Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1907-03-29
The Teacher and the Parents.
fConcluded from last week. J

(Concluded from last week.
There are so many things about
school which make the cooperation {
the home necessary. The attendanc
of the pupils, their tardiness, their be
havior, their home study, ETC., all de
pend directly On the cooperation {
the home Sometimes the school boar
is very slow in granting the teacher
requests for books and equipment.
she can enlist the interest of the paT
ents, she will have leverage on th
-choOl board strong to Overcom
many units of resistance. If the moth
ers in district become interested il
the requirements of the school, ther
are many chances that something will
b. done. The talk arou a the kitch
en stove settles many things in rurs
districts.
The teacher needs the corporation
O the home for the moral backing of
ner government. II Willie gets re
prmand in school and then goes home
to get petted aud fused with, while
any story that he tells will be believed
about how some other pupil was tC
blame. how thoroughly innocent be is,
how cranky and partial the teacher has
become-if all this is believed, the dis
cipline will not do what it should for
Willie
Sometimes parents may be too med
dlesome. They want to dictate what,
when. why, how, and how much the
teacher shall teach their particularly
bright and intelligent little Willie
The best that can be done in such
cases is to listen considerably to the
advice given and then to do what one
thinks best whether it conforms with
the advice or not.
The lack of acquaintance is source
of trouble in some districts. One of
the things that makes it possible for
neighbors to get along in a friendly
ma nner with each other. is that they
hhOW CdCu OuuOl WOll CuOuSu W mdh6
allowance for all peculiarities and ex-
centricities. So there are in the rela-
ti0n between teacher and parents many
pecularities of character. temperament
and education for which allowance
must be made, and this can be done
only where there is condition of &C
quaintanceship and friendship.
The story is told that Charles Lamb
with bis peculiar humor once object
to being introduced to a person whom
he had said that be hated, because he
was sure that be should be unable to
hate the man after. getting acq quainted
With him.
If trouble has come and some one is
on the warpath, the question is, how
can peace be secured? Don't stop to
ask who is to blame. and don't expect
the one who is to blame. if 1t is anyone
else than yourself, to own up to it and
to make the wrong right. 1t sounds
reasonable that the one who has done
some damage should also repair it, but
things seldom happen that way. Says
Charles Wagner in The SIMPLE LIFE:
THAT which we should know. and
which life repeats daily. is that damage
by some is repaired by others.
Some destroy, others build; some oil,
others clean; some stir up strife, others
appease it;-so.some cause tears to flow
and Others console; some live in ini- !
guilty, while Others die for justice. And |!
it is in the accomplishment of this
dolorOos law that safety lies. Given |
the evil, the great thing is to repair it
and to begin at once. So much the |
better if the malefactors will contrib
ute to this reparation, but experience |
counsels us not to count too much up
on their co operation.
In most cases the troubles that arise
are simple misunderstanding, the /
parents not knowing the motives or
purpose of the teacher, or the teacher |
not understanding what some pupil |
or parent has done or said. If they |
meet and talk matters over, almost |
every sucn trouble will be settled and
good will and cooperation secured
more than before.