Smyrna times., 1926-11-10

OIL lie w dSIl1IiS LOn 116lSHIS AtHIuIy
Club played the piano accompaniment.
Another interesting feature Of
forum, was the nature study demon
stration by Miss Violet L. Findlay, su-
pervisor. The aim of the nature work
in the schools said Miss Findlay, is:
"Knowledge of the out-of-doors, ap-
probation through knowledge, and
the feeling of kinship with living
things
The youngsters who took part in
the demonstration were from No. 13
School at Seventeenth and Union
streets and they were able to tell
more about the different species Of
oak around Wilmington than were
known to most Of the people in the
audience.
DR.. Richard Watson Cooper, direc-
tor Of the Bureau of Education of the
Service Citizens of Delaware spoke as
follows on "The Model Educational
Idea"
"The modern school is a place
where each child discovers the best
ways of doing things that are possi-
BILE and desirable for him, and where
he forms habits of doing these desir-
able things with freedom and delight
"In other words, the educational
process is just an intelligent pursuit
Of life, the whole of life, in school
and out, before and after tile school
years as well as during those years.
Therefore, It IS also true that ed
ucation is action, usually intelligent,
conscious, purposive action ie3 ling to
achievements that are measurable and
such as may be recognized as desir-
able and pleasurable even BY the
child.
"And for this reason this intelligent
pursuit of life is a JOY, or a success
sion Of joys, which finally absorbs for
a period, or for periods, and for in
creasingly longer periods the entire
interest and energy Of the pupil.
Whether we will or no, the above
Characterization Of that phase Of life
called education, il the process that
actually takes place in every pupil,
man or woman, who becomes efficient
or effective in any general o. specific
way in the world. It may occur with
or without the help Of the school, with
the home on in the street, i'll the
church or in a gambling den. When
ever or wherever, the pupil, child,man
OF woman, intelligently pursues any
endeavor he is being educated, learn
ed, trained, accomplished for that en-
deavor.
1T is because the educational lead
ers Of the world have become thor
oughly convinced that this intelligent
pursit Of any end in life Is the real
process Of education, for good Oh evil,
that they have re-assessed old educa-
tional values, and educational meth
ods and are insisting upon reforms
that seem nothing less than revolu-
tionary to those Of Us who absorbed
in youth or assumed in later life to-
tally different ideas of the school and
the school process.
''The new emphasis is laid
Upon the individual pupil as
against the lockstep group education
of the schoolroom
Upon interest and free choice If
action Of the pupil as better discipline
than any regimental discipline of the
past or present.
Upon modernly equipped school
rooms and Fairgrounds supervised by
trained teachers IN accordance with
the new view, every interest of tile
individual pupil being conserved.
Upon the pre-school child, the con
tinuation school for the child who has
gone to work, upon mature education
for the grown-ups who have not or
who under the circumstances cannot
Of themselves achieve independent,
intelligent, purposive conduct in our
complex modern world
He considered it "wickedly cruel"
to allow children To stay in some Of
the poorly constructed school build
ings Of the state and urges modern
constructed and equipped buildings
and better trained teachers for Del
aware's children.
Mrs. Walter Seaman Comfy, Of the
New York State Federation spoke of
'Why Federation" A musical pro
grom was given by Miss Elizabeth w.
Gallagher, soloist. Mrs. Leroy Work,
violinist; and Mrs. A. X. Smith plan
ist.
The extensive program which took
the place Of the usual all-day meet
ing held by City Federation in other
cities Every number on the program
had its part in its bearing on City
Federation work, and was put in for
that specific reason. Mrs. Edmund NJ
Barsham, president Of the City Fed
Grafton presided at the meeting. The
program was planned BY Mrs. Howard
NJ Ward Mrs William r. Stevens
was chairman of the luncheon com
mittee.