Go astray

Title

Go astray

Language

English

Year

1947

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

.. . ' I -·ASTRAY -, First in your dedication to the teaching of yoluig people, in your-dedication to' the development of · be.tter human beings, as you encourage sincerity, hone.sty, and responsibi)ity in your stucfents, are you being sincere, honest, and responsible with them? Secondly, do you b.ave faith in your pupils? Thirdly, are you encouraging them to take the first steps to· ward shared responsibility? Lastly, when pupils do a good job do you give them due recognition? ' . These challenges have been given 'to clarify the fact that• we must. have a happy medium of creativeness imd cooperativeness on the part of our teachers in order that our goals of desirable citizenship, character, · personality, and thinking ability will develop a~ong our children--;-and that grim spectre-Juvenile Delinquency, wi!~ turn clanking bitter disappointment away from its schools and in this way, away from every home in the Philippines, · In order that these goals can be achieved, a formul.a can be suggest- .. ed: The formula is harmonious behavior plus useful participation with two abilities-the ability to get along witb other people and the ability to adjust to changing situations-to ba developed through two practices-carrying on .active participation and sharing responsibility. In this development of desirable 'behavior patterns, as the forces for ·juvenile delinquency, the school environment _ too, looms as an important factor. Environment ·is more than the sum of physical surroundings and personaiities. It includes the things that cbildren do; the acts of citizenship that they practice; the opportunities that they practice; the opportunities that they have to think to make decisions, to take responsibilities. If then, we are set on stamping out those factors th-at breed juvenile delinque'ncy and are bent on setting up those conditions conducive to the developlllent of desirable behavior patterns, let us consider what the school and its e13vironment itself can contribute to mental and physical health; let us search for realistic means of developing a school community code; let us examine carefully our own attitudes; let us provide thl!" opportunity for children to make real decisions and to take carefully graduated responsibilities; let us give children an abundance of practice in the skills of citizenship; and let us be elastic enough in our thinking and working to try a new way of doing things wben we .are convinced of its value and to part with a practice-new or old-when vie know it is useless. And one thing we are convinced now as to its value is an all out coordination of all efforts to dE>velop citizenship, personality, character, and thinking ability in every classroom, home, nook, and cranny of every communi_ ty-for then and there only would the problem of juvenile delinquency disappear from our midst! 27 • I

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