The daily progressive-miner., 1916-12-07
PARENT-TEaGHER ASSOCIATION
 MEETS
Meeting is Treated With Interesting Address by
 Prof. Knox.


 ing, The storm Of the evening pre- vented a large attendance. however, after the routine business Uas dis- posed with, the meeting proceeded c9 the election of officers oi tae assoet.. tion for the ensuing term. =.g5. l.. i- Sampson, was elected resaeHui Ac Gum, vice President and .isa Field. Secretary Treasurer
 A resolution was adopted imposing a fee of fifty cents year 5V a-t members of the association, payable to Jle r5a-= urer.
 The next regular meeting WId be held January r.
 The feature of the evening. however was the address by Pgea AAa&. Hho was present at the meeeHs. Iae prof essor said:
 In his address of welcome to tne National P. T. A. in sess.on in Wash ington, D. C. MT. Bryan, then secretary of state, made the significant state ment that of all organizations for the promotion of human beg5ae2eat, the P. T. A. was the most fundamental There are many, however. and possibly some in our own midst WBo to moi appreciate the purpose ana scope of this organization as lf Haga1 does. and do not ally themseltes N-lA u simply because its purposes and aims are not we'll understood.
 The principal object o5 tae Parent Teachers Association is Ihe study oi child welfare, and no object could be more laudable or fundamental. Fer tl+e schools of Alaska, hoN4.es lac o.f-a. should be made more comprehensive for the needs are much =I4a.4r. A comparison ur our a-oril hore with chat of the state of Washington VIII maAa my meaning clear. In the state ot Washington the P. T. A. has done re- markable work fer the schools, and has been one of the factors which has gwen the state of Washington the most efficient school system j lle United States according to the .- #.as ol inc committee of ten appon.s4 es the kua- sell Sage Foundation.
 If then, the r. T. A. could b. 8 fac tor for good in a state where the school system is already highly organized what could it not accomplish in the territory of Alaska There is not a school in Washington but is visited and inspected two or three times year by the county supeIu,lnd ny WLo insists that the highest degree of ed.- ciency be maintained. There is not a high school but is inspected at least once a year by prominent educator, appointed for that purpose. Back of all this is the state superintendent with an efficient corps of educators that guides and directs this elucatio- nal organization.
 In Alaska we are deprived of this efficient supervision and in order to maintain a reasonably lfg- degree Of efficiency in our individual ah9ol SIS tens, we must create a strong school spirit in our own midst. 4 school constituency must be established th.t will study school needs, that will keep abreast of the most up-to-date methods of efficient school management. No organization exists here that can even make beginning along that line eX- cept the Parent-TeacheI5' Association. We have many problems to meet here in our school work that do not con front the teachers in Washington. We have no compulsory school law, which affords an opportunity for laxity, both as to attendance at school and thor oughness in the preparation of the work assigned. In fact in many iu- stances school duties seem to be plac- ed last instead of first as they should be. We have no established standards that the pupil must attain for gradu- ation from the grades such as prevail in all the states. We also have the problem of the subnormal child to deal with, in a manner quite different from the larger school systems. In Olympia and in other schools of Wash ington a provision is made that sub normal or backward children shall re- ceive special instruction by teacher provided for that purpose and their progress under this system is often nearly as great as that of the perfect ly normal pupil. Because Of our linn ited teaching force we are obliged to carry these children along inc tn grades with their more fortunate com panions, much to their discomfort and humility at times, and to the injury of parental pride when they fail of the expected promotion, while at the same time holding back the more capable pupils.
 To offset these handicaps we should have constituency that would know