The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1914-05-07
EDUCATIONAL COLUMN.
By Mabel Horner, County Supt.

BY Mabel Horner, County supt.
The Normal Training examinations
will be given in the Leon and Gar
den Groves High Schools this week.
May 6, I and s.
:: :: ::
State Inspector Mahannah visited
the Normal Training department at
Leon last week He expressed him
self well pleased with the progress
of the work and with the plans that
are organized for installing manual
training before the first of Septem-
Der.
The Eden Prairie school closed
last Friday with picnic and pro-
gram, both of which were greatly
enjoyed by those who were privilege
ed to be present and participate.
Such gatherings do much toward the
upbuilding of rural community life.
We are glad to note that they are
growing in popularity.
:: :: ::
Lester n Gill and Lawrence Cal
houn, both of Garden Grove town
ship and William j. Hazlet, of Eden,
have entered the prize essay contest.
:: :: ::
Lamont is to have sailing sta
ton. This should be an incentive to
the boys and girls to join the Garden
Club and plant their garden plots
with cucumbers.
The teachers and pupils in the
Leon schools are manifesting great
interest in the Improvement of school
premises. Much cleaning and garden
ing is being done. The teachers OF
Z the south ward school held an ex-
change last Saturday by means of
which they cleared $29, to be used
in the Improvements they are con-
templating.
The boys and girls of the grades
have manifested their willingness to
organize a Junior Civic League which
will have for its object the improve
ment of the town in general and of
the school premises especially. Such
an organization can do much to beau
tify town, but it should be remem-
bered that the essential point, so far
as the promoter of such a movement
is concerned, is not primarily to
beautify a town but to train the boys
and girls toward good citizenship by
getting them to 10 things such as
will arouse civic pride and help in
the good administration OF munich
pal government.
Home Gardening Directed by the
School.
4 NV II q
school is offered by Dr.. P. P. ClaXon,
United State Commissioner of Edu-
cation, as a solution for some of the
most pressing educational and econ
omic problems in city and suburban
life. Dr. Claxton would have every
vacant town lot transformed into a
garden, where boys and girls would
raise vegetables, berries and fruit for
pleasure and for profit. He would
have one teacher in the community
employed twelve months in the year
to teach elementary science in school
and direct the home garden work
after school, on Saturdays and dur
ing summer vacation.
OF the 100000 children be-
tween the ages of six and twenty in
the cities, towns and manufacturing
villages, and suburban communities
OF the United States, not more than
fifteen per cent are away from home
during the summer vacation or en-
gagged in regular employment. The
remaining eighty-fve per cent re-
main at home without any useful,
healthful, productive occupation re-
quiring any large part of their time.
On the other hand there is much
valuable lots that is serving no use
full purpose. The problem is to bring
this land and these children togeth-
er.
In every school and community
there should be at least one teacher
who knows gardening, both theoreti-
cally and practically. This teacher
should teach the elementary sciences
in the schools during the school
hours and should out of school
hours, direct the home gardening of
the children between the ages of sew
en- or eight and fourteen or fifteen.
If possible the teacher should have
the assistance of an expert gardener,
so that the work may be done in the
most practical way. The teacher
and the gardener should help the
children find the plots of ground in