The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1890-01-17
WHOLE NO. 508

confidence secured, and they are soon in
terested i'm work; but the more attractive
their surroundings, the more pleasant will
| be their duties. l have yet to find the child
| who could not appreciate neat scho0l-roOm
and take pride in helping TO keep il so. 1t
is true that there are plenty of country
schOol-houses to be found, which look as
| though neither teacher nor pupil knew any
thing about the refining influence of pleas
ant surroundings, but this is not the pupils
| fault.
Let us imagine room utterly DEVOID of
all that might render il attractive. and Il
yard in keeping with the room. Here we
have plenty of liberty to exercise our inge-
nuity, and we will begin with those great
| startling windows. If the district board is
too poor land many of them are) there are
plenty of old newspapers to be obtained.
which, with little trouble, may be made to
take the place of shades until the board may
be brought to a sense of duty, or an enter
tainment by the pupils can be planned.
with the proceeds of which shades may he
bought And that rusty stove! Why not
procure box of blacking and give il a new
coat? 1t will necessitate the outlay of only
five cents and an hours work; and even if
you should not reach home till six O'clock
some evening, you probably could find
lunch, and the next day you would feel
more than repaid for your work.
Would not a neatly papered wood-box
look better in that corner of the room than
a great heap of wood thrown on the floor?
Try it and see.
About this time, or little before, the
disease becomes contagious, and you will
hear some of the pupils inquiring if there
is not something they can do to ''help fix
icf iei
cards look very pretty upon the wall, also
pictures cut from magazines. These last
may be improved by neat frame of border
ing pasted around the edges. You might
also suggest to some of the girls the addition
of few house plants would be to the APP
pearance of the room, and you will be sur
prised at the number that will spring up in
an incredibly short time.
1t would be just like the boys to think if
the girls had house plants, they wanted
flowers out doors. Very well; let them
have their way. know of a few boys who,
one spring, spaded two circular flower-beds,
carried stones to surround them, and dur
ing the remainder of the term, spent much
of their intermissiOns in earring for the
flowers which resulted. This they consider
ed privilege and were very careful to have
good lessons that they might enjoy it. BY
one may think if the wood scattered over
the yard were piled together, il would be
an Improvement, or if it is not mentioned
let the teacher suggest it, and few lead
pencils will hasten the growth of the pile.
Then promise the children bonfire when
the grounds are nicely raked, and half a
dozen rakes in as many pair of willing
hands, will soon have the preparations for
the bonfire completed.
Under the teachers direction, all this may
be done during intermissions; and how
much better it is for the pupils to he thus
employed. than for them to be engaged in
those games, which, to say the least, are
neither eevating nor refining.
Meanwhile apasteboard box, neatly cover
ed with some pretty wall paper, should have
found its way into the room as a receptacle
for the waste paper. Prepare some boxes
for the purpose and have the writing mater
ial collected by the pupils appointed to the
work. Pupils allowed to help in this way
take pride in doing their work WELL
These last may seem like ''little things"
but they are wonderful factors in the for
nation of habits of neatness.
l have mentioned only few of the many
ways in which school may be made at
tractive to the pupils and thus the teachers
influence over them be strengthened. Other
opportunities will present themselves from
day to day, and the earnest, wide-awake
teacher will grasp each one as it appears
and make the most of it.
Finally, let your pupils see that you re-
spect and trust them and they will not prove
themselves unworthy.
ME-. ID.