Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Robert Frost, taking attendance

The city of Methuen, Massachusetts, is seeking a $3,000 grant to preserve an 1893 attendance register. Robert Frost kept the register while teaching at Methuen’s Second Grammar School.

Three details I notice:

The students’ ages appear to be marked in years and months — 12-3, 13-11. Common practice?

Absences appear to be marked by the half-day.

“T” must stand for good old “tardy.”

Methuen seeking $3,000 to preserve Robert Frost document (Boston Globe)

comments: 2

Elaine said...

Standardized testing and norms are based on age in years and months. With children, a month can make a big difference, as I'm sure you have experienced. Reading Ilg and Ames helped me to keep my sanity, for instance, when I realized that _Your Four Year-Old_ was behaving normally (if distressingly.)

Michael Leddy said...

Yes, I remember those sorts of questions when my children were in elementary school.