Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1913-01-09
SUPERINTENDENT COGGIN ADVOCATES
VOCATIONAL TRAINING in SCHOOLS
PAPER SETTING FORTH METHOD OF IMPROVING And
BEAUTIFYING SCHOOL GROUNDS And BUILDINGS

district by w. Is. Ooggln, DIVISION
superintendent of schools for New
Kent, Charles City and James City.J
To have attractive grounds and
building in which to educate country
boys and girls is an expression new
to many people in our rural districts.
Our people have not been taught the
value Of environment on the mentaI
growth and moral development OF
the child. Every impression made
by our environment. or any part OF
It, has a lasting effect. This being
true, it is very important that every
child have those things around him
which will contribute best TO his
moral. mental and Phsyical growth.
Not only the people in the rural
districts realize the importance of an
attractive school buildings and
grounds but many teachers fail to do
so, or, they fail to have energy
enough to make any effort to I'M
prove things. To do this work well
takes time and no teacher can do all
the work in one year. Because It
cannot be done in one year is no
reason why you should not do a
small part this year. Any teacher
who does not do some one thing
toward beautifying her building and
grounds during this term has failed
IN one of her greatest opportunities.
You should not be satisfied with
your work unless you have done
something along this line which is
more or less permanent. Let this
one thing be a monument that stands
as a mark speaking for your work
this year.
There are so many things that one
can do along this line. You have
walls to paint inside and out, pictures
to put on them and Libraries to buy,
You have grounds to clean up and
flowers and shrubbery TO plant. In
many cases. we have yard fences tc
build and ground TO plow and SOW to
grass. But the most important mat.
ter for each teacher to consider is
what must l do this session? You
ought to decide the first month oi
your term what you are going to at
tempt. The thing you will attemp,
will depend largely upon what hai
been done before. also. upon wha
the people in your community wan
to do. If the school has had al
enthusiastic teacher before you th,
people will want to do something
and fortunate rs the teacher who hs
a school in which the people wan
TO do something.
Any teacher who desires to d.
some work in improving condition
and fails or lacks ability to lead he
pupils and people into doing wha
has been carefully planned shoul,
begin at once a most serious stud.
of herself. If you made som
serious efforts along this line Al
continually fail the next step for 20
is to resign. If you cannot comman,
the respect and confidence of yOu
pupils and people to the extent tia
they will cooperate with you IN im
proving and making more attractiv
and efficient your school plant yo
are not the person for the jot
When the hour comes when 20
conclude that you cannot do any
thing. but you will stay if the peop
will be so kind as to tolerate me Il
a few months. this is the hour |
write your resignation.
The energy of the children cam,
DC used TO better advantage ths
working on school yard and impro'
ing school house. But this ener1