How the school site at Passi, Iloilo, was improved

Title

Creator

Lagos, Jose

Language

English

Year

1916

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

GENERAL TOPICS 51 division superintendent of schools of Rizal; and Mr. Francisco Benitez, assistant professor of education, University of the Philippines. Excursions were made to points of interest on Saturdays. The Aquarium, Bureau of Printing, the cigar factory of the Compania General de Tabacos de Filipinas, Oriental Brewing Company, Wm. Ollendorf Embroidery Company, the PickettJohnson rope factory, Corregidor, and the agricultural experiment station at Lamao, Bataan. Classes were held till 4.15 on Friday, the last day, immediately after which a literary program was given and the Eleventh Teachers’ Vacation Assembly came to a close. Although the assembly just closed was the most successful thus far held, it is expected that next year’s assembly will show improvement because of the following measures which it is planned to adopt: More expeditious method for matriculation is to be put in practice. The program is to be so arranged as to give greater latitude in the choice of courses. Designs desired by the General Office are to be in the hands of the superintendent before the opening of the assembly. The instructions of the Bureau of Education as set forth in the vacation assembly announcement should be followed more closely, particularly with regard to the quality of teachers, the courses to be pursued, and the special privileges, if any, to be enjoyed. HOW THE SCHOOL SITE AT 1‘ASSI, ILOILO, WAS IMPROVED. By Jose Lagos, Supervising Teacher, Pass!, Iloilo. At the beginning of the school year the grounds of the central school at Passi were about as sightly as an ordinary rice field covered with tall grass and stagnant water. The rains that fell almost incessantly in this locality at the time made conditions worse than usual. The plaza and the streets around the school grounds were used by the children for athletic purposes. The paths which led to the building and to the outhouses, and which had been placed in good condition during the previous school year, were completely covered during the vacation with tall weeds and grasses, and the ditches had filled up. As the posts for the wire fence which surrounds the site were of temporary material, many of them had decayed and given way to the wind. Little or nothing had been done to relieve the barren appearance 52 THE PHILIPPINE CRAFTSMAN of the outhouses. No hedges had been planted around the building nor along the margins of the walks. Such was the condition of the grounds at the beginning of the year. While one can tell at a glance whether or not school grounds need attention, plans for improving them cannot be matured and carried out so quickly. How the site should be improved was carefully considered by the teacher responsible for the work in the schools of the district. A plan was drawn up and discussed with the teachers and pupils. The cooperation of the local officials and the townspeople was solicited and secured. The grounds are divided by a street. The improvement of the part to the east was turned over to the intermediate teachers and pupils; that to the west to those of the central school. Each school was to take care of the section to which it was assigned. The necessary repairs on the fence; the work of leveling, grading, and cleaning; the construction of ditches, walks, and flower beds were equally divided among the teachers who, in turn, parceled out the work among their pupils. The boys were assigned to the heavier work and the girls to the planting, the cultivation, and care of flower beds, plants, and lawns. Plans were so definite and detailed that each pupil understood clearly what his share of the work was for each day. In order to secure uniformity, the work was regularly inspected by each teacher and compared with the original plan. Since the carrying of gravel to cover the walks previously laid out would have required so much additional time and sacrifice on the part of the pupils, the local officials provided funds for the purchase and transportation of gravel. The people constructed a building with iron roof and wooden floor for domesticscience and woodworking classes. The expenses connected with the carrying on of both of these classes were borne entirely by the community. Everyone connected with the undertaking was devoted to it and did his part of the work unselfishly, being assured that it was for the good of all. Of course, no one was obliged to help, but the work was so well organized and the purpose was so well understood, that each did his share as a matter of course. The pupils marched to school early, books in hand, with hoes, shovels, bolos, or occasionally stems of dapdap on their shoulders. From the time they reached the school until the first bell rang each went to the place to which he had been assigned, and dug a post hole, erected a post, nailed the wire to the posts, leveled the grounds, picked up and gathered sticks or bits of paper, or piled and carried off the GENERAL TOPICS 53 grass that had been cut. Each tried to make a little better showing than his companion. Teachers might be seen moving about from one end of the grounds to the other, commenting, encouraging, instructing. Walks were constructed, capped with gravel, and bordered with violet hedges; the outhouses were screened with morning-glory vines; lawns were planted and trimmed; and flower beds which were raised and surrounded with a wire fence were planted with flowers. Thus a site which at the beginning of the year was little more attractive than an uncultivated rice field, and whose improvement was thought by some to be impossible, was turned into the beauty spot of the town. The barrio schools tried to duplicate the work of the central school and were successful in so far as the means at their disposal allowed. Barrio as well as central school pupils caught the contagion of unselfish service to such an extent that they desired to put into practice at home the ideas of cleanliness and beauty, which they had acquired at school. When school closed for the day, the pupils were less frequently seen in the street playing “bantil” or “tubiganay” in clouds of dust or in the mud. They were at home trying to improve their surroundings. It is hoped that it will not be long before the desire for the better keeping of the home and its premises will have been carried by the pupils into every household. OUTLINING WORK FOR INDUSTRIAL CLASSES. By E. For d Hic k ua n, Division Industrial Supervisor, Ilocos Sur. The industrial work of the schools is divided into two general classes—direct betterment and commercial. The latter may be divided into two classes—export and local. The work in the direct betterment courses is outlined by the course of study. For the girls, plain sewing and cooking are prescribed; for the boys, hand weaving, gardening, and shop work. Where and when these courses are to be taught is definitely stated in the course of study, so very little attention will be paid to them here. The question as to whether hard or soft strip hand weaving is to be taught should be determined by the local supply of raw material; or, if materials for the two courses are equally convenient, it should be determined by the kind of commercial work to be done in advanced classes. Immediately following the course in hard strip weaving, a course in native basketry should be given. This should consist

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