Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1907-03-01
Duties of a Teacher.
Concluded from last week, J


BY interesting few of the leadir G
men and women in her interest in this
work, and securing their consent to
give it their financial and moral sup
prrt, an energetic, enthusiastic teach
er may bring into remote and isolat-
ed community the freshness, insplra
tion and uplift, that come from hear
ing the best-or even fairly good-plat-
form talent. The school children will
make excellent conductors In arousing
an interests in the lectures throughout
the district.
A great advance was made in the
close aud sympathetic correlation OF
the school with the home, when moth
ers' meetings came into vogue. But
even greater good may be expected to
)me out of the closest contact effected
between school and community
through the parents conferences"
now gradually taking the place of the
mothers meetings.
If the idea of parents conference
is now in any district, the teacher may
easily introduce it through the special
Friday afternoon exercises. To these
exercises the parents should be espe
ciaIly invited, and when the interest
and attendance have sufficiently in
creased, the parents may be cordially
invited to remain few moments after
the exercises are over. Having
thought out her plan carefully before
hand, the teacher can clearly and con
clsely outline the purpose and value of
occasional or regular meetings, of the
parents with the teacher, to discuss
matters of mutual interest and con
cern. The organization may at once
be completed, in an informal way, and
themes selected for a meeting to be
held before interest in the new move.
ment wanes.
By making the exercises quite in .
formal. and by putting herself in close
sympathy with her patrons in these
conferences, the teacher can do the
community and the school an inestim
able service. She will learn more in
one conference of the causes of tardl-
ness and absence, for example, than
she could by attending an Institute
for whole week. Parents and teach
er will come to a mutual understand
ing and appreciation of each others
rights, difficulties, and points of view.
Parents will learn some of the needs of
the school, and the teacher will discov.
or some of the lin ltations of the homes
of her pupils. The results will be, on
both sides, sympathy, tolerance, and
mutual helpfulness.
The impetus for good, started IN these
conferences, may be greatly strength.
ened by visiting the children and the
parents in their homes. The sympa-
thetic moral support and cooperation
of the parents may often be won where
they have not been already existing,
by the tactful, personal touch of
friendly visit from the teacher.
On such visits, she will do herself,
her school, and the whole district good
and lasting. service, if she Will careful
ly avoid all neighborhood gossip. That
sort of thing is the curse of the small
with no broad world wide
int erests. 1t is the business and high
of the teacher, in uiet, un-
osten tatious way. without pretence OF
to be a light. bearer. to
promote increasingly an Intelligent in
,erest in world movements, in the larg-
sr thought of the day.
This does not mean that the teacher
shall start discussion of BrOwning's |
ooems or of Mrs, Wharton's House of |
irth''-unless, indeed, she finds copies
)f these books in ber patrons houses
out that in the course of conversation |
shall be talked of other |
,han the petty affairs of the neighbor
hood, or the aches and pains of hostess
and guest. House to house visiting,
lone with tact and wisdom, will bring
the teacher inte the more intimate Sc
cial life of her community. and In this
social life she should take some part.
It is not expected that any one teach
er should do all the things here out
lined, but some of them she can and
ought to do. The ideal of today is SER
vice, and the teacher should be prompt
to bring her life and labor into con-
formity with this nigh Ideal.
"Of such is the kingdom of teach
ing; they are of the royal guild"