The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-02-07
OUR EVERY DAY WORK.
Mothers and School Teachers Should
Cooperate.


Cooperate.
At st. Lawrence church Saturday after
noon there was thoroughly satisfactory
meeting under the auspices of theWomen's
Council, at which Miss Sarah L. Arnold
of Boston, supervisor of schools, gave a
most admirable address, on the subject OF
the mutual duty beween mothers and
teachers.
! Mrs. Hunt introduced the speaker IN
her usual graceful fashion, and Miss Ar
mold responded, saying that 1t always
gave her great pleasure to speak where
the common object of interest was the
children, adding that she wished to speak
a word for "our every day work"
In her plea for this duty in the relation
between teacher and mother the speaker
told several very pertinent stories which
had the effect of bringing before her hear
ers the idea that there should be better
relation between the home and the school,.
Certainly the schools, said the speaker,
are all for the children to hasten their
development to help them to learn in
an easier way the lessons which it had
been SO hard for their parents to learn.
So the schools study today to help the
children and to fit them for their needs
and for their life in the future. There
fore, is it not true that, in order to pro-
duce this result. there should be oo.opera-
ton?
Miss Arnold drew very clever COM
parison between the relation OF tine
parent to tho doctor, in the readiness
with which parent responds to the
doctors questions and how rarely it hap
pens that there is the same unity of
aim between the mother and the teacher.
Miss Arnold brought out very cleverly
the point that the teacher may know
things of child from point of view
which the mother can never have, and it
is equally true that the mother may know
other traits than those known by the
teacher, therefore from these points IN
order for each to have a broader view of
the pupil ought there not to be knowl-
edge of the others experience, as In each
case the knowledge of what the one knows
would help the other.
In Boston, said Miss Arnold, they had
instituted what they ca" Mothers Day."
and yet does not the Idea of having this
day prove there is not the union there
should be?
This co operation may be brought about
by neighborhood meetings or conference
of the mothers and teachers after school
- t.1 lr fbo mo- n mr.
interest. 1t is often very helpful to come
in contact with an outsiders point of
view and although there may be some
times feeling of being interfered with,
nevertheless the routine worker is likely
to get narrow and the others point of
view may be good for her.
In concluding the speaker brought out
most forcibly the point that there was
every reason why there should be
woman upon the school board. There is
no reason why there should not be the
same 20 operation here in school work,
between men and women, as there is in
the home work. Sometimes, Miss Arnold
said, we hear women say they have no
special interest because they themselves
have no children. In refuting this point,
Miss Arnold spoke most feelingly, stating
that we must be brought always to feel
how dependent we are the minute we are
born into the world, upon the work and
ability Of other people, and the spirit is
growing and broadening thnt we must
give the best of ourselves to help out in
this complex life of ours.
Several questions were asked by various
ladies as to the practical working OF wom-
ans membership on the school board and
Miss Arnold seemed to feel that in her
experience the question of being woman
had not come in, that in consulting
with members of the board she would
sometimes go to the women, sometimes
to the men, as the case might be. and
she did not seem to feel that the result
of having woman in that position ought
to occasion any surprise anywhere.
1t is safe to say that all those present
felt helped and stimulated by such broad
and womanly expression of this practical
subject.