The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-11-05
Latest Styles
Your Children
Ry Olive RObert0 Barton

One of the contributing causes of maladjustment of the child in school is the separation in his mind of teacher and parent.
 He may be inclined to regard his teacher as an enemy, because she is not personal, but puts him into Q big machine with all the other little pigs and grinds him up as school sausage.
 He resents the fact that she does things differently from his mother. Defies her because she doesn't say, That's too hard for you, dear, so let 1t go."
 Dislikes here because she wears her hair and clothes differently from his mother. Isn't her boy, because she is, a stranger and would be there anyway whether he were In her room or not. She is, in short a process rather than a person, and he isn't going to bother pleasing her.
 There is Q way to win Johnny and an easy one. He will 90. on forever, drawing @ line between home re. responsibilities and school responsi. bilities and school re sponsibility, ix things are allowed to go on. But there is a principle of behavior that applies to this situation quite simply. When the recalcitrant one persists in his open indifference, or defiance he will be reached by proximity or association.
 Home Approval Helps
 Tn plainer lingo, when mother and teacher get to gether occasioIa- ally, the teacher takes on the color of home in his eyes He asso ciates her with his mother. They are friends. His mother approves of this outsider and likes her. She passes on the magic wand of author ity to her proxy, the teacher, ana Johnny is seeing Miss Barnes, or Miss Stewart, with new eyes.
 In Parent Teacher meetings, he knows they know each other. But unless he sees 1t, 1t is like the governor of North Caroline meet- ing the governor of South Caro. lima. It is out of his ken. Beyond his world.
 He needs to see Miss Barnes lending mother hair pin, or moth- CT passing her the cake. They don't need to mention him at all, but once in 6 while he should see them laughing and talking about the last movie, or fussing as women will, about the price of eggs.
 Teachers are busy people, and Of course parents can't be popping in on lnap-drawing or decimal-tindlng to visit over the fence, but ingenu- ity will find Q way. Schools do well to invite parents in on certain days, informally.
 Child Will Understand
 Let the pupils sec. Don't Keep them off at arms length. The more they mix with this new broth. erhood sisterhood If you like, the more they will like and respect the teacher who has to make them mind and make them work. Unconscious. ly they absorb the idea that mother Is somehow represented here. She is not at home sewing while he is of here suffering ell by himself.
 During Education Week many schools are having open house. This is Q splendid Idea, but once Is not enough. Most of our most progressive schools today recognize the value of close home-and-school cooperation, if for nothing else 'than to combat the cleavage in the child'S mind and heart. It reaches the poorly-adjusted child who takes unkindly to school, but 1t also has an encouraging effect on tho others.
 Teacher and mother should be friends. Too long have we held tho wire between home and school. Too long has the childs experience been @ matter of two shoulders, each with e separate load. It is time to tic the two, and in so doing we VIII have happier conditions all around. Copyright, 1887, NICA Service, Incl