THE CHEMAWA AMERICAN
H. E. WADSWORTH, Superintendent
VOLUME 15
JUNE, J? J3
NUMBER 9
THE INFLUENCE OF TIIE HOME
SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY UPON
THE EDUCATION OF A CHILD
J O H A N N A E . H O F F M A N N , Red Lake, Minn,
'H E end of education and in struction of youth is to
m ake men better; not sim ply more in tellig en t, b u t
m ore m o ra l.” Plato.
A careful observer of n atu re will note th at c h il
dren grow and develop in very m uchthe same m a n
ner as plants and anim als. N atu re has b u t one law
for grow th. P lants grow n under perfect conditions
are perfect. T he child born of perfect parents, bro u g h t up perfectlv
in a perfect environm ent would probably have no faults; and would
develop into an ideal man or w om an, morally as well as physically.
I he above conditions are but too rarely found; and therefore parents
and teachers m u st unite th eir efforts to b rin g out all the best qualities
in the child, and restrain th e un h ealth y ones. If p aren ts fail to do
this teachers m ust do the best possible under the conditions.
A s soon as th e c h ild ’s will appears he definitely assum es control of
the regulated m ind. Before this tim e all m ovem ents and m ental p ro
cesses were autom atic. Now he m ust be guided and controlled. Not
as one would control a y o ung horse or deer; b u t by skillfully seeking
for those opportunities and tools th at will teach him self-control: and a
love for righteousness, to prefer rig h t doing to w rong doing; to make
rig h t doing a p erm an en t desire. T herefore, in all dealings with the
child an effort should be made to convince him of the ugliness and
painfulness of w rong doing. It is tru e th at some children m ust be d is
ciplined w hen th ey en ter school; b u t th at is because th eir hom e tra in
ing has been defective and the school m ust try to rem edv the harm
which was caused by neglect.
Iw erv child has different natu ral tendencies and therefore no specific
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