Evening star., 1938-10-18
Cooperation
Of School
And Home
Needed for Child's
General Growth
Of Character.
By ANGELO PATRI.

The school shoulders the RESPONSE
bility for the pupils attendance and
behavior and progress during school
time. The home carries the rest. The
responsibility Of the school, which Is
the teacher, is a grave one inasmuch
as the family must depend upon her
for much Of the child's growth and
development. Home has to send the
child to school in an attitude for
learning, in good health, in mental
and Bodily comfort. After that the
teacher takes over.
The pupils attendance IS the re-
sponsibility of the school in so far
as the school sessions are concerned.
The teacher must note Immediately
the lateness or absence Of pupil and
report it so that 1t Is recorded accu-
rately and the parents are informed
without delay. No child should be
allowed to be absent without inquiry
on the day of his absence. The par
ents should be notified and the cause
of the absence recorded. Without
delay.
Attendance, punctuality and regl-
larity are important to the child's
progress, character, growth and habits.
If he is ill he is not to attend school.
He cannot learn and he may pass his
illness along. But the parents should
report his illness at once. And the
teacher should record it and the reason
given without delay.
Emphasis must be put on this
mutual notification because children
will absent themselves without cause
other than their own vagary. One
child of 6 stayed out of school for
two weeks without her people knowing
about it. She played with a neigh
bor's girl not yet of school age. She
might have gone on playing there day
after day If the mother Of the younger
child had not called up to ask if it
were all right for Louise to be with her
little one every day. The school had
failed to report the absence.
That is only one instance. 1t can be
multiplied by thousands, for children,
from beginners class through high
school, even young people in college,
have reasons of their own for cutting
classes and school sessions. The scnaol
must shoulder the responsibility for
notification of their parents without
delay.
Sometimes teachers notify parents
when the note might better be with
held. A teacher should think twice,
and then wait and think three times
before sending a note saying that
father must come to school. Father
Is usually out earning living for this
child and the other members of his
family. Then mother? Think care
fully again. Is this deficiency for
which a parent is summoned one that
the home can remedy? Is 1t def
cheney that teaching can remedy?
Then 1t belongs to school. All that is
needed is the report that this child
has this deficiency and that the
teacher Is doing all in her power to
remedy it. We might just as well
understand in the beginning that 1t
Is our duty to teach John his spelling
and Mary her grammar. Mother can't
do that.
We ought to consider what our
duties are and abide by them and ask
help from home only when home can
give 1t effectively. We ought not to
ask for the punishment of children.
Education should correct error. We
may ask for medical help, and the CO.
operation of home in an effort to build
health and character, put in that case
we have a definite plan to offer and
we carry our full share of 1t.
Copyright. 1889