NEW VIEW OF THE TRUANT.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18618, 14 July 1930, Page 9

NEW VIEW OF THE TRUANT.

LOST ON WAY TO SCHOOL. The problem of dealing with the abnormal child was discussed by Dr. Letitia Fairfield, Senior Medical Officer to the London County Council. Dr. Fairfield was addressing a conference of the National Union of Women teachers at Central Hall. Wes-minster. The importance of taking into account the surroundings and environment of the child, both at home and at school, was stressed by Dr. Fairfield. Even an excellent father, she said, who was what the Americans would call “a good provider,” could make his household thoroughly wretched because of his bad temper. It was little things such as this which might affect the whole life and career of a child.

Investigations in Chicago had shown that a large number of cases of bad jehaviour among children were due to :he fact that the child was expected to behave in a way that would be normal for its age in years, but far ahead of its actual mental standard. As a result one found boys being punished for playing truant simply because they were of a mental age of about four and a-half years and could not find their way to school. When a child's mental capacity was not up to the normal one obtained two common reactions. One reaction made a child want to stick pins into “those horrid little beasts” who were able to learn so easily. The other

reaction made the child sit perfectly passive, staring dreamily into vacancy, while the stream of learning passed over its head.

Persistent stealing without any obvious motive on the part of a child might often be due to a secret grudge which the child had against its parents or stepmother. “It will often compensate for this by stealing money to give away to other children at school in order to make itself popular." said Dr. Fairfield. “What we have to do is to try and remove the cause of such behaviour and also to strengthen the child’s moral fibre, so that it will learn that that is the wrong way to behave in a difficult situation.” Dr. Olive Wheeler, Professor of Education for the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire, spoke on the problem of the senior school curriculum. There was a big claim, she said, in favour of the inclusion of the domestic arts in the curriculum of a senior girls’ school. If would make a great difference if we had one generation of senior school pupils going out into the world with some real creative ability in the domestic arts. What a difference it would make to the kind of home in which the next generation would be brought up! Dr. Wheeler mentioned a small house she knew* in which a woman worked herself to “skin and bones” trying to run it properly and keep it clean. She failed because she had no education for it beyond the three R’s. The parlour contained numerous antimacassars and the W’alls were covered with pictures of Methodist ministers. “I counted,” said Dr. Wheeler, “at least fourteen china dogs in that parlour each with a different facial expression. Although the countryside outside was carpeted with wild flowers, j there was not a natural flower in the | room. Children brought up in such a ! parlour may well have their whole outlook on life distorted. They will come >to think of the universe as a conglomeration of useless articles.