University of Nebraska Kearney - Blue and Gold Yearbook (Kearney, NE)

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the A. O. Thomas school curriculum provides for activity work as follows: Physical education, grades ........1-8 Music and Art, grades .............1-8 Conversational French, grades......1-8 Shop work, grades .................1-8 Home Economics, grades ............5-8 Visual education plays a prominent part in the program. One room is fitted with cur- tains for excluding light when the sound equipment is used. A balopticon, property of the school, is also used quite largely for throwing pictures from books on the screen. A daylight lantern with slides is used in all the various rooms. Maps and globes are available and much used. Appropriate pic- tures and statuary are on display in all rooms and corridors. The largest room of the building is used for the school library and contains some three thousand volumes. The program of teaching at the Thomas school consists of four weeks directed ob- servation, four weeks participation, followed by ten weeks of directed teaching. In this way students are gradually inducted into the teaching process. The college is greatly indebted to the Kear- ney public schools for the privilege of ob- servation and cadetting inaugurated this year. Prospective secondary teachers are assigned, once each semester, to a class in one of the fields of specialization selected by the student teacher. The Kearney junior and senior high schools thus serve as a field in which young people may learn how modern public schools operate. College students ob- serve the activities of all types of work, not only class routine, but home-rooms, extra- curricular, library, corridors, and all the varied experiences of a well organized, pro- gressive school system. The experience of the cadet begins with directed observation, and as rapidly as the candidate for teaching demonstrates his ability, he moves through participation into actual directed teaching. This results na- turally in variations in type of activity made available to different individuals, which is in accord with best educational procedure. A committee, composed of faculty mem- bers of the city schools, of the college, and student teachers, has developed a very in- teresting outline to be followed in observa- tion. Experience gained in observing and dealing with adolescents in a modern public school system such as Kearney, will prove most valuable to our prospective teachers. —A. E. Burke. . . Both pupils and teachers 'learn by doing' in the A. O. Thomas primary activity room . . Page'19

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A darkened room, candles glowing, a faint sound of footsteps, hushed voices giving vows—and then the handshaking. Every student has dreams of taking part in such a service which makes him a full pledged member of some organization. It is in our organizations that we really come to know one another, for it is there that we pursue like interests. Students and faculty unite to aid progress and advance efforts in the work. A glance into the inner workings of such ac- tivities reveals a spirit of cooperation, rules based on representative govern- ment, and live groups functioning efficiently and accurately. . . Antelope editor, Jean Sullivan, and many others seem to be enjoying one ol our well-planned convocation programs . . Page 21