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“This is better than a real school. It’s easier because it’s more interesting — and the teachers can talk to you like people!” So said nine-year old Robert Taylor, student in a unique summer program sponsored by the Grace and Peace Fellowship entitled “Something for Summer.”
A visit to the ex-Student Co-op Craft store located at 6002 Pershing Avenue showed the program in action. The staff has made the most out of rather limited space by the use of panels and just plain ingenuity. Classes of three, four, or five pupils were stratigically placed throughout the two-story building. The personal touch was very much in evidence as the teachers showed real interest in what their students were doing — student-teacher ratio of four to one made that possible.
The children ranged in ages from seven to twelve and were grouped according to ability. Some were discussing poetry and doing word association games; others were reading about the different foods enjoyed around the world, and some were just discussing something with their very own teacher. Angie Brown, age eight, said that it was “much better than TV.”
What could have caused such enthusiasm? A further look at the school day explained this. After the first session of individual groups had met, all of the forty children gathered in the big downstairs room to hear the story lady. With only a colorful collage on the wall as a backdrop and a stool as a prop, she managed to completely captivate them with her retelling of C.S. Lewis’ “Tales of Narnia.” All eyes were upon her as she manipulated her voice to assume different characters and animatedly acted out parts of the story. The response from her audience made it clear that they really enjoyed this part of the day and looked forward to it. The purpose of this session is not merely for amusement, later the other teachers would base art activities or writing assignments upon it.
Following the story time is a recess and then singing classes or art classes. The lunches are provided through the federal government and the afternoons are spent on related activities and field trips. So far they have visited the Art Museum, the Zoo, and Shaw’s Garden. The latter must have been a particularly impressive trip as shown by the little bean and radish plants growing on the back windowsills. Delcia Broom, age eight, said that seeing the beautiful orchids inspired her to write a poem about being a flower.
The whole idea of this program came about last winter when members of the Grace and Peace Fellowship of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, decided that they wanted to do something that would show that Christianity is alive and relevant. “We wanted to show that Christianity is more than a set of rules or just going to church,” said Bob Hall, a seminary student who is the head of the program. His wife, Jane, who teaches at Hamilton Branch I, suggested that a real need in the neighborhood was the improvement of reading skills among the children. Thus, the program was born.
First a suitable building had to be found. The commercial building at Pershing and Des Peres was rented and volunteers helped paint and brighten it up. Secondly, teachers were needed. Once again volunteers responded — seminarians, teachers, housewives, and students. Thirdly, suitable textbooks had to be found, ones that would make reading a pleasure, not a chore. With the assistance of one of the members who is a commercial artist for McGraw-Hill, they got a discount on new books which emphasized the world’s different cultures and customs. The children obviously love them.
The program is supported by monthly contributions from the members of the fellowship. All the teachers, with the exception of Mr. Hall, are unpaid volunteers and most have qualified backgrounds of diverse interests. Some even provide their classes with their own materials, such as the art teachers who supply charcoal, paper and other needs.
“We were only able to enroll forty children,” explained Bob Hall, “because of the limited space. We have a waiting list of others who wish to join. This neighborhood could use forty more programs like this. If anyone is interested in finding out more about our program, they can stop by any evening and talk to me about it. It would be a great thing if this were to spread.”
And the comments of the children seem to agree. Angie Brown claimed that “Something for Summer” was “better than television” and anyone knows eight-year-olds recognize this as a solid endorsement indeed.
Originally published in The Paper, August 1970.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1970_08.pdf, printed page(s) 5.
