Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-08-02
Parents and Teachers.

Some one has sent us the following
sentences: "The teachers task is half
accomplished when the hearts that
guide the home circle OF pupils are
throbbing for his success" The great
truth embodied in these few words
ought to convert the sentence into a
proverb. The man or woman that does
not love praise and feel encouraged
over the cordial approval ofhis or her
acts, is scarcely human. There are
none ofus that cannot be stimulated
to renewed efforts through TIA. h.sfriendly
Endorsement of what we have already
done. We all love praise; we all love
to be told that we are doing we'll; We
all love the approving smile and en-
couraging word of those whose good
opinion we value. We pretend not to
care anything about it; but it is just
as gratifying now, after twenty years
experience, to be told that an article
is well written and to the point, as it
was at the beginning of our Journal
istic career We believe other
editors and other professionals
are equally pleased at praise and
equally depressed over adverse
comment. Their modesty and
pride will not permit an admission of
the fact, but we are confident it exists.
There is no class of professional labor
ers that work with less encouragement
from those who are directly interested
in the result of their efforts than school
teachers. Parents all want their chill
dren taught everything and as rapidly
as possible, but theyseldom encourage
the teacher with their presence
and approval. A man has a
horse he wishes trained he
sends him out to the race-track, Sc
lects a trainer and every day he drives
out and talks with the trainer and
witnesses the speeding of his horse.
The same man has two or three little
girls and boys, whom, in truth, he
thinks great deal more of than of
his pet horse, yet he sends these chill
dren to school conducted by person
with whom he has no acquaintance
and with whom he takes no pains to
become acquainted. People do not
seem TO care anything about those
who teach their children. This is
wrong and ldiscourages those who
hax t,n1 rto L 6ninu hai IN
utmost to perform a difficult and la
borious task. Parents should visit the
schools and become acquainted with
the teachers, Where. worthy they
should receive their need of praise.
Young lady teachers are often COM
PEELED to leave home and friends and
seek employment among strangers.
They are alone and lonesome, and too
often have no friends save their little
pupils. Parents have it in their
power, and it is their duty, to invite
the young women to whom they have
entrusted the training of their chill
dren, to their homes; study their ma
lures, and with their friendship and
approval encourage them to go for
ward in the discharge of their duty
The old notion that school-teacher is
an inferior sort of person, is becoming
somewhat obsolete. The mother who
is too high-tonod to visit her chill
dren's school-teacher or invite her to
her house, has given birth to bipeds
too good and too refined to attend a
public school. Parents do not visit
eschoolroom as often as they should.
The Hebrew portion of the commu-
nifty, not only here, but everywhere,
more generally discharge this duty
than others, but all might do still bet
/. ter. Parents owe it to themselves,
their children and their teachers to
visit the schools often and encourage
and commend where commendation
may be honestly given Hnt