The Washington herald., 1911-09-06
by JULIA CHANDLER MANI.

Are your children ready for school?
BY this question l do not mean to
ask If they are tired of vacation, and
want to get back to work. or if you
have made them all the clothes they
will need for the session, or if you are
already heaving signs of relief in the
anticipation of being rid of their noise
during the greater part of the time, for
nine months TO come.
In less than two weeks now, the school
doors will swing open, and crowds Of
merry youngsters will stream into the
schoolrooms all over the city.
Some of these children will begin the
work of the year without serious hand
leap. Some will have no handicap at
all, and will consequently forge ahead
in their work, while their less fortunate
fellows, with less thoughtful and care
taking mothers. will watch their easy
progress, with heart-breaking discourage
ment.
These are the children who will strug-
gle through the school year with some
physical handicap that might be remov-
I'd
Can Easily Tell Good Mothers.
A sympathetic Washington teacher told
me a few days ago that within month
after school started she could go over
the children in her room, and easily
pick out those who had intelligent
mothers who thought first of the well
fare of the little lives in their keeping.
These Mothers she said. have TAX
en- advantage of the summer vacation
to lift the handicaps that made life
miserable for their children last year
There are some, however, who know and
yet will not take the physical defects
Of their children seriously. l had a
striking example of this last spring. in
the case of a little girl, who did mis-
erably with her lessons. 1t was months
before I realized that her inability to
understand the work was due 10 the
fact that she did not hear me distinct
ly. I C1ve her a nearer seat, but still
I saw that she was confused and too
sensitive TO ask any repetition on my
part. She grew nervous and excited
whenever a question was asked her. l
spoke to her mother about it, and I was
told that ! was just mistaken, that
Lillian could hear well enough when she
put her mind on what was saying.
Serious Obstacles to ChiId's Work.
1t was not until higher school
authorities took the matter up that this
mother was persuaded to have the
chiId's throat and ears examined It
was discovered that she had enlarged
tonsils and that adenOidS had gained
such a fOOthOld that it was remarkable
that the little girl heard anything.
simple operation removed the trouble
and Lillian became an entirely different
child
There are good many such cases,
am afraid-Cases Of children who will
struggle again this school term to under
stand the work given them, TO keep up
with their fellows. against fearful odds
The child who does not hear well in
school is at a tremendous disadvantage,
Tor each teacher has just much as
she can do in explaining a lesson once
without going over it seCohd time in
louder tone for the sake of the little
child whose hearing is imperfect.
Defects of Sight PitifuI.
The boy or girl who has some defect
IN sight is pitifuI in his or her struggle
10 forge ahead. The eyes are so closely
connected with the nerves that a very
short period of eye strain will so affect
the general health of a child that he
will be unable physically to go on with
the school work
1t has been demonstrated also that
children with decayed teeth make slow
progress; that it takes such child a
half year longer to successfully cover
4 given amount of work than the child
dition.
Defects of hearing and seeing, and
physical ills caused by decayed teeth,
nre perhaps the most common handi-
caps to which school children are sub
iected. and since these handicaps are all
usually within remedy. the mother who
starts her little one to school shackled
With any one Of these defects will COM
nit a wrong toward that child which is
nothing short of criminal
Physical well-being is the first essen
ual of school children, and the sum-
mer-time affords every mother ample
opportunity to get them into shape for
the work of another year.
If the opportunity has been neglected.
there is little time to spare now. and
what little there is should be utilized in
correcting any physical defects that will
hamper children in their progress during
the school year that is now so soon to
open.