1937 - Convention Report

              TWENTIETH PROVINCIAL CONVENTION 4Z
REPORT OF EDUCATION AND BETTER SCHOOLS - 1935- 37
Mrs. W. R. Roberts, Sexsmith, Convener.
I am both pleased and proud to present my report of the work done by our
Branches in Education and Better Schools— pleased because of the excellent
response to my request for reports, and proud of the record which they present.
I wish to thank all those Secretaries, Conveners and Directors who sent me such
full reports of the meetings and the work done. I think nearly every branch
has done something. I could not mention each Branch by name, for it would
keep you here an extra day at this Convention. So I have tried to group the
activities under various heads and only mention individual Branches where the
idea or project struck me as original or of assistance to other Branches. More
and more our women are being conscious of the fact that education does not
begin and end with the school. They are realizing that everything we do can be
and should be an education to us. As one secretary wrote, " Education is for
life, and every meeting is an education in that, it adds something to the fullness
of our life and the richness of our experiences."
Papers— The number and variety of the papers on educational subjects given
at our Branches is a source of amazement to anyone not aware of the scope of the
Institute work. " The New Curriculum" and the " Larger Unit" were the out­standing
topics for study throughout the entire Province. The " New Course of
Studies and the Enterprise System" was discussed in practically every Branch,
with demonstrations by teachers and pupils in many cases. The discussions
following these meetings showed how keenly alert our women are to the problems
of our schools and their present- day needs. Other subjects on which papers were
given were, " Reading as an Education", " Beauty in Education", " Art and Music
for the Children", " Health in Education", " More Sanitary School Grounds",
" Adult Education", " Leisure and Education", " Vocations for Girls' 1! ' School
Systems of the World", " Our Royal Family", " Mental Hygiene", " The Country
Women of the World", " The Merits of the Dormitory System", " The Little Red
School House", and a number of biographies of famous people in Canada and
England, one of which was of our own President, Mrs. Ferguson.
Play Contests— Two Institutes sponsor play contests at which several rural
schools compete and prizes are given.
Oratorical Contests are sponsored by several Branches.
Festivals— In many Branches papers have been given on the " Musical
Festival", and wherever there is a festival held the Institutes are to the fore witli
their assistance, donating medals and shields, donating to the expense of children
attending the festivals, serving out- of- town visitors to the festival, and helping the
teacher in the training of the children. One Branch bought an organ for the
school, another a piano, and another loaned the W. I. piano to the school so that
the children could be trained for the festival. One Branch held a public rehearsal
of the festival numbers previous to the festival, at which they paid for an outside
critic to be present, and found his criticisms very helpful. Several Branches
encouraged the pupils to enter the festival and had the contestants give the entry
items at the Institute meeting.
School Fairs— Several Branches gave donations of cash or seeds to school
fairs. One provided the hall in which the exhibits were shown. The members
of another acted as clerks for the fair. A Branch in the Grande Prairie District
holds its own school fair, which is proving a very worth- while undertaking for
this Branch. Another Branch served lunch to the judges and officials of the school
fair and gave the proceeds to the fair.
School Lunches— Several Branches provide the cocoa and supplies for the
hot lunch for the pupils during the winter months. One Branch bought a stove
so that the hot lunch could be prepared.
First Aid Kits.— Several Branches donated first aid kits to the schools, and
others who had donated the kits in previous years had these kits renewed at the
opening of the term. One Branch had a roll call answered by a donation to the
first aid kit.