The united American : a magazine of good citizenchip., June 01, 1925, Page 14, Image 14

Page Fourteen
THE UNITED AMERICAN
JUNE 1925
Americanization Work in the Capitol City of America
By MAUD E. AITON, Principal, Americanization Work, Public Schools, Washington, D. C.
(Special for The United American)
participation. An Association formed of about four
rFHE NEED of Adult Educational work among the
1 foreign born of the District of Columbia, was re­
cognized in 1919 by the Congress of the United States
when the District Appropriation bill carried a clause
providing for a principal of Americanization work, and
a lump sum appropriation of $10,000 for this special
purpose.
For the fiscal year 1924-25 the work was placed on
a more permanent basis through legislative provision
in a teachers’ salary bill. The work is placed under
the Supervisor of Special Activities. The principal of
the work is placed with the administrative principals’
group, the full time day Americanization teacher with
the regular elementary teachers. This legislative re­
cognition of Americanization work for the District of
Columbia, places it on a permanent basis and greatly
encourages those interested in it.
The schools are so organized that day and night
classes are coordinated. There are day classes for be­
ginners, intermediate and advanced students, special
classes for petitioners for naturalization, special classes
for mothers where babies and small children can be
cared for by kindergarteners as the mothers study, and
field classes—classes for groups of women in the homes.
There are also special motion picture classes for inter­
mediate students. This phase of the work is a de­
finite experiment which has been carried on for the
past two years. The results have been carefully tabu­
lated and will be reported in the near future.
There are five evening schools. The main one in the
central business section of the city, at the Webster
School, is overcrowded during the entire year. It is
interesting to note the increase in both day and night
classes during the past five years.’ Five years ago the
enrollment for the year was just five hundred. This
year more than two thousand have been in the classes.
The percentage of women attending is especially en­
couraging. From two percent of the total evening en­
rollment of five years ago, it has increased to about
34% of the evening enrollment and more than 56%
of the total day enrollment.
The Americanization Schools of Washington have
been greatly aided throughout their development by
close cooperation with the Naturalization Bureau and
the Federal Courts. The examiners for the Bureau
give all examinations to petitioners in the citizenship
classes at the school, and the certification of the Bureau
and School is accepted by all judges of the Supreme
Court of the District of Columbia in lieu of a court
examination.
The Daughters of the American Revolution, the
American Womens Legion, the Civitan Club, the Citi­
zens’ Committee for the Promotion of Americanization
Work in the Public Schools, and many other local or­
ganizations carry on their adult educational work
through the medium of the public Americanization
School. Thus the work of the District is coordinated.
The feature of the work that demonstrates that it
is really effective is the student and former student
hundred students, teachers, and a few American
friends, have organized the Americanization School
Association. The socialized activities are largely
carried on by this Association. There are excursions,
lectures, banquets, musicales, dances and other activi­
ties of recreational and educational nature under its
auspices. The A. S. A. Orchestra holds weekly re­
hearsals at the school and furnishes music for citizen­
ship receptions and A. S. A. monthly dances. The
A. S. A. Glee Club emphasizes the value of this musical
activity as a medium for student contact and English
teaching.
The financial aid given by the Association, which
has helped to keep the school open during the summer
months, and also the aid to students in need, have
greatly strengthened the value of the work of the
Association.
The publication of a monthly newspaper, “The
Americanization Bulletin,” is the outstanding contribu­
tion of the Association “to bring about a better under­
standing between native Americans and newcomers.”
The foreword on the A. S. A. program of its Annual
Festival and Dance carries the spirit and thought of
our work:
To all our friends greetings!
May you join us in this Festival of Spring with the thought
in your hearts which is in ours—an awakening to a new life—
a life based on high ideals and a worthy purpose—Americanism.
May you feel with us that we approach the ideal through a
road of participation known as Americanization.
And, finally, will you interpret the goal of the A. S. A.
as group work — native born and newcomer, working together
to achieve better citizenship based on the fundamental principles
Of Americanism.
SCHOOLS ON WHEELS
From Christian Science Monitor
U A LL ABOARD!” seems a strange cry to come from a
■f* public school room, but to pupils in two schools in western
Oregon it is quite common. Away up in the hills, where the
fir timber grows big, loggers have gone with their families.
As a lumber camp is never permanent, for men and equip­
ment must move on as soon as a stand of timber is exhausted,
a permanent school-house is out of the question. The prob­
lem was solved in Lane County by building the school-house
on wheels.
When the camp is moved a locomotive hooks onto the
school-house, and away it goes, children and all, to the next
camp site. The school work is never, interrupted, and often
the students are studying as the noisy little logging locomotive
goes puffing up the hill with them in tow.
In Lane County two of these schools are maintained, one
at Booth-Kelly Camp No. 36, where there are 27 pupils, and
the other at Camp No. 34, where there are .12 pupils. Arnold
Collier, assistant school superintendent of Lane County,
praised the work and said the movable schools were a success
in every way.
“The surroundings are very inspiring,” he said, “for when
I visited them, each was sidetracked so that a splendid view
stretched away before the pupils as they sat studying.”
The cars have running water fresh from cool mountain
springs, and all the conveniences of modern school-rooms.
“I did not think” is a poor excuse for a wrong deed per­
formed. You did think, or you could not have acted, but you
did not think in accord with Principle.