Evening star., 1936-02-01
Solving of
| Social Work
In Schools
There Are Definite
Limitations to This
Activity for Students.
BY ANGELO PATRI.

THE finest school. manned by the
most enlightened and devoted
teachers, has its definite limitations.
It is necessary to remember this. The
tendency seems to be to unload all
the social problems on the schools
and expect them to be solved easily
and graciously. There are limits.
Schools are established to serve the
community by educating the chill
dren. First the tool subjects must
be mastered. then the higher branches
Of knowledge. then the applications
of them in the arts and crafts and
professions. Teaching definite courses
Is the duty of the schools. II these
courses are not well taught the chill
dren and youth Of the Nation will
suffer accordingly. You can be GER
tain OF one thing amid all this welter
Of uncertainties: Life must 60 on
and the children who are to carry it
on need better preparation, more ac-
curate knowledge, finer skills than
ever before. School work Is more
AulROI to41b AIOW tlAd1l ~ CSV1 WOO A-Se
US look at what is happening.
It is discovered that children are
hungry. They must be fed. There
stands the school, a highly organized,
well-managed social force. The school
can feed the children. The highly
trained, skilled, well paid teacher
stops teaching little ones to read and
serves milk and crackers to those
who need them. The time for that
is taken out of the middle Of the
morning session, the very best time
of the day. The teacher who serves
milk and crackers Is not teaching
school work, nor are the children get
ting school work.
At lunch time the children must be
fed again, and again teachers stop
their work and serve hungry children.
Some need clothes. The teacher takes
their names and addresses. has a
private talk with each pupil. maybe
visits the family, SENDS in another
report, receives the necessary clothing,
attends to the bestowal OF it, makes
another report.
Collections must be taken for this
and for that good cause, and the
teacher prods each child to remember
his ticket money, his milk money. his
penny for this fund and that fund.
Now 1t is clear that when one does
one thing one Is not doing another.
You cannot serve soup. milk, crack
ers, clothing, collect money, distribute
tickets, manage drives, get up enter
tainmeuts and teach at the same
time.
Children must be fed, clothed, taken
to the clinics and to the hospitals.
But why deprive them Of a much
needed lesson in order to give them
these other necessities? Why use the
skilled teacher for this elementary
social service work that a host OF
workers are eager to perform? Why
not give the teacher more chance
to do the work the community expects
to have done?
There are other limitations that
beset the teacher. She cannot give
individual attention to children II
she has the usual full class. There
must be special teachers, free OF class
work, for that sort of instruction
Ailing children, backward children
defective children. gifted children
cannot be cared for adequately in
class instruction.
In reforming society, and indeed the
reformation is essential consider vel
the limitations Of the present-day
school and teacher.
(oopyrisht. 1eSo1