Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1915-04-28
THOUGHTS EXCEPTIONALLY
The Country School and the Parents
Relation 70 II

EDITOR CENSOR: Progress has be-
come by-word and in every vocation,
be 1t what il may, ii matters not, the
idea IS TO become proficient and to mas
ter and understand your work In keep
ing with this, our country schools show
decided Improvement in equipment and
higher graded instructors. Our schools
are .ull Of life and interest; valuable
| lessons outside of text books are learned
daily, by association with schoolmates,
and in independence, self. control, ODE
dience and punctuality. In the latter
1 parents are often at fault in allowing
their children to form the habit of ma
bitually being late to school. Home
duties ought not TO interfere and cause
delay. The late pupils come slowly in,
disturbing the school and missing the
| opening exercises. Then, too, it often
causes loss Of self-respect on the part
of the tardy ones, who are often repri-
manded by teacher and teased by pu-
pills for being late Punctuality is de-
mRnded in every business and many DO
sitions are lost through this offense,
which, IN many cases, was the fault of
parents in early life. So insist on this
important detail. for home teaching
and influence naturally impress the
child more than any amount of urging
and talks by the teacher.
How many parents visit their home
| school on an average of four or five
times year, not including gala days.
such as socials and last-day programs.
but during the weekly school days?
There may be few who can answer
| favorably, but there are many more
pleading all sorts of excuses-they are
always too busy. Parents. if you real
lied how much influence for good this
means to both teacher and pupils. you
would take few hours off a little of
tener and get in closer touch with your
children's work at school and under
stand W I is being accomplished.
When child sees his parents really IN
terested in his school duties, some of
which may be Gistasteful to him, rest
assured he will become interested and
If his father and mother are frequent
visitors at school he is going to do his
best to carry off the hopors and make
his parents proud of him. Your plea
of being too busy is only the manner
in which you regard it. What man is
too busy to attend an auction sale, or a
half dozen of them, and spend a day.
You enjoy the re creation, therefore con-
slider the time well spent. You spend
couple of hours with neighbor and
give not thought to the time waited.
And mothers plea is similar. We can
find time if we plan and arrange our
work accordingly. For what mother
but attends the aid society and goes
calling or shopping?
Teachers often become discouraged
and feel that no one is interested in
their efforts. They need the co-opera-
ton of every parent. There are days
of trial and many tests of patience and
strength. Those who say the teacher
earns easy money know not whereof
they speak, and needless to say have
never assumed the responsibilities of a
school. Teachers are but human and
if they err remember their task of
pleasing and teaching twenty or thirty
individuals with as many dispositions
and ideas; and also trying to please
! the parents, is not as easy as il may
appear to be to those outside the school
room. Therefore, before you criticise
so harshly, become acquainted with
your teacher and her methods and give
her your sympathy; be interested in
her work and do net allow your children
to form prejudice or dislike over tri-
vial matters.
Why isit the ld-time spelling schools,
literaries and singin' schools are never
revived? 1t seems pity to drop these
old pleasures, and we have never yet
found any amusement to tGke their
place. Outside of this, the debates
and spellin' schools were instructive
and called for wits and brains. Teach
ers, we call upon you now TO lend a
hand and help bring back those old
days that our parents never tire of tell
ing about, when the winter months
were all too short. Let Us make the
old school house the center of social
activities. A READER.
West Prairie, March /. 1916.