The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1922-10-14

;. \. II
WHAT DOES YOUR HUSBAND
DO?
the little children's' lives to know
what some of the hardships OF
struggles for existence mean. It
may have been the search for fuel
that has fallen from the cars and
is scattered along the railroad track
or the gathering of wood from a
wrecked building or help start the
kitchen fires. 1t may have been a
shortage Of food or of new cloth
ing, or a winter without skates or
sled. These little experiences.
whether they be in the pure study
of the out-of-door would or Of the
social and economic world, are in
their minds, perhaps subconscious
ly, when you first meet them in the
schoolroom, and when you endeav-
or to open up the study of the
world and the living conditions of
the people througout the world.
They will be intensely interested,
if the subject is approached from
a human standpoint. We must
build upon what those children
know; we must start in a very sim
pie way, and lead them on, step by
step, never attempting to build
except upon the foundation which
is available.
| would propose, therefore, that
the first year be spent in what NAV
be thought of as journey geo
graphy. While these journeys are
being taken the elements of geo
graphy will be woven into the
study through may exercises and
little projects and plans which can
be carried out often as hand work.
1t is. in my judgment, futile to be-
gin, as we have so often in Amer
lea, with study of the form and
shape Of the earth, with the defin-
ition of longitude and latitude.
and causes of the seasons. Those
mathematical phases of geography
are the most difficult in the entire
subject, they appeal very little to
any of US, and certainly there has
been very little or nothing in the
young child's actual experience to
form foundation upon which that
study can be built. They may learn
the answers to the questions put
by the teacher or in a textbook.
but those answers are but empty
words to those children. Most pu-
pills come on through the clement
AIRY school. through the high school
and to college and there | know
from my own experience that the
way to embal1aSs college
student in course in the prnci-
pies of geography is to ask some
question about mathematical geo
eraphy. 1t may be for the proofs
that the earth is spherical or the
definition of latitude or longitude.
OF the causes for the seasons. I
would postpone that study until as
older pupils they have had suffici--
ant experience, until the back
ground has been prepared, until
the foundation has been laid. and
then we will aim to organize their |
knowledge of mathematical geo
yraphv in a systematic way. | hold |
also that we should wait to take |
up the systematic study of earth |
forms. That is but a branch of |
photography. technical phase of
geography. Some teachers can
make it very interesting and with |
adequate field work | admit those
eSSonS become very valuable. |
However, the keynote of the |
,hild'S interest is the human CON
acts, it is the life side, and our
study of physical geography. our
studies Of climate and of natural
'eSourceS within that environment
ne introduced to explain or lead
o an understanding of the nving
conditions surrounding given
group of people.
But we must move on and con |
'ider the work of the other three
years. As the child grows older
here should develop along with a
greater mental power and greater
the desire for RULER
lnoWledge and for a more orderly
arrangement of that knowledge
We must provide in our course of
study for a systematic and THOR
'ugh study of each of the coun.
ries and of each of the continents
propose that at the opennl. o.
he fifth grade we begin the study
If our own country In Il broad
way. that is a study of home geo
yraphy. | would approach that
'tudy so as to build up vivid pic
ureS Of the people and their occu-
)atlonS In one GEOGRAPHIC region
-fter the other. In this treatment.
Is many Of you already found. we
axe up the life of the people in
IN area where the geographic CON
iitions do not differ greatly. That
$ what IS meant bV a natural or
geographic region. 1t usually diff
els I'm fundamental and most es-
entail ways from a political unit
Most groups Of states do not con
titute natural geographic unit
md no group Of countries consti-
uteS such unit. 1t lust happcns
hat the New England states, with
very slight exception, are nclud-
d within the northern division Of
he Appalachian highlands. They
o not include all of that region.
or the region eXtentS northward
nto Canada and As far to the
ortheast as Newfoundland. Cane
cd and the islends south Of New
england are in the Atlantic Coast