The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1907-02-21

teacher what their child dislikes,
what it seems to be particularly
well-disposed towards, and in what
way it treats the work of the school.
The child will express itself truth
fully and openly about these things
to their parents but are sealed as
tight as a clam or as enigmatical
as it is possible for them to be
when they are before the teacher.
But if the teacher knew as much
about the pupil as the parents do,
about his attitudes towards study
and such like, the instructor could
lead the child with far greater I'M
derstanding and wisdom.
Children delight to have visitors
to the school; and parents can do
nothing which will please the
school more, will inspire the work
ers therein with renewed hope and
greater ambitions, than to drop in
once in a while. As soon as a
visitor comes in, everyone puts on
his or her best behavior, the teach
er included, even though I am one
of them. If the parent can cause
fifty students to do better work,
why should they then not do as
this article asks, and visit ocCa-
SIGNALS the place where their chill
dren are being prepared for their
life's work? Would the same par
ents, if they had cattle to pasture,
turn them loose upon some ground
which had never been looked over
by them to see if there is anything
within the enclosure for the cattle
to get? No, indeed; such parent
would called foolish; yet there are
hundreds of them who turn their
children into a school to be train
ed for life and yet have never visit
ed the school to see if it is fit
place for their children to be per-
mitted to go. The field of pasture
for the cattle must be looked after;
but the field of knowledge for the
children needs no such inspection.
Are we as parents consistent?
Furthermore, a visit to the
school often has far wide influence
and nobler results than a call to
some neighbours house, where all
sorts of gossip is reveled in; or in
some store, where often the con-
versation is of such a nature that
Satan himself, being present, often
leaves i'll disgust and shame and
makes his way back to his home
with all possible speed. If these
same gossipers were visiting occa-
sionally at the school they would
necessarily be benefited by com
ing in contact with a place where
self-impovement is the keystone.
Such visits should show the
parent if the stories the children
tell have even a thread of truth
running through them. Children
will twist some little incident of
the school into a story that would
make the numbering Nero want to
come back to this earth and put
all the teachers to an immediate
death. Children can not tell false
hoods nor exaggerate the parents
have been there and have seen and
are confident that the teacher is
doing as we'll as anyone can who
IS not an angel,
Unless the parents show the
small interest l have suggested,
there will be many falsehoods car
ried from the school, many exag-
gerations, and the work of the
school furthermore will be exceed
ingly hampered. 1t is this lack OF
CO operation of the parents which
has held back the rural schools of
Garrett county. If the teacher is
inefficient, by visiting the school
this will be shown; do not take
heresay evidence from the chill
dren. If the teacher is not equal
to the needs, have him removed.
This can not be done of course by
one parent; neither should it be il
there is but one parent displeased
but if the teacher is really incapa.
] H. - r.