FRESH AIR SCHOOLS IN TIMARU AND OTHER PLACES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LIII, Issue 74, 28 March 1919, Page 2

FRESH AIR SCHOOLS IN TIMARU AND OTHER PLACES

(By Dr Colquhouu in Dunedin Sar.) Among the important questions which are being discussed at .he present by all who'ftt*e interested 1 iit national progress and well-being thebe is none on which more depends than the teaching and method*, of teaching Of die children of the Dominion, My object in writing how is only to deal with the subject from the pdirh of view of the health of the children add their teachers. I believe that the existing arrangemen's are grayely and fundamentally Wrong—that under them children 'die who should live, that many arecrippled who should be healthy, that , epidemic diseases of various kind*, are perpetuated and hursed in’o activity, and. that the mental and physical activities of children .and teachers are (at leas/j made 30 < per cent less than they might be. I believe also that the remedy is simple—it is 'theyintroduction of what has-been called the “Open Air School.” I prefer to call it the Fresh Air School. The name open air schools is liable t 0 misconstruction. It is .easy for those who are not conversant with the facts to raise objections, such as “Our climate does not allow of open air. teaching.”' “Von cannot fix the • attention of children if they are outside a school room;” “The children Would catch their deaths from cold.” It i* often; assumed that children are to be put out of doors*—in - paddocks, Or. on a&phadt. - courts;, -ag is ' the case fordrilling and games, when open air teaching is advocated. This is not the case, and that' is - why X' think “Fresh Air -Schools” should he substituted lor “Upon Air Schools.”

A great deal bt preparation ismceded lor- such > schools. (Suitable buildings runs'- b e erected. The children must he clothed according to the season, of the year and : local conditions of weather. Dressing rooms’ must be provided where wet clothing can be taken off and if necessary warm dry clothing ! be - put -on. Anothei* reason; why the' term "Mr School” should’ be adopted is that it emphasises the fact tha; our schools as at present carried on are too often “foul air schools, ’’ and that the decision of parents and education’ boards ha« to -be made as to which thev prefer. - My: attention was first, forcibly called to this subject at one of the annual congreases for the studv of 'Hiberculosis. held: in Tendon in mi. It is ; a mattef of observation that in Europe. 75 to Pd per. cent of all children before .thev reach the age of 10 years are attacked by some form of tuberculosis. Most of them recover: maw of them develop’ fatal forms of tuberculosis later in life* f<b*» of ■•vfTvclt. hem in childhood. Those who do Hot' snc : ciimb have the ; r development and nutrition more or less ’impaired’. We have .ho exact figures for New Zealand httt if we have those for Europe the position is grave: enough.: • At-the congress one method of dealing with this problem ‘ was shown. It was lhe establishment of an open air school in Regent Fark, London, for delicate and ; tubercular children. This school was held m One of the band ■ rotundas—it ’wa* a fresh air rather than an open air school; I spoke to-one of tne teachers who was in attendance at the congress meetings, and-this was her experience: “AH the children were healthier at The end ol the tenm They gaiiud in ..weight, their colour improved, their appetites improved; it-the end of the, day they Were as bright j.nd lively as at he -beginning. They petitioned to have the- school continued during the holidays, and their school ..work ’ Was at leas;- 30 per . cent better than the average- of the ;samo classes in closed-in schools.”;; I: asked her t bu/A the pf the teachers. Bhc laughed and 'said: “Oh, there’s no, comparison! In the Old- ,w© were poisoned at' the ,-end of the day. and only, wanted to get horn© and- have a, cup of .«» lie dowm-. JSow we go. lor a walk ’Or P ,a y tennis, and ;we ate kU ® ver 80 stronger than we: were.” . , , ;Since,;that date - .20. or 30- fresh ; Schools; have, been started .on the same line* ta; and;.about London•• ih toimccwoh v'th board scholsj and several others have; been established ,»s private schools tot children whose, parents can pay tor their education. ■ ; ■ ‘The year-Book of Open-air t Schools, edited by; Dr Kelypack, who is" 'one' of the foremost/ workers for the suppression dt tuberculosis, .ta Dondon, is filled with details, .of fresh-ata Schools established throughout GN®t TBrnaiUL A copy of this book is in-.thft’. Public DibraW in Dunedin, and - can be con- - Suited- by those who , are , interested. t There. is already a large literature on thp subject, but 1 ;would, Uke alsb to call attention :o a valuable paper/wntten by by the 3ate‘Dr jOgston, /Professor of Public Health in DtagoUniversity- for ' many years, It yva® first published-'’ in the tuberculosis number of tb© ‘Otago 'Witness’- on November 13,. 1912, ' along With other articles-ou - tuberculosisy which, were -all, -Mibsudd; ws. a’ pamphlet, and: sold on behalf <«/>»*• Hospital Saturday fund. Dr Ogston had seen- the work;.of the; so-called open-air schools'in Germany, and wasa strong

advocate for the. system. Records of the resul’s of the freshair schools are also countries; -r 1 ' would 1 * cite especially America. Ih : Chicago, - where the .wnter. temperature -m ay be much below zero, very mar Iced success has been obtained by fresh-air methods. I quote from 'Dr Ogs Ww ' artjicte ‘•■Mr Watt, the principal p{ the Graham; Granpmar. School .at Chief go, writes The open-air ; school v makes pupils and teachers well. It makes them - Strong,, in-eligerit,. .active, ■ cheer : tbj, capable, and free from headaches and dulness. ; lt...sav& %es, it-s«ves money, it is practicable in a modified form for all grades. It* will «ave million. in doctors’ bills, nursing, and funeral expene, Freh ' air double the teachers' power:and the results to the pupilsv?'; V :■ ■ V , ; v,; Perhaps one of the'most remarkable thing, about this subject is the way some of the medical men who record their experiences ih the year Rook, assume that; these schools are only „ for delicate children. Cutely, if there uronc lesson to be derived from' the established facts i! is that what is good for delicate children is good for healthy club , dren to prevent them from becoming i delicate. Another f act which deserves | special prominence is thai in freeh-air schools the common infectious complaints are not distributed among- the children aij in the. foul-air schools. In them common colds, meaeles,,, scarle* fever, whooping Cough have only to get a start- id run right through a school, i <The remarkable freedom froih such infection was Emphasised by the teacher at Regent Jfark School. There is 1 nbw, , of course, much more fresh-air teach-

. tag throughout New Zealand than, there; was even ten - year* ago, bu; neither education boards nor school committees have taken, the matter as seriously m hand «*• they ought to do. Such classes a® are held out of doors are conducted under disadvantages which should not ekist. They are merely occasional excursions into unsuitable places, and 4re abandoned at the first daw in the weather.' The late Mr- Israel, ' when chairman “df the ‘(lidgo “Education Board, promised that, he would take Steps id gOt .siich ififorniaticlri ks was Available dbdiit ojien-'dir schdols; but his lamented dedth interfered, and ,sd far I know of no steps having, been taken by hji fl .successors.

• # . Here. 1 .! would; repeat what 1 have said before on this subject:—“l know of no '• on# measure- which 1 believe would have such -a beneficial and far-reaching effect on the health and wellbeing of the community as the- adoption- of ‘rcsh- ' air method? 111 our schbol#; conversely I know of no other one evil which so constant in .its : wui’king l and so dainag- ' mg to *the physical;’mental, and moral well-being of the race as the- over-. ‘ crowded, Tqul-aiy school of the present day.” i hope none will regard this as the wail of. a pessimist. \lt is rather the appeal of an optimist who hope to see a better OoUdition of things for, the coming generation. . . inuring ; a recent visit to 'titnaru • 1 had the good fortune to meet Eleanor Baker, dhe of the medical. examiners of schools; who has ‘been trying ■ to nr-reduce fresh-air method*, of teach* • illg in the widespread districts she. has to inspect. I had heard of the experimental building erected at Waimatai* i&i, a suburb of Timai-u, on her recommendation.- When- I expressed .a /Wish tO.eoe the. schoolroom, i®r. Baker agreed to go with me and introduce me to Mr ATOaskill, the, bead*; master}:of:, the schopd. At the, same .time, she said she. had been told the experiment .was Upt ft success, as the teacher found it ihcottlenient to hold' Classes‘ itt; A room exposed to wind and weather. - Our lirst question was as tof thi©. report, Mr M‘Uaskill an&Wertd : very: decidedly: “Whosoever said- that; spoke the reverse of the 'truth,’ jAs. i ilhatter Ot : fact, the experiment has been a marked l (success. •, The ipujjita 'are in better health, are - more atten'-ive, - and less tired by their work than when working- under the- ordinary /Conditions, The trash air school is a rectangular wooden building, closed at One end, the other end. having a- sliding door, and both sides being supptujd with doors which, open as required. It can hold 40 or 50 pupils— a small fraction of those attending the School/ ’Compared with the other,,parts oCtlie school; it i s an 1 inexpensive/ building. The, mistress ih charge expressed her satisfaction :■with it, ;"a-nct ~Mar- JVl'Oaskill said: “it is like a breath of bcaVen; to come here after being in the -general.' school.’* ■ .' : I visited the other and older parts; of the "school. 1 can only' say 'hat the condition there is appalling. It is useless to mince; words uV speaking of cur ordinary schools, it they are as overcrowded and as badly as this. The; ordinary standards of - hygiene are ignored. There ip'-nev )ist: sulv ficiellt floor apace; or : cubic- space, or adequate possibilities of ventilation to ensure oven the 'miiumum of fresh- air required tor each ; pupil. - and teacher. .With’ the 'right method and the wrong method Side by aide,- it can only be N a matter o£ time when the wrong methods 'are discarded. It is a great 1 advance that Dr linker has succeeded m establishing one such-.- schoolroom. 4 A pennyworth-' Of practice -is worth a pound of theory,. / I had also the privilege of visiting the Hoys', frtgh Behoof at Timaru, where . fresh - lair methods are earned out as.far as possible Tn the cl as© rooms, dormitories, and' baths. Mr Thomas;, thehead master," has a special- fresh air schoolroom for - younger boys; He and r he teacher of these boy R - (Miss Aim*** B )’ e*pressed their complete satisfaction with the results. Miss Aimers 'said; 'they had carried ; An during ' las: printer, and } spnng without, any cases of illness, bhe found the pupils alert, active,’land 'interested: in their ■ work.-, -TeA&ijM^-^-afc! easier - than in .the- closed school© 1 for 1 both pupils and teacher;: / I have the permission ; of. Mr Thomas andtMtss: Aimers to -say that they' are.: altogether in favour of the fresh' air school.’ Mr Thomas expressed the opinion^ - that ihe schools of Hip future should'.consists of a sene© of inexpensive building freely i open . to ; 'air and’ sunlight. It is, worth noting that during’- -’the' date epidemic of influenza no eases occurred /’ in -.v, the; Timarp Boys’ High school. At Timaru Hospital - Dr Talbot asked -me to- see- ' a small clas© for, chifaren which he ; had succeeded iii establishing there; These childreh \ were' sUtfenng various.! aliments, which interfered with their education. “Mis® Tittle;- a retired school bokrd tokcher, - was in ■charge; '. She teaches the children :on a verandah; open to sub and air, and, so far gs a; small experiment - goes, ■ the result, is quite satisfactory. The children are interested, learn quickly;; and Tas far as the teacher is concerned Mis© Li'tle -said that her own health kept good, but that she could not have done '-hy work rit-'ali in ■» Clokdd i kchobl. i, 1 While the claim® of these schools rest mainly on their, practical success, a word may be added as to the theoretical reasons for that -/success; :; ! There are constantly < being thrown off 1 from all human beings by the skin’ and . lungs imute particle© of was’.e matter. This waste matter is in a concentrated form on© of the most deadly poisons known' to*tis. ; In ,a, diluted form it is more or les© harmful, according to its dilution, it prepares' the way for the action of infectious germs, and the air of all crowded rooms? nearly always contains such germs. This poison, is, however, ijulckiy destroyed by exposure to the atmosphere and td sunlight. It i s especially harmful to young children, retarding growth and development and lessening the natural resistance of the body to-infections. As the Sfta.e has assumed quasl.paternal function# with regard to all children, itTis 'the duty of education au horities to se© that th© conditions under iwhicJi their education; is <carried, on should he the, best possible; 1 -am anxious not to ‘blame or find fault With those public workers/who have don© .hid are doing sol'much for education, if there ate wrong methods being pursued, let US try *o Tmend them. We'rbave. all some spar© m the faults of the past. 1 do not ask cur Education to take .my . word or the word of>ny man, as being tii-ul and. decisive on ■ thi« Subject. Vybat can pa fairly said,life Ibis: Tpe advocates of th© fresh air school claim that here is a method ' (1) Increases the efficiency of teachand; pupil® in purely scholastic work 00 to is. per cent; ■• ; ’ -■ .» (2) Improves the health of both io the aame extent;-, (3) Is ‘cdfeparaiiyely inexpensive, and can’ hfl-appUed almost at once; to. re-, jieye the intolerable overcrowding of many pf oUrl schools.; •