SCHOOL AND HOME

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 152, 15 July 1937, Page 5

SCHOOL AND HOME

—Own Gorrespondent.)

Correlation Work In Britain PSYCHOLOGICAL MATTER

(By Telegraph-

AUCKLAND, Last Night. The steps taken in Great Britain to - ward the ideal of binding together the work of the school and the home were described in detail by Dr. Susan Isaacs in au address to a crowded audieuce ar the Technical College on "The School and the Home." Special clinics throughout the British Isles, said the lecturer, devoted their time to the study of child pgychplogy and home conditions. The schools referred their more diffieult children to the clinies, who made their observations a»4 gave adviee on the handling of the case. A-ll manner of caees came into the hands of the clinics' officers, children who stole. children who were haid to control and others with eccentricities which xnade them diffieult to teach. The careful observations made by the doctors and psychologists attached to the clinics rarely failed to bring abont an improvement. Workers with an intimate knowledge of child psychology (and of parent psychology) were able to go into the homes of diffieult cases and form their own impreesions. They were able to mahe an estiiqate of eeonomic conditions and the general atmosphere of the home and then discuss the probable caxise of the troxxble with the School and with the parents themselves. These elinics, of which about 6Q existed, were essentially for the more diffieult cases. There was also a need to study the wants of the ordinary child. Here, again, the parents must be eonsulted, Teachers met parents who were nuisances, and others who took little interest in the activities. Between tho two extremes was growing an intelligent concern in, the school life - of the child. Dr. Isaacs emphasised that a teacher dealing with children of all ages could not do the work. thoroughly without some knowledge of home conditions., This did not mean economie conditions alone, but the general attitude oi the parents toward tlie children. In England a "Homo and School Council" had been established with tho object of linking up the work of the home and school. It endeavoured to bring together the parents and the psychologists. It was necessary to use great care when discussing tho problems of children with their parents. The job had to be done in a simple, natural way that would create a better relationship between the home and school. It must be remembered, that the school* did not teach the home everything. The school had only developed through what it had learned from tho home. It was becoming more and more a home, where there were pleasant surroundings aud pleasant relationships; where life was interpreted for the child; where the teacher was becoming another parent.