Show 1 I it U aff sc aa chool ch ho ool 11 of air ai brinas world vve r la 1 18 to little ME 0 tr ar T 6 a a ir IT 0 HO U se pa N M A 4 x mh a nm r we R 9 t VV IX 4 a p b K vms wt by JAMES M CHALFANT finity years denra ago it II it II darrow then attending a little red schoolhouse la in county ohio actually a little red schoolhouse legun his first off lelal connection with school 11 ills tilen at alie ngo ago of at ten was rather hunt ble during the fall and winter winfer months lie ho built the lire fire being required on oa 4 f especially cold days to be nt kit the 06 schoolhouse at kieven in tile orning la in order to ao have the place warm by tho th time the A other youngsters arrived As aa compe 1 aaion for caring for or the lio anro alro lie ho received f alve cents f i a day par for sweeping out the room when the roads roada were muddy it was usually necessary to 0 o use first tho the hoe then the broom and then tho mop he received another nickel dullye dally with theme theao hard bard earned nickels young darrow made mada thi the first pay beut on a websters unabridged dictionary he be recalls today after a varied experience include including ns teaching in lite country schools tile central I 1 zed school and the high school darrow known to thousands of school children in more than n scow ol of 1 states as uncle con ben the lindao school roaster mariter heads the most inheres interesting wig and most a adv effort in by radio tho the ohio school odthe of the air a division disisto i of tho the state depart meat of bt education of ohio at Colun columbus bus his title now Is director of educational broadcasting state of ohio two years ajo ujo lie he was just a free lance visionary a ninn man with a elg iden idea that the radio might be enlisted to vitalize public school education there ware were will to hi the united stoos well wel over of those lao later tittle one room schools auch as he be had at tended bende d in his hl youth so long lond as that was tile tho case he felt the a le iran gun equality of opportunity in lin must remain rather empty and meaning meaningless leAs surel there roust bo be some saino way to tap the greid streams of knowledge of culture of current events and carry new life and vigor to the country school house its as well as to tho the city school system the radio tAIg might tt welt well lift the tittle little red schoolhouse out of its long isolation and place it on a pur par with the tb meillon d hilaa city school for a part of the scho school day at least master teachers s through the magic of radio could become visiting tea cheri nod and expert assistant for or the tenc teachers hersAn in chaw charge of those one room schools still to la opera ilon veil nell the story stary of the origin of 0 the omo school lot idt the air to Is a bit complicated said when the question was put to him and my cun con with it 41 Is I 1 suppose tho the result of my lc in to over a good food many jonm in tho the first place ive been something Boinet liing of ii i pioneer right along always referring preferring the tain with great possibilities to tile the rather tattle tame tal gallity lity with the exception of my any high teaching since I 1 left college I 1 timo have tilled filled no othet ms shoos shoes ive always made a jib JA for myself and then filled it after varied and interesting experiences in ili country life institute borit work and with theng the angrl rl cultural extension of maryland stole state college I 1 found myself in 1021 in chorge charge of childrens fro grams nt at station elation chicago I 1 tl became cacci intense ly ili interested in educational broadcasting then but left to promote a potent hint I 1 thought though ana going to prove profitable it did fairly so eo put not for mot met after a your year or two I 1 abandoned my iny manufacturing project pro jort the first farst thing I 1 thought of then thea was to get back into the flold field of radio idu education cation j more and more there grew upon me mie me id den of a national school of the air I 1 was convinced that the radio might become a tremendous ager agency U for or public school education the idea posed three thre big its ifa IF educators could bo be in deuced officially cosponsor to sponsor the project IP IF it a radio station might be persuaded to broadcast aduca lional programs free of charge chang and IF financial support could bei be secured to pay tho tbt cost of cf ad ministration a school of the air could be ba e stab from ono one end of the country to th the other 1 traveled travel ad peeking becking to enlist the aid of org allisn 2 1 13 H darrow uncle ben the radio school master director of educational broadcasting in the tha ohio of the ar air 2 class listening in on the tha smile ladys broadcast of story plays and rhythmic in a cin school 3 gov myers Y copper of ohio right and john L clifton director directo of education listening to the ohio school of thi the al air 4 A school principal listening in on on the school of the air program sedwin S edwin markham distinguished poet and au thor of the famous the man with the hoe who Is I 1 a member of the committee on poetry of f the ohio school of theair the air eions and individuals to help me put ray my idea across finally FIn nily late in 1027 1127 tile the payne study and 11 fund of now neny york became interested to put me on its taff to investigate and develop the possibilities of broadcasting for schools on a national escaje under tinder the ahe guidance of organized educational authorities the results of that preliminary survey were laid before the natrona national educational association irk in boston february they were greatly in te to rested but beyond the passing of a strong reso lution suggesting a committee to look into the matter did whiling then I 1 interested tile the le lend a d era of the loosevelt noo RonA sevelt evelt Aleth orial asso association clation james IL R garfield theodore roosevelt jr GI alfford feord IlIn clinchot chot arthur W rage page and others it I 1 looked as aa though the were going to spousal the project lint tr tt was discovered that some tech as n to the terms of rift gift made that flint tit gitterl terl impossible ln in june luat I 1 thought I 1 had find the badlu mann L fa facture rs association lit in convention in Chicago re ready ad y to put the iden across across but once more rel re tape gummed the works 1 in july I 1 came tt ti columbus Colam hua and b bron nty my plan to pr J L eilf allf ton state director of education lie wits ana inter ested but frankly dubious du lilous of lite his department ability to mider the work 1 I hept hammering awny nt at clitton clifton tot tos souie time in october the payne fund camo came to my res cue with y ith an to pay my salary for tile the resi res of tile the year and limn mo to ohio and then sta tion ion of cattle came aro ugh with ath I 1 at offer fitter of free bron denting I 1 beni back to clif ton and told him film tiie the situation n pull ull up your chair 1 lie he said you aro are first director ul rector of educational broadcasting ils too long if a story to toll tell how a program wa was evolved how educators were awakened to the great possibilities tot if edu cat callona ca tlona lonal how flow great teachers ano and other national fig figures tires were secured to donatt their time and services to the me school of lite be air prom from thary to sixty people cacti week were co tolerating ole rating the schoot school without compensation the ohio school of the ale air wits estabill established hed in january 1929 in april I 1 1020 the stata legisla tare lure appropriated funds to carry it on for two kenw henrs the ohio school of tile the air has haa attracted d so B much favorable interest on the part of educators gener generelly nili tant it Is to he be during the full fall of at tile the present year the subject of a special in vesti gation by a federal commission this ecim coin mission composed of prominent educators watt wa appointed hy by secretory Secret tiry of interior inter or anny lyman wllbur wilbur with instructions to report to him not later than Janti january nry 1 1010 10 on the feasibility of educational broa on a ant national ional seale scale the ohio project Is s not the first but it Is the pioneer lit in the held field of constant regular public school radio education and darrow Is the first I 1 director of educational broadcasting eyer ever appointed by a state the ohio effort differs froni from a number of earlier experiments by being more varied and in having legislative support each school day over ever and VEAO from iwo wo to oliree the school of the air brings 0 thou thousands sunds of schoolrooms and tilou thousands sands of homes a enre carefully fully correlated and graded course or of instruction for all twelve grades of public school current events story games and beauli talks balks history drama logs nature study appreciation of art geographical world tours french lessons chemistry and physics lectures music Ids lessons sons drama these suggest the breadth of curriculum the small wonder that schools are hastening to equip to receive broadcasts in some cities notably cincinnati sali school 0 ol 01 boards require that all new school buildings sh ahli be completely wired for radio the school of the air as the state department of education very emphatically says Is in no dayi intended to supplant classroom teaching it Is meant to augment and supplement the face to face teaching of the classroom teacher its programs ahre are iare carefully fully planned with the close 6 cooperation of school people all over the state it attempts attempt ts to do only those things which may be done better by radio than by any other instrumentality F for or example the school children way read of some great current event such as the inauguration augu ration tion of a president or the ratifying of a bace gnei or the teacher may inny tell them about it how flow much more compelling vivid lueiro rable it Is 19 however for them to hear history in the making via the loudspeaker they anity anny feel the pulse of the nation the vital throbbing present and so betla get a new conception of the he stuff that history Is made of the attitude of the ohio department of education I 1 toward the school of the he air experiment is clearly reflected in a recent communication from J L 1 L clifton director to operating cooperating co tene teachers liers it may be sold said that at no time has the world i of science been so able and willing to serve edu r cation as at the present the radio having passed all through rough a joyous car carefree efred the und stress hf the adolescent period la Is now approaching mature creative manhood As it cornes comes knocking at the schoolroom door it says bays can you you will you use me met greni great broadcasting stations tire are at our service A w wealth of talent Is 3 available but unless there Is close co opera tion between the radio teacher and the classi room the pupils will profit but little one marvels at the tremendous possibilities of I 1 the radio nut but inthe tn the classroom use of the radio i many problems ems remain to he be solved Ext enalpe in the psychology of hearing I 1 should be made mad new principles bles of teaching must he evolved new hie thodis must be deveo developed ped for educational broadcasting la Is still in tile the expert mentill stage hut but a big idea la Is on oil toot foot mid and we teachers as it body who have always performed our duty towards public education must cooper co oper imato ante in order that t the radio may be made to work in constantly pew ways way even in an age of inar marvels vels there Is something nwe awe inspiring about the radio through the radio the throbbing present may he be brought home to lo us ns ard the dead past ninde made to live again certainly not the least of the splendid achievements in radio tips bee been nithe the development of radio education ahe the enriching and vitalizing of classroom instruction st very gratifying results have already been noted however with the conception that this newest lild bild to education seeks seeka to but not to substitute for the living presence of the classroom teacher who shall set the bounds to what we may confidently expect to accomplish in advancing the ends and alms of true edu education catlon in the days dars which lie immediately axtt amt |