Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-07-23
The Duties Of Patrons to schools

The Duties Of Patrons to schools.
Every one who either pays q school
tax, or sends scholar, is q patron al
the school. The duties Of such can ba
CLASSIFIED. There are the duties thew
owe to the scholars individually. and
those ttey owe to the school collective.
~, aud those they owe to the teacher
and themselves. The duties havinv
been thus classified, 1t is hoped the
consideration of them can be made more
clear.
These duties all inteylock. It is dif.
ficult to tell where the one ends and
the other begins, for we cannot sepa-
rate the welfare of the mass from that
of the individuals composing 1t.
In discussing this matter the pre-
else relation o: the common school to
the family and the community must
be settled.
| This will be treated as an Incidental
truth, which will run all through the
subject.
The duties which patrons owe to the
scholars individually, can be subdi-
vided into those that can be performed
at home, and those that can be best
/ performed at school or the duties which
anyone can teach without books, and
those which demand books and skill.
full teachers.
At home and without books, chill
dren can be taught from the very era.
die to speak the truth, to reverence
God, to be self-reliant, to be respectful
to others. to shoot well with rifle, to
WELD an axe, and take part generally
in everything needful to home wel-
fare.
A scholar so trained at home, will
enter the schoolroom prepared to think
independently, correctly. and prompt
ly. and will be walking catechism,
All these things can be taught best by
example.
When the scholar goes to school the
patron should instruct him that he
goes to be taught. and not to be anus
ed. and that he muat be attentive to
his work and orderly.A And u IA be
taught to do these by 1err6nsidera-
tions than that Of being threshed. He
can be taught that lfrespect and ev-
cry hope of success In life demand these
of him. 1t is true that allowances must
be made for those who will not be
taught. and this spirit Of insubordina-
ton arises at home and in the face Of
the bestinf1uences. 81 -.
Ill hasA the.sehofssr stastsAg % schnal
should carry the needfu; aids to learn-
ing goes for the saying, but what those
aids are, exactly, is not SO easily as
certained. In discussing this subject
no allowance can he made for an in
teacher. That every fami-
ly should have one or more well con-
Quoted newspapers goes for the saying.
A we'll conducted paper deals in para
graphs, short, and to the point, and
gives the general news. The value of
a well conducted paper as q factor in
schooI-work has never been appreos-
ated fully.
The world has never yet seen u se-
ries of Readers equal to we'll conduct
ed paper in teaching scholars to read.
It has special advantages. Itis new
book for the scholar every week. His
interest in 1t never fcgs. And this in
terest appears at home as we'll as at
school. And In his outside reading
the scholar uses the newspaper, and
not the Reader. And lastly the news
paper will make more correct reader.
How often will pupil who can take
q prize at school on q Reader, fail bad
ly on newspaper advertisement.
Most probably 1t Is better that no
Reader beyond the First, should ever
be sent into school.
In order to the formation of class
in reading there is no necessity that
any two scholars shall have the same
reading matter. Better that they
should not, but let each scholar study
whatever he has. After the
reading matter, each scholar should
carry an Arithmetic, slate and q PEN
cil to study Arithmetic and penman-
ship, aud should carry along . vigor-
BUS spirit of inquiry and obssrv alton.
To these may be added that II the
aud tie persons are passably
clean, it will not be any drawback to
success.
1t is impossible that scholar 30 fur
nished can be u failure.
The patrons of o school have indi-
vidual duties to the teacher. They
should cultivate his acquaintance aud
show themselves kindly interested In
him. It should be remembered that
be has come to be benefit, not only
TO the school, but the whole neighbor-
hood, and he should have the oppor-
lunity Of acquaintance with his field.
In order to this it will not be necessa-
~ to pour into his ears the history of
the dirty little feuds and scandals Of
the district.
It is better that he be ignorant Of
them.
1t will not be necessary to tell how
mean somebody else's children are, and
what good ones you have. He will
find that out for himself soon enough.
To cover the whole ground In this pal.
ticular, 1t may be said that other things
being equal, schools were most sue
cessfui when the teacher .sboar rded
roundD This is one Of the lost arts.