The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1888-09-07
COOPERATION or PARENTS WITH
TEACHERS.

In speaking Of the importance of the CO.
operation of parents with teachers In the
work Of the schooI.room, / shall assume
that am addressing the parents them
selves. begin by asserting that parents
are more largely responsible for the educa-
ton OF their own children than are pro-
fessionaI teachers, the community at large,
or the State. TO give to every child
physical, intellectual, and moral, nurture Is
duty imposed on every parent. II for
convenience, or for the sake of getting bet
ter results, we delegate any part of this
work TO others, II we commit the child TO
the keeping Of nurses, and to the curative
art of physicians, his intellect to the guild.
ance Of teachers, and bis soul TO the tnition
OF the Sabbath school instructions and pas
tors, we may thus delegate the work we
cannot delegate the responsibility. We
shall be held accountable for the aducation
our children receive, whatever MAJ be our
agents In giving It. The teachers are re-
sponslble to as, we to posterity.
We have, then, arrived at very impor-
tant and far reaching parental duty In con-
nection with secular education. Parents
being always responsible for their chiIdren's
education, must always watch and super.
intend II. When We send our children TO
school, We do not and cannot, as some
think, transfer to others all the care and re.
sponsibility Of their education. Unless we
send with them our watchful soiicitude,
wrapping them about as protection
against evil influences, and attracting to
them all possible influences for good, we
are unnatural and recreant parents and II
Is more than likely that In future years, the
light burden Of duty which We would not
bear when our children were subject to US,
will come back heavy load of unayailing
sorrow, and will sit and brood on our
hearts, when their ignorance shall rebuke
US, or their misdeeds shame US.
Applying this principle to the details of
ordinary school instruction, we sec plainly
that the parent should interest himself in
the child's education, and should convince
the child that he Is 50 interested. II ought
to be an abiding thought In the child's
mind, spoken or unspoken, that "my father
my mother, are very anxious that should
do well at school" This one influence, Il
the child love and respect his parents, wifi
do more to make and keep him industrious
and faithful, than all other influences COM
bined. The parent will secure this object
In great variety of ways in fact, II he
really has the child's welfare and success at
heart, there will ordinarily be no great
danger of the chiid's falling TO perceive it
and TO be affected by II. Still there are
jadIcions and injudicious ways of accom-
plishing the end which the parent has in
view. When this subject is brought before
parents, great stress Is generally laid on
visiting the school. ! am inclined TO think
that undue importance Is attached to mere
visiting. Some good results may come
from II. Both teacher and pupil NAV be
made to feel that the public eye Is upon
them, and may be thereby spiIrred 70 make
some exertions to satisfy the public. But
far more healthy and more effective su-
pervision would be secured, IL each parent
should keep himself in constant commune
cation with the teacher and the school
through his own child, by watching his
progress, by interesting himself so far as
he Is able, in his studies, by correcting the
misapprehensions that are always arising
between teacher and scholar, and in gen.
eral by keeping the child's confidence, and
using the trust for his good and that of the
whole school. For every parent has a duty
TO the whole school as well as To his owl,
children-and both for It's sake and their
sake, he Is bound to do what he can 10
make his own children diligcn,, teachable,
| and dutifui.
1t might be objected 10 this view, by some
teachers, that many parents are incompe.
tent TO superintend the education of their
children, and that such inperfection would
| In their case result only in meddlesome
and annoying interference. So it would in
/ q few cases but the great increase ol
earnestness and fidelity in the many, would
more than compensate for any such annoy.
ances. And think teachers will bear me
out in saying that they would much rather
encounter the hurries which might attend
universal solicitude, than be stagnant or
the dead sea OF universal indifference Blu
however illiterate parent may be, there i
one service he can render his child which
will be valuable beyond all computation
he can see TO 1t that the child be reguia
and punctual. Let me say to those parent
again what they must have heard a hun
. dred times already, but what viii need t
be said great many hundred times yet
that every unnecessary absence is seriou
injury to the pupil, and robbery of th
whole school. II you decide TO send you
child to public scnool rather than educat
him yourself, you must conform to tn
prescribed regulations, that is implied j
the contract between you and the teache
and between you and The whole schoo
You have no more right TO break into tn
5 order OF the school by irregularity tina
you have to stop train of cars betwee
, two stations for your own convenience an
. to the inconvenience of the rest of Il
passengers. But not to insist longer c
this view of the case, it is important tn
your child understand that, while he is a
tending school, school Is the main thin
You cannot impress him with the idea tn
education Is something to be valued, al
priced, and striven for with earnestne
y and patience lin other words, you cam
r educate him at all, unless it is made I
great thing 10 which other things, yo
convenience and his fancies, must Der
If it makes no great matter If he is an no
n late, or II he stays out day now and ths
,r to do some errand for you or to graft