The New Education (Stillwater, Okla.), Vol. 1, No. 23, Ed. 1 Tuesday, November 15, 1910 Page: 1 of 4
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No. 23
Vol. 1
AN EDUCATIONAL CREED
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The feeling’s of a lot of us ain’t what they
Every good teacher has an educational creed,
and should have one. A creed is a summary of
the articles of one’s faith—a brief statement of
what one believes. An educational creed is a
system of belief concerning the available means
and desired ends of human development. Edu-
cation is an important, difficult and complicated
process, which should be carefully planned. The
educator must have in mind some definite prin-
ciples of action. Without them his work is aim-
less and planless. If he is a radical progressive
every fad of the day may claim his attention and
waste his time. If he is ultra-conservative he
may stand in the way of progress. Only those
teachers who have clear, rational, well organized
principles of action can be entrusted with the
training of children. A personal creed is neces-
sary to furnish stable guiding principles and to
save one from caprice and uncertainty. This
personal creed one should modify, enrich and
enlarge from time to time as a result of study and
experience; for there is an element of danger in
the fact that one’s creed, may become fixed and
unchangeable through self-satisfaction and thus
hinder the improvement. Under such circum-
stances creeds array men in hostile groups each
bent on the maintenance of its own creed instead
of toiling jointly with others in search of more
light, higher ends and better means. The un-
changeable educational creed may hinder rather
than help educational progress and progress is
one purpose of education. Furthermore, educa-
tional creeds shaped by theorizing closet philoso-
phers may not fit the facts of experience, or they
may be too vague and uncertain for practical
guidance, or on the other hand so specific as to
run the world in routine channels and hinder the
expression of personality.
Nevertheless, earnest and thoughtful workers
in the educational field will of necessity reach
certain more or less general views concerning
the various phases of their work, certain theories
which at least temporarily, assume the force of
convictions and certain serviceable criteria of
practice. In this sense every worker should have
a creed. But to acquire and organize a system of
sound educational principles is not an easy task.
To develop a good personal creed requires ex-
perience, maturity and careful study, and the
process of its development should never end.
The work of education is responsible enough to
tax to the limit the powers of the wisest and
most capable; nevertheless, the humblest teacher
must not yield to discouragement or fail in his
duties. In the discharge of these duties we need
guiding principles and the collecting, formulating
and improving of these principles should be otir
constant care.
As a basis for educational methods, the teacher
should have a comprehensive knowledge of man
—should understand his childhood, his youth and
his manhood—should understand him as an indi-
vidual and as a member of society—should know
his history and have a vision of his destiny. The
teacher should know human nature and human
institutions—man’s natural characteristics and
his possible development; then the teacher can
determine ideals of character and set up the ends
of education. Next, the teacher should study the
means of attaining these ends in the school.
The child is a system of different impulses and
potentialities, among which the educator seeks to
choose and stimulate the good and repress the
bad. What will be stimulated and what re-
pressed depends upon the ideal of the educator.
Here his ends and means will be determined by
his educational creed.
Through the process of education, consciously
or unconsciously, the individual gradually comes
to possess some measure of the intellectual and
moral resources of humanity. He becomes •"
inheritor of some share of the funded capital
civilization, and the business of the school is
make the share of each individual as large
possible.
He must be taught to think the problems
the philosophers, feel the devotion of the saints,
understand the struggles of ordinary men and do
with a will his part of the world’s work. The
direct purpose of education is to teach the child
to think, feel and understand the past experience
of the race; know his present environment and
will the performance of his duty. This end re-
quires a much broader education than is now
being offered to the masses under our present
system.
The benefactor of the race is yet to appear.
It is to be the man who will do most to increase
the elementary educational advantages of the
largest number of children. Our present ad-
vantages for elementary education fall far short
of any ideal of what ought to be the education
of the children of the masses.
The nation produces enough wealth to greatly
improve the elementary schools, but the adult
portion of the race squander that wealth, and
ignore the largest measure of their duty to the
(Continued on page 3)
THOUGHTS FOR THANKSGIVING
We Oklahoma farmers are like folks in
other places,
Sometimes what we are thinking of shows
plain upon our faces;
So if the cotton’s hurt by rain, or the corn
is killed by drouth,
You can sort of read our feelings in the
corners of our mouth;
this year, judging by the signs, it’s
pretty plain to see
ought to be.
The wheat has yielded pretty well, but the
corn crop isn’t much,
The cotton’s only middling good, and milo
maize and such;
It might have been a record year if only
we’d had rain—
But say! by jing, what does it help to hol-
ler and complain?
What does it help? and this year, too,
there’s not a living doubt
There’s lots more to be thankful for than
to feel bad about.
I guess we’ve got enough to wear and
more than we can eat,
(And Oklahoma dinners, too, are mighty
hard to beat)
And country air is clear and pure, and
country skies are blue
And country friends are honest friends, for
country hearts are true,
So dress the turkey, stir the cake, and mix
the pumpkin pie,
And ask the neighbors in to eat, we’re
thankful, you and I.
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A City School Garden
GARDENING AND FARMING IN
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The movement of school gardening and farm-
ing has not sprung upon us like the Oklahoma
blizzard nor will it pass like the mere breezes.
The germ came from beyond the great oceans,
being deposited near Philadelphia in about 1691.
It could not be diagnosed, and men knew not
what it might bring forth. The first fruit was
immature, and the elements of permancy lack-
ing. But nature, with her many secrets, took
part; the germs multiplied and matured, and
after some two hundred years the first real
American school garden was established at Rox-
bury, Massachusetts. Being better organized
and equipped, the cities began leading the move-
ment and have done excellent work in putting
the city youth into closer relationship with the
soil, plants, and the rural children.
Realizing that the school garden and farm
would reflect the best features of plant life to
the home from which both city and rural pupils
come, that it would be a field of interrogation
points, and that it would be practical instruction
(Continued on page 4)
AGRICULTURAL CLUB CHARTERS
Charters are now ready to be issued to
the Boys’ and Girls’ Agricultural Clubs.
These charters were not sent to those
who asked for them about the close of last
session as it was thought best to send
them out after the opening of schools this
fall. We ask that those who have already
written for charters and those who are
now organizing an Agricultural Club to
send in an application.
STANDING COMMITTEE REPORT ON
INSTITUTE ORGANIZATION
AND METHODS J
1 <
The following report on the different plans of <
organization and the methods employed in work- ,
ing out the farmers institute problem was made .
to the American Association of Farmers’ Insti- <
tutes Workers by President J. H. Connell of our .
College as a report for the Committee on Or-
ganization and Methods. This report formed the
basis for important discussions. The meeting was
held at Washington, D. C., during November.
Your committee submits this report with the
purpose to supply some reliable, though not ex-
haustive data on the several plans of organization
of farmers’ institute work in various sections of
the country, and to suggest the more useful
methods of instruction now employed in the in-
stitute work of several states, calling attention
to the significant phases of the growth and de-
velopment in different portions of America.
Number of Institutes Per State.—Michigan,
Minnesota, Nebraska and Oklahoma report the
largest number of institutes held during the past
year in order named. These are under the
authority of the boards of regents of their re-
spective states, except in Minnesota, which is
supervised by a composite board.
Number of Institute Workers Employed-
Many states are now employing from twelve to
twenty-five lecturers for institute work only; the
season of employment varying from one to six
months. In sucjj states these regular lecturers
are assisted by specialists from the Colleges ot
Agriculture and the Experiment Stations, tor
example, Nebraska employs twelve men as in-
stitute lecturers only, and draws an equal num-
ber of helpers from the College and Station staff,
as needed. There were 242 farmers institutes
and 32 institutes for women held in that state
during the year. Michigan employs 25 lecturers
for institute work only, and secures 25 others
from various sources, holding 346 farmers insti-
tutes and 54 institutes for women. With this
working force she has also operated three special
trains throughout the state, which made 96 stops.
The foregoing facts show plainly that an ade-
quate force of lecturers must be provided if a
strong system of institutes is to be kept up by
any institution of supervisory power responsible
for the work of instructing farmers by institute
methods. It also seems equally evident that a
working unit consisting of three or more persons
should be kept constantly at work in each great
fields in order that plans may be laid and fol-
low^ successfully from month to month and
vear to year, employing during busy institute sea-
sons 10 to 30 men per state, varying the number
of lecturers according to agricultural population
and interest manifested.
Movable Schools of Agriculture.—More than
one-third of the states reporting are now con-
ducting movable schools of agriculture—Iowa
and Nebraska leading with 32 and 6 schools re-
spectively. Oklahoma is to conduct 7 of these
spools during the present fall season and plans
for a state system embracing 14 of these schools
during the coming year, 6 of which will be held
as a pgart of the farmers’ institute system, one boy
ind one girl going from each county farmers in-
stitute" J on! of these schools, and three boys
and three girls passing to the state-school of
agriculture held at the A. & M. College.
Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs and Institutes. In
IowaY Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and
many other states reports indicate that special. in-
stitutes for boys and girls, junior agricultural
clubs and correspondence for young people are
being conducted. Seeds are being distributed,
and exercises in domestic science and art are pro-
vided by the farmers’ institute workers or the
extension division of the state institutions o
learning. Where the work has been prosecuted
with vigor as many as 10,000 boys and girls per
state have been enlisted in this junior farmers
institute work. In the cotton growing states the
United States Department of Agn<;ul^e ‘s
actively co-operating with a number of institu-
tions and in some states the department is carry-
ing this work independently.
Special Trains.....In the University of Cali-
fornia the department of agricultural extension
has run 6 special trains, making 223 stops; in
Michigan the Agricultural College has operated
v rains making 96 stops; Iowa has run 5 trains,
Vr^oPS the Oklahoma College 2 trains, 150
Stops More than half the states reporting, show
the operation of special trains. From the salient
facts Ppresented, two questions arise na.t’Jr^1X-
To what extent will the operation of special agn-
Lltural trains take the place of the one and two
day farmers’ institutes?—or should thetrains be
considered merely an auxiliary of the farmers
i"BefUo«mcEentt is Portion of the report re-
^""otabie'iF the fult o8r more com-
(Continued on page 3)
The New Ebi'CAiioN
STILLWATER, OKLAHOMA, NOVEMBER 15, . jIO
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Connell, J. H. The New Education (Stillwater, Okla.), Vol. 1, No. 23, Ed. 1 Tuesday, November 15, 1910, periodical, November 15, 1910; Stillwater, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1597851/m1/1/: accessed April 24, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.