Spontaneity in Nature-Study 



S. C. SCHUMUCKER 



A paper read before the Nature- Study Society of the American Association 

 for the Advancement of Science, New York, December 27, 19 16. 



Nature-study is slowly working its way into its own place in the 

 schools of the land. In some it has a recognized position and its 

 full share of the time. To many this seems a consummation 

 devoutly to be wished. The longer I try to do my part in foster- 

 ing its growth, the more certain I become that I want for it 

 neither a place in the course of study nor an hour in the day's 

 program. To me it seems altogether better that it should be 

 a spirit and a method, pervading the work of the skilled elementary 

 teacher. It should be the drawing lesson one day, the language 

 lesson another, the geography lesson a third, a number lesson 

 still another day, a special feature some morning at opening 

 exercises, or a stirring round-up to keep the week's work from 

 "petering out" on Friday afternoon. 



Meanwhile the subject of the lesson should be determined by 

 local circumstances perhaps more than in the case of any other 

 study except the vocational training. With each recurring week 

 new birds, new flowers, new insects come or pass, the weather 

 fosters or forbids, the community approves or frowns. All of 

 these must be taken into consideration. Then too, the other 

 subjects studied should receive help and enrichment from the 

 nature-study, and they will do much to decide what subjects 

 must be considered. All of this militates most severely, it seems 

 to me, against any attempt to arrange a program which shall be 

 other than most general. The utmost latitude should be left 

 to the teacher. Any program in nature-study should be merely 

 suggestive to her in case she should find herself at a loss to know 

 what to do. 



After all, the great value of nature-study does not lie in the 

 information gained. Most of the mere information acquired 

 in our early school days is completely forgotten in later life. 

 I wonder whether almost everybody has not found his geography 

 nearly useless in following the movements of the armies in the 

 present great war. I find there are very few things I remember 

 with absolute accuracy out of my earlier school life. The earliest 



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