MAY °5 1938 BRIATIONAL ELEMENTARY ‘DRINCIPAL BULLETIN OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION e, 1938 . XVII, No. 6 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL BULLETIN OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS Published in October, November, December, February, April, June, and July by the Department of Elementary School Principals of the National Education Association of the United States. All elementary principals—administrative, supervisory, and teaching—are eligible to active mem- bership in this department. The payment of $3 dues entitles active members to attend all meetings of the department, to hold office, to vote, and to receive the Bulletins. Associate membership may be had by all members of the National Education Association who are actively engaged in any phase of school work by paying the regular membership fee of $3. They are entitled to all privileges except the right to vote and hold office. Subscription to non-members is $3 per year; single copies of the Yearbook, $2; single copies of the Bulletin, 25 cents (except the Official Reports). Entered as second-class matter November 20, 1922, at the postoffice at Washington, D. C., under Act of August 24, 1912. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in Section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized December 18, 1922. Executive and Editorial Offices, 1201 Sixteenth Street, Northwest, Washington, D. C., Eva G. Pinkston, Editor. e OFFICERS OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1937-38 President, Mason A. Stratton, Brighton Executive Committee Avenue School, Atlantic City, N. J. Maude A. Rhodes, Whitefoord School, Atlanta, Ga. Mrs. Edith B. Joynes, Washington-Gate- wood Schools, Norfolk, Va. Second Vicepresident, Isabel Tucker, Festus Ira M. Kline, 177 Gibson Avenue, White Wade School, St. Louis, Mo. Plains, N. Y. Third Vicepresident, H. B. Norton, Robin- Irvin A. Wilson, 437 S. Stone Avenue, son School, Birmingham, Ala. LaGrange, Ill. ; : Certification Division, Cassie F. Roys, Di- Fourth Vicepresident, Arnold Gregory, rector, 2609 Bristol St., Omaha, Nebr. Raupp School, Lincoln Park, Mich. Life Membership Division, Herbert C. Han- Fifth Vicepresident, Harry H. Haw, Alice sen, Director, 1045 N. Lockwood Ave, . - : Chicago, IIl. money chest, San Diegs, Calif. Retirement Division, M. Emma Brookes, Di- Executive Secretary, Eva G. Pinkston, 1201 rector, Miles-Cranwood Schools, Cleve- Sixteenth St., N. W., Washington, D. C. land, Ohio. First Vicepresident, Edythe J. Brown, Kaley- Marquette Schools, South Bend, Ind. See space below for Committees as they are appointed thruout the year Necrology Committee Arnold Gregory, Chairman Clifford Perry Raupp School Lents School Lincoln Park, Michigan 6526 S. E. 92nd Ave. Nellie Lind Portland, Oregon Washington Park School Helen Edgerton Denver, Colorado 908 Third Ave., N. Great Falls, Montana The picture on the cover can be seen in the Nation’s Capital in Rock Creek Park as you pass thru the tunnel which is under Massachusetts Avenue. 194 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTARY <_ P, bru The National Elementary Principal Volume XVII, No. 6 June, 1938 This Pre-Vacation Issue President Stratton and the officers of the Depart- ment of Elementary School Principals extend to you their very sincere thanks for your help in making the They wish for you and yours a most pleasant and happy summer. Department go forward again this year. May you return to your work this fall greatly refreshed. Contents Second Annual Conference on Elementary Educ- tion inttbiicd ama New York Convention Program 198 Exploratory Groups—Benben 200 Teacher Home Visitation—Allen 203 Safety Education of School Children—Caradine__ 205 Opportunity School—Bruck ” _ 207 The Hobby Show As An Extra-Curricular Ac- tivity —Cisne as 209 The Year’s Record—Pinkston__ : _ 212 An Experiment in Assemblies—Nowlin 214 Use of the Administrative Bulletin As An Ad- ministrative “—Technic—Bowles 216 Wisconsin Elementary Principals’ Association— Schnell ee pada escent newenienticnas a News of Interest nuasikiddeaates ee su ee Newer Books ____ ROR 12-39 OUR THE N.E.A. summer meeting will be held in New York City, New York, June 25-30, 1938. SUMMER THE D.E.S.P. program for the summer meeting will be found in detail on page 198 of this bulletin. We strongly urge you to make your plans now to be with us. PLANS HEADQUARTERS for the D.E.S.P. and N.E.A. during the convention will be at the Pennsylvania Hotel. THE SECOND Annual Conference on Elemen- tary Education which is being sponsored by the D.E.S.P. and N.Y.U. will be held July 1-15, 1938, immediately following the N.E.A. convention. * * #* THE SEVENTEENTH Yearbook of the D.E. S.P. Newer Practises in Reading in the Elemen- tary School, will be ready for distribution by Sep- tember 15; therefore, send in your dues early next fall. . | & CLEVELAND, OHIO, Feb. 25-Mar. 2, 1939—the place and dates of the winter meeting. PRINCIPAL, JUNE, 1938 195 Second Annual Conference on Elementary Education Sponsored by the Department of Elementary School Principals and the School of Education, New York University Why It Is—The Department of Elementary School Principals has always been vitally concerned about the advancement of elementary education. ‘The officers of the Department are delighted to say that they have again been able to make splendid arrangements for leaders to get together and confer about their school problems so that when they return to their home situation they are able to do a better piece of work. When It Is—The committee is glad to announce that this Second Annual Con- ference is to be held immediately following the annual convention of the National Education Association at its meeting in New York City, July 1 to July 15. Where It Is—This Second Annual Conference on Elementary Education is to be held at New York University, Washington Square, New York City. Regis- tration will take place Saturday, July 2 at 10:00 a.m., in the auditorium of the School of Education Building, 35-41 West Fourth Street. The Prince George Hotel has made very attractive prices for this particular conference group (both men and women) for the period of the conference. What It Is—Since the Bureau of Statistics of the U. S. Office of Education states that the average intelligence of people of the United States is about the fifth grade, the responsibility of educating and educating well evolves upon the elementary school. Because of this responsibility and the interest which leaders in elementary education are everywhere showing the following main topics have been chosen: The School in a Changing Society, Philosophy of the New School, and The Administration of the School in Transition. Five Sectional Groups will be formed namely: The Pupil; The Teacher and Teaching; The Curriculum; Evaluation; and Practicum. The committee is anxious to have this conference be of real value to the future development of elementary education; therefore, mornings will be devoted to pro- fessional conferences. Afternoons will be continuations of informal discussions with provision for cultural and professional excursions. For evenings a member of the staff of the University has been assigned to the group so that each moment of the two weeks will be utilized to the best advantage. Subject specialists and experts in various aspects of elementary education in the greater metropolitan area will be ‘“‘on call” by members of the group. Addi- tional individuals from a distance have been invited. Who May Attend—All persons who are interested in elementary education are invited to attend. This means superintendents, teachers, principals, assistant superintendents, supervisors, college professors, etc. The number will have to be limited to 250. 196 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTARY een cers ake 1001 . do . /On- onal is to -is- the orge oth tion the the ders lave ool, will um} ture pro- ions aber nent n in ddi- tion tant o be What It Will Cost—T uition—The University fee for those who do not wish college credit is $15.00. The University fee for those who wish to secure two points of college credit is $22.00. Housing Accommodations—Weekly rates for the Prince George Hotel follow: Single rooms, $11.20; double rooms (twin beds) $17.50, or $8.75 per person; double rooms (double beds), $15.75 or $7.88 per person. In addition to the regular facilities available to all patrons of the hotel—including lounges, roof gardens, conference rooms, etc., the group will have a large and comfortable social room for its exclusive use. The committee is taking this occasion to thank Dean J. W. Withers and thru him all the faculty of the School of Education of New York University who have cooperated so splendidly in making the fine arrangements which are men- tioned above. THE COMMITTEE Mrs. EpirH B. JoyNnes, Chairman Maupe A. RHopeEs Ira M. K LIne Mason A. STRATTON, ex officio If you do not want to tear this application blank out of your bulletin, send to Eva G. Pinkston, 1201 Sixteenth St., N. W., Washington, D. C., for another blank. (Tear here and mail) APPLICATION BLANK Second Annual Conference on Elementary Education Department of Elementary School Principals July 1 to July 15 Department of Elementary School Principals 1201 Sixteenth Street, N. W. Washington, D. C. I wish to become a member of this conference. I wish (do not wish) college credit. Enclosed is $5.00.* Kindly make hotel reservation for me. Check choice: 1. Single room. 2. Double room (twin beds). 3. Double room (double bed). Ee eee ee. Ve ee *The check should be made out to the Prince George Hotel, New York City. Mail application and check te Miss Pinkston. PRINCIPAL, JUNE, 1938 197 New York Convention Program June 25-30, 1938 President, Mason A. Stratton, Principal, Brighton Avenue, Atlantic City, New Jersey. Executive Secretary, Eva G. Pinkston, 1201 Sixteenth Street, N. W., Wash. ington, D. C. Headquarters Hotel, Pennsylvania. Breakfast—The Department Breakfast will be held Monday, June 27, in the open air at the Tavern on the Green, Central Park, 7 :30 a.m., price, $1.00, GENERAL SESSION President Mason A. Stratton, presiding SHOWING OF Motion PictTurREs *TEACHER PaRTICIPATION THRU THE P.T.A. MONDAY Mrs. J. K. Pettengill, President, National Congress June 27 of Parents and Teachers. 1:45 p. m., SomE IMPORTANT Factors IN PERSONALITY DEVELOP- Salle Moderne MENT Dr. Fritz Redl, Progressive Education Association, Room, Hotel New York, N. Y. Pennsylvania GENERAL SESSION Sponsored by the New York State and City Principals REPORT OF THE RESOLUTIONS COMMITTEE Harry H. Haw, Chairman, Principal, Alice Birney TUESDAY School, San Diego, California. June 28 REPORT OF THE NECROLOGY COMMITTEE 2:00 p. m., Arnold Gregory, Chairman, Principal, Raupp School, Salle Moderne Lincoln Park, Michigan. Room, Hotel ELECTION OF OFFICERS Pennsylvania PANEL DiIscussION “The Curriculum in Transition” (Under the honorary chairmanship of Associate Superintendent Stephen F. Bayne and Assistant State Commissioner J. Cayce Morrison. ) General Chairman—John F. Conroy, Principal, Public School 32, Bronx, New York City. ApDJUSTING THE CURRICULUM TO THE GIFTED CHILD C. F. Pertsch, Junior High School, Brooklyn, N. Y. Wuat ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES ARE NECESSARY TO PROMOTE THE PROPER FUNCTIONING OF THE CURRICULUM? Mrs. Eudora Fletcher, Public School No. 99, Brooklyn, N. Y. *The Department of Elementary School Principals cordially invites those members of the Parent Teacher Association, who are in or near New York, to attend this meeting to hear their National President. 198 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTARY H W W RE Ba he: lar Sa at Sel cia cat Ph sh- the ne | ne .ew PER rent- ional RY How Wit THE REVISION OF THE CURRICULUM TopAy CHANGE THE Sus- yecT MATTER AND PROCEDURES IN THE First Two YEARS? Ruth Gillette Hardy, Public School No. 33, New York, N. Y. Wuat CHANGES ARE NEEDED IN Our PRESENT CURRICULUM TO ACHIEVE Our OBJECTIVES IN TERMS OF METHODS AND CONTENT? WHAT ARE PRACTICAL First STEPS IN INTEGRATION? John F. Conroy, Public School No. 32, New York, N. Y. Wuat ARE Our New York City Osjectives? How Can WE ATTAIN THEM? How Can WE EvatuateE THEIR ATTAINMENT? Benedict Fox, Public School No. 45, South Ozone Park, N. Y. THE COMMUNITY AND THE CHANGING CURRICULUM Louis Kornfeld, Public School No. 30, Brooklyn, N. Y. NecessARY MopiFICATION OF THE CURRICULUM FOR THE CHILD WitTH DE- LINQUENT TENDENCIES? Margaret A. Lindquist, 2475 Palisade Avenue, Spuyten Duyvil, New York, N.Y. REMEDIAL PROCEDURES Dorothy Bildersee, 115 Willow Street, Brooklyn, N. Y. Banquet—The Banquet of the Department will be held Tuesday, June 28, in the Cafe Rouge Room of the Hotel Pennsylvania, 6:15 p.m. Price, $3.00. Greetings will be extended by Dr. Stephen F. Bayne and Dr. J. Cayce Mor- rison, and Charles W. Joyce, President, New York State Principals Asso- ciation, and Margaret A. Lindquist, President, New York City Principals Association. Entertainment at the dinner will consist of skits and parodies under the auspices of the Principals’ Club, a social organization connected with the New York City Elementary Principals Association. Enrolment Chairmen Meeting On Wednesday, June 29, 2:00 p.m., State, City, County and District Enrolment Chairmen are asked to meet in the Roof Private Dining Room, Pennsylvania Hotel. At this time plans for next year’s enrolment campaign will be discussed. It is our hope that each Enrolment Chairman who cannot attend this meeting, will send some person to represent his state, city, county or district. Miss Laurie Doolittle Our splendid State Enrolment Chairman and friend, Miss Laurie Doolittle, head of the Hill Demonstration School at Delta State Teachers College, Cleve- land, Mississippi, passed away on March 3. Miss Doolittle started her teaching career in the public schools of Iowa. Later she did teacher training work at Saginaw, Michigan. From there she went to Northeast State Teachers College at Kirksville, Missouri, and in 1926 she became the head of Hill Demonstration School. The Department of Elementary School Principals has always appre- ciated the very fine work which she did to further its cause of elementary edu- cation in her state. PRINCIPAL, JUNE, 1938 199 Exploratory Groups J.S. Benben, principal, Public School, District 143 Midlothian, Illinois (An Experiment in Cooperative Curriculum Revision) The traditional school was developed in accord with the philosophy that the products of this institution must be mas- ters of certain informations, skills, and patterns of social behavior before they were judged to be effectively able to participate as members of society. This philosophy implies the imposition of adult-selected knowledge and impels the child to conform to goals that are outside of his world of reality. Seemingly, no thought was given to the child, his experiences, his abilities, or his interest in the world that sur- J. S. BENBEN rounded him. The philosophy understood the importance of adjustment in society, but the means by which it intended to reach the objective placed this objective secondary to the means. ‘The adjust- ment cannot be made by a mere accumulation of selected skills and informations, but by a combination of these and a study of the insight and meaning of the world. What is learned in school does not remain unchanged for life. Many things are left for learning after school life is over and the school must prepare for this latter learning by organizing a curriculum that emphasizes teaching for purposeful living rather than a fixation of habit. With all this in mind we set about to formulate a curriculum that better con- formed with the needs of the child. The program of studies involved consists of two integral parts and includes only the 6th, 7th, and 8th years. The morning for each of these upper grades is compartmentalized with a teacher assigned to each class. Mathematics and the Social Studies are taught during the morning. The afternoon is divided into two seventy-minute periods. The pupils of the 6th, 7th and 8th years are divided into exploratory groups—each child selecting two exploratory fields every eight weeks. ‘These selections are made from a group of eight fields: Dramatics, Literature, Art, Crafts, Trade Science, Nature Study, Journalism, and Music. : We have four teachers, two sixth years, one seventh year and one eighth year working in this curriculum. Each teacher supervises two exploratory fields. Each classroom assigned to an exploratory field contains the material we have been able to obtain to carry on the work. ‘The work in these groups is not patterned after the procedure of the traditional classroom. Each teacher has as much lee- way as he desires, but his group must show organization. The purpose is to permit the child to explore in the field he has chosen and under the guidance and with the help of the teacher to integrate his findings with the principles he learns dur- ing the morning studies—to point out to him their true relationships in situations that are real and meaningful: (a) To surround him with influences that elicit his natural responses; (b) to afford him opportunities to browse in many fields of 200 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTARY ch ric tez to tez ple suf ser pre gré the det us mi Pi endeavor; (c) to aid him in discovering his own capacities and limitations, in- terests and distastes, powers and weaknesses. Months of careful observations of the former program of the school, the pupils, the community, and the then existing curriculum with regular meetings every two weeks to discuss and study our observations preceded the actual work of organizing the new curriculum. It was not until late spring that the staff began constructive planning. ‘The staff felt that the then existing departmental set-up (that included the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th years) was not suitable and decided a change was necessary. Careful observations of the pupils in classroom and out of classroom activities indicated that homogeneity in interests, play, and associations existed in the 6th, 7th and 8th years. The 5th year pupils indicated interests, play and associations quite different from those of the upper three years. Since the departmental cur- riculum included the 5th year, these pupils were considered in every proposed plan. The results of the observation eliminated them from the new curriculum. The departmental curriculum that included the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th years was introduced in 1935-36. It proved to be unwieldly from the beginning and brought about unnecessary administrative and disciplinary problems. Five teachers made up the departmental staff (one for each class) with no extra teachers to teach music, art, and physical education. ‘This work was divided among the five teachers. It was impossible to plan a program without unsupervised study groups. Under the departmental set-up it was difficult for the teacher to emphasize anything but mastery of tool subjects with no time to attempt to bring about learning in a cooperative selection, organization, execution, and evaluation of meaningful situations and activities. Extending the time of each period would decrease the time for art, music, and physical education classes, but would not eliminate unsupervised study groups. A curriculum that provided for an in- tegration of tool subjects and activities encompassing the Practical and Fine Arts had to be formulated. Following the analysis of the then existing program and discussion of desirable changes a new curriculum was cooperatively developed. ‘The work on the cur- riculum did not stop after its organization. Before leaving for the summer each teacher chose the two exploratory fields he desired to supervise. The purpose was to give him ample time to better prepare himself in the chosen fields. Every teacher enrolled for summer work at some college where the curriculum was ex- plained to various classes of attending teachers. Many pertinent and valuable suggestions were made by these teachers that helped to smooth out rough spots. The views and results we present in this article are based solely on teacher ob- servation and concensus of our thinking. We have carried on no objective testing program simply because we cannot afford to purchase the necessary materials. The administration of the program was easier than anticipated. Since this pro- gram completely revolutionized any program of the past in the community, more than ordinary effort was expanded in launching it. We know we have been un- democratic in our innovation and administration of the program, but it has given us the start we desired. We hold to the belief that the pupil should be per- mitted to change his exploratory fields as he desires and be free to register in another PRINCIPAL, JUNE, 1938 201 group. This freedom cannot be provided because our enrolment in the upper three years is too great and the staff too small for satisfactory guidance and super- vision. The most obvious and yet the most encouraging result of our new venture is the socialization effected by the revised curriculum. A new attitude is apparent among the children—a feeling of tolerance that was never before felt in the school. As we know the intolerence and prejudices of the people in small towns, we think that this socialization is somewhat of an accomplishment. In these groups class distinctions have disappeared. No reference is made to them as 6th, 7th and 8th year pupils. They are in the particular Exploratory Group by choice. “They haye provided themselves and have been provided with situations that give unlimited opportunities for meaningful group participation. These group participations have developed a cooperative spirit. “These two results are important steps to an awareness of social responsibility and away from a “bargaining cooperation’ s characteristic of the American. Another result, perhaps a seeming antithesis to cooperation is the increased in- terest shown in independent study. The volume of work done independently shows increased pride in work and a respect for the ability in work done by others. We believe that “learning is the change in the individual resulting from ex- perience,’ ; and that ‘learning to be effectual must be centered in situations that are real and meaningful.’” Our curriculum is in accord with our education belief, Our present program of study permits a wider range of fields from which real and meaningful situations may be borrowed and in which they may be presented, thereby, permitting greater and more varied experiences and, at the same time, promoting optimal growth in the children. It more than permits “learning to be centered in situations that are real and meaningful.” The children of the 6th, 7th and 8th years are happier in school than they ever have been. A keener interest in work exists, and an increased eagerness to par- ticipate in as many activities as possible. We have learned that teachers need not always stimulate interest in work, but that the most powerful stimulants are in the field that the pupil chooses for study and in the fields of interest of the children who surround him. Administratively, the curriculum has made six contributions: First, the average daily attendance, to date, of the 6th, 7th and 8th years is better than it has been in previous years. Second, it has given more teachers an opportunity to better feel the pulse of the school, thereby increasing their value as aids in determining administrative policies. Third, it has lessened the number of discipline problems. Fourth, it has renewed the teacher interest in his work and created a pressure that has forced him to seek information outside of the accepted fields of elementary school subject matter. Fifth, the core curriculum of the morning has made tt easier for the teacher to teach the tool subjects and to present a better opportunity to view the progress of his pupils in this work than was possible under the de- partmental plan, and sixth, it has provided more opportunities for pupil interaction 1. & 2. Educa. Trends, “Curriculum and Social Orientation.’”” E. T. McSwain—p. 17, Oct.-Nov. 1937, Northwestern University. 202 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTARY an gu fu pe co we ha sel Ww. use the chi fac the pea chi dor sev ma mo pro the par alw PR per lief, and ted, ime, > be ever par- not e in lren rage een tter ling »ms, that tary e it nity tion 1937, RY and more time for the teacher to study the child in these interactions to better guide and counsel him. We began without financial aid (District 143 has an indebtedness of $315,000), without the materials and equipment that seemed so essential to carry on success- fully; and we were confronted with an average enrolment of forty-three pupils per class in the 6th, 7th and 8th years. ‘These few weeks of operation have un- covered potentialities that have spurred us to greater heights of endeavor and, we hope, eventually, to a definite contribution in the field of education. Our work has not stopped at this point for the program is under continual scrutiny and serves as a continuous cooperative study. Teacher Home Visitation W. Paul Allen, principal, Garfield Heights Elementary School, Cleveland, Ohio It is rather difficult to confine our remarks within the limits of the topic of ‘Teacher Home Visitation” because our home visitation program bears directly upon every phase of our school life. However, we shall try to state briefly our philosophy, principles, and practise in this field of work. We believe the most important thing in the school is the child. ‘Therefore, in order to teach him and to provide a wholesome educational environment for his growth, it be- comes a job of the first order to learn all we can about the W. PAUL ALLEN Child. We can test him and find out his I. Q., his M. A., his academic achievement, etc., but we have no test we can use to find out about the child’s home life and you can’t find it out by asking the child. Recently I checked one of our teacher’s home visit reports. She has thirty-five children. My study revealed that in seventeen of these homes there were peculiar factors that might lead to a school problem. Some parents were divorced and the child lived part time with each parent; parents both working and various people—sometimes no one—responsible for the child while they were at work; child living with grandparents or relatives; parents can’t speak English or they don’t speak it; extremely poor health conditions; low moral standards; father a severe disciplinarian and mother the opposite. This list can be multiplied into many situations, any one of which should be known to the teacher whose job it is to provide a rich environment for the growth of the child mentally, socially, morally, and esthetically. In fact, it is difficult to see how a teacher can really provide this environment without knowing the home life of the child. It isn’t possible to learn everything on one visit, but the skilled teacher who is awake to the situation can see and learn much on a brief visit to the home. It is a well-known fact that when the school extends a special invitation to the parents to visit the school it is usually the same parents of the good children who always attend. Seldom does the teacher see the parents she would like to meet or PRINCIPAL, JUNE, 1938 203 should meet. Furthermore, much can be learned by a visit to the house that cannot be learned by an interview at school. In our school of approximately one thousand pupils and thirty teachers, we have a definite program of teacher home visitation. Sometime during the fall months of the school year, the teacher makes a friendly call at the home of every pupil in her class. On return to school she files a form report of her observations. On the report the teacher makes note of the economic status, the social atmosphere, and the educational environment. The following explanations of these terms are copied from the report form used by the teacher in reporting her visit. 1. Economic Status: It will be helpful to you and to the school for you to observe the general financial status of the home insofar as it can be determined by casual observation. Does the family appear to be well clothed and fed? 2. Social Status: What is the general social atmosphere of the home and the sur- rounding neighborhood? Is there evidence of a clean and healthy home situa- tion? Is the child allowed a reasonable amount of social life in the form of en. tertainment and play? Is the general atmosphere of home pleasant or depressive? What is the attitude of the child toward his parents? Of the parents toward the child? Of the parents toward the school? 3. Educational Environment: Would you consider the home environment cultured, average in its refinement, or crude? What is the attitude of the family toward education? Did you inquire concerning the child’s health habits, as for instance, eating or sleeping? Is there evidence of any attempt on the part of the parents to make a healthy educational home environment by providing books, magazines, a quiet place and a definite time for home study? Do the parents speak English? Certain principles have been developed from this program which we have been following for the past four years. a. The teacher never visits a home if there is reasonable evidence that her visit is not welcomed. b. Whenever possible the teacher tries to accompany the child home. c. The teacher has something definite in mind to talk about on each visit. d. It is often advisable to have a conference with the child before visiting the home. The teacher may discuss such things as: child’s interests; hobbies; activities in school and out. It may be she can learn of a home problem that she can look for on her visit and later give help to the child. e. Great care is taken to make the first visit a friendly one. The teacher always has something good to say about the child. f. No questions are ever asked that would in any way embarrass the parents. g. When the teacher thinks it best she tries to time the visit so that she can meet both parents. h. The teacher is careful to refrain from discussing personalities or politics. i. She avoids discussion of other teachers or other children. j. Sometimes it is difficult but the teacher attempts to avoid having the parents criticize the child in front of the teacher. The above list of principles are some of the most important ones. The list is not meant to be complete. The final question is—“ How do the teachers find time to make the visits?’”” Our answer is—‘‘How does the teacher find time to teach the children?” If she has to eliminate something else from her program for a while I don’t see what it is that is more important and should not be sacrificed for this part of her work. Perhaps the question can be answered another way. Home visits pay big dividends. Once the teacher has showed she is truly interested in 204 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTARY — win a a —_,- | = hat the visit ome. es in look ways meet rents ist is time ‘each vhile - this Lome od in {RY | the child—so much so she is willing to pay the home a visit—she has won the respect and confidence of the parents. Many problems which would later take hours of her time never arise because mother and dad know Mary’s teacher and she must be right. Safety Education of School Children Jane C. Caradine, principal, Charlotte Allen School, Houston, Texas The safety of the school children of our land is a respon- sibility the school may have to acknowledge. Thousands of children are killed or maimed on their way to the school, and all the admonition and protection of the grown folks have not prevented it. The school is the organized effort society puts forth to educate its children to live the good life their day and age have decreed the good life to be. It is perhaps time to bring into the school program procedure the object of which points toward developing the capacities of children JANE C. cARADINE for learning to live more safely. No one will believe that traffic will grow less frightening, that machines will cease to grow more and more into the lives of the people. Children are little people; and one day, if they can learn to breast the mechanical hazards of the age into which they are born, they will become grown people. All personal experiences begin with the individual and react in one way or another to produce learnings. It is possible to list numbers of personal experiences of children which are directly incident to safety. For instance, children go up and down stairs; they skate, they cross the street; they ride in cars. The children themselves attach importance to the things they do when they are invited to bring their own experiences into conferences, and they eagerly tell the safe things they do over and over. Whether or not the school places safety instruction on the same footing with instructional opportunity in reading, arithmetic, English, etc., and incorporates it in the curriculum does not matter. Any principal or teacher may launch such a program and be sure of the children’s interest if they only be invited to participate. Integration of “safety” as a school subject with English, reading, problem solving, etc., has wide possibilities. If the children are inspired thru classroom contacts to do the things they are going to do anyway in a safe way, they will under stress of traffic hazards be fortified by confidence they have in themselves, by attitudes they have developed; and they will knowingly share some of the responsibility for their own safety. This learning will have come thru their own initiative fostered in the classroom thru the medium of the co- operative safety program. The children encounter the dangers of the street ; they are directed by confidence ; they do in a safe way the thing they had todo. Children who meet this type of opportunity will never again depend wholly on adult admoni- PRINCIPAL, JUNE, 1938 205 tion. They will not chafe under the constant warnings of the grown folks, for they share with the grown folks the responsibility for their own safety. Their abilities to live safely will be organized thru the safety program which they them- selves helped to plan and carry on. Children are far too immature to have acquired judgment thru their life ex- periences, and it would be folly to expect the school’s program to solve alone the frightening problem of the school child run down on a city street. Yet the school may assume the leadership in organizing the effort to help save the lives of the children. Teachers are trained to inspire children and to help develop their abilities to participate in the life about them. The modern teacher discovers the problem, seeks its causes and plans a way out. She names objectives and expected outcomes. She invites the children to participate and not only invites them. to bring their own personal experiences to the conferences, but she respects these experiences and presently the children are solving the problem as it touches them, The teacher organizes her own and the children’s efforts, and provides contacts that offer the greatest creative benefit to the child. Statistics line up the tragedies in graphic array; the grown folks admonish and wait in fear; cities provide the corner policeman, green and red traffic lights, and the marked pavements. But all to no avail. Why not try thruout the land the interesting procedure of teaching the child to live more safely in the congenial atmosphere of his classroom? A NEW KIND OF YEARBOOK ON READING The 1938 Yearbook of the Department of Elementary School Principals, en- titled Newer Parctises in Reading in the Elementary School, will be ready for distribution on September 15. This book presents a distinctive and useful picture of the problems and effective practises of elementary schools in teaching children to read. More than fifty authors have contributed approximately 400 pages of vital material on the following topics: scope of the reading program, reading readiness, beginning reading, cultivating appreciation and taste in reading, study reading in the content fields, diagnostic and remedial procedures, providing class- room materials, using libraries, organizing schools and classes of better instruc- tion, and administering and supervising the reading program. Reading is generally recognized as the keystone of the elementary-school program, and much valuable literature is already available on the subject. There is need, however, for a book describing a variety of practises which have proved successful in typical school situations. This yearbook tells what a number of competent principals and teachers are doing with reading instruction in their own schools. The book has been prepared under the direction of the Editorial Committee of the Department of Elementary School Principals. 206 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTARY apr be — ££» te ad he Pir ish ts, nd ial Opportunity School John P. Bruck, principal, Buffalo, New York Opportunity School is an industrial school for backward boys under the jurisdiction of the Board of Education. The registration averages 425. The chronological ages range from 12 years to 19 years, the average being 15.7. The mental ages range from 5.3 to 12 years with an average of 10.1. The lowest intelligent quotient is 38, the average is 68. There are 20 boys 80 or a little higher. There was one 92. The enrolment is cosmopolitan: Polish 220, Colored 46, Italian 35, with some Germans, English, Hungarians, Russians, Irish, JOHN P. BRUCK etc. The boys come mostly from poor homes. They are sent from public and parochial schools. The character of our pupils varies. Ten to 15 percent drift to the courts, the reformatories, and the prisons. The handicaps in the administration of a school like Opportunity are many. You are obliged to do a difficult work in an old building that has been abandoned for children of normal ability, and that does not adapt itself to the organization of an industrial school, and consequently exhausts the energies of the teachers where there should be a conservation of their strength. The next handicap is stigma. The children of other schools and their teachers stigmatize the school. The finger of withering scorn is pointed in our direction. We are a dippy school, a nut school, a bughouse school, with other undesirable epithets hurled at us, as, dummy, crazy, robber, and so forth. But a change is taking place. We are not so much disturbed by stigma. We are, in fact, getting bouquets instead of stigma. We organized baseball teams and won the city championship six times. This year in the city contests we were third. We organized science clubs and entering the contests at the Museum of Science we were awarded first prize for three years and for two years we received the distinction of honorable mention. In a poster contest conducted by the Chamber of Commerce on Safety First we won several prizes. Now, with our school maga- zine, our drum corps, and our harmonica band we are meeting with some con- spicuous successes and stigma is melting away. Our Mimeographed Magazine—We named our magazine “Our School at Work.”’ We won the cup in the annual contest of the Inter-scholastic Press As- sociation of Western New York for two years for the best mimeographed maga- zine. We have also been awarded honors in the contests of the Columbia Inter- Scholastic Press Association and the National Inter-Scholastic Press Association of Minneapolis. We issue three numbers a year and each succeeding number is larger owing to the growing enthusiasm of the boys and their eagerness to be a part in the interest- ing project. We have a theme for each number in addition to school news. The Christmas number had as its theme “Christmas Customs in Other Lands.” ‘“Auto- biographies” written by the boys in the Easter number gave some remarkable, PRINCIPAL, JUNE, 1938 207 interesting information of experiences of members of our school. The last num- ber, and the best we have done so far, was given to “Nature Study.” The stencils are cut by the faculty adviser and some by the boys. ‘The com- position is the work of the boys with the exception of the principal’s page. The aim is to get as many boys as possible writing articles, making drawings, gathering news or doing some job in connection with printing and binding. A reporter is appointed for each class and each shop, and these confer with the faculty adviser, The printing is done on an electric mimeograph purchased from school funds, We also bought two large type typewriters. There is no charge for our magazines, We have a large exchange and are receiving an increasing number of requests for copies. Our magazine was begun with enthusiasm but as an experiment. We are con- tinuing it as a most interesting and desirable project and can produce it with an ever-improving technic. Our Drum Corps—We have ten drums, one base drum, cymbals, ten bugles and ten fifes. If we had twice as much equipment we could use it for we have a large waiting list of boys eager to join the corps. The thing that should be em- phasized is that we are getting excellent results with little expenditure of money for either the drum corps or the harmonica band. There is no cost of salary for the principal is the leader. Volunteer help has not been satisfactory. The leader meets the buglers first. To direct a drum corps, if you do not play the bugle or the fife, is a difficulty which can be overcome. ‘The scale is taught first. Then a tune like Semper Fidelis will be played on the piano or on the electrola. We proceed slowly with the bugles practising a few measures and ina few days one or two boys will have learned the tune. We use these as leaders. The drummers are trained separately as are the players of the fife. When we bring all the players together there is much enthusiasm. We have two rehearsals a week with the entire corps. In six weeks we learned four tunes and for the year we could play eight tunes, such as: “We are in the Army Now;” “One, Two, Three;” “Hail, Hail; and “Marching Thru Georgia.” We have used the drum corps at assembly, on Memorial Day, Flag Day, Arbor Day, broadcasting, and have had the corps give acceptable numbers on our programs when we visited other schools. We have changed the school attitude of numbers of boys thru the drum corps and thru the harmonica band. Besides, other schools have been taking us for an example and have formed similar organizations. Our Harmonica Band—Opportunity School has had a harmonica band for several years. The principal is also the leader of the advanced players, about forty boys. One of the teachers has been assisting in instructing beginners the scale and a few tunes, when they are transferred to Band A—the group of advanced players. We use the single reed Hohner C harmonica which is furnished by the Depart- ment. A tune is played on the piano and the boys try to accompany the air. Some boys play the melody while others play an accompaniment. We find it not prac- ticable to permit the members of the band to take their instruments home. Prac- tise is the important thing and home practise would be very desirable but we make | 208 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTARY | Vi re m- “he ing r is er, ds. =sts on- ‘ith rles ea ney for the wo, for yrty and ers. yme rac- rac- ake RY rapid progress with two rehearsals a week at school. We play old-time melodies and also modern tunes. We render good programs at our assembly. We have broadcasted six concerts over the radio and we have visited various schools and given some creditable har- monica music at large assemblies of appreciative teachers and children. We were or- ganized only a short time when three boys from our band appeared in a contest of harmonica players in one of the best and largest theaters of the city. One of our numbers won a prize of fifteen dollars and another won ten dollars. One of our boys got a position with the trolley company because of his ability to play the harmonica and became a member of the harmonica band of the company. Another joined the army and entered a contest there winning recognition. One boy de- veloped a tune of his own representing the sound of a railroad train crossing a trestle in the Rockies. ‘These are but some of our conspicuous successes, but more than all this every boy became an excellent harmonica player and had the joyful experience of creating beautiful melody for his own growing satisfaction and for the delight and gratification of others. The harmonica is the poor boy’s musical instrument and it is not universally known what fine music it can produce. The Hobby Show As An Extra-Curricular Activity W. G. Cisne, Superintendent of Elementary Training, Southern Illinois Normal University, Carbondale, Illinois No doubt most educators will agree that the purpose of extra-curricular activities is twofold. In the first place they enhance school life by giving variety and spice to the activities of the school. In this regard they help to create and hold a higher level of so-called school spirit. They make the school attractive to many that otherwise might not care to attend, and serve for these pupils as a holding factor until further interest is created in the scholastic work of the school. The variety of such activities catches the interest of practically all W. G. CISNE the pupils at some point. Athletics is probably the most popular as it appeals to the competitive spirit and is carried out on a level which the general public understands. However, other activities such as club work, making collections, dramatics, school paper, debate, gardening, have their appeal. All of these and others when properly organized and carried thru under competent leadership make school life attractive and meaningful, and pro- vide a good atmosphere in which proper direction may be given and received for mental accomplishment. In the second place extra-curricular activities create and cultivate interests that often last thru life. These created or cultivated activities may form the basis for recreation thru the busy years of adult life. They shape the thought and activities of leisure hours and give zest to what otherwise might often be monotonous spare time. In the development of such interests teachers should keep in mind the fact PRINCIPAL, JUNE, 1938 209 that one’s future recreation is ordinarily carried out individually or in the com. pany of but few people. Baseball is a game which appeals to most people, and q knowledge of the rules is prerequisite to the highest appreciation of this national sport, but as a means of regular recreation it is impractical for the majority of people who would otherwise like to follow it. It would be difficult after busines hours daily to organize community teams for such sport. On the other hand while tennis is not so exciting perhaps, yet two people can play the game, consequently such a form of recreation is likely to be practised more often. Facility of perform. ance encourages practise when the act is attractive. This fact should be kept in mind when developing interests in recreational activities. The hobby fulfills both purposes mentioned. If properly recognized and en. couraged by the school it adds pleasure and appreciation during school days. |t certainly creates lasting interests. Just now when the outlook appears to assure more leisure time for all, well-developed hobbies may serve in a measure to stabilize . social unrest, give much enjoyment, and in a limited way enlighten those who pursue them. The Brush Training School is now planning its tenth annual hobby show, Since the first year there has been increasing interest and understanding in this annual display. The show lasts for several days and is regularly visited by hun- dreds of patrons and others. No admittance is charged. Any one is welcome to go and come as he desires. Pupils of the school serve as guides and explain the various exhibits where any explanation is needed. All grades enter hobbies. Several plans have been tried in the arrangement and display of the hobbies but the most satisfactory appears to be for each grade to have its own space. Several rooms of the same grade may well make a single display. Ribbon awards are given for each class of exhibit within the grade. This admits of many awards and arouses more interest than the plan of giving few awards after grouping exhibits of the same kind from all grades. By the latter plan very few awards would be given pupils of the lower grades and this defeats the whole purpose of the dis- play which is to create interest in worthwhile activities. When making awards the judges take into consideration such points as the age of pupil, ingenuity of pupil, uniqueness and appropriateness of the display, and the extent and neatness of work done. A display of a small collection of some kind may reveal more understanding and ability thru its classification and ar- rangement than a more extensive collection of the same nature if improperly as sorted and classified. It took some time to make pupils and even parents understand thoroly what is meant by a hobby. For the first season or two many thought that anything that caught their fancy even a day or two before the show could be brought and placed on exhibit and pass as a hobby. Gradually the pupils were taught that a hobby is an activity pursued for the pure love of the activity alone and not for the purpose of making a profit or displaying the result to others. It was difficult at first, also, to separate the meaning of hobbies and relics in the mind of pupils. They are often very closely related. For instance, an old coin would of course be a relic as a single display, but the same coin with others could properly be displayed by a child whose hobby is the collection of various kinds of coins. Or a piece of 210 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTARY is @ dif vis the gra to! in} ent wh on an kir is ¢ it : wi ma on no me pa: yor str fol wi ere com- nda onal y of ines vhile ntly orm- t in en- . It sure ilize who low. this Vun- the chinaware—trare relic of its kind—might well be displayed by one whose hobby isa collection of such ware. It is not at all a simple task to make pupils see the difference between relics and hobbies. In the hobby show relics were not allowed. To add interest to the last day of the exhibit—a day when parents are invited to visit school as well as the hobby show—pupils are allowed to bring and display — their pets. Ribbon awards are given here by classes of pets without regard to grades. Much attention is given to the cages in which the pets are shown. Prior to this display much is said about proper cages and how to build them. The judges in making the awards consider the neatness of workmanship, roominess with refer- ence to the pet, the physical condition and grooming of pet as well as its disposition when such can be considered. Before and after Pet Day many lessons are given on kindness to animals and many valuable exercises created in language, spelling, and composition centered around the pets. Last year there were fifteen different kinds of pets shown with a total of seventy-two displays. The teachers and the patrons as well as the children feel that the hobby show is a valuable extra-curricular activity. It is not altogether an easy task to organize it and carry it thru on the basis of proper understanding, yet no doubt the effort required pays good dividends. The display arouses varied interests and encourages wholesome activities on the part of the children. It gives valuable suggestions that may lead to pleasant and profitable avocations. Along Nature’s Trails Along Nature’s Trails by Lillian Cox Athey has been written for every- one who loves the outdoors. You do not have to live in the country to meet many of Nature’s children. In city parks and even in your own yard you find many interesting things. The more you read about your friends of field and stream the more you will enjoy looking for them and studying their habits. You will be surprised to find many of the animals, birds, and plants mentioned in this book to be really old friends you have been passing by without stopping to become better acquainted with. Nature’s children have a message for each and every one of you. Find out as much as you can about them. This interesting book of nature study has been published by the American Book Company. Thanks to Contributors Headquarters wishes to extend its very cordial thanks to all who have contributed articles this year for The National Elementary Principal; to all who have kindly sent in suggestions for the improvement of the Department and its publications; and to all who have helped by telling others of the work which we are trying to do. Please con- tinue to send us suggestions and helps. Weshall appreciate very much your tell- ing others of the service we try to give. We can make this Department more ‘helpful if, next year, you will send to headquarters copies of the program of your Principals’ Club; tell us about the interesting things which you are doing in your school; and give us any other information which will be of interest to the principals of the nation. PRINCIPAL, JUNE, 1938 211 The Year’s Record Eva G. Pinkston Our Enrolment Chairmen—As we go to press with this last issue of this series of the National Elementary Principal, we are delighted to inform our mem- bers that the splendid enrolment chairmen, who have worked so diligently, have again placed our membership for the year at an all time high. Our number to date is 5612, and this is the largest membership which the Department has ever had. These 675 enrolment chairmen have given us a 10 percent increase over last year by telling their friends and co-workers about the Department ; the work which we are trying to do; and the advantages of belonging. Our Official Record—The Seventeenth Yearbook of the Department of Elementary School Principals, New Practises in Reading in the Elementary School, will contain a directory of the names and addresses of all the members for the year 1937-38. This record is being printed now and we shall try to add the names of new members who join between now and May 23. After this date, it will not be possible to include any more names. One section of our directory will contain the names and addresses of the Presi- dents and Secretaries of State and Local Principals’ Clubs. We shall appreciate your sending to headquarters the following information about your Principals Organization: Name of the Club (indicate whether it is state, city, county or district ) ; Name and Address of the President; Name and Address of the Secre- tary; and the Date the Term of these Officers expires. Where We Stand—This year 43 states have increased their membership over that of last year, and 5 states have reached their number of 1936-37. Only 10 states failed to come up to their previous record, but we are sure they will next year. The states which have reached their quotas are: Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, lowa, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Virginia. Our 100 Percent Records—Headquarters wishes to take this opportunity to commend those enrolment chairmen who succeeded in making their territories 100 percent in membership for this year. If there are any cities, counties or dis- tricts which are 100 percent which have not been reported, please let us know. The list which we have to date is as follows: FLoripa—Tampa; Grorcia—Glynn County; ILtinois—District 75 of Evanston; INDIANA—Evansville, Indianap- olis, Terre Haute; MicHiGAn—Lincoln Park; Missourr—Cape Girardeau; New York—Port Jervis; OKLAHOMA—Muskogee, Tulsa; PENNSYLVANIA— Milton, Lewistown; SourH Daxora—Sioux Falls; Texas—Austin (Supervis ing Principals), Baytown; Vircinta—Alexandria, Charlottesville, Lynchburg, and West VirGiIntAa—Roane County. Our Appreciation—The fine record which has been made this year would not have been attained, had it not been for the untiring efforts of the State, City, County and District Enrolment Chairmen over the United States and Terri tories. It isto them that we owe our appreciation and thanks, for they have worked hard to tell the principals of the nation about the work of the Department. 212 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTARY ver ork Our graph—On this page we present the part each state has in the total mem- bership of the Department of Elementary School Principals for 1937-38 (May 1). The number beside each sector represents the state as follows: 1—Alabama 2—Arizona 3—Arkansas 4—California s—Colorado 6—Connecticut 7—Delaware g—District of Columbia 9—Florida 10—Georgia 11—Idaho 12—Illinois 13—Indiana 14—Iowa 15—Kansas 16—Kentucky 17—Louisiana 18—Maine 19—Maryland 20—Massachusetts 21—Michigan 22—Minnesota 23—Mississippi 24—Missouri 25—Montana 26—Nebraska 27—Nevada 28—New Hampshire 29—New Jersey 30—New Mexico 31—New York 32—North Carolina 33—North Dakota 34—Ohio 35—Oklahoma 36—Oregon 37—Pennsylvania 38—Rhode Island 39—South Carolina 40—South Dakota 41—Tennessee 42—Texas 43—Utah 44—Vermont 45—Virginia 46—W ashington 47—West Virginia 48—Wisconsin 49—W yoming 50—Territories 51—Foreign Membership oO 5612 7 % 937-3 29 289726 25 24 16 PRINCIPAL, JUNE, 1938 213 An Experiment In Assemblies Egbert W. Nowlin, principal, Bristol School, Webster Groves, Missouri Why Experiment?—Assemblies have been a part of the regular schedule of the Bristol School for many years. Each fall, a committee of three teachers assigned assembly dates for the year to the teachers in grades four to six, inclusive. This plan was defective in that the assemblies were teacher- made. ‘They were not developing initiative sufficiently. Per- fection of performance was uppermost. Recognition of the fact that the assembly belongs to the children and that the responsibility should be delegated to them had been over- EGBERT W. NOWLIN looked. The New Plan—It was decided in September, 1935, to turn the assembly activities over to a committee composed of eleven pupils, one from each room in grades, four, five, and six, and a teacher to act as adviser. The plan was explained to the pupils and each class was asked to choose as its representative, the most capable and conscientious member of the group. The term representation was explained. The honor of being-chosen was emphasized. These suggestions were taken very seriously and soon an excellent committee began to function. It met each week to present the criticisms of the classes rep- resented and to make plans for the assemblies. A member of the committee, chosen as chairman, presided at all meetings; minutes were kept by a secretary ; and various responsibilities were assigned. A member of the committee presided at each assembly, telling what class was in charge of the program, or introducing musicians and speakers. Pupils assigned to preside or to make announcements made very definite preparation, so there was seldom lack of confidence. The teachers and the principal tried to make themselves inconspicuous members of the audience, thus putting the discipline into the hands of the committee. Types of Assemblies—FEffort was made to reduce the number of adult speakers and performers, and to increase pupil participation. Various moods of the children were catered to in planning the programs. Some were frivolous, some educational, and some appealed to the deeper emotions. For example, the “Singing Game” assembly was one in which practically all pupils participated and was planned solely for the purpose of having a good time. That day the stage was the center of the gymnasium floor with the chairs sur- rounding. Groups were called out to play. The height of the fun came when a group of teachers responded. Another program which was amusing and was participated in by the pupils was the “Auction Sale.”” Mysterious looking packages were auctioned, and mem- bers of the audience bid on them. The contents of the packages proved interesting, and the program was one of the most popular of the year. The most serious, and decidedly the most beautiful program was the ‘‘ Mother's 214 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTARY as od as ilt Day” observance. That day all grades were invited to attend the assembly. When the curtain was drawn, a very impressive living picture of ‘““Whistler’s Mother” was seen. The announcer gave a brief description of the picture and then invited each room to send to the stage a beautiful basket of flowers as a tribute to their mothers. A teacher played softly while the pupils carried their flowers forward, some rooms sending several baskets. Those who watched this impressive ceremony saw the stage gradually take on the appearance of a flower garden. The baskets were later sent to homes and hospitals, to mothers who were ill. The Scrap Book—A scrap book was kept which contains a complete report of each assembly. Some of the other outstanding programs listed in the scrap book were: Safety Play: “Nobody Will Believe It.” Stunt Day: Volunteer Numbers. Hallowe’en Play: “The Wistful Witch.” Armistice Play: “What Father Time Saw.” Music: St. Louis Band and Instrument Company. Play: Scenes from Tom Sawyer. Puppet Show: “A Trip Around the World.” Play: ‘“Dicken’s Christmas Carol.” Play: “The Employment Agency. Program by the 5A Verse Speaking Choir. Singing Games. Play: Broadcasting Station Parade of the Nations. April Fool Day. Arbor Day Program. Goodwill Program. Results— More interest was shown in the programs; discipline took care of itself ; and the pupils enjoyed the assemblies more than before. At the close of the year, the pupils were asked to answer some mimeographed questions regarding the assemblies. Two hundred eighty-four questionnaires were turned in, and, in answer to the question: “Did you like the assembly programs this year?”, only eleven said they did not, and two said they were fair. Approximately 88 percent of the pupils who had attended the assemblies the previous year said they preferred the new plan, and 90 percent said they wanted it continued another year. The questionnaire showed very definitely that the popularity of the new plan was due, very largely, to the increased pupil responsibility. Principals’ Clubs The Official Records in the new Yearbook of the Department of Elementary School Principals will include the names and addresses of the Presidents and Secretaries of State and Local Principals’ Clubs. Headquarters shall appreciate receiving this information about your association. Please indicate the kind of club (State, City, County or District) and the date on which the election of officers takes place. PRINCIPAL, JUNE, 1938 215 Use Of The Administrative Bulletin As An Administrative Technic D. Richard Bowles, Beeville Public Schools, Beeville, Texas How often have you attended a faculty meeting, either as an administrator or as a classroom teacher, only to leave the gathering after an hour or more of random discussion and haggling with only the conviction that nothing worthwhile had been accomplished ? It was because of numerous such experiences that the writer became convinced that the administrative faculty meet- ing was not only usually unnecessary, but often positively detrimental. Unfortunately, the faculty meeting too often deteriorates into a battleground of clashing personalities, with discord and misunderstanding inevitable. With these facts in mind, the writer entered his first year as an administrator with the belief that the occasional use of a bulletin from the principal’s office would obviate the undesirable effects of the traditional—type faculty meeting. The results were so heartening that from the beginning practically all adminis- trative matters were handled thru bulletins. D. RICHARD BOWLES During the year, fifty-one bulletins were distributed and only six faculty meet- ings were held. Of these, one was held the day before school opened, one after registration the first day, one to plan assembly programs for the year, one to hear the representative of a publishing firm in whose material we were interested, one to discuss the course of study for the next year (which had been worked out be- forehand), and one the last day of school. The bulletins covered a wide variety of problems. Examination of the file at the end of the year revealed that special bulletins had been issued on the follow- ing subjects: Instructions for beginning the year’s work, Grading, Room Libraries, Assemblies, Registration, Inter-scholastic League work, General Classroom Pro cedures, Art Exhibit, School Operetta, Fire Drill, Lost Articles, Instructions for ending the year’s work, Retaining Pupils, and Materials to be checked in at the end of school. In addition to the matters mentioned, the 293 different items discussed in the bulletins included announcements, directions for making out various reports, ex- planations of schedules, suggestions regarding lighting and ventilation, hall dis- cipline, purpose of progress tests, mention of articles of professional interest in late books and magazines, suggestions for administering examinations, care of state textbooks, and dental inspection, to mention only a few topics taken at random. During the first year of the writer’s use of the bulletin, it has been used largely as an administrative technic. This was doubtless due to the fact that he was serving his first year as principal of the school, and every week demanded the formulation of policies covering some new situation. With these policies fairly well established, it is hoped that next year the bulletin may be devoted more tu 216 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTARY one pra yea abl can us. wh def wil bul the find pro teac sho wa} he nd ile he t- ly en th Or ce a IS- t- er ar ne problems of a supervisory nature, problems looking more directly toward the im- provement of class instruction. The bulletins are run off on the duplicating machine and distributed to the teachers’ desks. Whenever possible this was done in the afternoon, so that the bulletins were on the teachers’ desks when they arrived next morning. ‘This prob- ably is the desirable practise at all times, but it was not always possible. They were not published at regular intervals, but only when there seemed to be need for them. A notepad usually was kept on the principal’s desk for jotting down topics to be treated in the forthcoming number, and when there were five or six such items the bulletin was prepared. In this way, it was usually about a page in length, which seems the most desirable size. Longer than this tends to call upon the teacher for too much at one time, and it seldom was necessary to print a bulletin before a page of material accumulated. It seems to the writer that the attractiveness of the bulletin might add much to its effectiveness. The following uniform heading was typed at the top of the page, altho some other form would be just as well: BEEVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Bulletin No. 20: General Dec. 1, 1936 Each bulletin was given a number and a title. If the entire bulletin was about one subject, an appropriate title was chosen; otherwise, it was labeled “General.” Likewise, all items were numbered. This frequently proved to be a valuable practise, as it often became necessary to refer back to an earlier paragraph, as “See Bulletin No. 14, Item 3.” Each teacher was expected to keep in her desk a file of her bulletins during the year. Not only were they needed to refer back to occasionally, but they were avail- able to new and substitute teachers, who were expected to read them when they came to work in the school. The question of whether or not the teachers read the bulletins never bothered us. If there is anything really important in them, it will readily be apparent whether or not the teachers have read them. Most of the value of the bulletins will be lost if the statements lack clarity and definiteness. The writer strives constantly so to phrase his statements that it will be unnecessary for the teachers to ask additional questions. Another characteristic of the well-written bulletin is tact. Proper use of the bulletin can go a long way toward building up harmony and good-will between the principal’s office and the teachers. The bulletin should never stoop to fault- finding and harsh criticism. Interest in the bulletin can be fostered if the principal will seem to anticipate problems that need treatment, and to supply needed information just when the teachers want it. A year’s use of the administrative bulletin in a small elementary school has shown that its use possesses certain advantages not to be obtained in any other way. Some of these advantages are: 1. The long-drawn-out administrative faculty-meeting at frequent intervals has been made unnecessary. This increases the opportunity for use of the professional-type faculty- meeting. PRINCIPAL, JUNE, 1938 217 2. Economy of time is effected, since the teachers can read in a few minutes what might take hours to explain verbally. 3. Clarity of statement is much more easily attained in writing than in speech by most of us, especially when the statements can be thought out and written ahead of time. 4. A permanent record of the school’s policies and practises is available for the use of each teacher at any time. Use of the bulletin has convinced the writer that it is almost indispensable as an administrative technic. Wisconsin Elementary Principal’s Association Organized at Madison, April 30, 1938 Fred Schnell, principal, Jefferson School, Sheboygan, Wisconsin (Epitror’s Nore: We are receiving many requests for suggestions regarding a Constitution and By-Laws for State Associations and Clubs. This newly organized Wisconsin Asso- ciation has drawn up, in our opinion, a fine one.) Preliminary steps for this organization were taken by the writer early last fall. At the Elementary Principal’s Section of the Wisconsin Education Association convention at Mil- waukee, an expression on the part of many elementary prin- cipals was to the effect that such an organization would be helpful to raise the professional standard of the group. Aware of this sentiment correspondence and conference were had with the State Education Association officers, The Depart- ment of Public Instruction, and the School of Education, FRED SCHNELL University of Wisconsin. These last three organizations and institutions expressed a willingness to cooperate for the pur- pose of effecting an organization by calling a conference for elementary school principals sometime in the spring of 1938. Dr. J. Murray Lee, Assistant Professor of Education, University of Wisconsin, Miss D. Kibbe, State Supervisor of Elementary Education, and the writer met several times with different groups of elementary school principals in order to secure their cooperation for a possible organization. A draft of a constitution for the organization was compiled and a most stimulating program was arranged for the meeting. Approximately 200 principals met last Saturday and effected such an organization by adopting the following Constitution: ARTICLE I—ORGANIZATION 1. This organization shall be known as the Wisconsin Elementary Principals’ Association. ARTICLE II—OBJECT AND PURPOSE 1. The aim of the organization is to promote the interests of elementary educa- tion in Wisconsin by making a special study of the problems that arise in con- nection with the administration and supervision of elementary schools. 218 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTARY 2. hr Pk A- 1- . It shall be a further aim of the organization to promote the cause of the ele- mentary principal by raising the standards of his position. . This organization shall cooperate with the State Superintendent and the De- partment of Public Instruction, the various boards of Education, the higher institutions of learning, and the Wisconsin Education Association, which have for their purpose the best interests of the school systems of our state. ARTICLE III—MEMBERSHIP . a. Any elementary principal doing elementary school work may become a vot- ing member of the Department. b. Any person interested in elementary education may become an associate member. . All members of this organization shall have the privilege of attending all meet- ings of the organization except those of the executive committee. . This organization shall encourage its members to join the Department of Elementary School Principals of the N.E.A., and shall in itself become an affliated unit working in cooperation with the National Department. ARTICLE IV—OFFICES AND MEETINGS . The officers of this organization shall be a president, vice president, executive secretary, and a treasurer. They shall be elected annually at the regular spring meeting of the association with the exception of the executive secretary who should hold his office for a period of three years. . The executive committee shall consist of the four officers, the immediate past president, secretary of the Wisconsin Education Association, a member of the School of Education of the University of Wisconsin, a member of the elemen- tary supervisory staff of the Department of Public Instruction, one represen- tative of the State Teachers College as ex officio member, and one principal from each section of the state in which is held a convention. (The sectional representatives of this committee are to be appointed by the president until the next meeting of the respective sections at which time the representative will be elected by the respective section. Their term of office shall be for one year.) This committee shall direct the activities of the organization with power to ad- just and arrange all matters not expressly provided for herein or determined by vote of this organization. The committee shall meet upon call of the president. . At least two meetings of the organizations shall be held annually. One in con- nection with the State Education Association convention during the first week in November, and one during the latter part of the school year. . The organization should encourage and sponsor whenever possible Elementary Principal Sectional meetings at the district conventions held thruout the school year. . The duties of the officers shall be those which usually appertain to such officers. . The elected officers of this association shall receive no salary except when travel- ing as a member of the executive committee. The rate of pay shall be deter- mined by the executive committee. PRINCIPAL, JUNE, 1938 219 ARTICLE V—COM MITTEES 1. The president, with the approval of the executive committee, shall appoint the following standing committees and additional committees as necessary: a. The Research Committee b. The Resolution Committee c. The Nomination Committee d. The Wisconsin Education Association and District Conventions Pro- gram Committee e. Membership and Publicity Committee ARTICLE VI—DUES 1. The annual dues of this organization shall be one dollar ($1.00) upon re. ceipt of which each member shall receive a membership card showing dues paid of the school year. 2. Each member (see Article III) shall, upon payment of annual dues, be en- rolled as a member of the organization and entitled to all the benefits and privileges hereby provided. ARTICLE VII—AMENDMENTS 1. This Constitution and the By-Laws may be amended by two-thirds vote of the electorate present at any business meeting. The officers elected to carry on the work for the coming school year are: President, Lucile Clock ; Vice President, Ethel Newby ; Executive Secretary, Fred Schnell and Treasurer, Barton Roger. The conference morning and afternoon sessions were very stimulating. The subjects discussed were The Principal’s Place in a Modern Curriculum Program; Teaching With A Purpose ; Curriculum Problems for City Elementary Principals; Curriculum Problems for State Graded Principals; Administrative and Super- visory Problems for City Elementary Principals; Administrative and Supervisory Problems for State Graded Principals; Reading Problems in the Elementary School ; Measurement and Guidance Problems in the Elementary School. Dr. J. Murray Lee, Assistant Professor of Education, University of Wisconsin was chairman of the Morning Program. The speakers. were Miss Prudence Cut- right, Assistant Superintendent, Minneapolis City Schools, and E. G. Doudna, Secretary of the Board of Regents of Normal Schools, Madison, Wisconsin. For the afternoon sessions the chairmen for the different discussion groups were: Miss Lucile Clock, Principal, Draper and Dudgeon Schools, Madison, Wisconsin; Nicholas P. Cupery, Principal, State Graded School, Friesland, Wisconsin; B. G. Lahr, Principal, Garfield and Jefferson Schools, Racine, Wisconsin ; Walter Barr, Principal, State Graded School, Cottage Grove, Wisconsin ; Lillian Simon- son, Principal, Douglas School, Watertown, Wisconsin; and John A. Walecka, Principal, Lincoln School, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Plan for American Education Week, November 6-12, 1938. 220 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTARY cla ist anc cia SIV cal Pri Vie wa to Sk: the re- aid and are: ‘red The am; vals; per- sory tary nsin cute dna, For ere: sin; isin; alter non- ca, IRY News of Interest * The Department of Elementary School Principals of Ohio is being re- organized this year under the leadership of W. Paul Allen, president. On April 29 and 30 there was held a conference of all elementary principals at Columbus, and arrangements are being made for district meetings to be held in the fall. These principals have compiled a direc- tory of the elementary school principals in the state, and at present a Committee is working on the revision of the Con- stitution. Headquarters is delighted that such progress is being made. * The Milwaukee Principals’ Asso- ciation has recently changed its name to “The Milwaukee Public School Admin- istrators’ and Supervisors’ Association,” and a new elementary principals’ asso- ciation was formed, consisting exclu- sively of elementary principals. It is called “The Milwaukee Elementary Principals’ Association. Arnold A. Vieth, principal, 20th Street School was elected president. We are indebted to Edwin G. Luening, principal, Nee- Ska-Ra School, for this information. * An association for elementary school principals of the Northwest Mis- souri district was formed at a luncheon, held in connection with the elementary school conference at the Teachers Col- lege, Maryville, Missouri, in March. It was organized by Frances Holliday, principal, Eugene Field School. Bel- mont Bradley, principal, Central Grade School, Chillicothe, was chosen presi- dent. Harvey Rogers of Elma was elected vice president and Virginia George of Albany is secretary-treasurer. This organization is the first district group to be organized in the state. The principal speaker at the luncheon was Miles C. Thomas, principal, Border Star School, Kansas City. Dr. Uel Lamkin, president, State Teachers Col- lege, Maryville, Missouri, sent this fine news to headquarters. * The Thirteenth Annual Confer- ence of the New England Health Edu- cation Association will be held Friday and Saturday, June 3 and 4, 1938, in the Pratt Building of Naval Architec- ture, Cambridge, Mass. The speakers for the occasion are: Ruth E. Grout, Director of Health Education Study, Olean, New York; Homer N. Calver, Director of Health Exhibits, 1939 New York World’s Fair, and Secretary and Director, Committee on America Mu- seum of Hygiene of the American Pub- lic Health Association; Ruth Evans, Assistant Supervisor of Health and Physical Education, Public Schools, Springfield, Mass., and Payson Smith, Graduate School of Education, Harvard University. * The Yearbook Committee of the West Virginia Elementary Principals Association has just published the Third Yearbook of the organization, The Prin- cipal and the Learning Situation. In this book the committee has attempted to bring together descriptions of prac- tises and examples of some of the ways of bettering the learning situation. It is offered with the thought that these practises may meet some immediate need of principals in scrutinizing their own situations and in a measure, promote in- terest in further progress. The mem- bers of the Yearbook Committee who prepared this splendid book are: W. E. Lawson, Chairman, McKinley Ele- mentary School, Parkersburg; H. Cliff Hamilton, Assistant Supervisor Elemen- PRINCIPAL, JUNE, 1938 221 tary Schools, Charleston; Byron Miller, ex officio, East Park Elementary School, Fairmont; Estella Scharf, Union Ele- mentary School, Wheeling; Geraldine Dent, Spencer Elementary School, Spencer; William F. Cline, Park Ele- mentary School, Parkersburg; and Rex Smith, Seneca Elementary School, Mor- gantown. * School Newspapers are continuing to come to headquarters. During the last few weeks we have received Ele- mentary News, published by the Prince- ton Elementary School, Princeton, New Jersey, of which Mrs. Helen C. Brear- ley is principal; The Black Rock Bugle, published four times a year by the Black Rock School, Bridgeport, Con- necticut, of which Miss Ida G. Holroyd is principal ; Bryant News Flashes, pub- lished by Bryant School, Duluth, Minn., of which Lillian C. Hanson is prin- cipal; the Courier published by No. Nine School, Rochester, New York, of which Louise Schrot is principal ; Wash- ington Street Prinmary News, pub- lished by the Washington Street Pri- mary School, Greensboro, N. C., of which M. L. Scarlette is principal ; and the Balboa Eagle School Paper, pub- lished by the Balboa School, San Diego, Calif., of which Gordon K. Stevens is principal. * Plans are well under way for the 8th annual convention of student-gov- ernment and their faculty advisers which is to be held in New York City, June 28-29-30. This convention is spon- sored jointly by the National Associa- tion of Student Officers and the Na- tional Conference on Student Participa- tion both of which are affiliated groups of the National Education Association. “Quality in Citizenship” and “Lay- ing the Foundation for Tomorrow’s World” will serve as the themes fo; the student and teacher groups respec. tively. Further information can be ge. cured by writing to the National As. sociation of Student Officers, 5835 Kim. bark Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. * The Elementary School Principals’ Section of the New Mexico Educational Association have been publishing magazine entitled, “The Elementary Principal.” Copies of the January and March issues have been sent to head- | quarters. This splendid magazine in. | dicates the progress which is being made by the elementary school principals of New Mexico. * The annual convention of the Na- tional Council for the Social Studies will be held in Pittsburgh on the Fri- | day and Saturday following Thanks- giving Day, November 25 and 26, 1938. A program of meetings covering a gen- eral session, five small luncheons, three afternoon sectional meetings, a dinner and addresses on Friday, and sectional meetings followed by a luncheon and addresses on Saturday, is being planned. The session will be of interest to social studies teachers of all grades, from ele- mentary school to the university, and to school people in general. * Dr. Lester Dix, principal of the Lincoln School conducted by Columbia University in New York City, was the speaker at the spring conference of Ele- mentary School Principals of Connecti- cut at the Roger Ludlowe High School, Fairfield, May 6. Dr. Dix gave an analysis of practises in modern elemen- tary schools. Headquarters wishes to thank Miss Emma Mink, retiring secretary of the State Elementary School Principals As- sociation for this information. 222 THE NATIONAL ELEMENTARY ricu by | Me: cipl ext! sch pre} sug} teac gra ally of | how may} gan plat how shir bin: acti and sple Put Avi wo! Pra has tho: sult clas The we: the tior ous the acti exp Gin pro ast of ¢ it h tar use inf PR for pec- Se. im- vals’ onal tary and -ad- in- ade : of dies Newer Books The chief purposes in writing Extra-Cur- ricular Activities in the Elementary School, by C. F. Allen, T. R. Alexander, and H. W. Means, are to set forth some guiding prin- ciples for organizing and administering extra-curricular activities in elementary schools; to suggest how teachers may be prepared for carrying on the program; to suggest plans and procedures for improving teachers in service; to explain how the pro- gram may function in either the tradition- ally organized school or in the newer type of platoon school organization; to explain how home-room and auditorium activities may be carried on successfully in schools or- ganized on either the traditional or the platoon type of administration; to suggest how several typical provisions for citizen- ship training may be carried out thru a com- bination of curricular and extra-curricular activities—activities which often overlap and are sometimes indistinguishable. This splendid book is published by the Webster Publishing Company, 1808 Washington Avenue, St. Louis, Mo. x * * Do you need practical help in your daily work? If so, you will find it in Modern Practises in the Elementary School by John A. Hockett and E. W. Jacobsen. This book has grown out of the experience of the au- thors with teachers in the classroom and in summer-session, extension, and university classes, as well as with teachers in training. The attempt thruout the book has been to weave together theory and practise, so that the justification and application of educa- tional principles are presented simultane- ously. The authors conceive of teaching as the process of stimulating and guiding the activities of children so that rich and varied experiences result. This book, published by Ginn and Company, Boston, Mass., should prove helpful to teachers in service as well as to young people preparing to teach. x & ® So many contributions to the psychology of elementary school subjects have appeared it has become necessary to publish a revised edition of Psychology of Elementary-School Subject. A large proportion of this revised edition is new matter, representative of the growth in the psychology of elementary- school subjects. There is an increased em- phasis on individual differences in line with the view that the real purpose of education is to develop the individual so that he may take his place in the world. Since the first edition, elementary science, information about health, and physical education have become regular parts of the elementary cur- riculum. Chapters on these subjects have been added. This book should be helpful to the teacher in improving her work. Ginn and Company, Boston, Mass., published this book. x ® & Have you seen Reading and Literature? The purpose of the book is to invite all chil- dren to books. To arouse the desire to read is a major aim of the modern course for these junior high school years. Extensive studies have been conducted by the authors and a wide range of literature searched to discover material for this series that deals with experiences to which children respond, which stir the mind and feeling. Complete examples of the common literary forms are present—the novel, short story, drama, nar- rative and lyric poetry, and the student learns the special quality and value of each of these. This book has been compiled by Melvin E. Haggerty and Dora V. Smith, and it has been published by the World Book Com- pany, Yonkers-on-Hudson, New York. x * * How to Draw What You See by Norman Moore is the result of the author’s accumu- lated impatience with art schools that either ignore the basis of correct drawing or bury it under a fog of “arty” language, leaving the student to find his own way out. If you like to do things with your mind and hand, there is a wealth of refreshing exercises in this book which is published by Hillman- Curl, Inc., New York. The Department’s new Yearbook, Newer Practises in Reading in the Elemen- tary School will be ready for distribution September 15. You will be able to use it in college classes, faculty meetings, principals’ clubs, and for general information. PRINCIPAL, JUNE, 1938 223 SPEAK OF THE GOOD Wouldn’t this old world be better If the folks we meet would say, “T know something good about you.” And then treat us just that way? Wouldn’t life be lots more sunny If we praise the good we see? For there’s such a lot of goodness In the worst of you and me. Wouldn’t it be nice to practise Just this way of thinking, too? “You know something good about me, I know something good about you!”’ —SELECTED.