School and home gardening

Media

Part of Philippine Craftsman

Title: School and home gardening
Language: English
Rights
Fulltext: SCHOOL AND HOME GARDENING. 8y NO•TH II. }'(IR>e)IA:-', ln~pedor of Sehool Carden• and Sit<'8. T HE educationHI value of gardening is so apparent that it has taken its place in all Philippine public schools of primary and intermediate grades. It has been correctly stated that our object is not to teach the business of farming in these gardens, but to inspired a love for the country and to develop the natural tendencies of childhood to become interested in growing plants; to let the child witness the ways of nature as the tiny seed bursts into life and gradually but surely develops AlyplcallchQolgardon,Bariii,Cebu. into a mature plant which yields a reward for the care given it in the form of food for the grower. School gardens are not intended to make gardeners or farmers, but to afford the growing boy or girl an opportunity for manysided development. Character and efficiency are formed by an outdoor life united with knowledge of natural forces and their laws. From the standpoint of the child's interest and good, this study is one of the finest examples in teaching, for through it theory is joined with practice and every thought sees its fulfillment in action. The pupil is given a plot of ground in the school garden for his own. He prepares the soil, pl.ants the seed, cares for the plants, and takes the products as a true reward for his 545 546 THE PHILIPPINE CRAPTSMAN work. In this manner the gardens are made to serve their pur· pose as fully as possible. The boys become little landowners who are thus allowed to taste the sweet fruits of their labor. The work, however, as carried out in the public schools of the Philippines goes farther than this, for it emphasizes the home gardens which are maintained at the homes of the pupils as re· quired industrial work, under the supervision of qualified teachers. In this manner the work is made very practical, since the natural difficulties encountered at the boys' homes are met and are overcome to the extent that successful gardens are common. In this respect it is true vocational training. . . ~. ···- Thorouvhprep•rallonlnl uru relulto Gerona, Tarlac. Among the many reasons for encouraging garden work is the fact that the garden is a good wholesome place for a boy. He learns to recognize the many benefits of his own work. It is a healthful pursuit; it makes stronger and better men and women, and will prove a per~ manent source of pleasure and profit to them. It develops in the pupils a sense of order and neatness, besides teaching appre~ ciation of nature, regard for the property of others, self~reliance, and respect for labor. Again, it promotes habits of industry and furnishes useful employment as well as amusement to children who would otherwise seek un~ profitable diversion; it also affords the means of acquiring manual skill and of gaining some knowledge of soils, plants, and insects. Gardening as a definite requirement for boys enrolled in primary and intennediate grades of the pubJic schools is a part of the system of giving industrial instruction by means of practical work adapted to the everyday life of the pupil. This extends into the home activities as home gardening. Teachers inspect this work one or more times each week and give home credit as a recognized part of the regular school work. In making the in-. spection trips the teacher becomes acquainted with the people, gets to know his pupils both at home and at school, and is thus enabled to exert a greater influence for the general uplift and developSCHOOL ANlJ HOME G.4.RDENING 547 ment of the community. Planting and cultivating are taught in a manner which emphasizes the value of attention to details. The school garden proper may be but little more than the place where the general principles of garden instruction are worked out. Results secured at the school are best judged by the way the agricultural work is extended into the home life rather than by the condition of the school garden and the school grounds. The place that this work occupies in the Bureau of Education is an important one. With the first American teachers who arrived in 1901, there came the new era of labor standards and added emphasis upon bettered home surroundings and food conditions. Here and there gardens were started, but it was not until 1904 that the vegetable garden was given a definite place in the school work. In this year Dr. David P. Barrows, General Superintendent of Education in the Philippines, directed that all primary schools should have a garden and each boy of the third and fourth grades should be given a plot of his own. The work was extended until now gardening holds a most important place in the industrial instruction given in the schools. The place of gardening is clearly stated in the course of study which offers two years' work in vegetable gardening in schools giving the full primary course and one year in barrio schools 548 THE: P/1/UPPINE CRAP1'S.II.4N of two grades. The work is optional by academic grades, by which is meant that pupils may choose the work for two or more years. \\'hile gardening is an optional subject for pupils, it is a definite requirement that all schools have a minimumsize garden class. The requirements of the course are based upon the physical ability of the boy, his liking for the work, and the facilities at his home for a home garden which must be not less than four times the area of his plot at school. The character ·or the work undertaken is in some measure dependent upon the kind of soil and the extent of the site, but even in the least desirable localities where a school garden itself is not feasible, the full requirements of this industrial course are met in the homes of pupils by the cullivntion of successful home gardens. Vegetable gardening is continued in the intermediate grades :tor a full year in all courses except the housekeeping and household arts, trade, and business courses. Certain intermediate schools where unusual facilities exist for this work are given permission SCHOO! .. AND HO.IIE GARDENING 549 to do three years of gardening. Tlu·oughout the entire primary and intermediate courses the main emphasis is placed upon the improvement and distribution of native types of vegetables. Pupils are taught to prepare the soil, cultivate plants, choose plants for their ultimate improvement, combat plant enemies and diseases, save seeds,1 prepare vegetables for food, and to select plants suitable for each season in order that food may be available throughout the1 year. The work is practical in1 nature and experiments are1 ~~~~~~~;;d~eg~t~~~es h:;~·e::~g:t~l The keynote is the home garden. I It is expected that 80 per cent of a boy's work will be at his home where he may use the products as a part of the daily food supply of the family. That part of gardening which pertains to the making of lawns, planting flowers and shrubs, and in many other ways making the home more attractive and a better place in which to live is A Pr~du~ti>e garden. covered in the course of study by what is called "school-ground improvements" and in tree planting which culminates in Arbor 550 THE PHILIPPINE: CRAFTSMAN Day. All pupils of the primary grades are required to take an active part in the care and adornment of the school grounds. In the fifth grade this work is a required industrial subject for one industrial period each week. The work is taken into the home by means of tree planting and special home improvements for which industrial credit is given the pupil. An important feature of the work is the establishment of school nurseries for the propagation and distribution of young plants, of fruit and forest trees, as well as flowers and orna~ mental plants. This work is quite popular and fills a long-felt need as there is no place in the Philippines where such plant materials may be secured. This movement marks the beginning of better fruit culture and the distribution of desirable varieties of many excellent fruits now available only in scattered localities. He•llhy reeru tion. The results which are being secured are best shown by the statistics compiled from latest reports. That 2,310 of the 2,934 schools for which gardening is a possible industrial subject had school gardens, means real live educational work. It is also a fact that 63,000 pupils did field work in the vegetable gardens at school, in caring for the shrubs and ornamental plants of the school yard, or in cultivating the 35,719 home vegetable gardens. In this manner at least 38,000 actual demonstration tracts were successfully supervised by teache1·s and products to the local value of many thousand pesos were produced. Food plants known to be appreciated by the people are emphasized. It is believed that agricultural education stands out as a unique as well as a highly efficient system in the Philippines. As homj:! gardens, the work is taken to the homes and well supervised. Parents, pupils, and neighbors as well are taught both by precept SCHOOL .IND f/0~\JE G.4.RDENJNG 551 and example. Through the impetus given flower culture and lawn making, homes are made beautiful in this tropical country where such work has been so badly neglected. Here in this country the economic value of gardening has a more important place in the development of natural resources than in many higher civilized communities. The greatest eco~ nomic importance lies in the home work so carefully supervised and graded as a requirement for promotion. The scheme of gardening furthermore comprehends school gardens, home gar~ dens, and food campaigns. The school cur riculum provides ad~ mirably for extending this work into the homes of the people as practical continuation work. If home conditions in the PhilA well-Planned garden, Batangas. ippines are to be improved practical methods of dealing with the questions of food supply and right living must be taught in the schools. What has already been accomplished has resulted in a better and more desirable food supply for Filipino homes. The people are learning how to live more wholesome Jives, how to provide for the family table, and how to prevent so much actual want. Further evidence of the success of this work is seen in that vegetables once rare are now a common food in all communities. Previous to the introduction of home gardening desirable vegetables were so scarce in certain localities that they were sold at prices beyond the means of the ordinary people. Along with the maintenance of the food supply for the table should be considered the amount of money which the boy realizes 552 THE PHILIPPINE CRAFTSMAN from the home garden. A boy learns early in life to receive some of the financial returns for his labor. The few centavos which the boy carries in his pocket to jingle with pride before his companions or to spend for any of the many things a boy wants, means much more in the education and training of the boy than any amount of money that his father or mother may be able to give him. DECEPTION DIFFICULT IN SHOPWORK. The more concrete the work in hand, the less likely is doubt and uncertainty to play a part. In grammar or history, a mistake upon the pupil's part may easily p<lSS unchallenged. The student glides over an error consciously or without intent; and even the teacher may not detect the fault. In a word, both teacher and pupil may be deceived. In the shop or in the cooking room it is quite different. Be the box too long or too short, the metal too thick or too thin, the joint too loose, the basket askew, the stitches uneven, or the ingredients improper in proportion, little doubt need enter the pupil's mind as to the rightness of his work. He can see and have pointed out to him the fault or defect, and can himself usually tell when the same is remedied. How often do we find the pupil in his book lesson, believing thoroughly that he understands the subject, when later it becomes apparent that he does not. Simply repeating something, memor· izing a statement, or working through an abstract problem does not prove that there is an understanding of the same. THE COUNTRY BOY'S CREED. I believe that the country, which God made, is more beautiful than the city, which man made; that life out of doors and in touch with the earth is the natural life of man. I believe that work is work wherever we find it, but that work with Nature is more inspiring than work with the most intricate machinery, I believe that the dignity of labor depends not on what you do, but on how you do it; that opportunity comes to a boy on the farm as often as to a boy in the city; that life is larger and freer and happier on the farm than in the town; that my success depends not upon my location, but upon myself; not upon my dreams, but upon what I actually do; not upon luck, but upDn pluck. I believe in working when you work, and in playing when you play, and in giving and demanding a square deal in every act of life. (Edwin Osgood Grover.)