The movement designed to get parents and teachers acquainted and interested in the school children is rapidly gaining ground, especially in rural districts. The organizations are springing up like mushrooms in our vicinity, and let's hope it won't be long until every little one room school has its own. A school district is such a small intimate unit that would be hard to find a better basis for organization. Many requests reach this desk for help in planning parent teacher meetings, and perhaps a story of what other folks have done will be the best help we can offer.
Here at Maple Grove, we have the nicest time at P.T.A as I believe any organization we belong to. Our school is so small and the membership is so cozy that there is no room for jealousy, rivalry, prejudice and ill well. Our main aim is friendliness – just that and I believe we have it in abundance. We have not tried to accomplish any material objects, like raising money for pianos and playgrounds, we have only tried to get together and be friends. The children and the teacher have some fresh decorations and hand work on display at every meeting, which the parents are proud to see, and both children and adults take part in the programs and then we have just a happy social hour at the close.
Get Men Folks Out
We meet in the evening because we want the men folks always to be present. We meet on Friday evening so all the little ones may sleep late the next day and not be overtired. We serve refreshments because it seems that is the pleasantest way of being sociable. But we keep the refreshments simple so that no one will feel burdened contributing. We have programs, we try to have every member take part at one time or another, but we do not assign any part that is a strain to the participant. We make up our programs, often with readings for magazines such as "Children", "Hygeia", and "Child Welfare".
We have never held bake sales or socials to raise money for we feel the school district should provide whatever the school needs. We can contribute work and ideas but we feel that too many organizations are trying to raise money and we will be content to engage in spiritual rather than material projects. We do not have our organization for what we can make, but for what we can give our children and our neighbors in the way of interest and friendliness. We cleaned the school house and made a picnic of it. We can get old gas pipe at the junkyard, and with the addition of some rope and boards are men can rig up a set of swings. That won't cost the district much, but we would rather do it than have a box social to raise money to buy something more expensive. Our school is a modest little white rectangle with good substantial equipment, but nothing extravagant. We keep the buildings painted and the trees trimmed in the yard mode. We are contented to keep a simple rural school plant. We would rather provide for our little ones a good teacher in a friendly spirit, than all the equipment of city school can have.
Program Was A Success
Our first program this year was a great success. At the first meeting, we made it a point to invite every household in the district whether they have children or not. We had a good crowd and our program was a surprise. The little children sang us the songs they had been working on since school began. I wish you could've seen the little beginners march up and go through their parts. Too shy little twin girls were in the line who had never "said pieces" anywhere before but they marched up happily and unafraid at this meeting, because there was nothing to be afraid of with nobody there but Mother and Daddy and the neighbors. Then we had a short business meeting and a reading of a short history of the parent teacher movement. Then came a big surprise of the evening – a side-splitting Negro, dialogue, by two of our women, who had declared in the beginning that they were never could never do such a thing. The cleverness of their costumes in their acting would've broken the ice in a far stiffer audience and ours.
That concluded the program, for we have purposely planned to devote most of the evening to sociability. We had a wiener roast, serving buns and wieners and marshmallows and pumpkin pie, and what a time we had. Everyone was hilarious and happy. Groups mingled, and broke, and separated again and everybody had a chance for a little visit with everyone else. There is any value in social life at all. Surely it is in full measure in such a neighborly gathering is this.
Plan Patriotic Program
Our next meeting will be near armistice, and we still have a patriotic program. We're hoping to adopt a splendid program. Arrange by the Kansas State Agricultural College for the homemakers club on the topic "Victories of Peace and War". There will be a part for every member for the program is divided into many parts. Each one will have a few paragraphs to read about some victory either in peace or war. No one will be overburdened and we will have real cooperation.
The next meeting after that will be based on a report from our delegate to the district convention and we are hoping that she will bring us suggestions for more formal programs. Meanwhile, we make use of whatever comes to hand either of the official parent teacher, publications, or elsewhere, and always plan to allow plenty of time for just social ability – Hope.
Memory Gem
Down the lines of August – and the bees upon the wing –
All the worlds in color now and all the songbirds sing
Never reds will redder be, more golden than the gold.
Down the lanes of August, and the summer getting old
– Guest