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

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- 31112 Nnrmal Spirit , ALLENE CATHEY DESOTO COUNTY X.: HE word Normal as here used has not its usual meaning, it is not the spirit that is commonly found in Normals, not the customary thing, but rather the unusual spirit of this particular Normal school. New students feel it in the democratic atmosphere, and drop in line. Visi- tors comment upon it and ask, I-low? Yet if they remain here long it is easy to understand. The attitude of the faculty towards the students is one to inspire con- fidence, self-reliance, and respect. They are not cultured, learned gods, that hold themselves apart, but are comrades, friends, and advisorsg they do not exist for the recitation rooms alone, but are with us in our societies, religious organizations, games, and every phase of daily life. The President of the institution, Joe Cook, places all confidence in the students. No iron-clad rules are enforcedg only a very few necessary regulations and Self-Control are insisted upon. His confident, frank treatment of the students demands the same from them in return. Another reason for the Normal spirit is unity of purpose. The student body is not a heterogenous collection of future doctors, merchants, lawyers, business men, society girls, etc., but is made up of men and women who have determined upon the same life purpose. Every student has at heart, and is to be a helper in solving the one great problemg the development of the country child. The moving student body helps to maintain democracy. The same students are seldom here a second or third year, and more often they come for a part of the session, go away to teach and return after their schools are out. This constant changing of students, though lasting friendships are made, prevents social circles and squads from being formed. There is no Freshman or Senior here, no distinctions are made. The entire student body is one big social circle, every one having equal rights. Democracy is encouraged, not for democracy in itself, but for its helpfulness. And we hope to carry this Normal spirit back with us into every rural school and community throughout the state, socializing and unifying the many factors of rural life now dormant. ALLENE CATHEY.

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- 5111212111 Self Cfnurrnmrnt ... c. H. BISHOP SCOTT COUNTY X s HEN school first opened at the Mississippi Normal College in 1912-the first year the doors of the institution were opened for students-just how to govern the student body, was a question in the minds of the president and faculty. President Cook said, it was the aim and desire of the faculty and President of the institution, to furnish the students with every opportunity of becoming broader, and more efficient in their chosen profession. He also said that he believed that students who expected to be teachers were capable and should govern them- selves. . Such an idea was new to the majority of the students. It was discussed privately by the students for several days before they decided to take it up publicly. Mr. A. A. Burns called a meeting of the student body for the purpose of discussing publicly the question of Student Self Government. A motion was made and carried, that the students organize themselves into a Student Self Government Association. The Association was organized October 8th, 1912. Candidates for the various offices were nominated at the same meeting. The officers of the Association are a president, a vice-president, a secretary- treasurer, and a council composed of seven women, and eight men, all members of the student body. The officers are elected by a vote of the student bodyg both men and women voting by the Australian ballot system. It is the duty of the council to try any student for alleged misconduct and recommend his punishment to the faculty. Every student of the institution is a member of the Association. He is placed on his honor. Misconduct is not suggested to him by a countless number of faculty rules. To observe the motto of the Associationg Every Man aGentleman and every Woman a Ladyg is all that is expected of any student. If every student ob- serves the motto, peace and harmony will always prevail between the students, and between the students and faculty. The Association offers an excellent opportunity for the development in each member the characteristics of true manhood and womanhood. It gives a most ex- cellent opportunity for the development of personal responsibility and self-control- two requisite features for success in the teaching profession. From a teacher's point of view there is nothing truer than the saying, Before you are capable of controlling others you must first be able to controll yourself. Learn to do by doing. C. H. BISHOP.

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Srhunl Qlrehit fur 55111112 mark AIDA T. CLOWER HARRISON COUNTY -Q NE of the lpresent problems of the school is how it can be of real help to the home. One way in which to solve this problem is for the school to take into account home industrial work and regard it as of equal importance with the school work. By making it a subject of consideration at school the child's interest in his home tasks and in the school itself will be greatly increased. While this plan of giving school credit for industrial work, satisfactorily done at home IS comparatively new, it is one that will cost no money, will require little school time, and can and should be put into practice in every part of the State. The school must recognize the fact that the work done at home, if it is thoroughtfully, intelligently and carefully done is of equal value with that done in the various school subjects and must give the child just compensation for his time and effort used in performing home duties. If the child is given credit for his work at home it will stimulate his desire to help his parents do the tasks that need to be done and to do them in the most efhcient way. . The purpose of giving school credit for home work is to bring about more interest, better co-operation, and a closer relationship between the school and the home. The parents should be considered as teachers, and the school teachers will be given a better opportunity to study the habits and tastes of each child, which will re- sult in the development of the child's entire nature. It will give the child an in- centive to do, at home, some of the things that he has learned at school. In this way new ideas of working may be introduced into the home and perhaps adopted. Thus by coming into direct touch with the home and social life of the pupils the school will be in a better position to know the needs of the child and will therefore be able to plan the school work so that it may best meet these needs. The home also offers the best possible equipment for industrial work and the problems and situations to be met there are real. They provide for the child's initiative and individuality. But how can the school give credit for industrial work done at home? This may be accomplished by printed slips asking the parents to keep a record of the work the child does at home, and explaining that credit will be given for this work on the school register. In preparing these slips the child's age must be considered so that he will not be asked to do too much. The required tasks must not be too difficult, yet they must be real tasks. To add interest to the work, exhibitions are sometimes made at school or county fairs. U Wherever school credit for home work has been given it has proven to be practicable and successful. AIDA T. CLOWER. l ml