The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-04-17
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ey Olws Roberts Bsreoe
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Home on one side-sci,0Ol
 on flle other. It is about these
 two institutions that Olive
 Roberts Barton writes in this
 article in her series on Child
 Training.
 There is a certain hiatus between home and school that sets the child's mind against the latter.
 It come about this way. In hls home there is obedience but 1t ts qualified. Tn school there is un- qualified obedience.
 At home his temperament is un- derstood and he receives federation according to circumstances. Little fOrays into mischief are understood and forgiven. Lapses from respon- Ability are not taken too seriously as a rule and "absoiute" obedience is not expected.
 In school he must fit to sys- tenn, somewhat military in it's na- ture. It must be so, I think, in spite of al attempts to perfect the "experimentar or "progfessive" public school plan.
 Conforming to System
 The hundreds of pupils to be handled in a building will always have to conform to some "set' sys- tenn. Oranges are being made and none too soon, to re-vamp the rig i'd exactness of the old system, but I doubt if it will ever reach the point where each child can be dealt with as an absolute individual. Nor do I think 1t necessary. l believe that mass grouping and vertain demands made on the child have their good points. The, ma jority of normal children not only accept the situation, but do pretty well under 1t. The public school needs certain changes in purpose, as 1t exists today, and a change In ways of grading; also in methods of approach to study. But school can never be party. It is in- tended to put stern stuff in chil- drcn. and too much individualism is bad for the best of us. However, there is something wrong when the attitude of chill drcn towards school is as unfriend- ly as 1t Is. have just said that they accept 1t, but it is with a sort of endurance that makes the best of a bad job. It could be different, and 1t will be, when the rapidly changing system gets to point where the desire to learn is in- trenched in the child's heart through his aroused interest. This ] will affect grading and placing. It will also affect the subjects stud jed.
 A "ShuttIc" That Fails We must get it out of our heads, | however, that the perfect school will follow children to dawdle and and no discipline will be neces- sary. And we must also discard the ida that our Jimmy or our | Mary will onG day be allowed to study ONLY the things he likes The state will always have some thing to say about this and 1t is | right. School is not an indulgence | Now we are just where we start. | ed. The home on one side, tho school on the other, and the child in the middle, shuttle that afils goes home and Is, we'll say, over. under -indulged. He feels that his parents have no real conception of his seven n-hotfrs-a-day away from them or the trouble he faces It creates a pull away from the school, and there are pulls enough | without that.
 | Encouraging Friendship l There should be contact point
 Parent Teachers meetings don't dc | 1t, although they are useful, oi l course. The trouble is that tht child himself is seldom present te | get the feeling of friendship be- | tween instructor and parent. Tn | elementary schools there should be plan that does not interfere ! with the teachers work--as daily l visits do-such as an open day once a month. No program should keep the children under q strain at the time as is too often the | case.
 When the parent projects per. sonality and interest into the school building by association oi ideas and feeling that his schoo world is discovered, the child will overcome his feeling of segrega' ton. He will feel that he fits. He | moves his family feeling" tc school because they have contact. ed it.
 There might be another way
 but 1t would have to be somewhat after this plan. I would be
 wonderful help to the "prejudiced'
 child in particular.
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