Official proceedings of the annual meeting: 1923

A DAY WITH THE VISITING TEACHER-CASE

429

She arrives at her school at 8:30 with the other members of the faculty and the
children, and holds office hours for about one hour. During this time, names of children
with data concerning them are referred to her by the teacher, who is supplied with a pad
of special form in duplicate used with a carbon. Both blanks are sent to the visiting
teacher. One is returned to the teacher and the other is filed with the visiting teacher.
The reasons for referring children may be necessary school adjustments, home conditions, behavior problems, or various minor reasons. School adjustments are made for
several reasons, and are generally accomplished after conference with parents, principal,
or teacher.
Since entering the city schools, John had made fourteen changes in schools and had
lived at twelve different addresses. He was a healthy, robust child of eleven years,
with a bright, winning smile and mischievous eyes. He entered the present school at
promotion time with low marks, but a trial promotion was urged nevertheless. No
teacher had had him long enough to discover his possibilities. All had been guided by
his permanent record card, which registered failure. In conference with his father,
foster mother, and teacher, a splendid co-operation for John's interest has been worked
out. He is now working for a double promotion in June.
When her office hour is ended, the visiting teacher goes into the field. The districts vary according to the location of the school, and each has distinct characteristics.
The largest has an area of two and one-half by two miles. While one portion is wholly
rural, another has a fairly good residential section. in which are located several large
manufacturing concerns and a slaughter house, but no playground. The children play
in the dump and canal bank. Thrifty Italian peasants occupy the farm land, while
German Americans are in the residential sections. The visiting teacher covers this
field on a bicycle.
Another type of district is a congested, foreign one. In registration it ranks third
among the grammar schools, although geographically speaking it is the smallest district
in the city. However, on account of the foreign department and various special classes
the district limits are somewhat extended. There are fourteen nationalities represented
in the foreign class. About 59 per cent of the people are Jewish.
Other types of schools covered by visiting teachers are the normal school, with
opportunity to give social vision to normal students, grammar and high schools combined, and a grammar school located in a down-town rooming-house section.
Home conditions are the second cause for referring cases to the visiting teacher.
Her method of improving them is by educating parents and relatives of the children
through repeated home visits. For example: Lena, an orphan, age thirteen, living
with her married sister since her mother's death five years ago, was reported for irregular
attendance and poor work. She was the child household drudge, receiving in return,
beyond food and a place to sleep, the scantiest of clothing, little appreciation or affection and no recreation. The family was in comfortable circumstances according to
medium Italian standards. Visits in the home and talks with the child gave the family
a feeling of interest and, finally, more important still, of friendliness. Lena's classwork
improved. The married sister and brother-in-law became more appreciative of her
and saw her in a different light and as a child. Their ideas broadened to include the
playground and to allow her to spend occasional afternoons with the "Big Sister" who
had been found for her. She now makes her own clothing and is proud of it. Her
personal appearance has improved, and, best of all, she takes a more normal place in the