Evening star., 1938-03-14
New Spring C0os Require More the Maker
The Process
OfGrowth
Is Slow
Only Achievement
Appears in Child
Very Suddenly.
BY ANGELO PATRI.


COME sort of report is due the
fathers and mothers Of school
children. The children should be
making progress in lessons and in
physical growth as we'll as character
This is especially important in the
elementary grades where the children
learn faster, change faster. than they
do later on But the very speed of
their changes are hidden from us by
the subtlety of their development.
The process is always a long, slow
one and the end of it seems very
sudden. Yet we must make reports
on them.
II don't know what has gotten into
him, but he won't try to read. He
won't even try to keep the place.
From A he has fallen to D. I don't
know what to make of such child"
Just know that this change is not as
sudden as you believe. 1t happens
that this particular lad had tired
eyes. It took three years of school
and home life for them to reach the
place where any kind of print hurt
them. The change arrived with crash
Ing suddenness, but the process had
taken years. How was the teacher to
report on that child? The only thing
she could do was to make the state
ment she did make. The interpreta-
tion had to be made by other people
That is one difficulty the teacher meets
each month at report card time.
Then there is the conduct mark.
A little girl is restless, inattentive:
has to be spoken to time and again;
Is disorderly in the yard. The teacher
marks her conduct ID" and writes
the detailed note Father and mother
reprove the child, promise rewards
and punishment. The child promises
to do better. The teacher keeps stead
lily ON her trail; the parents do the
same at home and the end of the
month comes without apparent change.
But how does one know that there
has been no change, no growth Of
will or purpose, in this rapidly grow
ing child? None shows But maybe
1t is going on underneath. All of
sudden the teacher forgets this child,
father and mother relax their vigilance.
The report card records, "B plus.
Great Improvement" Did that change
take place those last few weeks? The
process Of growth is long and slow
and steady Only the achievement
appears suddenly. This Is the i'm
portant fact in considering the marks
~ {bo child ", tho a1ny,,ortoy w oradec
The teacher must carefully consider
the child as he is day by day. The
mark records her judgment. 1t may.
or may not, be an accurate measure
of the child's condition. 1t is always
a hint concerning 1t and is to be
taken as just that. 1t can serve to
guide parents and teachers, but it
should never, never be taken as
final judgment upon the child, SEN
tence pronounced upon his character.
One of the best ways we have found
to get at the rate of progress, the
long span measurement. How does
his present attitude and behavior
compare with that Of six months ago?
Is he heading toward the better way
or the worse? A day-by-day look will
not tell us the tendencies of his
growth, but the long-span look will
help us.
Then, after we have thoughtfully
Judged his condition, we must take
the Judgment as q hint to guide our
action. We must interpret it and give
the child what we believe he needs to
help him overcome his difficulties
Long detailed reports issued every four
weeks are likely to become routine !
clerical drudgery with scant bearing
upon the child's real state.
Mr.. Patri will give personal atten-
ton to inquiries from parents and
school teachers on the care and de-
velopment Of children. Write him
tn care of this paper, inclosing = !
Scent stamped, self-addressed en-
velope for reply.
(copyright. 1889