New-York tribune., 1910-10-07
WANT VISITING TEACHERS
Women at Budget Exhibit Ex-
plain What They Can Do.

II was education day at the budget e1-
hibit Yesterday and any one VINO was oui
Gus could add up the prices OF paper anu
nerci1s and find out how much tather
Knickerbocker paid for MS
schooling They are smart children. 1t
saens from, the work exhibited: they go 10
beautiful buildings and they have good
teachers 70 teach their young ideas now
to shoot But, like all perfect thlngs' some
peopIe see that the New York public scnool
system needs a few little touches to make
IL more perfect.
The Public Education ASSOCIATION i
making plea for visiting teachers
teachers who go to the homes ana ma ouI
why Johnny and Susie were not at schooi
and what made Patrick so cross to-day
Then they tell Johnny's mother thaI tle
proper place for little American childreh
is AT school and they tell Patrick's mother
that she must put him to bed early then
he won't be cross every morning
.vrhere have been six of these teachers
two in each of the most congested dlstrlcts,
and their work has been most help1ui'
said Dr. Jane Robbins. of the PUBIC hou-
cation Association, as she handed out her
pararhIets to the budget critics VINO passed
her booth. What we want now Is to get
s25 900 for twenty-five visiting teachers next
wear The board sees their usefulness, and
II is willing enough, but all this has TO pass
through the hands of the Board of Esti-
mate. Wen get it. though, I'm sure-next
month probably
THE need for such teachers has arisen
from the fact that the city schools are
so large" said one advocate of the plan
The teacher cannot know her pupils home
life the parents often are ignorant and do
not understand what the schools mean for
the child. and the child is overworked at
home, i'll fed and probably has adenoids
He doesn't like school. so he stays away
some fine morning
Now, in the cou ltry." said DR.. Rob
bins, "it wouldn't do any harm If he did
play hockey. He'd just 90 fshing. But in
the city he is led into dark alleys and
taught to pick pockets or some terrible
thing. His parents don't understand In
Italy il isn't so dangerous, and, anyway,
they are too busy making paper flowers to
know where the boy is.
But when a tactful friendly visitor goes
to those parents and explains the pitfalls
awaiting their child unless he goes TO
school regularly, they are usually only
too glad TO correct the situation. OF course,
these little cases do not come into the
province of the truant officer. Cases are
not reported TO him until after five days
absence. Some of these boys know that.
They know they can stay out four days
and nothing will happen The school
teacher does what she can in the few cases
her strength allows, but she, poor thing,
usually has enough to do without calling
on the Brianowskis after school hours.
The visiting teacher is usually needed for
this work.
"Oh, yes, they will all be women What
Is needed is a person who loves children
and can manage ignorant and prejudiced
parents tactfully. A man couldn't do that
Besides those qualifications, of course, the
woman must have thorough pedagogical
and sociological training, so that she can
be an intelligent mediator between school
and parent for the benefit of the child.
We have had so many cases where a little
friendly advice. a word of explanation or
encourag cement has changed the whole
tone of a childs school life and kept him
in school"