Official proceedings of the annual meeting: 1923

SOCIAL CASE WORK AND SCHOOL PROGRAMS-FITZGERALD 43I

In another school a gang of boys was broken up by placing them in different shops
according to their interests and qualifications. Their leisure time was utilized by the
formation of a scout troop, under the leadership of the physicial training director.
They are now active assistants in the school government system.
From four to five o'clock the visiting teacher may attend a facuilty meeting, community gathering, or staff meeting. As an accepted member of the faculty she makes
her contribution in all discussions that pertain to school organization. The "on-time"
campaign was worked out as a stimulus toward acquiring the habit of promptness.
She is consulted before free tickets are issued for the children's lunch. She helps plan
a corrective gym class with the physical education director. She presents the need of a
nutrition class when imperative.
In our experience one distinct effect of systematic home-visiting is the more frequent
visiting of parents to the schools. The visiting teacher stimulates the desire of parents
to attend parent-teachers' association meetings. In one school, the object of these
meetings was to be a serious study of the welfare of the children everywhere-in home,
school, and community-and to encourage a true understanding and co-operation
between parents and teachers. These meetings averaged 500oo in attendance.
The give and take of the weekly staff meeting in the central office is a source of
inspiration as well as a substantial aid. Here we see our special children and district
in the light of the larger whole. A special lecture given by heads of allied departments
of the school system or of social agencies fill some of the Wednesday staff days, or a study
of case work. Here a good social service library is at hand.
THE RELATION OF SOCIAL CASE WORK TO SCHOOL
PROGRAMS
James Fitzgerald, Executive Secretary, Society of St. Vincent
de Paul, Detroit
A present summing up of the relation between the school and the social agencies
would reveal that, while in theory their development is along converging lines, in
method their advance is still along diverging lines, with at best certain more or less
well-established paths of intercommunication. In theory the relation between education and social work is one of approaching merger; in practice the best relation we
have yet achieved does not go beyond a rather one-sided co-operation. But even
perfect co-operation would not be enough. No matter how far we develop co-operation, it will not do for the school and the social agency to continue radically different
methods in practice.
Social case work, the distinctive method of social work, should be related to the
school program, the method of education, as an integral part thereof.
Catholic philosophy teaches that man is made in the image and likeness of God,
for God's extrinsic glory ultimately and for man's own happiness proximately; that
each of us is in his nature an image of infinite knowledge. infinite goodness, infinite skill,
and infinite beauty, and that in being this, in realizing this to the fullest of our capacities consists here and hereafter our happiness and our destiny. From this it necessarily and apparently follows that man's chief business in life is to bring his person,