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Show Many changes have taken place in school programs since 1890 American Education Week wasn't even a gleam in anybody's any-body's eye back in 1890, when parents visited the girls' seminary sem-inary to see how their daughters' daugh-ters' education was progressing. progres-sing. The rules confronting the girls and their parents at one such academy read as follows: "No young lady may be enrolled en-rolled who .cannot kindle a fire, wash potatoes, or repeat the multiplication table. She must not tarry before the mirror mir-ror more than three consecutive consecu-tive minutes nor devote more than one hour per day to mis-celaneous mis-celaneous reading. Shakespeare, Shake-speare, Scott's novels, Robinson Robin-son Crusoe and other immoral works are strictly forbidden. "No cosmetics, perfumeries or fancy soap is allowed on the premises. And every stu- When the child enters junior high school, he meets special problems of early adolescence. He changes from childhood dependence de-pendence to adult independence. independ-ence. In an accelerated class he may cover his arithmetic in seventh grade, begin algebra in the eigth, and choose geometry geom-etry in the ninth. He reads and writes. He makes music and paints. He learns crafts. He learns about his country it geography, its history, its government. He runs. He wrestles. He plays football and basketball. He studies science, home economics, good grooming, groom-ing, Latin, French, Spanish and machine shop. He may learn to type. There are assemblies, as-semblies, student council, dances, dan-ces, plays. Quickly he discovers discov-ers there is so much variety in dent should walk at least a mile a day unless a freshet, earthquake or some other calamity ca-lamity prevails. "Finally, no student is expected ex-pected to have any male acquaintances ac-quaintances unless they are retired re-tired missionaries or agents of some benevolent society." Times have changed as parents par-ents .visiting their children's schools during American Education Edu-cation Week 1963 will readily testify! Sometimes they have changed so much just since life that he must learn to choose wisely. ' In high school, his simple foundation in reading and arithmetic becomes formalized in complex departments: English, Eng-lish, foreign languages, social studies, mathematics, science, business education, home economics, econ-omics, industrial arts, phyiscal education, art, music, speech. The extracurricular program satisfies his interests in debate publications, dramatics, athletics, athlet-ics, electronics, teaching, sci- ence, photography, journalism and many others. If he has maintained a high enough average, he may take additional work. In many high schools today, a large percentage percent-age of seniors are taking college col-lege level courses for which they may receive college credit or advanced placement in the colleges they expect to attend. Books, courses, and methods can and do differ from school to school, even from room to room in the same school. But the modern school and the teachers in it have a basic mission. They are trying to meet the particular needs of your child and every child; to help him grow and develop intellectually, morally and physically in his own unique pattern. parents were in school that it's a little bewildering to take it all in. What DOES happen in school nowadays? Some school systems make a real effort to help parents see the broad canvas of education as it relates re-lates to the education of their own children. Here is one such effort of a middle-sized Illinois Illin-ois school system, reported by the National Education Association. Associ-ation. It pointed out the steps on the ladder of learning climbed by each child as he progresses through school as follows: The foundation for the child's education is built in the elementary school. There he learns to read, to count, to make decisions, to find out what happens when a Dan of ice is placed over heat, to write, to draw and paint, to sing and play, and to care for others like him and different from him. But the schools cannnot do this job alone. Parents need to work with their children throughout these golden years of education encouraging and guiding, not pressuring and forcing. Parents should be listening to their children's prattle, reading and figuring; displaying their art and hearing hear-ing their music; listening to their plans, their hopes, their dreams; nuturing them and providing for their needs at every age level and most of all, living lives based on significant signif-icant values. Children need living liv-ing examples every step of the way. Guam is the largest island of the Pacific group known as the Marianas. nMAA'JWWWW'AlII II IBlllll III |