HISTORICAL COMMENTS BY GEORGE CHEVALLIER

Report Cards

It seems to be the politically correct thing to do in this day and age to not give children a feeling of failure by giving them a failing grade. The two report cards above are from a time when failing was foremost in every student’s mind. The report card on the left is mine from St. Francis in 1950 when I was in the second grade. At St. Francis we had no choice but to get good grades because our teacher was Sister Mary Boniface. Back in those days, every one of the nuns carried a 15” Westcott ruler that would unerringly find the hand of any pupil that misbehaved. The inherent fear of the teacher plus the fact that when she sent a report to your parents (her word was always taken as gospel), well, that was enough to keep any child in line. Looking back, I can see where that discipline was not such a bad thing. By keeping the restless children in line, the other children received better help from the teacher. We all need discipline in our lives and it doesn’t hurt to learn it early.

Now, there are so many instances where a “pass” grade is given. Or, during the annual field day, they give out “participation ribbons” instead of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. In former times, a failing grade meant you had to study harder. If you got a 2nd place ribbon, that meant you had to try harder. Failure can sometimes be a good thing. At St. Francis, if you failed in class, you failed and had to repeat that grade.

Looking at the other report card on the right, we can see that in 1888 they offered such subjects as Declamation, Latin Grammar and Reader, Physiology, Algebra, Physics, Caesar, Virgil, Geometry and Trigonometry among other subjects. The report cards were the same, but the subjects were determined by the grade level you were in. This report card belonged to Elmer C. Williams. He was second in his class with a 94 average. Of course, there were only six in the class. I wonder if it made any difference that the principal was T. H. Williams. Elmer Williams was the proprietor and manager of the parking garage on Church St. behind the Salisbury National Bank all his life. And, remember, he only went to school for nine grades in 1888. The name of the school, Salisbury High School, was changed to Wicomico High School when they built a new school in 1905.

The respect that the teachers received from the students was duly earned by their example. Teachers were held to a higher standard in those days, and the parents saw to it that their children acted accordingly. Many things have changed in the last 122 years, but not all for the better. A lot of times, a gentle nudge in the direction of improvement would do some children a lot of good. Instead, they just tell everyone they are doing fine, even when they aren’t.