Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-11
LESS TRUANTS NOW
School Attendance Officer
Finds Children Very PunctuaI.
SECURES PARENTS HELP
Boys Inclined to Spend Time at Car
Sheds, Says Mrs. Bushee:
GIRLS ALSO OFTEN TARDY
Mothers Are Frequently to Blame for
Keeping Children at Home
as Helpers.
GIRLS ALSO OFTEN TARDY

According to a statement made to4ay
( by Mrs. Edna Bushee. attendance ofncsr
of the public schools OF the District, the
| work in her department so far this year
has been very encouraging. and the CO.
| operation of parents has been readily Sc
cured in almost every case.
Though there is no marked decrease
in the number Of boys who try to play
truant from school, nor in the number OF
parents who wish to keep their children
out of school 10 help them, the general
attendance records in the city have been
good to date.
A favorite occupation OF the boys who
play truant, stated Mrs. Bushee is 10
go to the car sheds and there creep into
the open cars. This is the beginning of
the making of q criminal, she said. mas
much as the boys after making a few
visits into open cars begin TO break the
seals on the closed cars and enter these
also. Ii is then but a step, asserted Mrs.
Bushee, to the tampering with articles
which do not belong to them, with the
final result that the boy turns thief usu
ally and is sent TO the penitentiary.
IF, however, said Mrs. Bushee. eve
are able to get these boys before they
have gone too far. and can put them i'm
school. SO that they will he off the
street, they can generally be saved"
Work for Ungraded Schools.
1t is in these eases that the ungraded
schools find a large part of their work,
for in the ungra AIDED schools they are
given work which occupies their hands
and minds. These boys said the attend
ance officer. are seldom very studious
and If put into the graded schools would
not be interested in their studies. and be-
cause OF their lack of learning would be
placed In grade with smaller but more
stuaious children than themselves.
When they find themselves in a room
with younger children they have no in
terest at all and pay no attention to what
is going on. PUT in the ungraded schools.
however they are given mechanical work
with companions Of equal age. Also the
classes are smaller. and each pupil re-
ceives more individual attention from
the teacher.
Cases in which the boys return to their
former ways after being put in one OF
the ungraded classes are extremely rare,
Mrs. Bushee stated.
A large amount of the work of the Of
ffcerS who are seeking violations of the
compulsory education law is occasioned
by parents who keep their children at
home to help around the house and run
errands. When visited by tho truant Off
Ger they generally offer the excuse that
they can't do anything with tic hoy,
lie just won't 20 to school.
Largely Fault Of Parents.
The fault in every case. asserted Mrs.
Bushee. 'can be traced back tn the par
ents. Either they are 10 blame or have
been indifferent.
Indifference on the part of the parents
Is decreasing. however. and gradually.
with the aid of the home and school ASST
Citations. which have been formed I'm al
most every school in the city, il is be-
lieved will soon be nearly obsolete fea-
ture.
The truants are for the most part boys.
but it is said when the truant Is girl
much more trouble is encountered than
with the boys. 1t might at first he sup
posed that the greatest work of the tru-
ant officer would be i'm dealing with the
foreign children OF the city. Such is not
the case, for though Jewish and italian
children are often the cause OF trouble.
they are for the most part eager to learn.
and the greatest work is found in deal
ing with natives.
Taken all in ALL though, in comparison
with other years. the work SO far has
been satisfactory and is steadily progress
ing.