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Show School and v) Home fe 7 by Dr. Daryl J. McCarty f Executive Secretary J. UIUII LUUuiiUM nsawtiui When you get an invitation to meet with your child's teacher to talk about your Larry, don't jump to the conclusion con-clusion that it's because Larry has been acting like Atilla the Hun. He's probably a very good student. Most kids are, you know. The teacher probably needs to know more about Larry in order to do a better job of instruction. Here are some questions you might want to ask the teacher in your individual conference: What is Larry's ability level? (You probably will get a general statement in reply, rather than a reading on his I.Q.) Is Larry doing as well as he can? What books are being used? Has Larry shown any special interests? Does Larry get along with his classmates? Does he participate par-ticipate in group activities? Is he a leader? Does he have any discipline problems? Larry's teacher will probably have a series of questions for you. The teacher may ask about Larry's reaction to school. Does he have any health or emotional problems? What are his hobbies, special interests in-terests and abilities? How and where does he- do his homework? What kinds of responsibilities does he have at home? One good question for you to ask the teacher is this: How can I help Larry at home with any problem areas he may have? If you forget about the conference con-ference when you leave the school, the exercise may have been a futile one. But if you discuss the experience ex-perience with your child, talk about books the teacher recommended for reading, mention plans for better study habits, point out positive things the teacher said about Larry, and set in motion any idea for helping your son- it might be one of the most important things you could do for him. In suburban Salt Lake City the students of a junior high school slammed their lockers shut and headed home after, .another day of study. One of them didn't go with them. He had promised his teacher he would stay after school and study a subject for a certain amount of time. , Alone in the classroom, the youth went to work. Suddenly, an explosion rocked the school. Quickly, teachers gathered at the office of-fice buzzing with questions about what had happened. A school employe shouted that a furnace had exploded. He said there was a possibility that another blast could hit the school. "Let's get everybody out of the school," somebody yelled. Quickly, teachers headed down the halls on the dead run, opening doors and searching sear-ching classrooms. A teacher entered one room and gasped in surprise at what he saw. In that room was the youth who had that extra studying to do. The classroom was slightly damaged from the explosion, and little wisps of powdered plaster were still falling from the ceiling. The youth was calmly reading a book. "Get out of here, fast!" the teacher yelled. "I can't," said the youth. "What do you mean you can't?" cried the agitated teacher. "I promised Mister Hammer Ham-mer I would study here till four o'clock," the youth explained. ex-plained. As tense as the situation was, the teacher probably smiled in admiration. It was one of the most vivid displays of real, honest-to-goodness character he'd ever seen in a student. That really happened, and I related it for the benefit of those who may think youngsters aren't made of solid stuff anymore. They can be great. |