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Show Elementary Supervisor Of Schools Tells About Some Of The Problems As They Affect Our Young Boys, Girls By LaRue Burgess The elementary school program demanded by our times is one in which boys and girls are brought into daily contact with real life experiences, are taught to stand on their own feet and are prepared for social efficiency in the complex com-plex life of tomorrow. In a recent survey it was found that parents and teachers, want the same things for children: not exclusively ex-clusively skills in using the three "R's" (although these are extremely extreme-ly important), but they want human hu-man values ability to work with people, a sense of personal worth, ability to enjoy living, a sense of satisfaction in work well done, an eager inquiring mind and to become be-come a worthy member of our democratic society. If children are to become the in-Continued in-Continued on page B-3 ELEMENTARY PROGRAM. . . Continued from page B-l telligent citizenry of tomorrow, forming judgments without being swayed by propaganda, then teaching teach-ing children to become intelligent readers and thinkers because they can read well continues to be an important objective of our schools now and throughout the foreseeable foresee-able future. To accomplish this, we need a greater abundance of interesting easy reading material in our schools so that children will form the habit of gaining information informa-tion and enjoyment from the printed print-ed page. The greatest learning is said to take place between a child and his book. In order that children may develop de-velop a deep sense of identification with society and its members and a personal conviction of 'his individual in-dividual worth, two things are necessary: 1. We shall have to avoid anything any-thing which causes the child to feel that he is an outsider and do everything within reason to help him feel that he is a participant in society with pride in its achievements achieve-ments and a stake in its future. 2. We shall have to do more than we have done to help the child respect his potentialities and his talents to discover that he has something to give to the world, and that what he does makes a difference. Much of the teaching today is with real experiences in which children have a part in choosing what they will study and' in planning plan-ning with the teacher the activities activi-ties involved. At the end of a unit of work they help evaluate their experiences, ways of working together to-gether and point out where they could have improved the study. Only the learnings which a child selects and accepts unconsciously or deliberately becomes a part of himself. This is one reason why a child may have failed to learn phonics or some other fact even though the teacher may have been very diligent in teaching it. Children live in a world of science including not only the things of his natural environment but many things invented by man. Science teaching should develop in the child scientific attitudes such as a curiosity in searching for reliable re-liable information; changing ideas and opinions, when new evidence is produced; learning to distinguish between fact and fancy; and find valid ways of checking his thinking. think-ing. We must have a program in science which deals with the concerns, con-cerns, interests, and needs of children. chil-dren. It should include those understandings un-derstandings which will help children chil-dren live securely in today's world through an understanding of the world about him. Margaret Meade said, "One thing we know is that we don't know what children will have to adjust to in the future." Therefore, There-fore, it is our duty to help each child live to the fullest each day they are under our care. These things we are sincerely trying to do in our teaching in Duchesne County. Teachers are always al-ways anxious to improve their methods of instruction. "No one of us, working alone, can bring within the reach of all children that which the best parent par-ent wishes for his own. We must think and work together." Frances Fran-ces Hamilton, executive secretary, Association for Childhood Education Educa-tion International. |