Children’s Hours at Home

However important we may regard school life to be,
there is no denying that children
spend more time at home than in the classroom.
Therefore, the great influence of parents cannot be ignored
or discounted by the teacher.
They can become strong allies of the school personnel
or they can consciously or unconsciously hinder curricular objectives.
Administrators have been aware of the need
to keep parents informed of the newer methods used in schools.
Many principal have conducted workshops explaining
such matter as the reading readiness program
and developmental mathematics.
Moreover, the teacher,
with the permission of the supervisors,
can also play an important role in enlightening parents.
The informal tea and the many interviews carried on during the year,
as well as new ways of reporting pupils’ progress,
can significantly aid in achieving a harmonious interplay
between school and home.
To illustrate,
suppose that a father has been drilling John in arithmetic processes
night after night.
In a friendly interview,
the teacher can help the parent sublimate his natural paternal interest
into productive channels.
He might be persuaded to let John participate in discussing the family budget,
buying the food, using a yardstick at home, setting the clock,
calculating mileage on a trip
and engaging in scores of other activities that have a mathematical basis.
If the father follows the advice,
it is reasonable to assume that he will soon realize
his son is making satisfactory progress in mathematics,
and at the same time, enjoying the work.
Too often, however,
teachers’ conferences with parents
are devoted to petty accounts of children’s wrongdoings，
complaints about laziness and poor work habits,
and suggestions for punishment and rewards at home.
What is needed is more creative approaches in which the teacher,
as a professional adviser,
plants ideas in parents’ minds for the best utilization of the many hours
that the child spends out of the classroom.
In this way,
the school and the home join forces
in fostering the fullest development of youngsters’ capacities.