Middletown transcript., 1895-09-07
THE SCHOOL YEAR.

THE SCHOOL YEAR.
The summer, the bright and joyful
vacation time, is passed; the fall, with
its warm days and cool nights, is here.
With September comes the return OF
school days, which, if not the happiest
period of human life, is the one with
the least care and responsibility. 1t
should be SO. But because there is an
absence of care from worldly affairs,
and no responsibility of home duties,
it Is not without its serious side.
Habits are being formed that will make
or unmake the children of to-day, the
men and women of tomorrow. Cha
racter is being formed that shall lead
to honor and esteem or the reverse.
Parents should have an eye to these
matters always, and now the teachers
come to close relationship and to
share with parents the responsibility
in all these matters. And stress should
be laid upon the word share.
There are parents who are delighted
to see these September days and to
hear again the school BELLS call, de-
lighted not so much because they would
have their children educated as to get
them out of their way, to escape for
time the noise of child life. Pitiable
parentsl More pitiable children! And
here the teacher comes in for sym-s
pathy. There is no sharing of dutie
here. Neither child nor teacher gets
any sympathy. 1t is discouraging, but
for the sake of the child, the cons
cientious teacher does the best possible
under the circumstances.
But it is not the parents always who
refuse to share the responsibility uf
directing and governing the child life
and thought. There are teachers whose
idea of duty is to put in the school
room the required number of hours,
to instruct the classes in the assigned
branches, to govern as little as pos
sible, and to skim along the surface
with the least trouble to themselves.
There is no sharing any responsibility
there. 1t is not felt, or worse still, if
1t is felt, it is not recognized. Such
teachers we all have known. And
"sorry" schools do they keep"
There should be bond of union
between teacher and pupil that they
may the better understand each other.
Wise parents encourage and strengthen
the influence of the teacher over the
child, the proper and accepted teacher,
and even though on occasion when |
the teacher may be thought to be in
the wrong, the parental criticism is
kept beyond the sound of juvenile ears.
Children should be taught to respect |
authority whether at home or at |
school. Young America is getting too
Independent, too ready to throw off |
restraint and that is where much of the
trouble in life begins. Teachers should
set forth the beauties of obedience to
parental commands, and parents should
encourage respect and obedience to the
wishes of teachers. He who would
command must first learn to obey. The
best general is always faithful soldier.
But let us return to the new school
year. We stand upon its threshold
and wonder what it has in store for
this mischievous boy, that fun.loving
girl. If the conditions are as they
should be, as we suppose them to be,
with kind and well-qualified teachers,
much of the years results are in the
hands of thai girl and boy. Will they
improve the time? Do they appreciate
their opportunities? Perhaps the i'm
portance of the years work has not
been told them. Fathers and m theirs,
If it has not been you have failed of
your duty.
Faithful teache r, you must not for
get to impress in the most encouraging
way, at the very threshold of the years
work. the fact that life is not all play,
that the world is not vast play ground,
but that those who accomplish any
thing in this life, begin early to store
their minds with valuable infol nation.
There is no royal road to learning. In
acquiring knowledge the rich must
study as hard as do the poor. Then
let all begin this school year determined
to use its every opportunity to the best
advantage.