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Show ouit CHILDREN i!y ANCKLO 'ATM CHECK UP NOW CHECK up on your school child's work. Study his latest report card. If there are slgna that he la falling In a subject. It uny of his marks are falling fall-ing oft, take up the mailer at once. Talk first to the child anil remember that your attitude on this Is of first Importance. If you take the tone that the child has neglected bla work and disgraced lilmscir you won't get very far. (Jo about It gently. Ask til in where he thinks the trouble In ind when he says. "Aw. she never gives me a chance." don't 11 y up at him and end the conference In a tense situation-Listen. situation-Listen. Keep on listening. Let him say all be has to say In his own defense and question him further. By and by he will begin to disclose something of bla dilliculty and that Is what you need. After you have talked to the boy go to see the teacher. Once more you must go about your task tactfully and In the spirit of helpfulness. The teacher teach-er Is your partner, your working partner, part-ner, and unless she Is with you strongly you are not going to succeed. Tell the teacher you want to do all you can to kfep the child progressing steadily and ask her what you can do. Then plan with her. Don't be satisfied satis-fied until you can answer these questions ques-tions : Why Is the child falling behlnd7 W hat must be done first to make up the falling? How much more work has he to cover before the term end? Can you see a way clear for him to accomplish It? Can you make a schedule ot work that will enable the child to complete his work well within the time and allow him some time for review and reorganization? You see you tiave not only to bring the child up to the standard Just now, you have to plan to help him maintain that standard. You cannot do the work for hlin but you can so organize his work In co-operation with the teacher that be can carry on for himself. him-self. All you can do. once you have found the difficulty, strengthened It, laid out the term plan. Is to stand on the sidelines and coacb and cheer. He must do the rest. If sickness has kept a child from school and cost him his standing don't try to make It up at one bite. Talk things over with the teacher. Scale down the subject matter to the essen-tlals. essen-tlals. It Is surprising bow much easier this makes the child's work. Sometimes a special program will enable a child to make up lessons. This can usually be obtained by asking ask-ing for It at the schooL Drill will not help clear up misunderstood lessons. Get the facts right, the understanding understand-ing clear before you begin the drilL I LOST IT d'TOM, where Is your cap?" 1 "1 lost It" "You lost it? Where?" "1 don't know." "You don't know. Do you suppose that ail I have to do is buy you one cap after another? Now you go look for that cap until you find IL" "1 don't know where to look." "Neither do L You lost it You go find IL" After a brief Interval Tom comes back. "Well, did you find It?" "No. I looked everywhere but It Isn't there." "1 suppose so. I'll have to buy you another cap. That makes five this term. I don't know what Is going to come of you if you don't take care of your things." Why buy him another one? It won't hurt him to do without his cap. Many a boy never wears a cap, except on very stormy days Even if he has to go to church and Sunday school hat-less, hat-less, what of it? He doesn't wear a hat In church anyway. And If he really real-ly wanted n cap he wouldn't lose it so many times. I believe that Is true, if a child truly wants a thing be won't lose It save rarely. He Is conscious of the thing he wants to keep. He loses a thing he is not conscious of wanting. The way to get him to keep his hat is to make him conscious of needing it. That you do by letting him go without with-out IL That goes for other things that be loses and forgets. Do not replace it and make him go without until he replaces re-places it If possible. A child forgets and loses the things he doesn't want to keep in mind or pocket. The poor report is lost or forgotten. The good one. never. When you find that a child is forgetting for-getting certain things, losing other things, habitually, consider the reason. rea-son. Study why he wants to lose or forget There Is always a reason. The child's mind Is always on his side. It helps him to forget and to lose undesirable unde-sirable thoughts. It closes them out with a finality that Is as complete as darkness at midnight Find the reason. rea-son. Don't accuse the child ot willfully forgetting. He does not willfully forget for-get or lose the unpleasing thing or idea. He is unconscious of his desire to forget and to lose. Remove the cause of his desire and put something desirable in its stead. Give blm experiences ex-periences that will make him conscious con-scious ot his need to remember and hold on. and he will do both. . Bell Syndicate. WXtJ Service |