The herald., 1898-02-20
NEW IDEA IN EDUCATION
Parents Meeting at the State Normal
School

| Last Thursday afternoon, in response tC
an invitation from President L. L. Pierce
and the corps of teachers connected with
the practice school, fifty or more parents
| met In the normal assembly hali TO dlscuss
| with the teachers various questions touch-
! ing their mutual interest in the children
| attending that school.
| The meeting was called to order by Dr..
C. c. Van LEW, who addressed the assem-
bed parents and teachers on the advisa-
biity of cooperation in the work of edu-
cation. He traced the evolutions of in
struction from those primitive times when
the parents were the natural and only
teachers, to the present. when the work of
instruction is almost entirely delegated to
the teachers. He showed that modern
civilization offers many temptations and
demands many virtues, and that teachers
are thoroughly alive to the fact that the
work of upbuilding worthy and powerful
characters is of greater moment than y er-
ary or scholastic accomplishments. Their
desires for the children are Identical with
those of the parents, and the teacher can
be greatly helped in her Work by a frank
and friendly statement by each parent of
the physical, moral and mental peculiari-
ties of his child. A wise teacher desires to
maintain and strengthen the individuality
of every child, and parent loses an oppor-
tunty for forwarding the interests of his
Clilu NHeU lie uOeS not zen lle teacher all
that she may rightfully know; the child's
points of strength and of weakness. that
the one may be fortified to adorn and per-
haps glorify his future. and the other
eliminated if possible And too. the pa
rents may frequently with advantage mod
ify the home life to make it harmonize
with certain lines af activity pursued in the
school. as in the study of literature. of his
tory. of social duties and responsibilities.
ha oil df TDr I iar.' odd
the following resolution was offered cy
Rev. G. +. Bovard, seconded by Rev. VIM
Logan, and unanimously carried:
Resolved, That We believe that these
parents meetings will be of inestimable
value in unifying the educational work of
the school and the home and that we
pledge ourselves to give them our constant
and hearty support
G. W. Knox made very earnest talk
from the parents point of view expressing
his convictions that this meeting was one
of the most auspicious ever held in Los
Angeles and that series of such meetings
would do much to increase the power and
usefulness of the public schools. He said
that in this matter the normal school was
starting a grand movement and prophesied
that in three months thousands OF parents
would come TO participate in discussions
on the ethical and social ends of education.
President Pierce spoke briefly of the en-
rched course of study that has been pre-
pared for the practice school and which,
1t is hoped, will give the boys and girls the
ideals, the dispositions and the habits lead
ing to happy and worthy lives. He asked
that the work of the school should be
judged by the broad standard of prepara-
tion for complete living and not by the
narrow standard of book work
The meeting was a very enthusiastic one
and il will mean much for educators in Los
Angeles If parents and teachers can be
brought into relations of sympathy and
mutual helpfulness