Going Back to the
Basics in Education – Pt. 2 Discovering and
highlighting Beauty within your Schools by Mrs. Dorothy Barron
In Parents
Taking Charge in Education Going Back to the Basics in Education Series Pt. 1 -
An
Environment conducive to Learning - Beauty makes a difference, we raised some questions hopefully
to get you thinking about a school environment conducive to learning in
relation to the look of your child school’s exterior school building and
offered a suggestion for the creation of such an environment through a beautification
initiative.
We want to now focus on the interior of school buildings as
we continue to look at creating an environment conducive to learning. The
inside structure and operational components should be operational and
fully-functioning. Today in PT. 2 of our
Series, Discovering and Highlighting Beauty within your Schools, we share small
acts and actions utilized which created beauty inside some school buildings and
made positive differences and an impact on students, school staff and others.
What such acts and actions may have students saying can be found in today’s Parents
Taking Charge in Education YouTube Channel Video at the link listed below.
Decorative School
Bulletin Boards:
During my formative years in elementary school one of the
greatest highlights were bulletin boards; yes, bulletin boards from the
perspective of the teacher having turned those boards into educational “work of
arts,” beauty and learning tools. Older children were asked to assist and boy,
oh boy, one could not wait until he/she was selected by the teacher to assist
with cutting, pasting and stapling pre-cut letters, borders and art onto those
bulletin boards.
The Beauty of Students’ work and Achievements:
As an adult - at one school, which I had the privilege to
volunteer and serve as PTA President, the PTA sponsored a contest of written
essays on Fire Safety. The students’ essay papers were publicly displayed on
hall walls and sticks of peppermint were attached to each essay. I was informed
more than once that the candy would not remain; some sticky fingers would take
the candy down. Such was not the case; not a single stick of candy was taken
during the entire number of days the papers remained attached to the wall. The
students took pride that their essays were highlighted publicly. The hall wall
display of publicized essays and peppermint sticks were the adults’ way of having
said, “job well done and we are proud of you.”
Beauty during the
Holidays: What is more beautiful and exciting to most children during the
Christmas Holidays?
The answer: A beautifully decorated Christmas tree and gifts!
A beautifully decorated Christmas tree was placed in the lobby of the school
and hung with peppermint sticks. The staff was uplifted and students were
joyous and excited. Once again, some pessimists made the same claim; the candy
would not remain on the tree. In this instance, one child did remove a hanging peppermint
stick, but suddenly replaced the candy and walked rapidly away. The decorated
Christmas Tree - a small endeavor which created an act of beauty seemed to have
motivated everyone to work a little harder academically and served as a morale
booster for all. The school janitor as usual kept the building exceptionally clean
and the hall floors waxed.
The above were basic
and small acts which portrayed beauty and each made a difference and positive
impact in Education!
Parents Taking Charge in Education
YouTube Channel Video Link ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5k4NCHxaSU&feature=plcp
Parents Taking Charge in Education Back to the Basics in Education Series: Pt.
2 Discovering and highlighting Beauty
within your Schools: The
Impact of Beauty when utilized within a School’s Environment – What students
may say?
Bulletin
Board - Images Credit:
Photo of leaves above and at the
end of blog post: P. Jarrod Barron (Mrs. Dorothy Barron. All Rights Reserved.
2012)
Cornucopia Illustration: Peipei (Mrs.
Dorothy Barron. All Rights Reserved. 2012)
United States History
Images above: Hatzigeorgiou, Karen J. U.S. History Images.
2011. Online. Internet. <http://ushistoryimages.com>.
Mrs. Dorothy Barron, Founder
E-mail: barron.dorothy@yahoo.com
