Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1963-05-16
The Public Forum

in the group of 30 to so which
has time only for the superb.
cial, the average and the gen.
eral.
3. Since parents are often
the last to know how far a
childs school performance is
from his true potential, (if
only since the child seldom
knows himself) you may find
you are a little late in spotting
these lags, and that other
measures are needed. This Is
the point at whichever in
classes of less than 30-we call
on the counselors and psyche
logists. Even with Montgomery
County in the vanguard of ed
ucational practice, we often
call in vain or for dangerous
ly long time before help is
available, so great is the num-
Der of children who cannot be
mass-produced. And since the
proportionate number of these
specialists, too, is being re-
duced, just as the need is
about to increase, earmark
something for such an emerg-
ency, should it arise in your
household. ~
A. If your child is not going
to college, put aside something
for the specialized vocational
training he will need in this
age of automation. This is a
responsibility which many for.
ward.looking school systems
are undertaking (see Deem.
Der Readers Digest, why
Johnny Can't Get a Job") and
there are those in our county
schools who see this need. But
ideas like these call for more,
not fewer, teachers, so for the
present you must make your
own plans. I'm other instances,
college expenses may prove
unnecessary, where a child
happens to accumulate too
many steps he does not quite
understand, before anyone has
time to note that he is falling
behind.)
5. And II you feel that all
of your children are perfectly
average, needing help in no
area, gifted in none, perhaps
you should still set aside some.
thing for the possible repercus.
sions of going to school with
an increasing proportion of
children whose unmet needs
are producing a Illustration
and desperation which affects
the lives of those around them.
In elementary school these
young ones do little more than
disturb the class and make
learning slower for all. From
junior high up, they are likely
to be know to the student body
by some such picturesque
name as "the hoods" They
are also well known to the
school authorities, and it will
be no surprise to either, though
it may be to you, If you have
to spend your nest egg of tax
savings to pay for a black eye
or a broken nose when your
child runs afoul of this already
great, soon greater fountain
of embittered hostility.
6. Finally you might put the
money toward a UHF CONVEX
ter for your television so that
if your children are to be
taught by lectures they can
hear the best. Frankly, the
typical Montgomery County
classroom teacher is not train
ed to be a lecturer. He Is
taught TO work with, not over,
youngsters; to know children
and the ways they learn we'll
enough to pin-point the sources
of difficulty as they arise; to
say the word and do the thing
that will make it come clear
for every possible child.
II l speak with feeling, it Is
not to protect my job. Surely
it goes without saying that
even the unframed teacher has
little employment problem to-
day. For those who have sur.
vived several years of Mont.
Continued on Page A5)