Windham County Observer

Norwich Schools
Topic Of Talk By
Thomas W. Mahan

League Of Women Voters Given
Outline Of Norwich Education-
al System, Its Aims And Work
By Former Putnam Supt.

"The
Norwich School System"
was the topic of an address given
by Supt. Thomas W. Mahan, for-
merly superintendent of schools
here, before a meeting Friday after-
noon of the Norwich League of
Women Voters.

Mr. Mahan's talk gave his listen-
ers a fund of valuable information
on their school system, its set-up,
functions, personnel, aims and ac-
complishments.

He outlined the physical set-up of
the Norwich system, stating that
there were twenty-one elementary
school buildings in the town and city
of Norwich. The school staff con-
sists of 130 teachers, eight special
teachers and four supervising prin-
cipals. Student enrollment is about
3500 pupils, he said, adding that the
teacher load was about thirty pupils
per teacher.

These thirty pupils are thirty indi-
viduals with thirty personalities,
thirty different capacities for ab-
sorbing subject matter, and thirty
different capacities for work, the su-
perintendent continued. The teach-
er must consider them as individu-
als, he added, and to accomplish this
a teacher must be especially trained
as required by Connecticut statutes.

Mr. Mahan described in detail the
methods and tests used to determine
and grade pupils. First, the I. Q., or
intelligence quotient is determined.
He added that an achievement test
had been given during the spring by
which is determined what is being
accomplished during classes. A sim-
ilar test will be given at the end of
the term.

The superintendent said that indi-
vidual attention and helps are giv-
en in special classes with special
activities scheduled at some of the
Norwich school units. He also dis-
cussed reading disabilities at this
point along with remedial measures
and helps in arithmetic and pen-
manship.

Average per capita costs of train-
ing a pupil in the Norwich system
was $84 as of July 1942, Mr. Mahan
stated, explaining the proportions
shared by the town and city divis-
lons of Norwich's government.

Much is being done, he said, and
much remains to be done by the
schools in cooperation with the
home and churches in wartime or
peace, by precept and example, if
we are to do a better job of train-
ing those who are to share in the
future of this nation.

An open forum followed Mr. Ma-
han's talk with questions and an-
swers bringing out many facts con-
cerning the Norwich public schools.

Mr. Mahan was given an enthusi-
astic rising vote of thanks by League
members when his talk was finished.