BACK TO LESSONS!

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22344, 15 February 1936, Page 6 (Supplement)

BACK TO LESSONS!

THE NURSERY SCHOOL / -T- ■ ' SYDNEY'S NEW DEVELOPMENT BY ERIKI The nursery school is something new in the educational life of Sydney. Perhaps the best way to describe it is as a centre for education by environment where, in open air and sunshine, and with good feeding and sleep, the children unconsciously absorb the atmosphere of colour and space and sound, and recognise beauty by the instinct which belongs to all human beings, but which is often lost in slum life. The nursery school, (which, incidentally, must not be confused with the kindergarten, though it is part of that EchemQ for child welfare), had its roots in the Rachel Macmillan School in the slums of South London before the war; yet even that pioneer institution did not foresee the full scope of its promise. The nursery school is really an inspiration that has grown out of the economic depression; and in establishing one which the children enter at eighteen months, in Chippendale, one of the most congested areas surrounding the city, Sydney has followed a movement that has met with much success both in Great Britain and in the United States. Learning How to Laugh

It does, indeed, seem extraordinary that in a great city like Sydney, with its almost perpetual sunshine and facilities for cheap transport to the golden beaches or to the countryside, children should have to be taught to laugh. Yet, this is what has actually happened at Chippendale. Few citizens in the more prosperous suburbs are aware how children live in the slums: they have no conception of the homes from which they come. Lady HoroRuthven, the wife of the new Governor, has taken an active lead in this new movement, and has focused public attention upon iti. I was amused the other day when visiting the nursery school at Chippendale to hear the children refer to the Governor's lady as J 'Lady HoreRibbon." The reason for this curious apg illation is that, not so long ago, Lady ore-Ruthven collected some ribbons and sent them to the children. "Ruthven" was, of course, beyond them; but the "ribbons they wore so brightly in their hair was something they could understand. The new nursery school, which is associated with the Golden Fleece Kindergarten, is part of the general kindergarten programme —indeed, an integral part of it. But economic distress has been "such in Sydney that many mothers, especially those who are wage-earners; have been only too willing to part \yith their children at the age of eighteen months. An important feature of the system is the food which is provided for the children, and paid for, where possible, by the parents. It serves not only its obvious purpose, but contributes to social training in teaching them good manners at table • and in teaching them to help set the table, clear away and "washup." I was astounded to see toddlers, who could hardly walk, carrying bowls of soup. "What does it matter if they spill fiome of it!" remarked a teacher. "No one growls at them. In that way they Jearn a sense of responsibility." The Mothers Learn Too r Some critics have complained that the children are taken away from their mothers at too early an age; but it may be said by way of reply that the little ones ,are returned to mothers who have a better understanding of motherhood. One of the most important -a. . J> - I .

features of the system is that each school is,under expert guidance, and thus the children not only benefit, but the mothers, in meeting at the school for consultation and have the advantage of skilled and practical advice in regard to such matters as diet, clothing, and home arrangement. A complete record of each child is kept at the school; even an outburst of " temper is noted, and the teacher goes to the home and endeavours to ascertain the reason for the emotional display. Sometimes it has been occasioned by a difference between the mother and father in the presence of the child, and the latter has, of course, received the reaction. The parents are then warned not to display their tempers before the little ones.- ' /■ In order to maintain the interests of the mothers in -the school the teachers > at Chippendale have established a library for them Another objective is to retain the interest of ex-pupils after they have passed into the public schools; and for that purpose boys and girls' clubs have been formed. 41 Thank God for a Garden " The Chippendale school is surrounded by high factory buildings, but like an oasis in the desert, is a small garden in a corner of the playground. For many of the children it is the only ' garden they know and they tend it and water it and watch the plants grow. More often than not, the little ones live in tenement buildings, that were erected years ago, level with the footpath, and until the nursery school came into existence they spent as much time in the street, as in their miserable homes. The children are not placed in classes according to age, as is so often mistakenly done in the state schools, but a careful test is taken of the infant's mental development and he is placed with other children of corresponding progress. Each child has his or her own tooth-brush and faee-rag and knows where to obtain both. The little ones know, too, where their blankets are kept and as I left they were being put to sleep on 'the verandah floor. In certain cases where the child has shown signs of retarded development, it is kept at the, kindergarten beyond the age of five, but in the majority of cases, it must, then pass on to the state school. For there is a long waiting list, and it is essential that room should bo made, botji in the nursery and in tho kindergarten, for others. The importance of training these small children, many of whose parents receive State isustenance, in principles of right living and thinking, is recognised by the citizens of Sydney and no fewer than seventeen kindergartens are scnttereed through the industrial areas. Government assistance does not amount to more than £IOOO annually, and consequently, maintenance charges are raised by voluntary workers.