Milford chronicle., 1914-08-28
OUR SCHOOLS.

,ormal chlld WIN ASSi u an dil'
4 ~. lo body. showing eagerness fol
sliI. ira NAV be safely instructed BY
rovlsest at home in the work of the
i' l',hool wear, always providing that
b s--- Is are intelligent, patient, gen
sf hers. seeking the development
L s.Id .b;Id and not the qualification of
lns 'b;t;on ITti TO have the child surpass
irl slTbi This NAV in rather rare cases
ilas while. The child is given in
{ WI WIZ EMPLOYMENT at home, and the
s''to9 to9rs in school are reduced
1t * trades below the High School
A"5lv J" one course of study, as all
1si i.,,.s os. tnow: this course the average
o-g''.t srtering at six, should master
-pL..sblv in the eight years allowed
l'' Only decidedly brilliant pupil
II ever receive what in some places
..-,ed double promotion, i. e., a
stipped, with the thought either
he child has not enough to do and
.J have harder work to keep him
~, or that with very little extra
he cau readily do the work of the
.' higher class, and will thus gain
ilA Such gain is usually made at
.ssce of thoroughness, and, if so,
- has been inevitably a loss in the |
lld's equipment for life.
ps-ely there is pupil who could take |
,.ob's oromotion with comfort, so far as
..snsctual ability is concerned, but
I,,, soss lack of physical stamina makes it
5,er to hold him back. His eagerness
ciimb fast toward the top may delight
..,cber and parent, but he may be over
~Siious and need checking. He had
.-Ter be given outside interests and
..ot onlv abreast his grade in school.
he system of semi-annual promotion
limited already in many localities, helps
"A. situation; because a pupil NAV
rielr lump a half year some times, when
4. could not a year.
For almost all pupils each year work
N tbe grades is made difficult enough,
q that even the bright child should give
nh ali the time the course calls for, and
abe does his work well,he will find
se hours dragging heavily. On the
tBer hand the average boy or girl should
nj ind a serious difficulty in making Il
he grade each year, in passing on with
Ne class. The majority do this and give 7
nle anxiety in school or home. But d
1iortunatey too many children of aver P
ge ability fail; and it is about these fail d
res need, mainly, to write. u u
Of course, l am assuming, in what / Il
ave said and what may follow, that HI
sents want the best for their children
at which will make for the strongest
ippiest, most successful manhood and
Omanhood that they want this so much
at their best thought in devising wavs
means, and in planning, is directed no
ward this end. Such parents will wish ca
to speak plainly. tn tn
t is difficult to locate the blame for no
.se failures. Sometimes the child's
ntal lazness is the chief cause of the
lure; sometimes a foolish prejudice
Iard teacher, which interferes badly ~
his work, ends in failure; some M
rs there may be fault on the tercher's MI
I, but this IS far less common than
lOr makes it. Now and then a par oe
hurts rather than helps a situation % %
le 1t is certainly true that through ~ ~
lect, parents are sometimes more at 'o
I that anybody else.
is a real misfortune, ordinarily. for Ri
I'D to fail Of promotion, he is bound On
AVE less interest in repeating his 2
with lower class of pupils. MANY cra
Is, last June, missed promotion. ca
l sincerely and fully believe that bor
st all OF these, with the proper CO. ser
alton OF pupils, parents and teach nov
might have passed with credit. at I
lave mentioned come 1-..a-.t
: u ;ii'-oneI ta;i,'r. - some contributing at
ol failure; these might be dis
dat greater length and other causes +
d, but the final analysis will bring ExI
Says to the single conclusion that ing
mas not been enough work done Lat
Oily both at school and at home anc
S and girls should be lust bows and 2. o
we want them to be nothing else. iect
leploraDle when they are aupht Lea
We want them to eniov fun and Z 45
re, time and place being suitsbIe Peor
en in childhood and youth there day
'e sober hours of real work. if the Frid
years are to be at all useful I dial
ing the most commonplace things;
ne with ordinary horse sense
Ineni. But the strange part of it
we iall on the practical side. A
'aHeS nome a report card each ~
! the parent sees low marks. per
.IneVes or scolds a bit, but signs Da
a and too often the "inciderf is fftb
Inc thing to do is to follow
: 10" marks, probably not with Da
ny winch IS usually of the least and {
gSs' Ont certainly with the most
u persistent attention to the child's ma
any mark below rs is serious and Tor l.
S careful notice.
lne semi-annual promotion is AfiIfn
~ III cases OF failure, because pupils -''-O
VA Dy that method, only a half carI,
, MilforC
10 reach, particularly. parents
~ i!aEe anxleties over the school Luz
ba..c. IeI children the coming year, and team
-io!est -I.Ilt cooperation with teach ZONE
cps need to depreciate one Euiilu
'etilods OF the average parent, TOUR
suppose, have been practiced 1I1!; DII "
y scnools We're, and which are WliihI
9p.'e OF what anybody may say.
I us as long as schools NAV be. u,
la' Always proves mischievous, iii
lCeptance at home. practically
'lsston' OF the pupils version The
y affairs, Sometimes when a tains ]
10Y promoted, he blames a tea produC
the parent believes the cen 900 bu
IVed John saws he can't do by tn
with her, she has a grudge ing Be
I'M This is sheer nonsense. 72 per
are human as are parents. and the pr
:, and a boy or girl that con- cents
lnoys teacher should hardly States
Ilch favor. But the teachers to this
lsh, for at least two reasons. tion is
tne child on; one reason. the by the
'oiGnal' oTi IS to get rid of pupil ture.