Thomas Starr King Middle School - Echoes Yearbook (Los Angeles, CA)

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PREFACE To the adult friends of junior high school boys and girls: This book is a compilation of pupil work. Part I reveals the general environment and atmosphere of the school and the pupils' reaction to it. In Part II different types of original creative expression are presented. The pupils, either as individuals or as groups, who wished to contribute, submitted their materials to teachers. Those articles worthy of furthericonsideration were handed to pupil critic committees. These committees were tireless in their efforts to select from the great masses of material presented that which seemed, in their judgment, the best. Additional material.was taken from previous publications. The organization and compilation of each section Were done by groups of pupils who were interested in the different phases. The dominant characteristic of an activity program is pupil experience. Serious and emphatic consideration must be given to the following points: 1. Motivatioii from the standpoint of pupil interest. 2. Inspiration for pupil self-directed, original, creativeand purposeful activity. 3. Encouragement of individual and group activity. 4. Suggestions for points of departure. 5. Importance of reference materials-books, magazines, posters, games, exhibits, newspapers, periodicals and other visual aids. 6. Planning for varied activities, library work, project Work, socialized recitations, library browsing, excursions, visual aids, etc. 7. Opportunities for diagrams, sketches, graphs, location maps, and other interpretative media. 8. Situations for development of self-control, evaluation of time, orderly procedure, and efficient use of material. 9. Meaiis for self-appraisal by pupil and appreciation of his own progress. In observing an activity program one should note that the natural development of the child has continuity. There should be no gaps or breaks in the process. Each activity should develop within the child the power to take the successive step. It is evident that if there is interest, the individual identihes himself with the object of his interest, and expresses himself in the activity growing out of it. All should be aware that it is not the product, but rather the inner effort and uninterrupted growth that is of vital import- ance. It is no longer recitation or reproduction, but purposeful activity that is sought. There is no one method to be advocated. A method simply grows out of the individual contact with the particular situation. The reconstruction of material read or of ideas discussed in class, expressed in terms of the pupil's own thought processes, or in other creative work, with his own activity di- recting his association, is a logicallexpectation. The products derived may seem inferior or on the play level to the adult mind, but if they are the pupil's interpretation and give him the satisfaction of achievement they are truly worth while and are indicative of growth. Another observation is that the organization and reorganization of materials and situations are continuous and endless. Learning-teaching situ- Seven

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X Copyright applied for, April 1931

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tions are changing daily as the teachers and ,pupils bring to them new inspira- tion and life. The spirit is expressed by ai teacher who says: The work is throbbing with life, interest-and boundless effort. The enthusiasm of the boys and girls and their joy' in their work is like a constant Hood of sunshine. True success is ,measured -by the effort, and the joy, and the genuine satisfaction which are experienced by the workers, not by finished products or artificially imposed standards. It becomes the responsibility of the school so to set the environment that each child puts forth his best effort so that each child may succeed. The child who realizes his own aims and purposes with genuine satisfaction to himself certainly has had an educational experience. The old idea of discipline disappears and the whole atmosphere of the school becomes that of a joyous, happy, friendly, linteresting activity. Inter- ested children naturally develop in self-directed disciplined initiative. A final outcome is that a new type of teacher appears. The teacher becomes an artist. The artist's sense creates, while intelligence only absorbs and registers. The new teacher intuitively senses situations and artistically directs adjustments that are free from self-imposition. She sees the child as an organic whole, developing harmoniously and with continuity. From her wealth of experience and understanding she provides the natural situations for his unhampered growth or educational experience. To admit that it is not the finished, tangible product that we are interested in does not mean thatthis suffers. On the other hand, with the center of emphasis on the growth of the child-on his happy, free, spontaneous expression, results that are beyond all expectations are often realized. May the following pages reveal a processional in which the center of inter- est is the individual boy or girl. Each section portrays typical situations with pupil responsive or interpretation evidenced. The democratic, cooperative principles underlying junior high school activity and participation is expressed in the leadership by the pupils in their Student Body Executive Board. Like- mindedness in high ideals is voiced in Our Creed. High resolutions to achieve and the awakening of social impulses find expression through the Every Girl Club. The stirring aspirations and ideals of youth End an outlet expressed in the Starr League organization for boys. The spirit of investigation and search for truth is stimulated by the observ- ance of natural phenomena in garden, forest, field, home and laboratory. Appreciation of the beautiful is realized as pupils raise products of coarse earth to the level of the most esteemed work of art. Courage, self-confi- dence, and assurance are born as boys and girls make beautiful things that satisfy themselves and that give joy to others. Inquiring youth is helped in the discovery of his own interest, aptitudes and abilities through participa- tion in the many and varied activities of woodshop, electric shop, printing, mechanical drawing, autoshop, typewriting, foods, clothing and weaving. The library offers an unlimited opportunity for exploration. An environ- ment encouraging fresh air, exercise, proper foods, rest, and healthful cloth- ing, joyous rhythms, dancing, and growth in character make possible more abundant living. Group 'consciousness and social mindedness develop as pupils have abundant opportunity for self-directed creativeexperience con- nected with the story of human progress and with their own daily contacts. The life of the school is echoed by groups of loyal students who through Eighf