The Republican., 1925-12-03
SECOND PRIZE ESSAY
By MISS VIRGINIA CASTEEL,
Oakland High School.


| the training of the children and both
should cooperate in that training. If
the fathers and mothers thoroughly
understand the school they will be
more sympathetic and appreciative
of the efforts of the child to do many
things to make the school more effec-
tive. Surely the school officials and
parents working together will develop
character that will be an asset to any
community.
The Parent Teacher Association is
the medium by which this greater un-
ity between the patrons and friends
of the school may be accomplished. 1t
is not Onl the duty Of all parents to
join such an organization in their
community, but a privilege. Surely
all good citizens will not be satisfied
until they link themselves with local
association to help raise the standard
of their community. There is no bet
ter time or place for parents to get
acquainted with the teachers Of the
children than at the regular meetings,
or to understand the plans and aims
of education. 1t is their place to learn
the needs of their school so that they
can be real help in executing the
plans and working out the ways and
means of supplying the needs.
Organized school publicity, through
Parent t-Teacher Associations, is one
means Of bringing parents, teachers
and the public into closer mutual I'M
derstanding regarding that which is
best for the child. 1t creates a feeling
which makes the parent look upon
himself as a real part of a group in
terested in education. 1t makes possi-
bic the identification Of the parents
with group interests.
Common motives, purposes and ac-
tivities are looked upon as ours"
rather than mine" No matter how
poor parent may be, he should be-
come a member of an organization
which consists largely of the best ed
ucated people of the community. TheJ
should have an understanding that
they are doubly welcome at all meet
ings. 1t is the poor people who usu-
ally have the large families and they
are the most important ones in the
community from the standpoint Of
education. They should be assigned
positions on the various committees
and everyone should try and give
them a hearty welcome.
Through the medium of the Par
ent-Teacher Association, personal
acquaintance may create ways in
which teachers can ascertain educa-
tional ideals of the parents. Impor-
tant facts concerning the home life of
pupils, the economic status of the
homes, the religious tendencies of the
pupils and their recreational activi-
ties rightly used, may contribute to
increasing the teachers skill. Be
cause of this enlarged opportunity for
sympathetic and complete insight
into the students individual needs
and capacities, the teacher can now
teach the child much more effectively.
They may now emphasize those traits
of character which have received least
attention at home, and need not stop
to dwell at length upon those that
have been sufficiently and success
fully trained. The teacher learns the
parents attitude toward the work of
the school and can make clear many
points otherwise misunderstood. The
teacher can explain why John needs
to be present every day, what he loses
by being late in the morning, why the
mere pronouncing of words from a
book is not good reading, what is
meant by the results of standard tests
as she puts them on Johns report
and also finds out if he is up to the
standard and is doing what should be
done to be a real student. This per-
sonal contact of teachers and parents
give the teachers and parents keen
er interest in the child's school work,
and so the child himself becomes more
interested. Thus, both groups really
educate themselves through partici-
pating in such an organization.
The Parent-Teacher Association
would enable the supervisor to do her
work more effectively. 1t affords an
opportunity for the supervisor to be-
come acquainted with parents and
friends of the schools. Personal con-
tact with parents enables the super
visor to better understand the chill
dren who are pupils in schools and
thus she can work more intelligently
in helping the teachers who have
these children in charge. The social
hour, when parents, teachers and su-
pervisors discuss informally many
school and community problems, per-
nit an exchange of ideas that are
frequently profitable to the supervis-
ors in making clear what parents de-
sire in the education Of their children.
It improves the Individual school,
thereby making it possible for the su-
pervisOT to accomplish her one OBJ