University of Southern Mississippi - Southerner Yearbook (Hattiesburg, MS)

Page 29 text:

1 A . Eurail Qiztnrg in thr Chrahrz EMILY NUNNERY f COPIAH COUNTY HE first and foremost aim of historical study is to make the world about us more intelligible. To realize this aim local history is invaluable as a starting point. Instruction in history should begin at home, broaden into wider fields and then come back home. The fundamental requisite of history teaching, making REAL the past, is best obtained through reality itself, or through material things, a wealth of which exists everywhere for the resourceful teacher. He should study the community, county and state in which he teaches and turn to account the material he finds there- people, schools, churches, industries, Indian remains, old swords, battlefields, and bones of noted persons, which are invaluable in making vivid impressions on the child's mind. By having his attention called to these things the child will, at an early age, realize the idea of CHANGE in the world. Ask him if white people have always lived here with homes, schools and churches. Other questions finally lead him back to the idea that no white man lived here at one time. Then, who did live here? How do you know? There are Indian mounds, arrowheads, bones, streams with names of Indian chiefs or tribes all around him to suggest the answer. What were the Indians like? Have simple descriptions from pictures, etc. Much construction work can be done in teaching the primitive life of the Indians. Have the child construct wigwams, bows and arrows, build indian villages, etc. Their simple industries such as modeling clay vessels, weaving mats, are both interesting and instructive. Tell stories Indians told about themselves, the many beautiful myths and legends. With primitive life as a back ground, teach the child the pioneer life of his own people. This he can comprehend easily. Few books are as yet accessible: but the teacher should give these pioneer stories in the lower grades if possible. From the beginning this work can be correlated with geography. Industrial history is a new field and one that bids fair to revolutionize our methods of teaching. Have the child make illustrative booklets showing the de- velopment of industries of his community and use them for exhibition in Field Day ggntests. Constructive work can be done in this study as in that of primitive Indian 1 e. After this preparatory work, the child easily comprehends the course in State History in higher grammar grades. He studies the development of every phase of the State's history, sees the problems that comfront the people at the present time. and realizes that he, as a citizen of to-morrow, must help to solve these problems. I Having learned to live the local past vividly, the child can carry his 'lex- perience over and live the larger past vividly. Community history therefore is ,the key to the larger past for the child, and a realization of the larger past makesiithe world around him more intelligible. EMILY NUNNERY

Page 28 text:

.f:f'm rx, X' X i, - A Safe ani! Swann Fliirat nf April MABEL MlxoN FORREST COUNTY R. Joe Cook, the President of the Mississippi Normal College, knowing the nature of boys and girls, suggested that we change our way of observing April Fool's day and do something original. So after discussing the matter in chapel, we decided to have the usual lessons until chapel, have a rousing time in chapel, then have a general Field Day on the athletic field and a base ball game in the afternoon between the students and the faculty. The plan met with the approval of all and every one was satisfied. April Fool's Day dawned bright and clear. All holidays do, don't they- or do they? This one did anyway. After a glorious time in chapel everybody rushed out to the athletic field. Here the various contests were held: Mr. Cook, fat and short as he is, ran a race with a student and won! We had an egg race, a potato race, a fifty yard dash for the boys and one for girls, a shoe race, a blind hurdle race, and adoughnut contest. The latter caused, perhaps, the most fun. A long string was stretched across the field. From it hung other strings with doughnuts tied to them. The object was to eat the doughnut without touching it with the hands. He who ate his doughnut first won. To see the girls try to eat the doughnuts was worth the price of any first class rnin- strel. As sure as the doughnut was Within reach, somebody jerked the string, and away it went, swinging back and forth in a most tantalizing matter. There were about fifty contestants in every event and the winner was awarded a green ribbon. After dinner everybody went over to the base ball diamond and watched the faculty beat the student bachelors all to pieces. Mr. Cook could steal bases like a veteran-he made the first score. Sheriff Harbison, who umpired the game, said that Mr. Cook ran bases with more determination and less speed than any man he ever saw. Mr. Scott asked the spectators which was left field. Mr. Boland went back to the days of town ball and crossed out his man. O, that game was great. The day was a success in every way. If you don't believe it, try it next year in your school and see what will happen. Your students will scoff at the idea of hiding the bell-and call that baby's play. And you wont be given bites of marsh- mallows covered with quinine-if you will only help your students to be original in what they do. MABEL MIXON

Page 30 text:

Uhr iKPle11inn nf fhv Svrhnnl in thv Zliartnrz Arnunh 111 LILLIAN RAMSEY JASPER COUNTY U R purpose in studying the country school should be twofold. Realizing that a school which is quite up-to-date at first, unless there is a continual recon- struction, will soon become inadequate, we must study ways to avoid this. Then we should study how to make the school a real social efficiency. Since the school is only a supplementary agency, its success will depend on its ability to join with other educational forces of the community and work with them. There is a close relation existing between the school and home, and unless the two co-operate much progress cannot be expected. Their common aim is the efficient training of the child, for both have an important part in the process. The school represents the development of the community. The New Englanders started the school in order that their children might learn to read the Scriptures and thus get right ideas of their religious duty. Even after this idea gave way, the schools for years did little more than teach the use of the mere tools of knowledge. Then came the idea that the school should train children for citizenship. , The purpose of each study added to the course was to make better citizens. At last the idea is that the schools must train the child to fill its place in the world of men, to see all the relations of lifeg to be fitted to live in human society. Hence the idea is to train the child, not for himself alone, but for the good of society as a whole, not only this, but to train society itself as a whole. The first means of making the school a social center is through the course of study-not the introduction of new studies, but the teaching of the old studies in such a way as to make them seem vital and human. Another means of making the rural school a social center is through the social activities of the pupils. After the school building and grounds have been made beautiful and attractive this will become a social meeting place. There must be organized play. If this is lacking the young people will be found at the cheap amuse- ments in the town and city. Lastly, as a method for making the school a social center, is the suggestion that the teacher himself shall become a leader of club work, organization etc., in the farm community. He should lead in inspiring every one to read better books, buy better pictures, and take more interest in the things that make for culture and pro- gress. The problem of the rural school teacher, therefore, is the problem of accept- ing conditions as they now exist-and of converting the rural school from decay and inactivity into a living, vital force for rural progress . LILLIAN RAMSEY