1924 - Annual Convention Report

              A L B E R T A W O M E N ' S I N S T I T U T ES
it. It reduces the number of vacant schools. It equalizes the c o n d i t i o n of the
p u p i l s . It i m p r o v e s the c o n d i t i o n of t h e teachers. It enables a b e t t e r c o - o r d i n a t i on
of teachers. For instance i n some d i s t r i c t s w i t h sparse p o p u l a t i o n w h i c h cannot
afford a teacher, the department provides one teacher for t w o schools, the teacher
t e a c h i n g one school h a l f the week and i n the other school the other half. That is
b e t t e r t h a n h a v i n g b o t h schools closed. This has been done i n some instances in
t h i s P r o v i n c e . While not a d v o c a t i n g such a sweeping change, it does seem that
some i m p r o v e m e n t could be made along the line of the N e w Z e a l a n d p l a n , i n the
w a y of o r g a n i z a t i o n.
H o w e v e r it must be remembered that the b i g p r o b l em i n t h i s P r o v i n c e a t t h is
time and for some time to come, w i l l be p l a c i n g i n a l l of our schools, competent,
experienced, well equipped teachers. In some places two, three a n d four school
d i s t r i c t s are c o m b i n i n g t o e m p l o y one teacher who w i l l either move a r o u n d t o the
different schools or h o l d school t e m p o r a r i l y at a c e n t r a l p o i n t . This w i l l mean that
school w i l l operate p r o b a b l y for eight months.
M A N U A L A C T I V I T I E S IN T H E S C H O O L C U R R I C U L U M.
These subjects have been i n t r o d u c e d because of t h e i r value i n an e d u c a t i o n al
sense. M a n u a l expression a l o n g w i t h mental i m p r e s s i o n completes a specific l e a r n ­i
n g process. These expressional o p p o r t u n i t i e s are too r a r e i n our schools to be
l o s t . They afford a means of v i l a t i z i n g the c u r r i c u l u m a n d of s t i m u l a t i n g t h e i n ­terest
of the c h i l d r e n i n the more abstract aspects of school life. I a m sure the
p r e - v o c a t i o n a l school has d e m o n s t r a t e d the t r u t h of this statement. The m a n u al
a c t i v i t i e s i n the school a r e means t o d i g n i f y the s t a t u s of m a n u a l l a b o r a n d to result
i n better u n d e r s t a n d i n g among a l l t h e members of t h e c o m m u n i t y . The T e c h n i c al
I n s t i t u t e will feel the influence of the e l i m i n a t i o n . The government placed the
I n s t i t u t e i n C a l g a r y as a t r a i n i n g school for m a n u a l v o c a t i o n s . In this respect
A l b e r t a is i n the v a n a m o n g the provinces i n C a n a d a . The e l i m i n a t i o n of t h e feed­i
n g influence i n t h e l o c a l s y s t em w i l l mean a loss t o the I n s t i t u t e a n d also to those
p u p i l s who s h o u l d be p r e p a r i n g to enter the I n s t i t u t e . To e l i m i n a t e the manual
a c t i v i t i e s w o u l d be to infer a l a c k of co- operation between the g o v e r n m e n t and
the l o c a l c o m m u n i t y as regards v o c a t i o n a l t r a i n i n g i n m a n u a l w o r k.
M y plea is to conserve the roots a n d t r u n k of the o r g a n i z a t i o n c a r r y i n g on
t h i s work, that when the time comes— and some t h i n k it is not far d i s t a n t — t he
f u l l e r f u n c t i o n i n g of these d e p a r t m e n t s m a y be c o n t i n u e d.
V o c a t i o n a l are those whose a i m is to g i v e specific t r a i n i n g for v o c a t i o n a l w o r k .
A l l s c h o o l i n g a p r e p a r a t i o n for life w o r k , a n d we note today a s t r o n g sentiment in
f a v o r of p l a c i n g greater emphasis upon the v o c a t i o n a l phase of w o r k of a l l grades.
T h e t r a i n i n g of p u p i l s of e l e m e n t a r y school age i n s i m p l e i n d u s t r i e s , to a d v a n c ed
s t u d e n t s , t e c h n i c a l and professional research work i n our u n i v e r s i t i e s.
G r e a t e r interest i n this phase of I n s t i t u t e w o r k has been shown i n a l l r e p o r . s
t h i s year. M a n y I n s t i t u t e s have done excellent work t h r o u g h their c h a i r m a n of
e d u c a t i o n and better r u r a l schools. Let us c o n t i n u e to urge the " O n to G r a d e V I I I "
s l o g a n as a means of r a i s i n g t h e e d u c a t i o n a l s t a n d a r d for our P r o v i n c e.
C r e a t e p u b l i c o p i n i o n ; to secure r e g u l a r a t t e n d a n c e at s c h o o l . • M a n y excellent
programmes can be arranged to create p u b l i c s e n t i m e n t , i n f a v o r of e v e n i n g classes
for adults, or e d u c a t i o n a l a n d r e c r e a t i o n a l hours. C o m m u n i t y s u r v e y s p r o v e i n t e r ­esting.
C O M M U N I T Y S U R V E Y.
I t was s h o w n for example that of the 457 f a m i l i e s , 401 were t a k i n g at least one
newspaper. One i t em of i n t e r e s t was the fact t h a t there were i n the d i s t r i c t 331
dogs, 445 cats. These items were t u r n e d t o p r a c t i c a l account as a n argument w i th
t h e people for a D i s t r i c t H i g h School, for it c o u l d be shown that if each dog and
cat cost t h e i r owners one cent a d a y food, t h e n the people were s p e n d i n g u p o n these
a n i m a l s an amount w h i c h added to the state grant w o u l d support a h i g h s c h o o l for
t h e i r boys a n d girls. No desire o n t h e p a r t of anyone t o k i l l off the cats and dogs.
T h e fact was m e r e l y used to emphasize the s m a l l cost of m a i n t a i n i n g a H i g h S c h o o l.
G A R R I N G T O N W O M E N ' S I N S T I T U T E .— E D U C A T I O N AND B E T T E R SCHOOLS FOR
W E S T OLDS C O N S T I T U E N C Y .— T h i s I n s t i t u t e has h a d some v e r y good papers read
o n E d u c a t i o n a n d the C h i l d r e n ' s W e l f a r e . Also on the M o d e r n School w i t h a
basement a n d modern heating apparatus, home teaching, etc. Hot lunches were
s e r v e d i n the school a l l t h r o u g h the w i n t e r . A J u n i o r R e d C r o s s S o c i e t y has been
formed, and to interest the c h i l d r e n i n g a r d e n i n g prizes w i l l be offered t h i s year for
the best e x h i b i t s of flowers a n d vegetables. Night classes h a v e been s t a r t e d for boys