The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-09-24
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Miss Wright sent Margaret home from school because she had g cold. Margaret was honor student that year before and had a record of unbroken attendance.
 Her mother wrote an indignant letter, remarked in 1t that hel daughter would feel now that she had nothing to work for. Once the absent mark showed against her name, so she said, the child wouldn't feel like trying. Children should not be marked absent when the school took it on itself to dis miss them from class, and any way if Margaret was able to be about the house 1t was no worse for her to sit in school. Lots o1 children had colds, so why pick on her daughter?
 The teacher said that her pupils face was flushed, that she sneezed and coughed her germs all ovei the room, and 1t wasn't fair tc the others to risk sickness. Il might be a common cold and 4 might not. Most children's ids eases started that way.
 Margaret's parents had friends on the school board; the principal was apealed to. The cold also proved after three days to be noth. ing more than an innocent CD coryza. Margaret returned to school @ right sulky little marthyr, but so far Miss Wright had not can celled the crosses behind her name
 Can't See Precedent
 T cannot make @ precedent of this case," she insisted. "If do then I'll have to mark every sick case present. When I have to take the responsibility of the parent (and this was one time her own mother should have kept her at home). then she is absent while out of the room."
 She stuck to her guns and won out eventually, but the interesting part of it all is that Margaret be- gan to fail. Not fail exactly but her work was casual and medic ere. Not content to make a name in studies alone she refused to try for what was left. M
 The child was not to be blamed entirely. Miss Wright told me that she was sure the girl was urged al home to show the teacher how her life had been blighted.. And all the talk and fuss had created a new thrill for the child, the thrill of martyrdom. Her personality seemed to change too. She be- came balky and unmanageable, at other times was quiet and watch full.
 'rWithin. a<month," said my ac- 'quaintance, T knew something would have to be done. It was not a case now of technical rights, but a case of rescuing 8 pupil"
 Glass Solves Problem
 At a conference with the prin- cipal it was decided to leave 1t to the rest of the room. Few were trying for complete record, and 1t. might be that sympathy for Margaret would solve the problem. It did. They voted that she be given a clean slate. The "X's' were rubbed out and that was that. ,, H ..
 The child instantly took hold again. Smugness and victory col ored her conduct for Q day or two and then she buckled down to work. After that 1t was clean sail ing. Until-one' day Margaret wasn't in school. Her grandma had died. .. n
 Now she. had lost again her chance for attendance record. Would she keep up her perfect re- citations? Miss Wright was curl ous to know. She did--and won honors again that year. Tt was the most typical case of home-at- titude affecting a child's future l ever had anything to do with," she said. 2
 But my idea of 1t is this. There is a certain type of person who won't work unless he commands every situation, who won't try aft CT one failure and resents a set- back. It is ono thing to sit on .