Milford chronicle., 1931-04-24
PARENT-TEACHER
ASSOCIATIONS

Miss May Peabody, specialist il
Child Development and Parental Ed
Ucation, State Department of Edu
cation, New York, speaking at tht
Delaware Parent-Teacher AssOeia
tiOn Convention, Dover April II, dc
clared that the White House Con
ference on Child Health and Pro
lection sounded ringing challenge
to all parents of the nation
Parent Education is not new,
said Miss Peabody. in fact children
have been educating their parents
for long time. Parents may not
have realized this fact or even that
children have very ogod ideas on
child training. In another sense
Parent Education is new The older
and more comfortable approach and
treatment of child behavior Is being
replaced by the more disqueting
method of searchins out underlying
causes and studying relationships.
Children's behavior is merely symp-
tomato of causes which are to he
found in parent child relationships.
in brOther-sister relationships, in
husband-wife relationships.
Parent Education is a study of
parents themselves. their attitudes,
their reactions, their management of
children which is conditioned by
their own experience and training"
Declaring that Parent Education
is now receiving so much attention
because there is hardly a phase of
life today which is unaffected by the
result of investigations. studies. and
research" Miss Peabody said. par
ents too are feeling the effect of all
this progress and change and are
believing that parenthood must
keep abreast with science The ira
oitional method of bringing up
children is giving way to a more
scientific method The old trial and
error methods which the business
world long ago discarded in the
search for efficiency, which the
modern educators discard in the in
terest Of progressive education,
which the up-to-date home disCards
in the demand for a well regulated
household, are no longer desirable
or possible in this day Of swiftly
moving events.
Probably 81 per cent of potential
criminals could become good Citi-
zens. if teachers, parents and com
munities realized the significance of
helping children make wholesome
social adjustments to their many
perpleXing problems
In conclusion Miss Peabody ex-
Education classes in New York |
plained the organization Of Parent
State which are recognized as out
standing.
Miss Eta !. Wilson. executive
secretary. Delaware Parent-TeaCher
Association. who introduced Miss
Peabody, reported for the State pro-
gram committee which has this year
presented for the first time a series
of six Parent Education programs
for the use of local associations.
The program of the convention
emphasized the States new depart
ment of music. in order to give par
entss4n attendance an opportunity to
see the enrichment which mu.ic
may bring into the lives of Delaware
children. Glenn Gildersleeve. direc-
tor of the States new music depart
ment, expressed his appreciation to
the various Parent-Teacher AssoCi-
ations for the musical equipment
which they had provided. Mr.. Glider
sleeve declared his firm conviction
that Delaware children. given the
may become as musical
as any children, although he had
found a surprising lack of music
in some of the schools
which he had visited. Repeated ex-
pressions Of delight on the part of
parents were heard after the singing
of the AllState High School Chorus
which made its first public appear
ance, led by Mr.. Gildersleeve, with
Miss Helen Martin. State Supervis-
or of Music. accompanying.
State President Howard T. Ennis
in his report plead "for the oonser-
vation of the fine group energy
which has been a conspicuous fea-
ture of the one teacher schools
which are passing and merging
with larger districts"
As a result of consolidation and
he country wide depression the as
3ociation with a total white mem
1ership of 7,777, has lost $40 mem .
1ers this according to the re-
port submitted by Mrs. Robert E.
Lewis. State chairman of member
hip
Twenty-Five associations in the
State had an increase in momber-
hip of 25 per cent or more.
A significant report was submitted
~ Miss Elizabeth H Menach, chair
nan of the Summer Roundup" a
movement initiated by the National
Congress of Parents and Teachers to
END every first grader to school
fit Delaware. for the {
irat time, is to participate in this {
DR.. A. c. lost. who brought greet t
ngs to the convention from the {
state Board of Health. promised to
lace all the services of the board t
t the disposal of those who ask for !
id in carrying out the summer .
cund-up. DR.. Jost declared that
he health record of the State could
ct be what it is without the whole
earted support of the people
DR.. H. Y. Holloway. warning the
roup that 1--WE must make use of