The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-12-07

work with three grades can be more in
tensive than that with seven grades, al
though the number of pupils is larger.
Miss Minnie Borough is primary teach
er. Reading is an important part of her
teaching, as it always is with primary
teachers. She uses the sentence method
at first, and teaches largely from the
blackboard. She has a number of card
board charts, each containing 12 sem
tences, for use in her reading lessons
Duplicates of these charts, with the SEN
tences cut apart SO that each piece of
cardboard contains only one word or one
phrase, are distributed among the children
to be rearranged into the original SEN
tences. Another device used in her seat
work Is stencils. In her number work
she uses an odd numeral frame made
by the principal of the school. Light
wooden strips were tackled across board
about an inch apart. Hickory nuts were
placed in these compartments and ara
easily slidden back and forth in different
groups.
AS an incentive to regular and prompt
attendance, good department, and scholar
| ship, Miss borough has an honor roll
| on which each child's name is recorded
| with spaces for each school week. At
the end of each week those children WHO
have fulfilled the requirements are given
gilt stars which are placed on the honor
roll in their spaces for that particular
week. The children work faithfully to
earn these stars. The effort they make
and the restraining OF impulses to be
careless and indifferent, success, and at
last the awarding of the s.ar-their stars
in their own spaces by their own names
the announcement at home, the whole
episode means much to them. 1t is a
HAaf A.f 10 4l-k
training involved is invaluable Miss
Borough is training her pupils in neat
ness, too. Each desk is provided with a
bag for waste paper and none is allowed
on the floor
The honor roll of the entire school
Is printed in the county paper at the
end of each month. Honor certificates
are awarded at the close of the year
to those pupils whose names appeared
on each mothly honor roll.
commencement exercises are held at
the close of the year and the chill
drens' attainments are dignified by
public recognition.
The teachers are making use of the
state manual which was issued two or
three years ago. Its outlines for each
study and its suggestions for school
work along various lines are welcomed
by many, many teachers. The Alamu-
chez teachers are among those who are
eager to adopt and to make use of such
practical plans as those which the state
manual gives.
Each of these teachers follows close
| ly his programme schedule.
Most acceptable additions to the
school are the two literary societies
and the school library. pt
| The girls and the boys each have lit
erary societies and the library con-
| sits of about 100 books Many of the
| n n
Is giving them pleasure that would be
missed were these books not ava liable
The majority of the pupils are farm
boys and girls with few sources of en-
tertainment and without access TO
varied amusements For this reason
their school with it's social pleasures
and its books is doub1y attractive. BY
this means they are learning to be in
dependent in the matter of entertain
| ment and to find interest in the diver
sions offered in their own neighbor-
hood.
| 1t is planned to add shortly departments
| OF domestic science and manual training
The latter has already a part of the
course, in an entirely informal way. Sets
| of garden and carpenters tools are kept
| at the school, and both teachers and pu-
pills use these in improving the grounds
and in making repairs about the build
| ing.
The teachers are members of the Ala
bama Teachers Reading circle. Rather
cut Off as they are from other teachers
they are alert to the work OF the day and
to progress in late methods. The teachers
and the local board OF trustees are work.
Ing happily together Each member OF
| the faculty and of the board is deeply in
terested in the success of the consolidated
school, and each one Is eager for 1t to
be one OF the best of the rural schools
Consolidation of the two schools is a
success. The additional pupils have made
the Alamuchee school stronger, and these
pupils and their teacher have much bet
ter opportunities than they had at the
old Cedar Grove school,
1t is very much more plea SAINT to ride
to school In wagon than to walk along
muddy country road on cold winter
morning, much more pleasant to enter
warm, comfortable schoolhouse than to
spend the day In one that IL bare ana
cold, much nicer to be q member Of 4
class Of 10 or IL In a progressive school
than to recite alone or with one or two IN
class, much nicer to have library and
entertainments than to ba deprived of
these.
When the school day oioses. Mr.. Few
and the children from his community,
those who were his pupils last year and
those who could not attend school on ae-
count Of the Inconvenience, all climb into
their school wagon and ride te their
homes thinking that consolidated school
is Nv oaaikAA h4Dre~enifnt ReS&r small de-
taohed scfi66fs, s8nd that e<Aey are for
tunate in having joined their number with