Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-09-11
influenced
First Grade
Teachers
Beginners Glass
Influences All
School Life
By ANGELO PATRI.

# you were building structure
that you hoped would last 100 years
and more, you would give careful
attention to the foundations as a
matter of course. Often I wonder
why the schools do not think OF
that sole principle when they
assign teachers to the beginners
class in elementary schools.
Here we have the child fresh from
home, all set to begin his book edu-
cation. all set to begin his first and
most lasting impressions of school,
It's methods, it's meanings for him
In terms of work. play. association
with teachers and children. More
important to him among all the eX-
periences of school are the asso-
Citations with his teacher.
The first grade teacher is the
childs school mother. She takes
the place of mother in the child's
mind, but new kind OF mother
one clothed with the majesty OF
authority, surrounded by a halo OF
goodness and wisdom, and illumined
in goodness. The trusting, awe
struck glance that the new pupil
gives his first teacher speaks of his
affectionate dependence upon her.
Sometimes the child's trust is met
and justified. He has one OF those
splendid teachers for his first year.
Under her guidance he learns to
give himself to his group, to work
with them tremendously. He learns
to work joyously for the reward OF
her smiling. well done" He learns
the beauty of honest work, Of work
done to his best standard. He leaves
her room a high-spirited, eager
searcher for knowledge, an A or B
plus child, who loves his school,
loves his work and wants to do his
best always The start that the
good first grade teacher gives a
child lasts for his good even beyond
his educational life, for it reaches
into the very depths Of his charac-
ter.
But what happens when the
teacher of this group is not the
high-class. professional teacher she
ought to be? What happens when
the school board thinks that any
nice young girl can teach the babies?
Failure. disaster unmeasured hap
pens. The children pay all their
lives long for the bad effects of
the unframed. ignorant teacher of
the first grade
They did not learn to read with
precision and understanding. so they
lost much of the value of such sub
jects as history. physics, literature.
They did not learn to do their num-
Der tables accurately and auto
matically so all their lives long they
are handicapped with doubt as to
whether 7 and 9 are 16 or what
All their school work was slowed up
by such clouded thinking, so they
did not reach the standards their
abilities offered. Some of them fell
out of school early because they dis
liked it, had difficulty with the
three Rs-the fundamental tools of
learning. One thing I feel sure of,
though. and that is: Most of the
children who had the fine teacher
in the beginning did we'll ever after
ward.
The three RS are the basis of all
education, the foundation on which
all other learning rests. If the chill
dren learn them thoroughly, if they
get the right attitude toward this
learning in the very first class, they
do we'll in the grades that follow
and go farther than those who were
not so fortunate. If I were king,
I would find the best teachers in
the world and put them in charge
of the beginners and pay them
princely salaries because they would
be worth them, They lay the foun-
dalton for character, for learning,
for the good life.