Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1945-09-07
What My Community Should Do in Postwar Planning
and make recommendations to the
boards of education.

Perry L. Schneider, head of the
evening elementary school division
of the New York City board of edu-
cation, says that there is growing
demand by adults for short nom
credit courses in cultural subjects
such as history, global geography,
economics, current events, itera-
ture, music, art, crafts, and hob
bies. He believes that it will be
necessary to educate parents for re-
duction Of juvenile delinquency.
Some of the courses Mr.. Schnei-
der suggests may be applicable to
small schools. Perhaps the folks in
my community will want not only
the agricultural night classes which
have proved popular but classes in
manual training, personal tipping,
foods, sewing, interior decorating or
child psychology.
For those adults who still enjoy
taking part in plays, a community
players club might well be organ
lied to meet once a week and to
present one or two plays for the
entire community. Those who like
to sing might form a community
chorus which could present concerts
while those who like to play a mu-
steal instrument might form COM
munity dance band to sponsor six
dances.
Since our public library has a
small stage, these three groups
could easily use that as their meet
ing place so as not to monopolize
the high school gym, which is a
combined gym and auditorium.
These clubs as well as adult eve
ming classes should be considered a
part of the high school teachers
work and enough teachers should
be hired to take care of the de-
mands.
OF even greater educational con-
Germ is the quality of the grade
school and high school instruction,
for servicemen will want good
schools for their children.
1t will be well to consider restor-
ing to the elementary school the
subjects that were dropped because
no teachers were available: art,
cooking, sewing, and manual train
ing. Likewise attention should be
given to possible new subjects.
Every Day Living for Boys
Perhaps eighth grade boys should
be taught simple cookery, selection
and care of their clothes, bedmak-
ing, and room care in a course
called, Every Day Living for
Boys" Both boys and girls might
be taught simple gardening prac-
tees and encouraged to have their
own garden plots during the sum-
mer.
AS part of the high school sur
vey it would be right to consider
if the history courses are providing
the citizenship training we want and
if the English classes in addition
to teaching our young people to
speak and write correctly are giving
them the proper evaluating stand
ards so that they will know how to
judge newspaper, magazine, book,
movie, and radio program, thus dis
carding the trash and fastening their
minds on the things worth remem-
boring.
Since cooking and sewing were re-
quired of eighth grade girls, it would
seem sensible to require of the
freshman girls a home management
course which could incorporate
some principles of home nursing.
Then during the three summer va
cations of their high school days
they might undertake such projects
as canning vegetables, house clean
ing and cooking, with credit to be
given for such projects after due
inspection by the teacher in charge.
A first aid course comparable to
the one taught by the American Red
Cross should be required of every
boy and girl after he is 16 years of
age and before he is graduated.
In recent forum on divorce con-
Quoted by the Town Club of Chicago,
Samuel A. Rinella, divorce attorney,
declared, Our schools train students
in everything from carpentering to
radio announcing but not enough, if
anything, is done about instructing
men and women in marriage"
Mr.. Rinella's statement is so true
that l think the Education commit
tee should consider recommending a
required semester's course in the
senior year for both boys and girls
in general sociology, marriage and
the family.
In 1865 the folks of Pleasant VAL
ley, little village in the foothills of
the Alleghenies, piled the relics of
the Civil war that had just ended,
the old brass cannon, the battered
muskets, the broken swords, and the
rusted bayonets into one heap. They
melted them down and from them
cast the gentle bells of Pleasant Val
ley to ring out over green fields and
fertile farms as memorial to their
loved ones lost in that war.
Likewise, it is my hope that the
Postwar Planning of the Re-Em-
ployment, Memorial, and Education
committees will result in making
my community Pleasant Place in
which to live.