Evening star., 1941-01-17
Freedom in
Education
AScreen
Often Used to Hide
Multitude of Sins
Against Children
By A neeio Patri.

By angelo Pafri.
1t did not take long for some
educational authorities, heads OF
schools and classroom teachers to
discover that in liberal education"
freedom in education" there was
an easy way of life One could let
the children go their way and claim
honors for ones modernity, ones
understanding of child nature, and
the like. Some found that out and
made good use of it for their personal
comfort.
That attitude covered laziness,
ignorance, ineXperience, and weak
ness. 1t acted as a sedative against
the meanness of school boards which
would not grant the funds necessary
for a good educational administra-
ton, but demanded a good showing
from the schools. Freedom OF edu-
cation can be used to hide a multi
tude of sins against children, and
sometimes it is used just that way.
A mother was troubled by the lack
of progress her child made and
visited the school. She sat in the
classroom for a whole session and
what she saw sent her home in tears.
1t took 10 minutes to catch the at
tention of the class, then four chill
dren read from their books. 1T
is not necessary for each child to
have a book" she was told. The
social situation is heightened when
they listen to the reader instead
of following the text with their
own eyes
The fact that the class as a group
could not read was passed by. The
truth was that the Board of Edu-
cation in that little town was pinch
ing the schools, pairing down costs so
that material for teaching and
learning was as scarce as hens teeth.
The teacher covered things up as
best she could. But the children
paid the bill All in the name Of
modern education.
There is more laid at the door
of modern education than it ever
fathered. When we say the child
should be freed, we mean freed of
ignorance. He has to be trained,
taught, drilled and practiced in work
and behavior and the decent way
of life. He must be taught the
fundamentals of learning and the
fundamentals of living during the
first seven years of his growth: He
must learn how to work intelligently
and to a satisfactory end. He must
learn to submerge himself for the
good of others and to that end
he must learn to obey his leaders
and those in authority over him.
Some parents and few teachers
have the mistaken idea that obedi-
ence. the cheerful following of the
leader, the bowling to the will of the
authority who is responsible, is un-
democratic. Nothing could be more
a mistake than that. If democracy
means anything, it means the COM
mon good, and how society formed
of individualists, each for himself
and the devil takes the hindmost,
can exist as a democracy or as any
thing else is beyond good sense.
Real modern education frees a
child from the bondage of selfish
ness and leads him to industrious
search for ways of true service.
1t offers children a way of life in
which they can find the best work,
the best ideals, the finest codes
for their personal needs. 1t sets
for the pupils a standard Of service
that leads to Self-realization and
the good of all. This is never gained
by easy means, but by the long hard
way of earnest, devoted, self-sacri-
ficing service to children. There are
no shortcuts to Heaven.