The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1959-02-27
A Principal Takes A Look At The
FLA And Vocational Agriculture
BY r. ARMSTRONG SMITH

Not TOO many years ago, our
rural high school offered to farm
boys only academic or college pre-
2aratory courses. Many OF the sub
lects taught were not interesting to
hem because they contributed little
4 preparation for the occupation
the majority Of the class would fol
low As q result many dropped out
ot school during the first two years
Of high school The holding power
was not there
Things have changed within re-
cent years, and ii has been my
pleasure to witness this change. To
day We find the influence OF voca-
tional agriculture felt il the genera,
education field The aroused inter
est IN The part Of our boys is
carried into other departments. The
boys are challenged
This challenge is due. lii large
part, to the fact tha. good yoca-
tional teachers make their instruc-
ton function visibly and immedi-
ately 81 the lives Of the boys.
g'lssa instructors are not particu-
latly interested in masses Of infor-
MaGon They are Interested iii
thought in thinking minds with the
facts i needs for the present. and
the ability to find other facts when
wanted IN other words, with them
The learning process is a thinning
process.
Trur-tO-Life Problems
III the agriculture department.
boys are brought face To face with
trne-to life problems which come
from their own situations Of our of
the life and work Of actual farmers.
II follows that the Dogs are con
stantly getting facts, putting these
in logical order, and dedacing the
reasonable conclusions.
7. Has been said that these prob
lens could be classed under three
headings those which lead TO the
discovery d principles previously
unknown. those hich require
choices or decisions between alter
natives and those which require
planning Il THE desired purpose is to
Be reached All require pul.posefnl
thinking
The very first activity on the part
Of the instructor IN the best classes, I
centers around certain underlying
principles which have been found to /
be effective, The content Of that
study Is determined BY the rae
tees Of the community and the Pc
tential needs Of the community. The
Job analysis is applied quite exten-
sively Subject matter Is considered
from the standpoint Of decisions
which a farmer must make IN pre-
paration for doing his job we'll
The second activity is that OF in
struction through supervised prac-
tice. Seeing the job done on the
farm OF learning to do by doing.
Day and Night
The agriculture department at
Cumberland is not primarily con
cerred with day students. but rather
with night students as well. Some Of
the most alert former agriculture
boys, high school graduates, and
many holding college degrees. are
now enrolled in our evening groups.
These are nothing more than a con
tinuation Of our program to farm
folks. a large amount Of the instruc-
ton to this group centers around
the discussion Of problems which are
Of immediate concern to the group
In all Of our work, day or evening
classes, our major emphasis is not
upon the mere performance Of the
past. but rather upon the educa-
tional opportunity which it offers.
BOYS in the vocational agriculture
department have much in common
For many years, effort was made
throughout the nation to find tie
which would bind these boys to-
gether. They found it in the FLA.
This organization welded the 10y
atty Of the American farm youth.
ITS members know what is expected
Of them. Wien they perfected their
organization, at their first official
,,,eatino in Kansas CITY in 1928.
they set forth detectives or pur-
poses which would serve as guides
in leading them into the realization
Of what is expected of them: to
create more interest in the intelli-