Roanoke Rapids daily herald., 1948-11-05
Helping
Child With

" GARRY CLEVELAND MYERS, Pl.p.

GARRY CLEVELAND MYERS. Pl.D.
HYS wonderful when a father or
mother really enjoys helping the
child with his lessons. Then the child
enjoys it, too. Out of the experience
can come 4 very delightful compan.
ionship.
Once while | was visiting in the
home Of . school superintendent his
son appeared, saying to the father:
ii have studied my history assign
ment and ! wish you would ask me a
few questions to see if have got il !"
Very graciously the father asked
the lad few questions, which he
answered well. Then the father ex.
planned some things in the assign
ment which the boy had not thought
of or been familiar with. The lad re-
turned to his place of study in high
spirits. l greatly enjoyed observing
the delightful father-son compan-
ionship.
Read 4 Selection
Here recall like enjoyment had
with my own children when they
we're in high school. For example,
the youngest boy came to me one
evening and said, Don't you think
this is good?" as he read a selec-
tion from "The Merchant of Ven
ice." He added, "You should hear
Miss - read Shakespeare"
But in many items of homework
found myself a bit rusty or wholly
unfamiliar. Yet ! was given the
compliment, occasionally, of being
shown some item or achievement in
homework by one or another of
these youths. Besides, they often
talked at length during meals Of
some Of the intriguing facts they
had learned in 4 course at school.
At such times Mrs. Myers and l al
ways listened eagerly and profit
ably.
Unhappy Memories
There also crowd in few memo
ries not quite SO happy, in relation
to home work in the intermediate
and upper grades. It's not pleasant
to admit that on a few occasions
when / was helping one of the chill
dren with spelling, reading or arith-
netic l was not nearly an ideal
dad. Even then I was writing this
column and often urging parents
to be very calm and patient, never
to let the voice rise nor even allow
themselves to feel vexed when the
child stumbled over a letter, word
or number. One day the youngest
boy physically indisposed was home
from school. l had him practice
some on reading, since he Jagged
at reading then. Not very eagerly he
read to me, but after few minutes
he said, dad, let's play checkers,
and we did. Then ! discovered that
l had shown 4 bit Of irritation over
the mistakes he made.
Well, tried harder after that
tAapllow my own teaching, but l
knJw very well how difficult it was
to do so. Yet also know that one
should not only show no anger but
feel none over the child's mistakes
when one helps him with his les
sons. l also discovered that it was
not possible to hide wholly any vex-
alton I felt.
Well, as kept trying and using
my imagination to put myself in
his place I made improvement.
When one can get full measure Of
such vicarious experience one does
not need to struggle to be patient.
Patience just comes on its own ac-
cord then. Far more at length, ! dis
cuss these matters in my bulletin,
parents and the Child's Home
Work." to be had in stamped en-
; velope.
Answering Parents Questions
Q. Our child two years old has
developed speech very slowly.
A. Have his hearing tested. Read
to him often. Get him with other
children. Talk to him companion
ably, but do not insist that he talk
My bulletin, 1.-THE Young Chllds
Speech" may be had in stamped
envelope.