The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1912-12-19
The Relation Between
Home and the School

tendency of today seems to be toward
a life of ease. The chief difficulty
lies believe in the fact that so many
children are not required to assume
responsibilities in the home nor taught
how to share in the work of the home
These same children have hard tine
devoting themselves to solid concen-
trated study.
Our board of education has kindly
arranged to give the public school chill
dren of Valley City free medical in
specion. The health of the school
children Is vital subject and now
that the first step has been taken by
the school authorities, is not the par
ent's duty clear? When the child has
been examined by the medical inspec-
tor and the parents notified of the ply
steal defects, should they not be viii
ing to see to it that these defects are
corrected? If a parent is financially
unable to attend to the correction OF
these defects there are dentists, occx-
lists and physicians in our city Who
are public spirited and philanthzppdc
enough to attend to these cases free
of charge. Such cases should be re-
ported to the teacher, principal or sap-
erintendent. Children with defective
eyes, ears, and teeth, and with thrOat
or nose trouble are more or less re-
tarded in their intellectual progress
AS has been said, "the watcaword
Of the future is the welfare Of the
child" and yet there is not the uni
versal interest in schools that there
ought to be. How many Of our Own
citizens including lawyers, doctors, and
merchants know what our schools are
doing and what are their needs. Does
the average man or woman In Valley
City know how many teachers are en-
ployed or how many Children, are En-
rolled in the various schools. It s. q
deplorable fact that some parents have
never even stepped inside Of the buQA
ing to which they send their chHd1ea
five days out OF the week. Cur schools
are worthy Of the best service TINT
the patrons can offer and more inter.
est in the schools should be shown
In New England town where ~.
900 was bequeathed to agencies work
ing for the benefit of the community,
5000 was given to the public schools
J and $4,000 to a hospital whose total
capacity for treatment was twenty
five persons.
In our city we have clubs and organ
izations for all sorts of philanthropte
work which is very creditab1e but Why
not have some organizations interest
ed in the welfare of the schools. What
could not such an organization do 1or
the aesthetic benefit Of our schools as
| we'll as social and Intellectual Pic
lures, statuary, plants, ETC., are PIT
into school rooms to make chndr0
love beauty. Is it right that the secr-
ing of these should always be lett to
the teachers and pupils or scAeoa
board. Parents could organize to set
beautiful things for the school IN
which they are interested and womeR&
clubs could donate sets of pictures, etc
In some cities this is already being
done and people are waking up to the
fact that the education of the childr1
does not wholly depend upon the
teacher but upon the home and COM
| munity as well. In Dubuque, Iowa. anr
, example, several groups OF women -
/, cured, by large entertainment,
enough money to put statuary and
finely framed pictures in every public
school in the city. In Decatur, Ill, one
mothers club connected with the
I school had a landscape architect lay
out planting scheme, had the yard
graded, and this year they are con
plotting the planting and beautif5fxx
of the yard. Could there be a nicer
way of setting a standard for making
!, the city beautiful or of showing =
keen interest in school affairs. The
story of the work done in Decatur
by patrons is full Of suggestinns.
Through an energetic mothers club .
meeting of the parents was called Gu
which the members Of the board q
education were invited and the uhoae
school situation talked over. Tho re-