Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-05-12
THE WEBSTER SCHOOL.
Highly CommendabIe Social Move
rnent by Teachers of This School.

The teachers of the Webster school
have this year engaged IN a highly
cOmmerdab'e movement, having for
it's purpose the making of a school a
social center and the providing for the
fullest use of the apparatus, GROUNDS
and buildings. How we'll they have
succeeded is told in the report OF the
principal, Mrs. Edith Stone Martin.
which is contained in the second an
nual report of the Board of Educa-
tion, Mrs. Martin says:
The work of the Webster school has
been carried en- with Il very different
aim this year than ever before. Hlth-
erto, the one aim regardless of indi-
vidual class or child. has been to
keep up with classes composed Of
entirely English speaking children,
coming from greatly different home
environment. This year we have been
permitted a much broader field. We
have been able to create an atmosphere
for these particular children. We are
working with the belief that, "The
first function of the school is to meet
the present wants, to provide for the
richest possible present life: thereby
1t will most fully prepare for the more
distant time
And that distant time" 1 find from
reviewing the lives of a large per
cent. of the boys and girls that / have
known ir the Webster school does not
mean the High school and college, but
it means work in the factory or home
In several cases the girls shat | taught
during the first years OF my work are
now married and mothers.
We also believe that the end point
of good education, at least in the kim
derglrtnn and elementary school should
be action SO the children in Sep
iember gathered all possible inforrna-
ton about Indians and their ways Of
life, that they might make immature
bows and arrows in first and second
grades, wigwams and birch canoes III
third and fourth grades, cradles i'll
fifth and sixth. Pictures and stories
about the pilgrims were likewise
brought to supplement the material
presented by the teachers until. suf-
ficient information was obtained to
erablc us in the first grade to con-
Struct clothes pin fort, to cut out
of paper a Purintan maid and a war
like Indian. In the second ana third,
wild turkeys, wigwams and paper
Purintans We're distributed about "a
wild and rock bound coast" upon the
sand table, while the Maylower float
ed at anchor near by. In the same
m9uner we gathered information of a
mathematical nature that we might
correctly construct boxes ana various
other gifts ut Christmas. The Eskimo
ut Il ID, ak Ia
one to the children. Igloos of clay
palsticinc and paper. sledges of wood
and dogs of clay and paper were con-
strUcted to accompany the Eskimos.
The fact that we were able to build a
really truly hut of snow in the school
yard to have shaggy dog harnessed
into a sledgc, which was developed
from an ordinary sled and have our
pictures taken, added greatly to the
enjoyment.
The great feature of this terms
manual work has been the building
ard furnishing of the dolls house.
Every grade has contributed some
thing The house and all the furnish
ingS except those requiring needle and
thread Were made by the boys. The
girls made the stuffed chairs of cretOn,
art squares of burlap and worsted, cur
| tans, bedding. carpcting and wall pa
| per. The wall paper on the nursery
was made by one of the third grade
boys. The dolls were dressed, sweat
ers, caps and slippers were woven and
leather doilies We're fooled for the Ii
brary table.
| In grades V and VI Miss Colt has
collected a library of books of appro-
| pirate character, which may be taken
every Friday night by pupils, whose
| standing in the regular work is good
| We hope in the near future to obtain
one of the State travelling libraries for
| the adults of the community, each
| reader to pay a small sum at the time
| he takes his card.
| 1t has been the great desire of the
! teachers of the building to organize
| social club of some kind that the
| children might meet evenings to en-
! JOY games, etc, under supervision