The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1914-12-01
TEACHERS HEAR
MISS MARY EVA HITE

! MASf9 N4GAII Ia V "a Ill : Ii
President of State Rural school
improvement Association
Speaks Here.
Miss Mary Eva Hite, president of
the South Carolina School Improve
ment Association, spent the greater
part of the past week visiting the
schools OF Lancaster county and 1t
was our pleasure to near her en-
couraging talk to a representative
body OF teachers at the Central grad
ed school Saturday morning. About
twenty-five teachers and several
trustees also were present to near
Miss Hite and all were much en-
couraged at the splendid showing
this county has made for she de-
clared that we had more active
school improvement associations
than any county she has so far
visited. She said it was the aim of
the organization to have it represent
the interest of the community in
school affairs and that there must
be definite aim in view for any
organization to succeed. Miss Hite
empEcsizea the two sides of school
Improvement work, the social side
a good way to set people out to the
meeting was to feed them, in this
connection taking occasion to men
ton the fact that on her recent visit
to Osceola, the teacher served choco-
late ana crackers and representa-
tive crowd gathered there for the
organization. The work of school
improvement, said Miss Hite. de-
pends upon getting the patrons to
the school for If they gather there.
they Will see the actual physical
needs of the school. She stressed
the fact that the school house should
be made the social center Of the.
community. the gathering place of
the people whose children attend the
school In making the school build
ing attractive she suggesterd good
pictures and window boxes. She
further urged the Importance of a
school garden and real farm demon
stration for each school.
Miss Hite called upon Miss Minnie
Caskey and Miss Lille Usher to
tell of successful entertainments
that their schools had given and
these efficient teachers gave their
co-workers some good suggestions.
Miss Hite then talked OF school en-
tertainments, quoting from Pro-
lessor Hand. who asks that such af-
fairs be characterized by three "e's,"
In other words, that they be enter
tanning, elevating and economical.
She puts especial emphasis upon this
last, the economical consideration,
insisting that time belonging to
school work should not be put on
practice for entertainments. AS
necessary as are these money-mak-
ing schemes, there must be other
than money side of the work, said
Miss Hite. She advised niPht
session of the school, in which every
child should be called upon to re-
cite before the patrons as a means
of enlisting real interest in the
school.
Miss Hite spoke of the three aims
of the School Improvement Associa-
ton as looking towards health,
comfort and beauty. Single desks
and drinking fountains make for
better health, maps, shades, etc,
Tor comfort and flowers and pictures
for beauty. She spoke also of the
Importance of school extension work
such as cooking, sewing and garden
ing.
Secretary Ellison, who had visited
many OF the schools in company
with Miss Hite and County Superin-
tendent Lingle, was present and
made short talk to the teachers as
he distributed county fair pennants,
one to each person present He
told of the silver loving cup to be
presented to the school making the
best showing on School Day, next
Friday, at the fair. He congratulate
ed the teachers of the county upon
their schools, which he declared to
be above the average. Mr.. Ellison
said he was employed to help up
build the resources of Lancaster
county and asked the teachers to
siSt them.
The program for the Teachers
Institute was read, as well as list
of teachers and where they are to
be entertained. Miss Hite told of
the Importance of Teachers Insti-
tutes, urging all teachers to attend.
Miss Hite took occasion to congratu-
late the county upon it's school i'm
provement work. saying, There's
no doubt that Lancaster Leads in
educational matters" Miss Hite
spoke particularly of the splendid
work of superintendent Lingle and
Mrs. w. +. Taylor Organizer for
Lancaster county, declaring that
their work was one of the finest
pieces of cooperation she has ever
known. Miss Hite told us she had
visited twenty-five schools in Lam
caster county, more than she had
reached elsewhere, which fact was
due to the systematic planning of
the trim by the county sunerinten-