Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1925-11-27
VALLEY TEACHERS
IN BIG MEETING
Winchester Entertains Group of
More Than Five Hundred

The conference of District G of the
State Teachers Association, held in
Winchester Friday, was one of the
best and most enthusiastic to be
held by this organization.
Many Of the visitors were brought
to Winchester by a two-fold motive
one to attend the conference and the
cher to see the new Handley School
building and visit classes in session.
There We're 500 or more in atten-
dance upon the sessions of the con-
ference, and every classroom thru
out the system had its quota Of Wis
itors at some time during the morn
ing
Unanimous expression at the close
of the meeting after O'Clock yes
terday afternoon was to the effect
that the day had been decidedly
profitable one.
The general meeting of the asso-
citation was opened at 1880 with H.
s. Duffey. vice-president of District
G. presiding. Mr. Duffey gave brief
~. by way of Introduction, the le-
gend of Judge John Handley and the
story of the foundation of the Hand
ley Schools.
Teaching Along Modern Lines
The first speaker on the program
was Miss Katherine Anthony, direc-
tor Of the training school of the Har-
risonburg State Teachers College,
who selected as her subject THE
Organization of Subject Matter to
Stimulate Creative Thinking"
She contrasted the old method of
learning facts according to textbooks
arrangement with those that organ
lie the material to be learned in
large units that may be handled
through problems that serve as
guide lines. The problems in most
cases arise from the natural curios-
ity of the children who, because they
are original, solve them much more
effectively than those imposed by
the teacher or. text. Miss Anthony
cited Dalton, Mass; Winnetka. Ill;
and the high school cooperating
with the University of Wisconsin
as pioneers in the experimental
field of the reorganization of subject
matter into large units of related
material.
The work which Miss Anthony is
doing in the practice school in Har-
risonburg along the line of her sub
jeet is a real contribution to the de-
velopment of education. and this
district is. indeed, fortunate in hav-
ing as one of its members this dis
tinguished educator
The Importance of Music
The second speaker was Miss
Florence C. Baird, director of music
of the Radford State Teachers Col
lege and organizer of the Virginia
Music Teachers Association. Miss
Baird selected for her topic Music
for the Masses" and said in part:
No one would want to live in a
community without music You can
not imagine yourself living in such
a place. If you stop to think, no pro-
gram is complete without music of
some kind. Would you like to go
to circus which had no band? No
You cannot imagine circus with
out one, and music is to a program
what the band is to a circus.
Y do not like the term public
school music for it is not different
from any other kind 1t is music
for the masses, but, nevertheless.
music. We cannot all create, but
We can all participate in this branch
OF the fine arts Not every one can
teach a child the technicality of it,
but they can teach them to parti-
eipate in and enjoy music. Nor
should music be considered a segre-
gated subject for it may be CORE
lated with literature, history, geog-
raphy and many other subjects.
Patriotism Judged by Songs
1T is said that nations patriot
ism may be judged by its songs. We
should not only teach these songs
but the meaning of the words and
the INSTALLATION of the picture por-
trayed by the song. zone of the
c,daa~t tb;vre ovar avpariapoad
was in a rural district one evening
when we were singing patriotic
songs. / asked the group of people
present to visualize these Words, My
Country It's of The I asked them
if they could not see their country,
beautiful and broad An old man
spoke up i see it 1t is my country.
have been singing that song for
sixty years. but | never saw it be-
fore
Music should be a regular part
of the school program. 1t furnishes
relaxation from other work. as well
IS to create and increase the esthe-
tic side of the child's life. Even if
your superintendent does not allow
music in your regular schedule. he
viii be sure to ask for 1t on his pub
lie programs. a young teacher once
asked me What shall I do if my
superintendent comes into the room
and finds me teaching music when
it is not on the regular schedule2'