The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1905-07-06
Berea Teachers
Chfhx S S o. =. e 3
NluDe~ LEWIS, BEREA, KY.
4-s-s-s-is-l-s-I-s-l-i-i-i-I-i-i-l-i-i-sI-s-i-i-i
The Patrons and the School.


largely to three factors. These are
the parents, the pupils, and the
teacher. No two OF these can be
really seccessful unless assisted by
the other.
1t is the duty of the patrons,
through the trustees, to furnish a
comfortable house, supplied with
seats, desks, and other necessities, and
care should also be taken to have this
house SO located as to be accessible
to all. II should be we'll lighted so
that no pupil need leave school with
sight impaired for life. The cost Of
windows is very little more than that
of the lumber needed to block the
place where the windows should be,
and, besides, few cents cannot be
compared with the value of sound,
healthy, and growing son or daughter.
The seats and desks should also be
comfortable, and the children should
have a play ground.
We have for a long time been
saying to the child, "Be good and you
will be happy" but today the child
is turning upon us and saying, MAKE
me happy, and | will be good" And,
furthermore, the child rarely breaks
this promise. Nearly all the bad
order of a school can be attributed to
some neglect of the teacher or Of
some one else in authority. Under
proper conditions and with no abnor-
mality, children are prone to do
right.
Care should also be taken to give
the children of a district the ad-
vantages which are rightfully theirs,
and for which the patrons of the
school in that district pay. 1t is the
child's right to have one hundred
and twenty days schooling each year,
and every parent should see that his
children has as near this as is posi-
BILE. A parent should not keep his
children at home for work if he can
possible avoid IT, He should do the
work himself or get along without its
being done rather than to take his
children from school, except as the
very last resort. Nor should parent
keep his children at home and cause
them TO drop behind in their classes
because the weather is cold or rainy
II is certain that a child will be out
in the weather more if he is kept at
home than il he is sent to school,
And parents should not be stingy
with their children. They have
brought them into the world and they
owe them certain things. They owe
them the books they need TO properly
prepare their lessons, and they should
supply these even il they have to
work hard to do il. 1t is better that
a boy should have books than that he
should have a fox hound and shot
gun. The cost of one load for a shot
gun will buy a pencil. The trustees,
twho represent both patrons and
pupils, have very responsible posi-
ton, and perform very important
duty when they choose a teacher.
But the patrons stand behind the
trustees, and it is their duty and the
duty Of the parents to see that the
trustees do this duty to the best OF
their ability.
1t may thus be seen that the school
is largely in the hands of the patrons,
and that il requires thought and con.
sideration ON their part. In the first
place they pay for building and
furnishing the school house. They
pay for the play. ground, and they
pay for or help build the roads lead.
ing to the school house. They pay
for the books the children use, and
they, in large measure, pay for the
teaching Some of these things are
paid for in an indirect way, it is true,
but they are paid for by the people
just as surely as are the flour and
meat used on their tables.
Then, if parents keep their children
away from school, they are losing
money. They hold all the power in
the first instance. They elect the
State Superintendent, the County
Superintendent, and the school
trustees. The trustees hire the teach
ers, who have secured their certi-
ficates from one of the officers elected
by the people. Thus ii may be seen
that all responsibility centers at last
in the patrons of the schools, in the
voters, aud these should be very care
full as to those for whom they cast
their votes.
1t is we'll for the voters to consider
that il is their children who are to be
taught in the schools whose officers
they elect. In these children they
are to gather up the bread they have