The Coolidge examiner., 1939-08-24


ments independently. Therefore il
is important that parents develop
in their children an understanding
of why he should behave as he is
asked to behave. If blind obedi.
ence is demanded beyond the age
when a child can understand the
reasons for doing something, then
the parents are merely serving to
prolong the child's infancy. And if
blind obedience is so exacted, the
child will find it necessary to as
sert his own individuality, will be
rebellious and resentful, will COM
pensate by other misbehavior.
Even when children are quite
young there are many opportunities
for them to work with parents in
forming regulations for procedure.
Often it need not be a demand on
the part of the parent but a joint
decision by parent and child.
OF course, there are the oc-
casions when children will ask
questions in lorder to postpone
obedience and stall. This sort of
questioning can easily be dis
tinguished from that prompted by
genuine curiosity. A little firmness
usually takes care of these cases.
QUESTION: Should more men
teach school?
REPLY: In 1896 2O.6 percent of
all teachers in public elementary
and secondary schools were men.
Many educators feel that this pro-
portion should be greater not be-
cause men are necessarily better
teachers than women but because
it is felt that school children should
be exposed to a more balanced and
normal school environment and
not develop solely under the in
fluence of women.
This implies, of course, men
teachers at least equal to women
in ability and who look upon
tea aching not as stopgap but as
i lifetime profession. Present day
teaching is rapidly becoming a
highly specialized profession re-
quiring men and women of high
calibre and offering considerable
opportunities of service. The trend
towards higher salaries and better
tenure and retirement laws has
been largely in order to make
teaching more attractive to men
and women of this type.
QUESTION: What do teachers
mean when they say 6-3-3 or 6-4-4
division of schools
REPLY: 6-3-3 means years of
elementary school, years of junior
high school, and years of senior
high school. This division is rapid
ly supplanting the older division OF
8 years for elementary school and
for high school.
ga is a new development de-
signed to intergrate the Junior
colleAe with the public school
system. It means 6 years of ele-
mentary school, years of Junior
high school, and 5 years Of high
school and Junior college combined.
QUESTION: What health tests
are there for youngsters entering
school? What is done about those
found to be low in health?
REPLY: Because many children
entering school suffer from re-
mediable physical defects likely
to handicap their school careers,
schools have made it a policy to
have all entering pupils examined
either at the time of entrance or
during the summer before AS
result of these examinations par
ents and teachers receive compel
ent advice both foi improving the
child's health and for adjusting
the school program to his physical
capacity. Where there are remedi-
able health defects suggestions are
made for their correction. Fortu-
nately most defects are easily
corrected if found early enough.
These examinations usually cover
the child's general health and
physical development, the condi-
ton of his teeth, and whether his
sight and hearing are normal.
These examinations are admin
istered in several ways. The most
acceptable method, according to
DR. c. L. Brownell of Teachers
College, Columbia University, is
for the child to be examined by
the family physician and dentist
with the school authorities CO.
operating In using the results. In