英语沙龙：Children’s Hours at Home（在线收听）

Children’s Hours at Home

However important we may regard school life to be,

there is no denying that children

spend more time at home than in the classroom.

Therefore, the great influence of parents cannot be ignored

or discounted by the teacher.

They can become strong allies of the school personnel

or they can consciously or unconsciously hinder curricular objectives.

Administrators have been aware of the need

to keep parents informed of the newer methods used in schools.

Many principal have conducted workshops explaining

such matter as the reading readiness program

and developmental mathematics.

Moreover, the teacher,

with the permission of the supervisors,

can also play an important role in enlightening parents.

The informal tea and the many interviews carried on during the year,

as well as new ways of reporting pupils’ progress,

can significantly aid in achieving a harmonious interplay

between school and home.

To illustrate,

suppose that a father has been drilling John in arithmetic processes

night after night.

In a friendly interview,

the teacher can help the parent sublimate his natural paternal interest

into productive channels.

He might be persuaded to let John participate in discussing the family budget,

buying the food, using a yardstick at home, setting the clock,

calculating mileage on a trip

and engaging in scores of other activities that have a mathematical basis.

If the father follows the advice,

it is reasonable to assume that he will soon realize

his son is making satisfactory progress in mathematics,

and at the same time, enjoying the work.

Too often, however,

teachers’ conferences with parents

are devoted to petty accounts of children’s wrongdoings，

complaints about laziness and poor work habits,

and suggestions for punishment and rewards at home.

What is needed is more creative approaches in which the teacher,

as a professional adviser,

plants ideas in parents’ minds for the best utilization of the many hours

that the child spends out of the classroom.

In this way,

the school and the home join forces

in fostering the fullest development of youngsters’ capacities.