HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1953-09-25, Page 13rTut'25, 1958
TItlizeiNF ERPOSYT
History of
(Continued from Page 3)
have a book." So I said, would
you like to bring it some day? Site
did so, and what do you think it
.was? A folder that an implement
company would send -out as an ad-
vertisement. However, there were
pictures in it of horses, men and
machines, a house and_a barn. The
children looked at the pictures and
we talked about them and no one
said, "It isn't much of a book," and
one little girl was happy.
When the kindergarten was first
opened we had a monthly fee of 10
cents. It was ,supposed to pay for
supplies, and as at that time the
Board received from the Depart-
ment
epartment a grant of $40' for my certifi-
cate, the kindergarten was not such
an expensive proposition as many
people thought. 'I am glad to say
that fee has ,been discontinued. You
can imagine it was some job to
keep reminding those who would
forget. Some fees were never paid.
I will always remember . a mother
whose three boys came in turn to
the kindergarten. Every first day
of the month each little lad came
witjl. his 10 cents wrapped up in a
piece of paper and on it written
the amount. After we had been in
the kindergarten two years, Mr.
Curtis resigned and his place was
taken by Mr. A. A. Naylor. It was
be who inaugurated the system of
having a class from the primary
room come to the kindergarten four
afternoons in the week, from 1:30
till recess. In this time the chil-
dren had work, songs and stories,
and on Friday, march and games.
In this way Mr. Naylor contended
there was a link .between kindergar-
ten and primary' work, and for this
extrathe teacher got $50 a year.
It was necessary, . though, to do
away with this class when about
the year,: 1937 the attendance be-
came so large it was necessary to
have morning and afternoon ses-
sions.
For some time in the kindergar-
ten we used to allow the children
to bring a treat on a birthday. We
haven't done that of recent yearn
' as more dhildren have such elabor-
ate birthday parties with gifts from
every child, favors and so on, that
a simple kindergarten party, ;,ith
its pretending, would be nothing. I
fa
PAGE F:
well remember one day when Dr. OLD SEAFORTH PUBLIC SCHOOL SERVED FOR 86 YEARS
Field was at school. A little girl
had a birthday, but instead of the
cookies or home-made candy we
usually, had, she brought a real
birthday cake, with white gooy ic-
ing. I was non-plussed for a while
as we had no plates for serving. I
think Dr. Field was as puzzled as
I, until a happy thought came to
him and he went to the Principal's
room and brought some sheets of
white paper, and with a knife I had
we served a piece to each child. I
guess the fingers were sticky, but
no one minded that.
At Christmastime
Speaking of Christmas reminds
me that until our two daily sessions
we invited the mothers to come to
see the tree and hear our songs.
On the tree was a gift for each
mother. It surely, was• a great dis-
appointment if any mother was so
busy making the Christmas cake
she couldn't come to the kinder-
garten. Of late year we just -had
our own little party, but still with
the tree. Of that tree we were so
proud, for everything on it had
been made by the children. For
years I had carried boxes of decora-
tions- and lights from home. for
that tree, but one day a little lad,
who had made a candy cane out of
paper, asked if he might put it on
the tree. That was the beginning
of our making our own decorations,
chains, pin wheels, stars, canes and
so on, as well as the gift,for moth-
er. How proud the children were,
and one day I heard one child say
to one of another room, "We made
everything on that tree ourselves."
Such a joy for the children, and
how stupid I felt that I had for so
long deprived' them, of that joy.
When on the subject of special
days, I,,may as well tell of the one
we always had in June at the clos-
ing of the school term. I will never
forget my first day. Of course, I
was anxious for I assure you I had
a critical audience.. however, as
you know, • people always love to
see little children performing, and
even if they make mistakes every-
one says, Aren't they cute!"" Be-
fore the day the children are tired
of going over things again and
again; they are restless and inat-
tentive and the teacher fears they
will disgrace her, but not so. They
always "buck up," as the English
(Continued on Page 7)
•
Eighty-six years is a long time, enough for more than three genera-
tions to learn their three R's and pass along life's way. The old Public
School—in 1867 it was the new Public School—has served its attendants
well, and there are hundreds of native Seaforthites, some still here, oth-
ers far away, who'll attest its former worth. This picture was taken
shortly before work started on the gleaming new Public School of to-
day. Soon all that will be. left of the 'old school' 'will be ghosts of mem-
ories, wisping over the empty classrooms and playground which once
lived with the chatter and laughter of young scholars. The history of
this building, as far .as construction is concerned, reads almost like a tale
of a Chinese pagoda—each generation building an addition. First a two -
room structure, the school was outgrown in a few years and a wing was
added to the south. Within a space of about 25 years, two more wings
were added, both to the rear or western side. Who knows but that Sea-
forth's new Public School may experience simliar changes if the town's
population continues to increase, as rising school enrolment in the last
few years has indicated? At least the new school has been built in such
a manner as to provide for orderly additions should the necessity arise.
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