Rural School Leaflet 1423 



last fall our truslfc, with the help of some of the other i)eople of the district, 

 undertook to improve conditions. First the yard was plowed, and the 

 ivy disposed of. Th<ni the huildini:; was raised and placed on a concrete 

 foundation with a cement doorstep. The windows were then removed, 

 cut down lower, and replaced by new casings and sash; after which the 

 clapboards were removed and replaced, after lining with building paper. 



The old benches were removed, the room was lined with Georgia pine 

 ceiling, and a new floor laid, so that, after new doors were hung, the room 

 was snug and warm. Our windows are provided with stops so that we 

 may have good ventilation all the time, and we hope to have the " new 

 stove " a little later. 



Next spring we are going to hav/j a coat of paint outside and in, and 

 some new curtains. The boys and girls are very enthusiastic in the work 

 and take much pride in the improvement of our school. They are also 

 learning to enjoy the great out-of-doors, and fin^l the leaflets ver}^ interest- 

 ing. 



I am sending you the letters which some of them have written, and if 

 you knew the eft'ort they have made to write them all alone, I know that 

 you would be pleased. 



I have found the teachers' leaflet very helpful, and I believe that the 

 study of nature is a great factor in the building of character, as well as 

 clear minds and strong, clean bodies, and those are the things which count. 



Newfield, New York, November 28, 19 14 



I have intended to write you before this, and tell you about our fair. 

 Early last spring my pupils (twenty) determined to have a garden on a 

 small plot of ground for their own, on which they might plant anything 

 they desired. 



We read the leaflets thoughtfully and discussed many points. Nothing 

 more was said about what they were to do. On October 23, being Con- 

 vocation Day at Albany. I requested each pupil to bring the best speci- 

 mens of the things he had planted and cared for. I told them I would 

 give two prizes — one of fifteen cents and one of ten cents for the first 

 and second best exhibit or exhibits. 



Could you have seen their faces you would have had no difficulty in 

 detecting the strife that was sure to follow. As we had never had a parent- 

 teacher meeting, each pupil was requested to invite his parents. Well, 

 Friday morning came, and on looking out of the window, I saw wheel- 

 barrows, baskets, pails, pans, and one mother with a horse and small 

 wagon — all loaded with products. The children had the privilege of 

 bringing any animal that belonged to them. Friday morning at ten- 

 thirty our schoolroom was a pleasing picture. Bouquets of salvias, 

 chr^'santhemums, asters, sweet peas, geraniums, and asparagus were in 

 profusion. 



In one comer stood com over eleven feet tall, and on each end of the 

 platform rested two huge pumpkins. The pumpkins came from my 

 home. They were the largest ev^r grown in our neighborhood. On 

 entering I heard one lady say, " What a restful place! " After the judging, 

 selections were read, poems recited, and I had one recitation in nimiber 

 work by my third-grade pupils. 



