The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1922-11-24
HOW MY DISTRICT
SCHOOL COULD
BE IMPROVED
Second Prize Essay Contributed BY
Miss Myrtle B. Seaver Of
Williamstown.

4 I -
The following is the second prize es-
say in the contest on How My Dis
trict School Could Be Improved" being
Ipresented by Miss Myrtle B. Seaver of
Williamstown in the contest conducted
by the state department of education.
II On the morning Of March %, | vis-
tied the rural schoolhouse in district
No 2, Quarry road WILLIAMSBURG, VT,
and this is what / saw.
A good sized room with five windows
on three sides, without curtains, eleven
double desks, one chair at the desk Of
the teacher, good jacketed stove, two
maps, one entirely dilapidated, flag
half off the staff, the entire room pre-
senting a dingy and unattractive APP
pearanee. The floor was in fair condi-
ton but extremely dirty ! entered
through a hall of goodly size and with
possibilities, woodshcd opened off it,
which also was 90 generously dimen-
stoned that A. playroom suggested it.
self. There were two toilets ait the rear
Of the building, reached by a divided
passage way, well rooted, lighted, good
| floor and opening out Of the school
room.
| Carrying an official rating card for
yermont's rural schools and remember
ing that our town voted to raise $4.20
town tax, Sl.90 of it being school tax,
at its last town meeting, / still had
the courage to believe that this type
Of school building could be put on the
list Of standard schools two or three
years hence.
To make this more realistic and
j vivid, | imagined myself entering the
building as teacher, September, 1922.
What would | dor ! would try to do
| this. During the first two weeks ]
would procure come good interior views
of that building, then I would ask the
children if they would like TO see pic
lures of their schoolroom. am sure
of their answer. After they had looked
at them | would show them views of
attractive rural schoolrooms previous
| ~ obtained from Miss Rose Lucia and
suggest some minor Improvements we
could make. Having aroused their in
terest and secured their cooperation
we commence cleaning. They would |
clean their desks, I would wash the |
windows. Saturday, reinforced by old |
en- pupils fif | had them or better |
still, BY some of the mothers OF the |
neighborhood we would clean the |
room. Then we would buy paint Tor
rather the school board would and the |
following Saturdays we would paint |
the entire interior including the hall.
The ceiling would require mans Ia
Dor but we hope to secure that in the
local vicinity In the meantime, the
school hoard has been asked to fur
nish adjustable window shades for we
every school building in watch it MAIN
tains a school The floor VIII be
scrubbed BY paid labor and oiled by
the teacher. A few chairs viii be so.
lieited, painted and made ready for
guests or for recitation periods. We +,
hope TO devise some plan for warm
ing the hall from the school room. thus !
making il more comfortable for cloak
room, and enabling us to screen of a
lavatory. The. screen might Be made !
in the shop of the senior high school.
Possibly, too. this room, the hall, !
might be used for a playroum.
Thanksgiving vacation arrives and
we stop and look around TO view the /,
land" Our little room is quite trans
formed in its treatment of buff and
brown, light tan shades, with window !
boxes (which had been furnished by
two boys filed with tiny spruces for
the winter. These were gathered on n !
Saturday excursion to the woods by
the teacher and pupils A new flag !
graced the walls and two or three pic
lures, suitably framed, had been do :
mated by interested friends.
Our next move will be TO invite the
school directors to visit us, stating
definite time. We win tell them the
exact cost to the town, point on the
results and ask them to furnish us
with new desks. These may be OBJ
tanned from shifts in larger buildings
told desks but new TO us and modern
to the degree that each child would
have an individual desk.
In the intervening time between
and Christmas we will
hold an entertainment at the school
house with a two-fold purpose to pro-
mote community spirit and to raise a
small sum of money $50 TO Sl5l to
make an initial payment on a s25 vic
.rola and to purchase a few records.
In the next two months social af-
airs win be held at the schoolhouse
md at the homes for good times and
or paying for the victrola.
Spring comes. With the stirring OF
liant and animal life, our spirits wax
little holder. We purpose to change
he lighting system BY moving the
Iorth window to the south side and
osribly putting in an extra one, prac-
ically converting that side into win -
ow space. This might be done by
peal labor alone, anyway with an ex-
ense not to exceed the $3.50 plan.
The window boxes will be re-filled
18th bright colored geraniums and our
ears work is done. To the next yearlu
elongs the exterior and the improve
rent OF the grounds, and perhaps
ew play room.
Three years should standardize
chool Of this type.
No chain Is stronger than it's weak
Il link and ! am aware that my weak
nix is the unwillingness Of the aver
ge teacher to act the part ] have del
rated to her.
The business man does not measure
'e time he puts into his business-
IS object is to make Il success.
=. a.. - II.