moscrip, important progress has been made. Meetings of teachers have been held, and blanks for corre- lating the work of the class and special teacher have been put into use with excellent result. Through physical training, these children have in most cases lost their general attitude of disability and timid- ity, and have gained courage, interest, strength and good posture. They pass the ordinary tests in physical training and engage in athletics and folk dancing. Many have gone to the high schools where their training should be continued. The Crippled A meeting of the principals of the schools with classes for cripples was called by Dr. Edson, and the following matters were set forward: 1. Notification of the Director of Physical Training of all admissions. This permits us to obtain promptly diagnosis and advice from an orthopedist. 2. A similar notice of discharges. This permits following up the case in another school or in a hospital, or gives opportunity for vocational guidance. 25 3. The use of the individual record cards. These cards contain a resume of all important items relating to the case of the pupils. 4. The use of a class record card which contains for the teacher's use a summary of appropriate activities for each pupil. 5. Special matters pertaining to furniture adjustment, foot rests and cushions, regulation of temperature, and the like. The greatest advance in this field is the beginning of a segregation of three kinds of cripples in separate classes, i. e.: 1. Tubercular joint cases. 2. Other joint cases. 3. Mental defectives. The greatest problem in connection with this work is the care and instruction of children with more than one physical defect. Pre-tubercular Children Of all the children of the City, those most in need of physical training and hygiene are found in families with a tubercular taint. Inferior in constitution from birth, they are continually exposed to the disease. For these, the Board of Health has established fifteen clinics, and provides physicians, child specialists and nurses who make examinations, take measurements, institute medical measures, give instruction in hygiene, visit the homes and conduct mothers' meetings. The children are also given lunch by the Ladies' Auxiliary attached to each clinic. Physical training is the only item of the health program that was missing. In response to a request of the Board of Health, Miss Adele J. Smith was assigned to one of these, the East Side Clinic. During the year she gave instruction in deep breathing, hygiene, corrective and home exercises; and the results have been marvelous. A careful system of records has been devised, and this already reveals a striking improvement in physical measurements and in vital resistance. In this clinic not one child developed tuberculosis during the year. The Board of Health has asked that we supply teachers for all other such clinics, and I am convinced that it should be done. 27 ATHLETICS James E. Sullivan On September 1(5, 1914, James E. Sullivan died. He was the most prominent and able man in the athletic world. One of the organizers of the Public Schools Athletic League, he gave wisdom to the councils and energy to its work. To him, the children of the City owe a debt for the health and vigor they have gained in great part from the movement he fostered. He took the greatest delight in "fair play," and he always exemplified the highest ideals of ath- letics, which, as he often showed, were high indeed. His work has done good to the children, and his example is one to be remembered and praised. After-School Athletic Centres The after-school athletic centres have been continued on the same basis as last year, and the results have been peculiarly gratify- ing. The service to the children, the school, family and community has been recognized, and from each of these sources requests for the opening of new centres are continually made. It is impossible to grant even a majority of them. If there ever existed any doubt as to the value of the centres it may be removed by the many letters from parents who render appreciative thanks to the City government which has removed their children from the danger of the streets and given them happy and healthy activity. To estimate the power for good that has come to the children of the City, the mere record of so many millions' attendance during the year is inadequate unless it is realized that the number is a multiple of a single child. It is necessary to see the centre from the standpoint of one of the tens of thousands of parents whose children have been so greatly profited. The following is but one of the many letters received by the teachers: "I want to tell you how much my daughter Peggy has improved in health since she has been a member of your afternoon playground. She has a much better appetite — seems very much stronger in all ways. She always looks 28 forward with great joy to the playground sessions and came home very anxious to teach her little playmates the new games and dances you had taught. I think the Public School Playgrounds very helpful in all ways." The principals have watched and aided the work. Mr. McCarthy, principal of P. S. 42, Bronx, writes as follows: "Our Athletic Centre has been a help to our boys and to us. I hear no more of gang fights among our pupils and I am confident that the whole- some competition fostered by the team work has been a great factor in directing the gang spirit." "The opportunities for play in a congested district are necessarily limited, and if the centres did nothing more than to provide play space, they would be well worth their cost. These centres have been a very successful means in lessening the number of street accidents often resulting fatally to children. During the past three years, or since we have had a centre in this school, but one case of serious injury to a child on the street has been brought to my attention. How different before! "The teachers tell me they notice more life on the part of the dull pupil. Two or three hours of good organized play and participation in athletics seem to prepare him for his home work. School does not mean only drudgery to him. "The general health seems to have improved. I notice this in the improved posture, eagerness for work and all those other signs which give evidence of a healthy condition of the body. "These centres inculcate a spirit of fair play, of honesty in games, of obedience to law, which will mean so much to the boy in later life. "So, for the safety, exercise, added health and power, these centres are undoubtedly providing for the child, I shall be very anxious to see them reopened as early as possible." Reports further indicate the improvement in health and energy. Children who were selfish, bad losers or did not know how to play, have changed completely. School and class spirit have been devel- oped. Older girls who have to take care of babies have frequently brought them to school in their carriages, and in one school a special room has been provided for them. Parents frequently visit the centres and many stay throughout the afternoon. To handle the large crowds with exactness and efficiency the squad organization was devised. Each squad is a self-sustaining club in itself, with a captain or leader who records attendance and athletic performance. 30 The athletic centre finally stimulates the majority of the boys to engage in athletics. In a school organized last September, it was found that 90 per cent, never had taken part in athletics. In the succeeding June over 92 per cent, had entered in some form of athletics, and the school took a prominent place in the borough championships. The record for attendance for 1914-1915 was 4,171,130. Standard Activities — Boys In service and scope our standard activities have made a rapid advance. The Indoor Elementary School Athletic Meet took place in December in Madison Square Garden with 2,084 entries; the largest ever held. During the year 38 athletic records were broken. More than double the number of interclass indoor baseball teams played through the season, and the number of interclass basketball teams increased from 1,439 to 2,194. Hon. John H. Finley provided a set of medals for a walk of 13 miles for evening high school boys. In the Sunday World Athletic Meets, 174 schools took part, and 65,000 boys competed. In the last ten years, 1,450 such school meets have been held, with 421,000 entries. Marksmanship among high school boys has been practiced in armories, on outdoor ranges and in schools on sub-target gun ma- chines; 300 marksmen and 197 sharpshooters have qualified. Swimming has made rapid progress. The attendance was 160,050; 8,925 have learned to swim and 666 have been awarded badges for proficiency. The following analyses of class athletics and the badge test indicate a continuance of a rapid advance. 31 Class Athletics Standing Broad Jump Fall— 1914 No. of schools Borough competing Manhattan 48 Bronx 20 Brooklyn 4S Queens 31 Richmond 10 Total 157 No. of No. of classes boys competing competing 818 28,178 380 9,631 685 19,823 300 5,352 91 1,497 2,274 64,481 Manhattan Bronx Brooklyn Queens Richmond Total 177 Chinning — 1915 50 924 399 778 ■ 281 95 29,377 18 10,343 59 18,914 38 5,421 12 1,860 2,477 65,915 Running — 1915 Manhattan 22 Bronx 10 Brooklyn 30 Queens 17 Richmond 9 Total 88 425 200 460 200 45 1,330 7,960 2,460 7,983 2,423 728 21,554 Total entries: Total entries: 1914-1915—151,950 1913-1914—128,669 32 SUMMARY — ATHLETIC BADGE TEST Xo. Of No. of No. of Class B Borough schools Class A (bronze- Total competing (bronze) silver) Manhattan 62 6,159 3,017 9,238 Bronx 29 2,328 1,151 3,508 Brooklyn 89 5,963 3,048 9,100 Queens 39 1,432 607 2,078 Richmond 14 380 208 602 233 16,262 8,031 24,526 High schools 463 Grand total 24,989 The number of badges won since the organization of the Public Schools Athletic League is as follows: 1904-5 1,162 1909-10 6,106 1905-6 1,654 1910-11 8,299 1906-7 2,563 1911-12 10,404 1907-8 4,000 1912-13 12,220 1908-9 7,049 1913-14 18,554 1914-15 24,756 The following figures indicate the progress of the last decade: 1904-5 1914-15 Entries in athletic competition 1,500 425,000 Athletic badges won 1,162 24,756 Class athletic entries 153,635 This report serves to indicate substantial progress toward the realization of our ideal — every boy in athletic training. Standard Athletics — Girls The work in after-school athletics for girls has made excellent progress during the past school year. Miss Elizabeth Burchenal was away on leave of absence until December 15th, but the season's work was successfully organized by Miss Emily A. O'Keefe. 33 INSTRUCTION CLASSES FOR TEACHING Registration: 1912-1913 621 1913-1914 733 1914-1915 751 Our instruction of class teachers in the methods of carrying on after-school athletic clubs for girls has been continued and extended. Nine classes were held; 751 attended; 350 obtained certificates of proficiency after the examination at the end of the course. Lectures were given in connection with these courses, which compare favorably with similar instruction given in normal schools of physical training. Swimming Early in the year a coaching class for the instruction of the women coaches in swimming for girls was held in cooperation with The Women's National Volunteer Life-Saving League. COMPARATIVE STATISTICS High schools: 1913-14 1914-15 Number of schools 13 14 Number of lessons 411 467 Total attendance 8,482 10,813 Number of girls qualifying for swimming pins. . 75 Elementary schools: Number of schools 31 30 Number of lessons 357 473 Total attendance 7,562 9,530 Number of girls qualifying for swimming pins. . 127 Park Fetes The Girls' Branch Public Schools Athletic League held their usual park fetes. No. of schools No. of girls Date Location May 11th. Central Park May 18th. Prospect Park 64 May 25th. Sailors' Snug Harbor 11 1914 1915 1914 1915 89 86 6,921 7,930 64 68 5,968 5,392 11 15 738 1,000 34 One of the most interesting features of these fetes was the large attendance from schools having athletic centres. From Public School 59, Manhattan, there were 600 girls. The athletic centres referred to elsewhere have continued their excellent services to the girls of the City, and they should be extended. Girls are more in need of a safe place to play than are the boys. The deleterious influences of the street are well recognized by the parents, and the provision for new athletic centres is eagerly sought. During the year experiments have been made in utilizing the street in front of the school for play in connection with the athletic centre. In some cases this has been successful, and further trial will be made during the coming year. In this work we have been materially aided by the People's Institute. Athletic Clubs and Centres Athletic centres were opened in fifty-five schools, and the number of girls taking part in after-school athletics in the schools is greater than ever, the total attendance being 583,946 as against 166,036 of last year. The following is a statement of this work with figures of last year given for the purposes of comparison: ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS NOT HAVING ATHLETIC CENTRES No. of schools Borough 1914 1915 Manhattan 80 52 Bronx 25 21 Brooklyn ...79 69 Queens 22 14 Richmond 20 17 226 173 490 366 20,348 15,583 No. of clubs No. of girls 1914 1915 1914 1915 157 113 7,037 4,950 51 45 2,832 2,638 217 157 7,956 6,074 39 24 1,321 906 26 27 1,202 1,015 35 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS HAVING ATHLETIC CENTRES Borough No. of schools No. of clubs No. of girls Manhattan 28 247 9,898 Bronx 13 108 4,319 Brooklyn 7 47 1,876 Queens 7 50 3,022 55 452 IS, 115 HIGH SCHOOLS No. of schools Borough 1914 1915 Manhattan 6 7 Bronx 4 4 Brooklyn 8 8 Queens 6 6 Richmond 1 2 25 27 Grand totals 251 255 No. of clubs No. of girls 1914 1915 1914 1915 25 28 1,739 1,827 20 21 577 587 54 55 2,405 2,510 25 27 1,708 1,782 3 3 134 885 132 144 127 6,561 6,850 617 26,909 40,548 Athletic Badges The number of athletic pins won under the regulations of the Girls' Branch indicates the great progress made this year, which I believe is the most important phase of our work. ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS (INCLUDING ATHLETIC CENTRES) 1914 1915 All round athletic pins 7,154 13,396 Contest pins 2,240 2,386 72 contests held this year as against 59 last year. HIGH SCHOOLS All round athletic pins 542 175 Contest pins (for championship games) 84 174 36 championship games were held this year as against 29 of last year. 37 Interschool All-Round Athletic Trophies The Girls' Branch of the Public Schools Athletic League decided to offer trophies to the school and centre which showed the largest proportion of girls qualifying in all-round athletics. Instruction Classes for Hockey Coaches During September, 1914, free instruction classes in field hockey and methods of coaching were conducted in Central and Prospect Parks. In April, 1915, a special instruction class in hockey coaching methods was given by the Girls' Branch of the Public Schools Athletic League, for which a nominal fee was charged to cover the expenses of Miss Constance M. K. Applebee, the hockey expert engaged to give instruction. These lessons, three in number, were given at the Seventy-first Regiment Armory, and were largely attended. In this way we have obtained a good list of satisfactory hockey coaches available for high school girls' hockey practice. No. of Attend- Location lessons ance Central Park ... 2 50 Prospect Park 2 46 71st Regiment Armory 3 120 Summary — Athletics During the year the athletics have increased at a far greater rate than the average of the preceding ten years, and the department has made substantial progress toward fulfilling its purpose of giving all children a stimulus and an opportunity to utilize the afternoon hours for play. Summary The most important features of the work of the year are the satisfactory installation of the syllabus in physical training in the 38 grammar grades, the beginning of the vigorous campaign in edu- cational hygiene, the establishment of cooperation with the Board of Health, the campaign in dental hygiene, and the general correlation of all health activities under the control of the Department of Edu- cation. These promise an early completion of a consistent health program and its effective operation. Respectfully submitted, C. WARD CRAMPTON, M. D., Director of Physical Training. LIBRARY Of CONGRESS III III MINI II Ml II i 029 483 025 P PRESS OF CLARENCES. NATHAN, INC. NEW YORK.