Subiaco State School 1907...Some Reports.
So what was the Subiaco State School like for a child and teachers in 1907 and in particular the year that Mrs Alice Howe, a headmistress at the school made allegations against the Head of the Education Department (from the previous Mrs Alice Howe. The Life Of A Teacher At A State School In The 1900's.)
In August, 1907, two months before Mrs A. Howe was found in a room at the school with poison in her body and taken to hospital, a reporter from a local newspaper 'The Guardian' was given a tour of the school by the Head teacher Mr. Miles. The report is copied below. While the report highlighted the practical skills being given to students such as gardening (which was done in their own time), the report does not discuss the Infant School and what they were learning, nor does the report discuss the issue of rewards and punishment for children. There are expectations that some of the students were going onto University by studying for examinations.
In November, 1907 after the poisoning of the female teacher articles were printed in other local newspapers, The Mirror and The Daily News on the exhibition of school work by the children at the end of the year in November. Some of the girls and boys were asked questions about their work on display.
The Daily News newspaper also highlighted some of the differences in the education being provided to boys and girls. For example the girls were taught domestic work such as laundry at James Street an expectation in preparing women for a role within the family home.
The articles and photographs are from Trove, the database of the National Library of Australia.
Guardian : Suburban and Municipal Recorder (Claremont, WA : 1903 - 1908), Saturday 10 August 1907, page 2
A visit to the Subiaco State School.
Yesterday morning a representative of "The Guardian" called in at the Subiaco State School to make an enquiry concerning the number of scholars going up for the preliminary Adelaide University examination.
"Oh, yes," said the head teacher, Mr. Miles, "we have 14 boys and 14 girls going in for it. Of course, I cannot say how they are going to get on, but I think Subiaco children are likely to prove as smart as anywhere else. To pass such an examination will mean to any child the first step on the road to a University education."
That was all right, and then our representative asked how the garden was getting on. The right chord was struck, for Mr. Miles takes great interest in the doings of the children in the open air. Passing out of the back door we turned to a gate leading from the school yard to the "garden." At the present time there is not much to be seen here except the beds, which have been laid out and have had seeds sown in them. In one bed appeared the first green head of an Early Rose potato, but in most cases one has to exercise faith in the master's statement that the seed has been sown and the crop is yet to come. The beds are necessarily small, considering the, fact that so many young gardeners have to be satisfied. Mr. Miles pointed out a few beds with a kindly smile, saying, "Those are going to be failures, but I am counting on that fact for the sake of the lesson to be learned by the children who have done the work in them." Then he turned another way and remarked, "Here, you see, are the beds of those who have passed through the experience the othirs have yet to learn, and a good crop of vegetables will be got from here later on."
The Department has been very gool to us," said Mr. Miles, in answer to a question. "Those men sinking that dam and doing other work have been provided by the Department because they recognise the value of the education we are giving to the children in the open air work being done here. Those drains which run from the bore house yonder are to supply the dam, besides which we have the water laid on" "Yes," he said again, " we use this fine piece of school land for various other purposes. Here we give some of the first and most useful lessons in geography. Those small drains running into the larger one are the best explanations we can give as to how the tributaries feed the main streams. The stream, you see, makes its way to the ocean yonder, which unfortunately at the present time covers a portion of our boys' football ground. Where we stand on the high ground the river takes its rise and you can see for yourself thet tableland through which it flows."
"Very good," we replied, " but, speaking again of the garden, are all the children interested in that sort of thing? "Oh, no," said master, "but we never force them to it if their tastes lie elsewhere. Some boys would rather play football than anything, and a few would prefer a pencil or paint brush to anything else. But we deal with these all in their own way. We are guides as well as taskmasters in fact the tendency of modem education is to develop the child mind upon its own natural tastes and faculties."
Were our artistic instincts appealed to ? Well, never mind. But what we saw would appeal to any father or mother in Subiaco or elsewhere. The ordinary routine of school work the children received their drawing aud painting lessons, and the work has been collected and displayed in one room. Objects animate and inanimate are included, but bird and animal pictures predominate. It intended to hold an exhibition of school work and methods of teaching in November next, and the routine work which is being done at the present time will be on view.
There can be no doubt about the practical value of the education the children are receiving , and if parents who are apt to complain about the cost of the latest book which their child asks for would make a call at the school they would be convinced that anything they are spending in that direction is very far removed from any chance of waste.
The Pupils' Garden Subiaco State School 12 July 1908. The Mirror
Mirror (Perth, WA : 1907 - 1910), Friday 22 November 1907, page 28
Subiaco State School.
At the invitation of the head master and staff of the Subiaco State School assembled at the Subiaco State School a large number of parents and friends on Wednesday afternoon to see an exhibition of school work and methods and a display of physical drill. The main hall of the school had been arranged for the reception of visitors, being made gay with bunting, and the various exhibits of the pupils. At the entrance were grouped several exhibits of fruit and flowers, being the of the nature studies in the school gardens. Here are little plots of ground carefully tended by the beys and girls, the former having the usual products, namely the vegetables, and the latter the ornamental, the floral sections, all well looked after, and the specimens on view showing the care bestowed by all. The drill work in connection with the nature study is very interesting. A child will plant, for instance, a pea, and as its gradual development goes on, an object lesson is given by the teacher, with illustrations of that development.
Maps, modelled in paper, show how geography is taught, and the various pictures of birds and free hand drawing from the first class children so that done by the monitors, show the progression of the work and its influence on the children.
Literature is also taught in this way. Various illustrations of the principal stories in Dickens' books give the key note to the child, who will transcribe the stories in their own language afterwards. Writing is also taught, not for its own sake, but as a means to the end, enabling the pupil to express thought in words. All the diiferent birds in Australasia are shown drawn in crayons, beautiful work, and a help to natural history. Sewing, darning, etc., are shown on a table from the drill work to the completion of the articles treated. Cutting out of garments, laundry work, and specimens of cookery form other sections, all splendid illustrations of the work being carried on by Mr. Miles, the headmaster and his staff of assistants.
Displayed in the hall is the Governor's shield, won for the year 1907-1908 by the Subiaco School pupils against all other State Schools in the Metropolitan area. It may be said that the gardens are attended by the pupils after school hours or during recess, and not during school hours.
The Inspector-General (Mr. Andrews) and the headmaster (Mr. Miles) gave addresses and a very interesting few hours were spent by the visitors.
Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882 - 1950), Wednesday 20 November 1907, page 8
SCHOOL EXHIBITION
AT SUBIACO
An interesting display was given at the Subiaco State School, Bagot-road, by an exhibition of school work by the scholars. Mr. J. A. Mills, B.A head teacher of the school, this morning accompanied a representative of 'The Daily News' round the large school hall and corridors, the walls of which were covered with specimens of the work done by the scholars. Mr. Mills particularly emphasised the fact that the whole of the work on view had not been specially prepared for the exhibition, but that it represented specimens of everyday work in the different subjects.
A feature of the display was that of the drawing. Special mention may be made of the work of the monitors of the school in different Illustrative drawIngs, including Phillip's farm (from Tennyson's 'Brook'), 'Hiawatha,' 'Marley's Ghost,' 'Scrooge,' 'The Pied Piper of Hamlin,' and 'Dombey and Son.' At Mr. Miles' request, three diminutive scholars gave a pleasing recital of the circumstances surrounding these pictures. Samples of clever freehand drawing were also much in evidence. Questioned as to whether any of these latter were executed under the ambl-texterous method of which so much was spoken of in connection with school work four or five years ago. Mr. Mills replied that this method had been discontinued in the Subiaco and suburban schools, and he understood in most of the country ones. "The most recent research" he said, "in the location oft the cerebral function has proved conclusively that ambi-dexterity was unscientific. He knew of cases in which the use of this method had resulted in loss of speech to the pupil, and the dullest scholar, strangely enough, had in most cases proved the, most expert in ambl-dexterous drawing."
On Mondays a number of the girl scholars attend housewifery classes at James-street, and on a table in one corner of the hall lay all kinds of wearing apparel. These garments are brought from the girls' own homes, and under the supervision of a departmental instructress the girls receive tuition In the different sections of laundry work. The school gardens were next visited, and if further evidence were necessary, in addition to the display within doors, to illustrate the transformation that has taken place in school work and methods since a few years ago such evidence was afforded in the gardens. Although it Is barely 12 month's since the first soil was turned, there are now considerably over 30 beds laid out, and a large and varied collection of flowers are In bloom.
The girls have the care of the flower portion, and the boys attend to ta vegetable culture. Some fine specimens of kidney potatoes and broad beans were on view at the school entrance to the main hall, where also the girls have arranged posies freshly picked from the school flower beds. To each bunch a dainty verse, selected by the girls, is attached, the idea of this being that the child may become endeared to the flowers. "The idea we have" added Mr. Miles, "is that if we make the life of the child here at the school pleasant, teach It to beautify the school, get It to cultivate a love for the flowers, then the child will soon commence to beautify its own home as the result.
Questioned as to the assistance given by the Education Department in matters horticultural, he stated that beyond giving an annual prize 'for' the best school garden and paying the water rates, the department did nothing further to assist in the movement. The incidental expenses so far incurred had been met by him.
At 2 o'clock this afternoon the Inspector-General of Schools declared the exhibition open in the presence of a large gathering of parents and residents of Subiaco. The exhibits were viewed with great satisfaction by all present and the complimentary references heard on all sides was sufficient testimony in itself to show that the Innovation was greatly appreciated.
Subiaco State School photographs 12 July 1908 The Mirror
