The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1908-09-24
EDUCATIONAL.
BY w. E. LARSON.


BY w. E. LARSON.
THE Two CLASSES OF COUNTRY
SCHOOLS.
(Concluded)
With good teaching. sanitary condi.
tions and proper equipment, can there
be anything lacking? Scarcely, for an
efficient teacher and board that is up
todate will incidentally look after the
things that will be mentioned in this
article.
The school grounds should be fixed
up in such way that they have the
proper influence on the mind of the
child. Though this is not mentioned in
the statute yet common sense would de
mand it. Weeds and grass grow up
during the summer months aud ought
to be cut down. Rubbish should be
cleared away. Waste paper should not
be thrown out side nor should ashes be
dumped around promiscuously. These
are little things but they indicate to the
passer. by the condition Of things inside
1t would be we'll to plan making the
school ground u place of beauty. Why
not have trees, shrubbery, vines, and
flower beds? In some yards this, of
course. is impossible because the grounds
are too small. But if you have nice
big yard why not plan to make this a
little park? 1t will take 10 or Is years
to get it rs you want it, but beginning
might be made this year. Trees and
shrubs should not be planted promiscu-
ously but according to some definite
plan which could be worked ont from
year TO year. The trouble with us
Americans is that we always want the
immediate returns. If our plans extend
ed further into the future 1t would be
better both for us and posterity.
Now try to see your school yard IS
years hence. See the acre of ground
with the neat fence around it. Just no.
tice how nicely the building sits among
the trees that you planted that first year
you began to think about school yard
decoration. And that hedge Who could
have thought fifteen years ago such a
thing possible on the school ground :
That thicket over in the corner has been
the home of thousands of birds Count
the different varieties Of trees and shrubs
on the grounds. Twenty of them. An
education just to examine the things
that grow there.
One thing is peculiar about these
grounds. We thought years ago that
if we should start planting, the children
would have no place to play. Now
we see that they have just rs much
room for play as we had when we went
to school. See the little girls sitting
under that maple Better get out your
camera and take that picture.
The vines that were planted years q,
90 now cover completely the screens in
front of the outbuldings The phlox
and the asters near the road in front of
the building made the place truly home
like. Everyone passing the schoolhouse
realizes that the children in this school
are learning more than reading and
arithmetic; they are learning to love
that which is beautiful and they are
learning to make beautiful homes.
This is reverie. But let us have
more of them. Use your imagination
in constructing, not air castles but cart b
castles. Our homes, and our schools,
can be made places of beauty with but
very little material outlay A little time
and brains will do much
| Coming back to the present, let us
take look at the ontbuildings They
should be at least 30 feet apart and
screened from the play ground and the
road. There should be no carving and
no chalk or lead pencil marks. There is
one school in the county that is noted
in this respect. Look where you will
you can not find scratch anywhere.
The children in that district are learn.
ing to respect property
Provision ought to be made to have
good fresh water for the children. II
is also good thing to have wash basin
so that they may wash their hands
when soiled. This is saved on the books.
You remember the time you went to
school when that other boy pushed you
and you fell into the mnd. You couldn' I
thrash him because he was too big for
you and you couldn't wash yourself be
cause there was no wash basin. The
best that could be done was to pour
water over your hands while yon wash
ed, and the rest of us stood around
laughing at you because you looked so
funny.
These things that have been indicated
here may not be absolutely necessary to
receive the state aid, but the suggestion
intended by this article is that the
school should be progressive. Look over
the school occasionally. Where can we
improve it? Live in the present with
the face towards the future, not toward
the past
| ANNUAL MEETING or THE MANITO-
voc COUNTY TEACHERS AssoC1A-
TIoN. MANITowoC, WIS. OcTo.
BER 2 AND 3, 1908.