The Relation of Nature-Study to Boys' and Girls' 



Club Work 



Theodosia Hadley 

 Western State Normal, Kalamazoo, Mich. 



One hears from all directions that our system of education needs 

 a French revolution to stir it to its depths. The statistics collected 

 by means of the draft prove that our methods are inefficacious. 



When the subject of draft statistics is broached we begin to 

 groan. But if the figures of the draft disclosed complimentary 

 facts regarding our educational methods, we should probably be 

 pleased to hear them again and again. 



It is some time now that educators have realized that we have 

 passed thru our last phase of vocational education and have sug- 

 gested a change in educational methods that will connect school 

 training more closely with the life and the work of the people. A 

 change that will bring the school to the home and tie together the 

 book-learning of the one and the doing of useful things of the other. 

 In other words keeping Dewey's definition of education before us. 

 "Education is not preparation for some sort of life: it is life 

 itself." 



The thinking people of the U. S. are concerned over the lack of 

 Americanization of our hordes of imigrants. The close relation of 

 the school and the home will Americanize our foreign population 

 and assist in relieving the present unrest, more quickly than teach- 

 ing English in night schools. 



What subjects of the school curriculum now being taught, are 

 best adapted to bring the school and the home in close contact? 

 Nature-Study and Boys' and Girls' Club work produce that bond 

 between teacher, school, pupil and parents as no other subject 

 taught. 



Show the children the wonders of Nature. Lead them to 

 appreciate how beautiful and wonderful a thing is a lettuce plant. 

 Teach them to grow that lettuce plant in the most economical way 

 and market it to the best advantage and we have that combination 

 of useful book learning brought to the home. 



Nature-Study and Boys' and Girls' Club work properly taught — 

 produce that balance and that sympathy for American institutions 

 for which we are all seeking. 



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