Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-23
YOUR CHILD
In SCHOOL
By DR.. Frank ". Bdllou,
Superintendent of SCHOOLS. Washington
ID. C.
Heredity and Education.

When child is born he brings with
him into the world certain hereditary
characteristics These Inherited
characteristics are the material with
which the child. his parents and his
teachers must work in transforming
the babe into a useful citizen
Let us think of the child as start.
ing out with this equipment which he
has Inherited. and of life as presenting
the possibilities and opportunities To
develop this raw material through or.
ganized education and the influences
of environment. The Fundamental
purpose in both systematic and unor-
ganized education and training is to
enable the individual. whatever his
capacities and possibilities. to develop
those possibilities to their fullest ex.
tent
There was a time when less atten.
ton was given than ia given at the
present time to the characteristics of
the individual to be educated. Not
so many years ago, systematic edlica.
ton contemplated making the chill.
dren conform TO type Uniform
treatment of children was a practice.
regardless of their individual varia.
tons. They pursued the same train
ing under the same conditions and by
the same methods, In order that they
might be made into a form according
to which their elders thought they
should he developed
Today, the most progressive educa
tional programs in our public schools
provide for the maximum develop
ment of individual possibilities, con
sistent with the necessary degree of
conformity 20 social standards.
Much attention has been given to
the respective influence of heredity
and environment in the education of
children. In spite of all Investigations,
educators know today far less about
the influence of heredity than they
would like to know.
Before he is admitted to school, the
child learns much. His environment
has joined with heredity in making
him what he is when he enters school
Variations in hereditv NAV have be-
come more varied through differences
in environment. On the contrary
similar environments may have tend
ed to develop greater similarity among
individuals
One who has had but little expe.
rience with children may find it difficult
to realize that they differ so radically.
He may easily fall into the error of as
Stunning that since their minds and
bodies are SO plastic and adaptable
they may be easily made to conform
to any common procedure. Such a
view attaches excessive importance to
the Influence of environment and
gives too little recognition to the pow
erful influence of heredity in the life
of every individual
Evident similarity in physical fea-
lures is usually apparent among the
members of the same family This
similarity exists because of the com
mon ancestry that has transmitted
certain personal characteristics to it's
offspring. Some interesting studies of
life histories of certain families have
been made. These studies show that
children inherit very definite char
acteristics with respect to physical
stature, intellectual aptitudes. nervous
reactions and other physical, mental
and moral qualities.
1t Is not difficult to understand how
these inherited characteristics, varied
and complex as they are, create very
real educational problem which 1t is
difficult to solve. In the classrooms