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 iKE VISITING TEACHER 
 
 IN THE UNITED STATES 
 
 A SURVEY BY THE 
 
 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF VISITING TEACHERS 
 
 AND 
 
 HOME AND SCHOOL VISITORS 
 
 
 Published by the 
 
 PUSUC EDUCATION ASSOCIATION OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK 
 
 8 West 40th Street. New York City 
 
 JUNE 1921 
 

THE VISITING TEACHER 
 
 IN THE UNITED STATES 
 
 A SURVEY BY THE 
 
 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF VISITING TEACHERS 
 
 AND 
 
 HOME AND SCHOOL VISITORS 
 
 Published by the 
 
 ucation Association of the City of New York 
 
 8 West 40th Street, New York City 
 
 JUNE 1921 
 
"•" — .-.-•:•. .. 
 
 vi 5 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 Introduction 5 
 
 Foreword 7 
 
 I. How Visiting Teacher Work Originated and Developed 9 
 
 II. The Place of the Visiting Teacher in the School System. 13 
 
 III. How the Visiting Teacher Goes About Her Work 17 
 
 IV. Why Children Are Referred to the Visiting Teacher 23 
 
 V. How the Visiting Teacher Analyzes and Solves Her 
 
 Problems 2.7 
 
 1. Maladjustments in Scholarship 28 
 
 2. Adverse Home Conditions 34 
 
 3. Behavior Problems and Prevention of Delinquency. 39 
 
 4. Leaving School Prematurely 45 
 
 5. Problems of the Foreign Born 47 
 
 6. Summary of the General Measures Found to be 
 
 Effective So 
 
 VI. What Qualifications Are Essential for Visiting Teacher 
 
 Work 54 
 
 VII. What are the Fundamental Characteristics and the 
 
 Prospects of the Work 59 
 
 ? 
 
 45230C 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 THIS REPORT ON VISITING TEACHERS in the 
 United States by the National Association of Visiting 
 Teachers and Home and School Visitors should be of 
 great interest to educators and laymen everywhere who are 
 seeking to enable the schools to meet the needs of individual 
 children. i , 
 
 The Public Education Association takes peculiar pleasure 
 in publishing this report because it has for years maintained a 
 staff of several visiting teachers, who have co-operated with 
 the principals and teachers in the New York City public schools 
 in solving such problems. The report is a splendid sequel to 
 'The Visiting Teacher in New York City" by Harriet M. 
 Johnson, formerly of the Association's staff, published by the 
 Association in 1916. It not only furnishes a vivid picture of 
 what visiting teachers everywhere are doing but gives the un- 
 mistakable impression that the work is no longer an unproven 
 experiment but an integral part of a progressive program of 
 public education. As the first report of the National Associa- 
 tion, it is to be highly commended and regarded as an initial 
 publication that gives promise of future valuable contributions 
 to the literature of this important subject. 
 
 Aside from the clarity with which the technique of the 
 work is analyzed and described, there is one aspect of the re- 
 port which is of especial interest to the Public Education Asso- 
 ciation. We note that usually this work has been initiated 
 and fostered by the co-operative efforts of public spirited citi- 
 zens and school officials. It is thus but another of many in- 
 stances that might be cited from the history of public education 
 in this country to illustrate how organized citizen effort can 
 further child welfare in co-operation with the schools. A 
 
study of the' development "of the public school system shows 
 that at every step progress has been made either partly through 
 the assistance of public spirited citizens or almost entirely 
 through the pressure of public opinion from without. The 
 early stages of the visiting teacher experiment in New York 
 City would have been impossible without the generous moral 
 and financial support rendered the Public Education Associa- 
 tion by its Visiting Teacher Committee and by the contribu- 
 tors to its visiting teacher fund. That similar assistance by 
 public spirited citizens elsewhere has made possible the growth 
 and development of visiting teacher work throughout the coun- 
 try is a splendid testimony to the interest of the people in their 
 public school system and inspires confidence in organizations 
 which, like ours, devote their disinterested efforts exclusively 
 to furthering the cause of public education. 
 
 From every point of view, therefore, we congratulate the 
 National Association of Visiting Teachers and Home and 
 School Visitors upon this report, and we look forward with 
 interest to their future publications. 
 
 Howard W. Nudd, Director, 
 
 Public Education Association of the City of New York. 
 
 June, 1921. 
 
FOREWORD 
 
 THE FOLLOWING REPORT on the work of the visit- 
 ing teachers of the United States was undertaken by the 
 National Association of Visiting Teachers and Home 
 and School Visitors with a double purpose in view. The re- 
 port aimed to furnish information : 
 
 i. To those who are organizing the work in new localities. 
 2. To visiting teachers who desire to become acquainted 
 with the work of other visiting teachers. 
 
 In order to. obtain the information needed for the report, 
 the names of visiting teachers not already known to the Na- 
 tional Association were secured from State and City Super- 
 intendents of Schools and others, and a questionnaire was 
 addressed to each one. Even with these precautions the com- 
 mittee has learned since that several visiting teachers were not 
 reached. About 80 questionnaires were sent out, and 60 an- 
 swers were received. The questionnaire covered the following 
 general subjects: 
 
 1. Organization, place in the school system, supervision, 
 assignment, etc. 
 
 2. Methods of work, — causes for referring cases, facili- 
 ties for adjustment within and without the school, 
 methods found desirable, etc. 
 
 3. Reports and illustrations of the work. Printed articles 
 on the visiting teacher. Percentage enumeration of the 
 nationalities visited. 
 
 4. Training and preparation of visiting teachers. 
 
 5. Visiting teachers' personal estimate of their function, 
 their special interests, and the development of the 
 work; suggestions. 
 
 Additional information was also secured through cor- 
 respondence. 
 
The Committee wishes to acknowledge its indebtedness to 
 the Public Education Association of the City of New York for 
 their critical reading of this report and for their generosity in 
 publishing it. 
 
 SURVEY COMMITTEE, 
 
 National Association of Visiting Teachers and 
 Home and School Visitors, 
 
 Jessie L. Louderback, N. Y., Chairman. 
 
 Suzanne Fisher, Chicago. 
 
 Elisabeth B. Ely, Boston. 
 
 Jane F. Culbert, N. Y., Ex -Officio. 
 
I 
 
 How Visiting Teacher Work Originated and 
 Developed 
 
 THE WORK OF THE VISITING TEACHER had a 
 triple origin. In the school year 1906- 1907 New York, 
 Boston and Hartford, Connecticut, developed simulta- 
 neously but independently, a similar type of work to meet a 
 common need. For a long time, thoughtful educators had 
 realized that even with the extension of the work of the at- 
 tendance officer, the school nurse and the special classes there 
 were still children, neither truants, delinquents nor those phys- 
 ically handicapped, for whom the school was not functioning 
 effectively. Even in a school system representing the most ad- 
 vanced educational thought there was still the child who failed 
 to make the prescribed progress or who failed to measure up 
 to the expected standard of behavior. These children were 
 frequently referred to as "difficult" or "problem" children. 
 
 Why the Work Each failure was evidence of a mal- 
 
 Started adjustment somewhere along the line. To" 
 
 find the cause of this maladjustment, whether it lay in the 
 school, in the home, in the neighborhood or in the child him- 
 self, to find the cause and then to seek its adjustment, this was 
 the preventive and constructive purpose for which the visiting 
 teacher was added to the school system. It was evident that 
 someone representing the school was needed to get acquainted 
 with the individual child and to bring about a closer co-opera- 
 tion of home and school. 
 
 To make the most out of the five school hours the teacher 
 must understand something of the child's life during the other 
 nineteen hours of the day; and in order not to undo the work 
 of the five hours the home must be in close touch with the 
 school and must understand its aim and demands. Otherwise 
 
home and school may work, quite unconsciously, at cross pur- 
 poses. Home, school, and neighborhood, each is familiar with 
 a different child, and unless there be someone to see the zvhole 
 child, the many-sided individual, and to help the teacher and 
 parents to understand him and to work out together a plan to 
 meet his individual needs, there is danger that the educative 
 agencies at work upon his plastic nature may leave warped or 
 undeveloped some essential element of his character. 
 How the Work As has frequently happened in other edu- 
 
 Began cational experiments the visiting teacher 
 
 movement was initiated in some cities by private organizations, 
 and, after the value of the work had been demonstrated, was 
 taken over by the Department of Education. In New York, 
 the work originated in two settlements in which workers with 
 the children felt that they needed to get in closer touch with the 
 teachers of the settlement children. They found that besides 
 securing help from the school they could be of assistance to 
 the teachers, both in obtaining better co-operation of the parents 
 and in understanding certain children who had been enigmas. 
 As a result, one resident in each settlement assumed the special 
 work of calling on the families of those children who presented 
 serious social or educational problems, and this worker came 
 to be known as the school visitor or visiting teacher. A 
 committee to extend and develop this work was shortly after- 
 wards formed by the Public Education Association which 
 maintained the work until the Board of Education was con- 
 vinced of its value and established it as part of the school sys- 
 tem. In Boston the work was started by a group of public- 
 spirited citizens, whose example was followed by women's 
 clubs and settlements. In Hartford, the third pioneer, the 
 work was undertaken upon the suggestion of the director of 
 the Psychological Laboratory, who realized the need of it in 
 connection with his work with problematic school children. 
 
 Where the The movement has grown gradually and 
 
 Work is Now steadily until at the present there are visiting 
 
 Con ucte teachers in at least 28 cities in 15 states in 
 
 all parts of the country, differing widely in size and character, 
 
 10 
 
as may be seen in Table I. The work has now passed the ex- 
 perimental stage, and is coming into general recognition as 
 one of the constructive factors of the school system in achieving 
 the ideal of starting each child straight, and in fulfilling its 
 obligation to the democracy of to-morrow. 
 
 Table I — Geographical Distribution of Visiting 
 Teachers in the United States x 
 
 State 
 
 City 
 
 Number of 
 Visiting 
 Teachers 
 
 1. 
 
 Connecticut 
 
 Hartford 
 
 3 
 
 2. 
 
 Georgia 
 
 Atlanta 
 
 1 
 
 3. 
 
 Illinois 
 
 Chicago 
 
 3 
 
 4. 
 
 Iowa 
 
 Des Moines 
 Mason City 
 
 
 5. 
 
 Kentucky 
 
 Louisville 
 
 
 6. 
 
 Massachusetts 
 
 Boston 
 Newton 
 Springfield 
 Worcester 
 
 15 
 
 7. 
 
 Minnesota 
 
 Minneapolis 
 
 14 
 
 8. 
 
 Missouri 
 
 Kansas City 
 
 
 9. 
 
 New Jersey- 
 
 Glen Ridge 
 Monmouth County 
 Montclair 
 Newark 
 
 
 10. 
 
 New York 
 
 New York City 
 Mount Vernon 
 Rochester 
 Utica 
 
 17 
 
 11. 
 
 North Carolina 
 
 Raleigh 
 
 
 12. 
 
 North Dakota 
 
 Billings County 
 Fargo 
 
 
 13. 
 
 Ohio 
 
 Cleveland 
 Columbus 
 
 2 
 3 
 
 14. 
 
 Pennsylvania 
 
 Philadelphia 
 Harrisburg 
 
 5 
 1 
 
 15. 
 
 Virginia 
 
 Roanoke 
 
 1 
 
 1. In some places "school visitor" or other title is used. 
 
 II 
 
It is interesting to note that while the same fundamental 
 need has been recognized, yet in different cities the work has 
 been approached from different standpoints. In some cities it 
 was introduced by those interested in the up-building of com- 
 munity life; in others by those working with unadjusted school 
 children; psychologists, women's clubs and parents' associa- 
 tions which especially recognized the need of closer co-opera- 
 tion with the school; by others who were interested in the 
 causes that lie back of irregular attendance and poor scholar- 
 ship ; and by child welfare workers who saw children in danger 
 of falling between the two seats of authority — the home and 
 the school. The roots of this work are wide spread and its 
 ramifications many. 
 
 12 
 
II 
 
 The Place of the Visiting Teacher in the 
 School System 
 
 THE ADMINISTRATIVE RELATIONSHIPS of this 
 comparatively new service are still in process of deve- 
 lopment. In general there are two plans. In seventeen 
 cities varying in size and character from the suburban town to 
 large industrial centres like Chicago or New York, the visiting 
 teacher is assigned either to a single school or to a group of 
 neighboring schools. In nine instances the visiting teacher 
 works throughout the city. That the size of the place seems 
 not to determine the method may be seen from Table II. 
 
 Table II — Method of Assignment 
 
 Cities in which Individual Viiiting 
 
 Teachers are assigned to a Single School 
 
 or to a Group of Neighboring Schools 
 
 Cities in which Individual Visiting 
 
 Teachers are assigned to Schools 
 
 throughout the City. 
 
 1. 
 
 Atlanta, Ga. 
 
 1. 
 
 Cleveland, Ohio 
 
 2. 
 
 Boston, Mass. 
 
 2. 
 
 Fargo, N. D. 
 
 3. 
 
 Chicago, 111. 
 
 3. 
 
 Kansas City, Mo. 
 
 4. 
 
 Columbus, Ohio 
 
 4. 
 
 Mason City, Iowa 
 
 5. 
 
 Des Moines, Iowa 
 
 5. 
 
 Mt. Vernon, N. Y. 
 
 6. 
 
 Glen Ridge, N. J. 
 
 6. 
 
 Roanoke, Virginia 
 
 7. 
 
 Harrisburg, Pa. 
 
 7. 
 
 Springfield, Mass. 
 
 8. 
 
 Hartford, Conn. 
 
 8. 
 
 Utica, N. Y. 
 
 9. 
 
 Louisville, Ky. 
 
 9. 
 
 Worcester, Mass. 
 
 10. 
 
 Minneapolis, Minn. 
 
 
 
 11. 
 
 Montclair, N. J. 
 
 
 
 12. 
 
 Newark, N. J. 
 
 
 
 13. 
 
 Newton, Mass. 
 
 
 
 14. 
 
 New York, N. Y. 
 
 
 
 15. 
 
 Philadelphia, Pa. 
 
 
 
 16. 
 
 Raleigh, N. C. 
 
 
 
 17. 
 
 Rochester, N. Y. 
 
 
 
 13 
 
Assignment The majority of school systems have 
 
 adopted as the most satisfactory method, the 
 assignment of a visiting teacher to one school of which she 
 becomes an integral part, or, at least, to a field sufficiently 
 compact for her to be identified with it, so that she may be 
 the school's representative in the community and the repre- 
 sentative of the neighborhood in the school. In the whole-city 
 plan, on the other hand, the visiting teacher's connection with 
 the individual school and the neighborhood is rarely close 
 enough for her to be identified with its interests. 
 
 Where a visiting teacher is assigned to but one school, as a 
 rule she visits that school regularly, usually having daily office 
 hours. Where her work covers several schools she reports 
 regularly at the one or two schools where her major work lies 
 and occasionally, or upon request, at the other schools. Where, 
 however, her work extends over an entire city, she usually 
 visits a school at the request of the principal. 
 
 Supervision In the majority of cities, the visiting 
 
 teachers are supervised by the Superin- 
 tendent of Schools or his associates. This is the case in New 
 York, Utica, Mt. Vernon, Montclair, Hartford, Columbus, 
 Cleveland, Kansas City and elsewhere. Rochester recently or- 
 ganized a department of visiting teachers with a director, re- 
 sponsible to the Superintendent of Schools. Fargo, N. Dakota, 
 has a Home and School Visiting Department. In Minneapolis, 
 however, which has fourteen visiting teachers, the visiting 
 teachers are a part of the Department of Attendance and 
 Guidance. In Chicago, which now has three visiting teachers, 
 the work is part of the Department of Vocational Guidance 
 and Employment Certificates. In Des Moines the work of the 
 one visiting teacher is part of the Attendance Department. It 
 is hardly necessary to state that the individual visiting teacher 
 works under the supervision and in co-operation with the prin- 
 cipals, who regard her as a specialist in her line and in varying 
 degree put upon her the responsibility for the solution of the 
 social problems of the school. 
 
 14 
 
Cooperation The relation of the visiting teacher to the 
 
 With Special other special departments, such as those of 
 
 epar men s Attendance, Child Hygiene and Child Study, 
 
 is in every instance where such departments 
 exist that of co-operation, the visiting teacher referring to each 
 of these departments the children who need its special work 
 and, in turn, assisting in problems referred by these depart- 
 ments for adjustment or the personal supervision of the 
 visiting teacher. Over-lapping is negligible, since each is re- 
 sponsible for a special line of work. 
 
 Relation to With Vocational Guidance, however, the 
 
 Vocational jj ne j s not q U jte so clearly drawn, for in 
 
 three cities, Chicago, Minneapolis, and 
 Mason City, Iowa, the visiting teachers assist 
 with vocational guidance in their school or district, adding to 
 their social and educational work the specific work of Voca- 
 tional Counsellor. Where vocational counsellors do not exist, 
 the visiting teacher, of course, frequently assumes this task. 
 
 Hours For the most part, the work of the 
 
 visiting teacher extends throughout the ten 
 months of the school year and her hours are equivalent to 
 those of the school day and week, though in several cities her 
 week consists of five and one-half days. "Equivalent" hours, 
 however, must not be interpreted to mean "identical", 
 for the work requires evening and morning visits, and fre- 
 quently Saturday and Sunday calls on parents who cannot be 
 found on other days. Indeed, the nature of the work precludes 
 limiting it to definite or regular hours. 
 
 Number of A visiting teacher's work cannot be 
 
 Cases measured by mere figures, any more than it 
 
 can be limited to definite hours. The num- 
 ber of children with whom the visiting teacher deals varies 
 greatly, and is determined by the size and number of schools 
 in which she works, the character of the neighborhood, its 
 geographical area, the amount of group or community work 
 
 15 
 
required by her neighborhood, the amount of personal follow- 
 up work needed, and the number of co-operating agencies 
 available. The average number of cases for each visiting 
 teacher runs from ioo to 1,000 a year, and the figure most fre- 
 quently given is about 300. 
 
 Number of The visiting teacher covers the school 
 
 Grades grades from kindergarten through high 
 
 school. Usually, however, high school students are the con- 
 cern of a visiting teacher especially assigned to that work. Up 
 to the present, her major work is found in the elementary 
 schools, though it is being introduced into the high schools 
 more and more. The Junior High School, with its concen- 
 tration of adolescent problems, also offers a promising field. 
 
 16 
 
Ill 
 
 How the Visiting Teacher Goes about her Work 
 
 THIS SECTION, on methods of work, is based on an- 
 swers to such questions as an "outline of the day's 
 work", "how cases are received and closed", "agencies 
 co-operated with", "facilities available and measures found ef- 
 fective in making adjustments", and the like. 
 
 The Day's In spite of the fact that the visiting 
 
 Work teachers work under such varying circum- 
 
 stances as those outlined above, their reports show that almost 
 uniformly a large part of the day is devoted to visiting in the 
 homes of the children ; but a considerable portion of time is 
 also spent in the schools, conferring with teachers, receiving 
 new cases, giving information on those already undertaken and 
 learning of their progress. In addition, the visiting teacher has 
 to find time for calls on co-operating agencies ; and, finally, she 
 gives a brief space to the keeping of records and to correspond- 
 ence. The distribution of time varies according to local needs. 
 
 Receiving During her office hours, as a rule, new 
 
 New Cases cases are reported to the visiting teacher by 
 
 the principal or teachers. At the outset it is advisable to learn 
 as much as possible about the circumstances for which the 
 child was referred. In this connection several visiting teachers 
 point out the advantage of talking over a case with the class 
 teacher, in order to learn the significant details, for, as one 
 visiting teacher reported, "adequate information is the best 
 preparation for answering inquiries in the home, or combating 
 ignorance of school affairs, and makes for quick and effective 
 solution of difficulties". Many visiting teachers mention also 
 the interview with the child in school as an important prelimi- 
 nary before taking up the work outside the school. 
 
 i7 
 
Visits to In visiting the home, the technique born 
 
 he Home Q £ experience and training in social work, 
 
 helps the visiting teacher to get en rapport with the family. 
 Her first visit is often exploratory in nature. The visiting 
 teacher is prepared to study the situation and decide what 
 course to pursue. 
 
 One visiting teacher states that she makes it a practice 
 never to broach the real subject of her visit till she has ac- 
 quainted herself with the family attitude toward the school. 
 Another states that she tries to be an impartial listener and a 
 good observer. The report of a third visiting teacher echoes 
 the sentiments of many. It reads : 'The visiting teacher comes 
 so closely in contact with the home that home problems are 
 given to her as freely as to a member of the family. School 
 problems, too, which would never be brought to the teacher 
 and perhaps not to the principal become hers in a very short 
 time. Questions of promotion, demotion, dissatisfaction with 
 school, desirability of classmates and playmates are talked over 
 with the visiting teacher, — as the school friend of the family". 
 
 Several visiting teachers mention the advantage which 
 their teaching experience gives them in enabling them to ex- 
 plain away seeming school exactions and to suggest solutions 
 for difficulties. Parents get a new vision of the school and of 
 their responsibility to it, and their co-operation is thus assured. 
 
 Social When the situation calls for social ad- 
 
 Cooperation justments, the visiting teacher goes about 
 
 the task in much the same way as any trained social worker — 
 analyzing the problem, gaining the family confidence, and, 
 when necessary, seeking the co-operation of social agencies 
 whose special function it is to handle the particular difficulty. 
 Often she finds it of advantage to make a personal visit to 
 these agencies to confer on the family's needs, and explain the 
 school's point of view. Table III gives the number of visiting 
 teachers who report co-operating with the agencies named, and 
 shows considerable agreement in procedure as far as local 
 resources allow. 
 
 18 
 
Table III — Co-operating Agencies. 
 
 
 
 
 Number of 
 
 
 Agencies 
 
 
 Visiting 
 Teachers 
 
 1. 
 
 Relief Societies 
 
 
 57 
 
 2. 
 
 Children's Courts or a Substitute 
 
 
 51 
 
 3. 
 
 Girls' Clubs 
 
 
 51 
 
 4. 
 
 Society for Prevention of Cruelty to 
 
 Children 
 
 50 
 
 5. 
 
 Probation Officers for Children 
 
 
 50 
 
 6 
 
 Recreation Centres 
 
 
 50 
 
 7. 
 
 Church Societies 
 
 
 47 
 
 8. 
 
 Boys' Clubs 
 
 
 47 
 
 9. 
 
 Psychiatric Clinics 
 
 
 45 
 
 10. 
 
 Nurseries 
 
 
 44 
 
 11. 
 
 Parents Associations 
 
 
 35 
 
 12. 
 
 Employment Bureaus 
 
 
 32 
 
 13. 
 
 Probation Officers for Adults 
 
 
 23 
 
 Representing Several visiting teachers state that they 
 
 The School act as t h e school's representative in all mat- 
 
 ters of a social nature, and when social workers call at the 
 school for information on children and families, they report 
 for the school. This not only saves duplication of effort and 
 time of administrators, but, because the visiting teacher is 
 conversant with the field of social work, it enables the school 
 to give to the social agencies the kind of co-operation sought. 
 
 Reporting Back Many visiting teachers emphasize as a 
 
 to the School most important factor in their work the re- 
 
 port which they make to the school on the children visited. 
 Their interpretation of the child's environment and special 
 difficulties gives the class teacher new light on his behavior, 
 and assists her in planning for his interests. When the school 
 problem involved is intricate, a conference is held with the 
 principal and teacher to determine the best plan to follow in 
 adjusting the child. 
 
 Adjustments When the special needs of individual 
 
 Made in the children are revealed, the school is ready to 
 
 make whatever adaptations are suggested to 
 
 fit each case, so far as its resources permit. The visiting 
 
 19 
 
teachers' reports mention such special arrangements as : change 
 of curriculum, trade training for motile-minded children, extra 
 tutoring or extra periods in the handicapping subject, promo- 
 tions on trial for the discouraged or indifferent whom the 
 visiting teacher has stimulated to increased effort, late admis- 
 sion or early dismissal to accommodate a sick parent tempo- 
 rarily in need of the child's ministrations, transfer to open-air 
 classes or examination and placement for mental defect for 
 those whose histories show the need of such procedure. 
 
 The replies to the question asking what special classes are 
 available to which the visiting teacher may recommend chil- 
 dren are given in Table IV. 
 
 Table IV — Special Classes Available for Problematical 
 
 Children 
 
 Types of Classes 
 
 Number of Visiting 
 Teachers Replying "Yes" 
 
 1. 
 
 Mental Defectives 
 
 48 
 
 2. 
 
 Vocational Classes 
 
 45 
 
 3. 
 
 Anemic or Tubercular 
 
 41 
 
 4. 
 
 Deaf 
 
 36 
 
 5. 
 
 Blind 
 
 34 
 
 6. 
 
 Crippled 
 
 34 
 
 7. 
 
 Sight Conservation 
 
 31 
 
 8. 
 
 Speech Defect 
 
 23 
 
 9. 
 
 Special Defects 
 
 17 
 
 10. 
 
 Rapid Advance 
 
 16 
 
 11. 
 
 Neurotics 
 
 15 
 
 12. 
 
 Probationary or Disciplinary 
 
 9 
 
 13. 
 
 Opportunity 
 
 4 
 
 14. 
 
 Retarded 
 
 2 
 
 15. 
 
 Epileptics 
 
 2 
 
 16. 
 
 Cardiac 
 
 2 
 
 Follow-Up To the question, "How long do you fol- 
 
 low-up a case?", the majority of visiting 
 teachers answer that they continue a case as a rule "till the 
 condition is remedied", and then it is considered "closed" or 
 
 20 
 
on the "inactive" list. The visiting teacher, however, usually 
 retains her interest in the children as long as they remain in 
 school. Although in general a case is under supervision until 
 the special difficulty is adjusted, or the sinister habit is cured, 
 yet the nature of circumstances will determine the amount of 
 follow-up. Even when the school is satisfied to close a case, 
 the family may not be, for many times the visiting teacher 
 "finds waiting at her office door the mother whom she has 
 advised in a former difficulty seeking her help in a new emer- 
 gency". 
 
 Office and The majority of visiting teachers report 
 
 Office Hours that they hold re g U l a r office hours at their 
 
 offices, which are usually in the school buildings. A few visit- 
 ing teachers not supplied with offices express their great need 
 of a private place in which to hold the necessary conferences 
 with children, teachers, social workers, and such parents as 
 seek them at school. The very nature of the work, requiring 
 intimate talks with the child or with the teacher relative to the 
 child, would argue the necessity of a private office. 
 
 The time of the office hour seems to be a matter of .local 
 convenience. Some visiting teachers hold their office hours at 
 the beginning of the day, at which time new cases are referred. 
 Others find a later hour, especially one toward the close of the 
 school day, more convenient to teachers and social workers. 
 
 Time for In choosing the hour for a call, the visit- 
 
 Calling ing teacher is fortunately unhampered. She 
 
 apparently chooses a time appropriate to her purpose, calling 
 sometimes during school hours to interview the parent alone, 
 or in the early morning, at noon, or in the evening to catch 
 the working parent, or late in the day to meet the assembled 
 family and secure their co-operation or to learn at first hand 
 their reaction to the child, or at night to discover the influence 
 of the neighborhood on the child's life and character. In 
 urgent matters she may find it advisable to seek the father at 
 his shop or factory. 
 
 21 
 
Record Forms Visiting teachers everywhere have found 
 
 it advisable to keep accurate records of im- 
 portant facts about the children referred to them, and prac- 
 tically every city has worked out as a time saving measure a 
 record form on which as many items as possible can be easily 
 inserted. The record form has not been standardized, but 
 the printed forms in use in practically all the larger cities in- 
 clude, among others, the following items: 
 
 i. Identification data. 
 
 2. Why and by whom the child was referred. 
 
 3. Important facts about the school record — including 
 mentality, proficiencies, deficiencies, behavior, at- 
 tendance. 
 
 4. Important facts about environment and home condi- 
 tions. 
 
 5. Special difficulties, characteristics, and tendencies. 
 
 6. Action taken : 
 
 With the child. 
 
 In the school. 
 
 In the home. 
 
 Through social agencies. 
 
 7. Outcome. 
 
 Reports Many visiting teachers state that they 
 
 furnish their Boards with annual reports, 
 compiled from their case histories. In some localities monthly 
 reports also are made. The form of both reports varies from 
 fragmentary to detailed and statistical, according to local 
 demands. 
 
 Most of the annual reports submitted with the question- 
 naires were in narrative form, with a minimum of statistics, 
 but no city seems to have worked out a set form for the an- 
 nual report. 
 
 For monthly reports, however, New York City and Ro- 
 chester use printed forms which call for a statistical summary 
 of the month's work. That for New York calls for "com- 
 ments" and for "one or more cases in some detail on attached 
 sheets". The latter commends itself as a concrete method of 
 giving insight into the character and scope of the work, in- 
 cluding its difficulties. 
 
 22 
 
IV 
 
 Why Children Are Referred to the 
 Visiting Teacher 
 
 A QUESTION frequently asked by persons interested in 
 visiting teacher work is : "For what reasons are chil- 
 dren referred to the visiting teacher ?" The Committee 
 therefore undertook the task of finding out these reasons and 
 of determining the relative frequency of their occurrence. 
 
 General The replies to this inquiry are sum- 
 
 Reasons marized in Table V. The "reasons" there 
 
 enumerated are, of course, the reasons given by the school when 
 the child is reported to the visiting teacher. In many cases, 
 however, as will be shown in the following chapter, the under- 
 lying cause proves to be an unsuspected condition which the 
 visiting teacher discovers and which may be remote from the 
 cause or causes originally assigned or supposed to exist. 
 
 Out of a possible sixty, fifty-seven definite replies were 
 received, three visiting teachers giving only a general answer 
 on account of the special character of their work. The fifty- 
 seven replies contained the following data: 
 
 Table V — General Reasons Given for Referring 
 Children to the Visiting Teacher 
 
 Reason for Referring 
 Children 
 
 Total number 
 of Visiting 
 Teachers 
 naming this 
 reason as oc- 
 curring among 
 their cases 
 
 Number of Visiting Teachers naming 
 this reason as occurring first, second, 
 third, etc., in order of frequency 
 among their cases 
 
 
 1st 
 
 2nd 
 
 3rd | 4th 
 
 5th 
 
 6th 
 
 1. Maladjustments in 
 
 Scholarship 
 
 2. Adverse Home 
 
 Conditions 
 
 3. Irregular Attendance 
 
 4. Misconduct 
 
 5. Lateness 
 
 6. Physical Condition 
 
 57 
 
 57 
 56 
 53 
 49 
 45 
 
 25 
 
 16 
 
 15 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 3 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 13 
 
 15 
 
 4 
 
 4 
 
 8 
 
 11 
 10 
 
 7 
 9 
 7 
 
 7 
 
 10 
 
 8 
 
 8 
 
 10 
 
 12 
 
 4 
 
 6 
 6 
 
 15 
 8 
 
 12 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 17 
 
 7 
 
 23 
 
This table shows that there are six main reasons why 
 children are referred to visiting teachers. Of these, the first 
 two, — "maladjustments in scholarship" and "adverse home 
 conditions" — are apparently of universal occurrence, since the 
 entire 57 visiting teachers replying name them. Lateness and 
 physical condition, on the other hand, which are named by but 
 49 and 45 visiting teachers respectively, evidently are causes in 
 some localities and not in others. 
 
 The table also shows in how many instances each of these 
 causes occurs first, second, third, etc., in order of frequency 
 among the cases referred to the visiting teachers. Thus, of the 
 57 visiting teachers naming maladjustment in scholarship, 25 
 name it as occurring most frequently, or first in order among 
 their cases, 10 as occurring second in order, 8 as third in order, 
 7 as fourth in order, 4 as fifth in order, and 3 as sixth in 
 order. Looking at the table another way, one can also see 
 that while 25 visiting teachers name "maladjustment in scholar- 
 ship" as occuring most frequently in their cases, 16 give first 
 place to "adverse home conditions", 15 to "irregular attend- 
 ance", 3 to "misconduct", 1 to "lateness", and 3 to "physical 
 condition." The most striking fact of this summary is that 
 "maladjustment in scholarship" easily leads the list in order of 
 frequency with "adverse home conditions" and "irregular at- 
 tendance" second and third and the others trailing behind. 
 
 Specific The replies of the visiting teachers also 
 
 Reasons brought out interesting information regard- 
 
 ing the specific character of the first four of the reasons given 
 above. These data are summarized in Table VI. 
 
 This table shows, for example, that 50 visiting teachers 
 reported that "maladjustment in scholarship" was stated by the 
 persons referring cases to them as due to "subnormality", 49 
 as due to "retardation", 48 to "deficiency in lessons", and 34 
 to "precocity". The table also shows that while subnormality 
 was reported as occurring most frequently, or first in order, 
 by 11 visiting teachers and second in order by 6, it was re- 
 ported as occurring third in order by 26 visiting teachers and 
 
 24 
 
Table VI — Specific Reasons for Referring Children 
 to the Visiting Teacher 
 
 Reasons for Referring Children 
 
 EH 
 
 h> 
 
 5°§ 
 
 Mm § 
 
 .S rt 
 
 1 C! t*f1 
 
 rt o c 
 
 c/i rt t- <u 
 
 i- <U 3^3 
 
 m 
 
 Number of Visiting Teachers 
 naming this reason as occur- 
 ring first, second, third, etc., 
 in order of frequency among 
 their cases 
 
 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 
 
 1. Maladjustments in scholarship: 
 
 (a) Subnormality 
 
 (b) Retardation 
 
 \ (c) Deficiency in Lessons 
 (d) Precocity 
 
 2. Adverse Home Conditions: 
 ' (a) Poverty 
 
 (b) Neglect 
 
 (c) Improper Guardianship 
 
 (d) Immorality 
 v (e) Cruelty 
 
 3. Misconduct: 
 
 (a) In School 
 -v (b) Out of School 
 (c) Involving Morals 
 
 4. Irregular Attendance: 
 
 (a) Suspicious Absence 
 
 (b) Due to Home Conditions 
 
 (c) Half-days Absence 
 
 50 
 49 
 48 
 34 
 
 48 
 47 
 39 
 32 
 31 
 
 45 
 41 
 38 
 
 42 
 38 
 37 
 
 11 
 
 1 
 6 
 
 26 
 
 7 
 
 11 
 
 31 
 
 5 
 
 2 
 
 29 
 
 10 
 
 8 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 8 
 
 23 
 
 26 
 
 14 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 17 
 
 19 
 
 8 
 
 3 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 16 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 8 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 6 
 
 14 
 
 33 
 
 4 
 
 8 
 
 
 10 
 
 20 
 
 11 
 
 
 6 
 
 16 
 
 16 
 
 
 17 
 
 13 
 
 12 
 
 
 20 
 
 15 
 
 3 
 
 
 9 
 
 1 13 
 
 15 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 13 
 10 
 
 fourth in order by 7. It likewise shows that "deficiency in 
 lessons" is more often given as the first reason for "malad- 
 justment in scholarship" than either "subnormality", "re- 
 tardation" or "precocity", since it is named as occurring most 
 frequently by 29 visiting teachers while the other reasons are 
 named as so occurring by only 11, 11 and 1 visiting teachers 
 respectively. In a similar way the data under each of the other 
 three general headings can be interpreted. 
 
 A study of the general trend 2 of the frequency with which 
 the several reasons enumerated in this table occur shows that : 
 
 1. Under "maladjustment in scholarship" the order of 
 frequency is : "deficiency in lessons", "retardation", subnor- 
 mality", "precocity". 
 
 2 In this case the median is used as the measure of central tendencies of the several 
 distributions. 
 
 25 
 
2. Under "adverse home conditions" the order of fre- 
 quency is : "poverty" and "neglect" — the two most easily rec- 
 ognized by the class teacher — "improper guardianship", "cruel- 
 ty", "immorality in the home". 
 
 3. Under "misconduct" the order of frequency is: "con- 
 duct in school", "conduct out of school", "conduct involving 
 morality". 
 
 4. Under "irregular attendance" the order of frequency 
 is: "suspicious absence", "home conditions", "half-days ab- 
 sence" — many visiting teachers stating that their schools have 
 but one session. 
 
 It was also possible to note from the replies to this ques- 
 tion the variation in the frequency of specific reasons in dif- 
 ferent parts of the country. In New York City, Boston, 
 Springfield, Louisville and a few other places, for example, 
 "maladjustment in scholarship" holds first place among the 
 reasons given for referring cases. In Hartford, on the other 
 hand, where retarded pupils are receiving special attention to 
 their physical condition, the three visiting teachers gave "phys- 
 ical condition" as the most frequent reason. In Minneapolis, 
 likewise, where visiting teacher work is intimately associated 
 with that of the Bureau of Attendance and in cities which 
 make little provision for following up attendance, "irregular 
 attendance" was given by some as the foremost cause for re- 
 ferring cases. 
 
 From the foregoing summary it is quite evident that the 
 visiting teacher is called upon by the school to grapple with a 
 wide range of problematical children who need an intensive 
 and extensive study of their individual needs and capacities 
 which it is not reasonable to expect from the class teacher. 
 How the visiting teacher handles these problems is the subject 
 of the following chapter. 
 
 26 
 
V 
 
 How the Visiting Teacher Analyzes and 
 Solves Her Problems 
 
 IN DISCUSSING the way in which the visiting teacher 
 analyzes and solves the "problems" submitted to her it is 
 almost impossible to adhere strictly to the classification of 
 cases on the basis of the "reasons for reporting" presented in 
 the preceding chapter. 
 
 Not only is it true that children are frequently reported for 
 more than one reason, but also that upon inquiry these reasons 
 are usually found to be more or less closely intertwined with 
 or caused by other conditions not at first perceived. So inti- 
 mately associated are these varied reasons at times that it is 
 difficult to tell with precision where one ends and another be- 
 gins. For example, "poor scholarship" may be really due to 
 "misconduct", "irregular attendance", or "adverse home con- 
 ditions"; or "misconduct" and "irregular attendance" may be 
 the outgrowth of "maladjustment in scholarship" or of "poor 
 health". The possible combinations are so numerous as to 
 make a comprehensive description of them bewildering unless 
 a simple grouping is employed. For this reason the following 
 classification will be used : 
 
 i. Maladjustment in Scholarship. 
 
 2. Adverse Home Conditions. 
 
 3. Behavior Problems and Prevention of Delinquency. 
 
 4. Leaving School Prematurely. 
 
 This grouping indicates those phases of the work which 
 were most emphasized by the visiting teachers in the reports, 
 stories, published articles, etc., submitted to the committee in 
 
 27 
 
the course of the inquiry and comprises summaries and illus- 
 trations of the various types of cases the visiting teacher 
 handles. 
 
 i. MALADJUSTMENTS IN SCHOLARSHIP 
 
 Cnildren The foregoing statistics show that by far 
 
 Deficient in the i argest num ber of children "malad- 
 
 justed in scholarship'* are referred for 
 "deficiency in lessons". This group includes the child whose 
 previous record is not necessarily bad, but who at present is 
 unaccountably doing poor work. The majority of such cases 
 have a cause which may be removed if discovered in time. 
 The visiting teacher by early inquiry into these cases is "get- 
 ting ahead of retardation", and fulfilling her preventive func- 
 tion by keeping the child from repeating grades. 
 
 Among the causes for deficiency in lessons due to condi- 
 tions outside of the school that are most frequently mentioned 
 in the reports are: After-school work, excessive housework, 
 exhausting "finishing" or other factory home work; lack of 
 time for recreation, rest and study; lack of parental control, 
 leading to late hours and bad companionship; indifference of 
 child or parent toward school progress, or ignorance of child's 
 class standing; no place to study; poor nutrition; unhygienic 
 living; neurotic disorders; nervousness caused or aggravated 
 by financial difficulties or domestic quarrels. With all these 
 factors the visiting teacher copes. When she has discovered 
 the cause, her next step is to adjust it. 
 
 The majority of parents are interested in the child's prog- 
 ress, but frequently, the visiting teachers report, uiicicsi nas 
 to be developed and many have to be shown that some action or 
 inaction on their part is hindering the child's education. The 
 experience and ingenuity of the visiting teacher find a way 
 to have the store "minded" without William's help, demonstrate 
 that "finishing" for school children doesn't pay, find a counter 
 attraction to keep motherless Jennie off the streets at night, or 
 get an uncle to help and encourage Peter in his school work. 
 
 Several visiting teachers reporting from cities where home 
 
 28 
 
work is still required find that home habits of study have 
 much to do with failure in class recitations and low marks in 
 tests. They state that the child may "have done his home work 
 with one ear to the family conversation", or may be accustomed 
 to spend all the time he pleases on lessons, and then in tests, 
 because of his habit of dawdling, he fails to finish ; or he may 
 depend on other children in preparing lessons, so that his mind 
 looses its aptitude for independent work. Parents see no harm 
 in such sluggish habits; the teacher does not know of them ; but 
 the visiting teacher discovering them, substitutes good habits 
 that tend to increase mental alertness, concentration, association 
 of ideas, time saving, and regularity of hours of study. Even 
 apart from the gain in school progress, the visiting teacher 
 finds that the child has gained in method and character. 
 
 Many visiting teachers report that recreational facilities 
 are not available or are extremely limited in their localities, 
 and that "all work and no play" has produced the proverbial 
 "dull boy". What recreation of a wholesome nature many 
 communities have is often ^due to the initiative of the visiting 
 teacher — in organizing boys' and girls' clubs, excursions to the 
 country, hikes, etc. Especially among the foreigners, the 
 "children have actually to be taught how to play". Out-door 
 life for girls, and the educational value of games have to be 
 insistently taught. Through the development of a healthier 
 physique, the visiting teacher is seeking to stimulate her lag- 
 gard-in-lessons to a better all-round activity. 
 
 1. Julia, in the graduating class, was reported for indif- 
 ference to lessons, impertinence, neglect of person, resentful- 
 ness when reproved. The visiting teacher found she was the 
 eldest of nine children. The father had her help him in the 
 shop afternoons and evenings and did not know how this work 
 was affecting her lessons and disposition, but blamed the child 
 for her failure. The visiting teacher planned alternating hours 
 of work, study and recreation; the father agreed, and Julia 
 promised to try. Effort and marks immediately improved, and 
 the child graduated with her class. 
 
 2. Boris dropped from an honor boy to "C" in profi- 
 ciency. The teacher and the mother could not account for it. 
 The visiting teacher discovered that he had formed bad f riend- 
 
 29 
 
ships and drew him away from these, by providing new and 
 wholesome interests. There were no more "C's" in lessons. 
 
 3. Henry's mother could not believe the visiting teacher 
 when told he was deficient in lessons. Was she not giving 
 her "smart boy" Hebrew lessons for two and a half hours a 
 day, violin lessons for which he practiced two hours, earning 
 the tuition by doing her chores? "Recreation?" Of course 
 not! "Time to study?" Yes, before he went to bed. The 
 visiting teacher recommended that his occupations be cut in 
 half, and time be released for play and study. The mother took 
 the advice and the boy's school standing became satisfactory. 
 
 Retarded Adjustments for retarded children de- 
 
 Children p enc j on trie d e g ree f their mentality as 
 
 well as on out-of-school factors. Since fifty visiting teachers 
 report using mental tests, and forty report special classes for 
 subnormal children it is safe to assume that the majority of 
 mentally defective children are provided for. But the border- 
 line, the slow normal, and the concrete minded are harder to 
 adjust. The visiting teachers have not been slow to take 
 advantage of special classes — trade or shop — or modified cur- 
 ricula where these exist. 
 
 The tests have also been used to furnish a guide for 
 analyzing the cause of educational maladjustment, and to give 
 "a ready index to the child's emotional complexes". With or 
 without the test a child cannot be prescribed for off-hand, but 
 becomes an object of individual study. Through her study of 
 the child's failures and personal equipment and in the light of 
 his personal history, the visiting teacher seeks to work out the 
 cause and the remedy. Educational tests, consultation with an 
 educational psychologist, observation and study have furnished 
 the clue. Often she is able to assist the class teacher with sug- 
 gestions as to special interests or motives. When the diffi- 
 culty has been discovered, a little timely help in the teacher's 
 spare time, a friendly tutor with the spirit and patience of an 
 explorer, or a change of method or approach may start the 
 child on the road to progress. 
 
 4. Fred had been four terms in the second grade, and was 
 to be advanced to the next grade because he was 10 years old, 
 
 30 
 
although he was not up to promotion standard. He was rest- 
 less, forgetful, inattentive, uninterested, frequently absent. 
 
 The visiting teacher found that his behavior was much the 
 the same at home. She secured the mother's consent to a 
 physical and mental examination. The physical examination 
 showed peculiar defect in vision ; when he got glasses his "rest- 
 lessness" ceased, for it appears he had been in the habit of 
 jumping up to see what the other pupils were doing, and was 
 scolded for disorder when in reality he was trying his hardest. 
 
 The psychiatrist who examined him said that he showed 
 poor visualization and recall, and must be taught to use his 
 brain if he were ever to succeed. Therefore, the visiting teach- 
 er and the class teacher in spare time gave exercises to develop 
 his latent mental powers. They made a "fine game" of re- 
 membering, and aroused his interest in increasing his score. 
 They applied the same method to his spelling and tables till his 
 attention controlled his imagination. After a few weeks his 
 teacher recommended him again for promotion. He went to 
 the next grade and made good. "He had discovered his mental 
 machinery and enjoyed using it." 
 
 Precocious Although 34 visiting teachers report that 
 
 Children precocious children are referred to them, 
 
 only a few report that they play any important part in their 
 work. However, the "retarded precocious" child has only re- 
 cently begun to come into his own; and the fact that children 
 are not referred to the visiting teacher as precocious has not 
 deterred her from finding them out. The following stories 
 illustrate how she discovers them, and the advantage the dis- 
 covery plays in their lives : 
 
 5. William had been one year, nine months in a 4 A class 
 when he was referred to the visiting teacher. He had behaved 
 atrociously in school, been expelled for a furious outburst of 
 temper ; had broken a shop window, and been taken to the Chil- 
 dren's Court. His widowed mother, with scant income and 9 
 children, welcomed the visiting teacher's interest and investiga- 
 tion of her difficult boy. The visiting teacher gave William a 
 Terman Test, and he surprised her with an intelligence quo- 
 tient of 140! With this information she accompanied him 
 back to court, and when the judge asked her for her recom- 
 mendations in the case, she suggested that he be sentenced to 
 "hard intellectual labor in a rapid-advance 5A class". The 
 judge pronounced this sentence, and William started on his 
 
 31 
 
new career. Although he had to travel some distance on a 
 street car to the school having a suitable class he never missed 
 a day. His mother gladly paid the carfare out of her income 
 and put up his lunch to try the experiment. He soon made 
 good in lessons, and his conduct changed, although there were 
 times when his exuberant spirits got the better of him. He 
 possessed a keen sense of justice, and his class-mates elected 
 him class president, in spite of his shabby clothes. In educa- 
 tional tests given a few months later to the entire school, Will- 
 iam stood highest in his group. 
 
 6. For three years Sam had given all his teachers except 
 the dramatic teacher the impression that he was dull. He had 
 been a disciplinary case and frequently reported to the prin- 
 cipal. His teachers thought him feeble-minded, but when the 
 visiting teacher's investigation showed that out of school he 
 made friends with engineers and mechanics who taught his 
 eager mind many things about their machines and allowed him 
 to run engines and motors, she gave him an intelligence test. 
 He rated so high that she suggested he be advanced two grades. 
 This was done, and he immediately began to improve. There 
 were no more shamings in school or trips to the principal's 
 office except to show a good report card. Sam had found his 
 proper level. 
 
 One visiting teacher comments : "I find many children who 
 are reported for poor lessons, and restless, anti-social conduct, 
 even amounting to their being 'pests' in school, who are really 
 bored to death by dull companions and lessons too easy for 
 them. They may have been kept back for just one subject or 
 for conduct. Their teasing and insubordination cease, once 
 they have sufficient mental activity to keep them busy. Re- 
 cently five children given to me as failures in lessons were 
 advanced one half grade after my study of them at home and 
 in the classroom. In making my recommendations, I took into 
 consideration environment, age, grade, intelligence, and personal 
 emotional tendencies". 
 
 "Queer" Children mentally peculiar or "queer" 
 
 Children ^ave ^en re f errec i to the visiting teachers 
 
 without apparent differentiation, and through hours of investi- 
 gation they have been able to get the right slant on each case 
 and make the adjustment which would otherwise in all proba- 
 
 32 
 
bility have been left to chance. As an example of the sorting 
 out process, one visiting teacher submitted a summary of about 
 20 cases from which the following brief histories have been 
 selected : 
 
 7. An attractive girl in the graduating class, whose writ- 
 ten work was perfect, had not spoken to a teacher for over two 
 years. The visiting teacher sent her to a psychiatrist who diag- 
 nosed her case as possible dementia prsecox. Under treatment 
 and supervision she improved and is now attending high school. 
 
 8. A girl in the 7th grade was reported as feeble-minded. 
 The visiting teacher found that the mother had minimized the 
 symptoms to the examining physician and persuaded her to 
 return and tell the symptoms truthfully. The doctor diagnosed 
 the case as a serious form of chorea, and prescribed absolute 
 rest in bed for weeks. 
 
 9. An unusually prepossessing boy of 1 1 in the 3B grade 
 who seldom talked was found to have a mental age of 4 years 
 and placed in a class for mental defectives. 
 
 10. A boy in an "opportunity class" whose conduct and 
 lessons were "shocking" was found by the visiting teacher to 
 have bad home environment and a cruel father who beat him. 
 He was also mentally two years ahead of chronological age. 
 He was advanced two grades and was "skipped" at the end of 
 the term. The home situation was improved as much as pos- 
 sible. 
 
 Even in schools where the children have been reclassified 
 on the basis of mentality, visiting teachers report having found 
 children whose scholastic attainments did not tally with their 
 intelligence quotients, and whose "physical condition", "out-of- 
 school influences", "family history", "character disabilities", 
 etc., had to be taken into account in interpreting their failures. 
 Adjustment of the adverse home conditions, whatever they 
 were, resulted in bringing these children up in lessons to the 
 level where their intelligence showed they should be. The 
 following history illustrates this type of child : 
 
 11. A boy of nine with an intelligence quotient of 120 
 was doing very poor work, in the 4th grade. The visiting 
 teacher found that he read till 1 1 at night "any books he found 
 in the library." He rarely went out— "not in this neighbor- 
 hood !" The visiting teacher correlated his reading with his 
 
 33 
 
lessons; interested him in out-door athletics; and with the 
 mother worked out a vigorous daily program which left him at 
 night physically tired and mentally satisfied, and ready to retire 
 early. Interest and oversight brought this child up to the 
 standing which his ability warranted, and in addition changed 
 him from a dreamer and laggard into an energetic boy and 
 pupil. 
 
 2. ADVERSE HOME CONDITIONS 
 
 Unfavorable home conditions become the problem of the 
 visiting teacher because of their bearing on the child's general 
 welfare and his school progress. The class teacher may not 
 be aware of the real situation in the pupil's home, but she is 
 keen to "sense something wrong", and refers her suspicions 
 and anxieties to the visiting teacher whose training and ex- 
 perience enable her to get at the heart of the problem. 
 
 Inefficient To every visiting teacher are reported 
 
 H° mes children who come from homes where the 
 
 mothers fail to realize why and how seriously their children 
 are handicapped by being sent to school late, or breakfastless, 
 tired, untidy, unprepared in lessons, etc. — all conditions which 
 can be remedied by better household regime and especially by 
 planning ahead. Many bustling mothers are poor managers 
 and fail to provide clean clothing, to supervise washing and 
 dressing, or to train the children in hygienic habits. At the 
 last minute before breakfast the child is sent for "rolls and 
 milk" and is consequently late for school. The mothers need 
 to see that the responsibility is theirs, though the punishment 
 falls on the children. Friendly counsel and explanation on the 
 part of the visiting teacher often serve to stimulate family 
 pride and responsibility, assuring speedy improvement, but, 
 on the other hand, many homes must be patiently educated to 
 change their attitude and adopt wiser methods. 
 
 A simple adjustment, as in the following story, may mean 
 a great deal to the child and yet would probably never have 
 occurred to the family had the visiting teacher not brought it 
 to its attention : 
 
 34 
 
12. Philomena was as "good as gold" in the class, but un- 
 accountably poor in lessons. She came to school every morning 
 breathless, tardy, unkempt, looking tired and dejected. The 
 visiting teacher found that when not engaged in "finishing 
 coats" she cared for a two year old brother, who demanded to 
 be carried when taken out for an airing and claimed constant 
 attention, besides confiscating and destroying her school books 
 and pencils. At the visiting teacher's suggestion a go-cart was 
 provided to relieve Philomena's back and keep the children 
 outdoors longer ; a strong shoe box was kept on a high shelf to 
 hold the school materials in safety; the sewing was lessened, 
 and by planning ahead the child was saved the hurry and the 
 tardiness caused by the morning errands. The result was a 
 happier, straighter child and a clearer brain for school work. 
 
 Overworked Poor household management also results 
 
 Children ' m ser i us over-work. Girls sometimes have 
 
 to assume the burden of the house-work, and many children 
 add to the family budget by after school jobs. Where real 
 poverty exists, as in the case of a 12 year old boy who con- 
 tributed to the support of his widowed mother by working all 
 night as a truckman's helper, retiring at 6 a. m., snatching his 
 sleep before and after school, the co-operation of relief agen- 
 cies is secured. In other cases, divers ways are worked out 
 to relieve the child and provide time for rest and play. 
 
 Need of Child The parents' lack of knowledge of child 
 
 Training ( training becomes apparent as soon as one 
 
 visits in the homes ; nor is this need confined to the busy 
 housewife of the tenements. To use a simple illustration, 
 many a child is punished for "badness" who is only expressing 
 natural childish exuberance which in crowded quarters is more 
 wearing on the family's nerves than under other conditions. 
 In such cases the child's need of active play and various other 
 needs of his developing personality are explained to the family. 
 The following story shows the reaction of such homes 
 on the child : 
 
 13. Archie, 13 years old, in 8 A, was reported as "D" in 
 conduct. He was able to do his work, but made little effort. 
 The mother had been sent for without success. When the 
 
 35 
 
visiting teacher stated the reason for her call, the mother ex- 
 claimed "I know all about him. I can't help it, send him 
 away!" The visiting teacher drew out that she was irritated 
 by ill-health, the decline of the business at which she had 
 overworked, and her "bad boy". Archie had refused to remain 
 at home and take instruction from the Rabbi. He owed the 
 library for a lost book and so the parents had forbidden him 
 to read. He must not join the Boy Scouts as they "would 
 make him a soldier". Everything he liked was forbidden. 
 After school he helped his father in his shop. 
 
 Being naturally fond of reading he spent his pennies on 
 the cheapest books he could buy, and read them secretly at 
 night. Consequently, in school the next day he was not a 
 promising pupil. 
 
 After considerable persuasion, the mother accepted the 
 visiting teacher's suggestions of change of treatment. She 
 allowed Archie to join the Scouts, to draw books from the 
 library, and the class teacher supplied a list of helpful books. 
 He had "A" in conduct next month and there were no further 
 complaints. He was promoted at the end of the term. Fre- 
 quently the mother has exclaimed that the visiting teacher's 
 advice was "worth a hundred dollars" to her as she had been 
 most desperate and discouraged over her son's conduct. 
 
 Broken Homes Reports of visiting teachers emphasize 
 
 the bad effect on the school child when one 
 parent fails to function in his care. They report situations 
 that arise when the father deserts or is shiftless, when the 
 parents disagree, when one parent is a chronic invalid, neu- 
 rotic, insane or feeble-minded, when a step-father is anta- 
 gonistic, or when a widowed mother goes to work or both 
 parents are away working, thus leaving the children without 
 proper guardianship. Or there may be a taint of immorality 
 in the home and the child himself be exposed to corrupting 
 influences. 
 
 The visiting teachers' reports show resourcefulness in 
 coping with these situations. Her personal appeal with pa- 
 rents is strong because her argument is the advantage which 
 accrues to the child. She enlists the help of members of the 
 family, relatives, neighbors, or a social agency, as the situation 
 may demand. Although the family may be known to these 
 
 36 
 
agencies already, the effect of the situation on the child's 
 schooling may not be known, and the visiting teacher's inti- 
 mate knowledge of the child gives new light to the agency or 
 suggests a measure that will help the child. Every agency co- 
 operates when the child's welfare is concerned. The visiting 
 teachers mention the help given by a great variety of organiza- 
 tions ranging from nurseries to homes for the aged, from 
 playgrounds to desertion bureaus. 
 
 Occasionally conditions prove to be so serious that tem- 
 porary breaking-up of the home has to be advised. For ex- 
 ample : 
 
 14. Alice and her little sister were both jumpy, scared- 
 looking and very secretive. Mary was dreamy and apathetic 
 toward all her school work except reading. Neither of their 
 teachers was able to elicit any explanation of their occasional 
 unkempt appearance or their state of mind. The visiting 
 teacher found a pitiful condition: a refined, young, insane 
 mother with persecution delusions which had caused the family 
 to move so many times that their furniture was reduced to 
 dilapidation, and a young father who had taken to drink be- 
 cause of his trouble. She showed the father the effect the 
 home conditions were having on the development of the chil- 
 dren, and persuaded him, though not without difficulty, that 
 his wife's insanity was not a shame to be hidden but a disease 
 needing medical care. She then put him in touch with a society 
 which provided treatment for his wife; and since the grand- 
 mother was too feeble to care for the children, helped him to 
 find a good home for them until such time as his wife should 
 recover or he could make better arrangements. Obviously to 
 neglect inquiring into such undermining conditions would be to 
 miss an essential in the business of "fitting children for life". 
 
 Home In varying degrees in different places, ir- 
 
 Conditions and regular attendance is referred to the visiting 
 
 rregu ar teacher. In this field her work is essentially 
 
 Attendance 
 
 preventive, and goes further than merely 
 
 "bringing up" attendance. Her aim is to prevent the evils 
 
 which almost inevitably follow irregular attendance : retarda - 
 
 tion, truancy, "hating school" and the desire to "quit" at the 
 
 earliest possible moment. 
 
 37 
 
The report of the Teachers' Council, New York City, 
 dated October 1919, reads in part : 
 
 "We need a campaign of education for education We 
 
 must educate the child. It cannot be done when the parent 
 believes that an errand is more important than attendance at 
 school, yet an older brother will not lose one half hour from 
 his job to attend to this errand. . . . 
 
 "The remedy most clearly indicated, is the VISITING 
 TEACHER. It is the personal method that tells in these 
 cases. The visiting teacher explains the law and the reasons for 
 it, stimulates the interest and pride of the parents, increases 
 their intelligent co-operation to a marked degree." 
 
 The above quotation brings out the fact that much of the 
 irregular attendance is due to failure of parents to realize 
 both the importance of regular attendance and the conse- 
 quences of irregularity. This is especially true in the primary 
 grades. "Children don't learn much there anyway", mothers 
 are quoted as saying. The visiting teacher has the opportunity 
 to impress on these mothers the effects of irregularity not only 
 on the child's progress, but on his life habits and character 
 development ,thus preventing much trouble for the child and 
 the school later on. 
 
 Since irregular attendance is almost automatically checked 
 up in the classroom, the teacher frequently perceives through 
 it symptoms of adverse conditions in the child's life which are 
 fundamental and of much more serious import than mere 
 absence from the classroom. These cases she brings to the 
 attention of the visiting teacher for study and correction of 
 underlying causes. The true cause of broken attendance may 
 be economic or social difficulties in the child's home, a neurosis 
 or a maladjustment in scholarship, a misunderstanding of the 
 teacher's attitude or disciplinary measures, or some other 
 school problem, which it is within the province of the visiting 
 teacher to adjust. The following story will illustrate such 
 cases : 
 
 15. Writing of backwardness in school children due to 
 irregular attendance in the first grades, a visiting teacher tells 
 of a boy of 12 who had been on the school register for seven 
 years and was just beginning the fifth grade. Here his ir- 
 
 38 
 
regular attendance was brought to her attention. A study of 
 his record card showed her that during the first three grades 
 he had been present but 50% of the time, and had moved 
 frequently. His attendance before the compulsory school age 
 had been nobody's business. The visiting teacher got at his 
 real reason for disliking school. He knew that he was far 
 below other children of his age, and he disliked to meet new 
 teachers and new boys on that account. The visiting teacher 
 analyzed with him and his parents his school record so that 
 they would see that his absences and movings were the real 
 cause of his deficiency. She promised that if he were willing 
 to study she would secure help for him. A high school neigh- 
 bor volunteered to tutor him, and drilled him on the arithmetic 
 tables, etc., that he had missed. Under the visiting teacher's 
 supervision and encouragement, he made the 6th grade, studied 
 in vacation, and in the seventh grade stood third in the class. 
 At fourteen he was approaching graduation when he an- 
 nounced with a sob in his voice that his father was going to 
 take him out to work. But the visiting teacher interviewed 
 his god- father who made it possible for him to stay in school. 
 He graduated with honors, went to high school, and he is 
 now a Freshman in the law school. ,/ 
 
 3. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS AND PREVENTION OF 
 DELINQUENCY. 
 
 Misconduct is reported by fifty-three visiting teachers as 
 one of the reasons for which children are referred to them. 
 This misconduct usually occurred in school, but it may have 
 been reported from outside. The term also covers cases of a 
 graver nature bordering on immorality. 
 
 Misconduct Every principal knows the amount of 
 
 in School t j me S p en t in solving petty thefts in school 
 
 and in sifting true from false excuses for failure to live up to 
 requirements. The cleverest deceiver is apt to get away with 
 the lightest sentence unless there is someone to follow up with 
 a home investigation. "The loss of time", states the Report of 
 the Teachers' Council, New York City, "to teachers and prin- 
 cipals, at the expense of normal children through pupils who 
 require special handling is very great. — Teachers and prin- 
 cipals spend an undue proportion of time and effort on cases 
 
 39 
 
of this kind, in the desire to give the individual all opportunity 
 due him. The burden of such a task should not, in justice, be 
 assumed by the teacher of a regular class". Many such prob- 
 lems of behavior are left, after the primary questioning, for 
 the visiting teacher to solve. She begins her investigation in 
 the school and carries it to completion in the home. 
 
 In the home, children give her their confidence on their 
 school difficulties, their friends, their pet ambitions and aver- 
 sions, their jealousies, their philosophy of life. There is op- 
 portunity to make plain to the child that certain undesirable 
 conduct on his part brings certain results in school and home 
 and certain reactions from his mates. Then comes patient 
 follow-up, constant renewing of interest and stimulation, until 
 these children attain force of character and the habit of in- 
 hibiting wrong tendencies. The following stories will illustrate 
 the visiting teacher's handling of misconduct: 
 
 1 6. Edna brought a $20 bill to school "to pay for a scout 
 suit" and with it some cheap presents for the teacher, The 
 teacher doubted her story that she had found the money. She 
 had told untruths before in defense of her poor lessons. At 
 home, when questioned by the visiting teacher, Edna still 
 clung to her story, but finally admitted that she had stolen the 
 money from a drunken boarder. Then the mother admitted 
 former thefts and money secretly borrowed from the grocer 
 "on account." The visiting teacher waited for the father, and 
 got his co-operation in a promise to eject the drunken boarder 
 from the tiny three-room apartment, and to see personally 
 to Edna's ethical training. Although the parents and the visit- 
 ing teacher watched her carefully, there was no lasting im- 
 provement in either lessons or conduct till, on the visiting 
 teacher's advice, she was sent to a psychologist for examina- 
 tion. The tests seemed to reveal Edna to herself, and she 
 began to take an interest in her own condition. Veracity and 
 arithmetic both began to improve. Under careful supervision 
 Edna broke away from her bad habits, and spent her after- 
 noons in studying music and at a club for girls. 
 
 17. John had always been "old reliable" at school, and, 
 though not brilliant, had earned many posts of trust, but lately 
 in his graduating year he had become indifferent and dull ; his 
 work suffered and his promotion was in danger. When finally 
 
 40 
 
he began to present frequent excuses to be dismissed early in 
 order to attend dispensary at irregular and unaccountable 
 hours, the visiting teacher was asked to investigate. He could 
 give her no very clear account of his symptoms, nor of any 
 doctor's report on his case, so the visiting teacher offered to 
 accompany him to the dispensary. Then he admitted to her 
 gentle but relentless probing that he had never presented him- 
 self to a doctor, that he had always become frightened before 
 his turn came. It thus came out that he had been getting into 
 personal habits that he had heard might have dire results both 
 to his physical well-being and to his mentality. He was thor- 
 oughly frightened and humiliated, and had reached such a 
 pitch of emotion that he was totally unable to carry his school 
 work. The visiting teacher had by now won his confidence. 
 She took him and his mother by appointment to a private doc- 
 tor who gave him information and wise suggestions on hygiene. 
 Immeasurably relieved in mind, John took hold of his studies 
 with new zest. It was already late in the term, but he managed 
 to graduate, and is now in high school and doing well. 
 
 One visiting teacher's report contains the statement, "the 
 visiting teacher must have the personality to induce in the child 
 the incentive to change, and the social vision to see in the 
 weakling and the erring — not criminal intent, but energy going 
 to waste and her opportunity to redirect and conserve it as a 
 community asset. She must distinguish between a hyper- 
 sensitive temperament, a neurotic disposition, mischievousness 
 due to lack of proper employment, malicious influences from 
 environment, and an undeveloped moral sense". 
 
 In cases where the visiting teacher attributes the cause 
 of misbehavior to a neurotic condition of the child, she usually 
 persuades the parent to seek the advice of a specialist. That 
 the visiting teacher's study of the child in both his school and 
 family relations and frequently in episodes of his street and 
 play life has been of inestimable value in helping the psychia- 
 trist in his diagnosis is attested by several specialists 3 . She is 
 in a position to observe many incidents in the child's life and 
 to learn much of his past history which the parent is apt to 
 ignore as inconsequential. She also sees that the specialist's 
 
 3 Mental Hygiene, July, 1919. 
 
 41 
 
recommendations are carried out at home and in school, and 
 keeps the neurotic child and the emotionally unstable under her 
 supervision for months and even years. If advisable she ar- 
 ranges to send the child to a convalescent home, or to a home 
 in the country. 
 
 Misconduct out Child misconduct out of school may be 
 
 of School reported by neighbors or playmates, but 
 
 more often parents come to ask the help of the school. The 
 visiting teacher studies the child, taking into consideration 
 many factors including the fundamental differences in per- 
 sonality in the family group, the clashing of temperaments 
 which makes for conflict of emotions. She studies the reaction 
 of the home on the child. As a result the conversation with 
 the parent may take the form of simple adaptations of child 
 psychology or lessons in habit formation. The visiting teach- 
 ers' suggestions range from showing the mother the mischief 
 of giving Julia pennies every time she cries for them, or "lick- 
 ing" Jo when he won't eat breakfast, to the establishment of 
 good habits of diet and hygiene, and avoiding habits of con- 
 trariness and irritability or slavishly doing everything for the 
 child, thus denying the child the opportunity of self-develop- 
 ment. One visiting teacher writes that by showing the mother 
 the origin of one child's difficulty, she suggests to her "how to 
 avoid the same mistake with the others". Her principal says, 
 "We have less trouble with the children coming from homes 
 where the visiting teacher has worked". 
 
 Prevention of The visiting teacher must often confront 
 
 Delinquency problems arising from over-crowding in the 
 
 tenement homes where frequently the male boarder is found 
 to add to the difficulties of the situation. It is not easy to 
 maintain very high standards in a congested neighborhood 
 where every phase of life is found, almost under one roof, and 
 where any degree of privacy is almost out of the question. 
 
 Frequently the dire effects of such conditions come to 
 light through the obscene note, the suggestive remark, the 
 questionable picture. To these, as symptoms of unwholesome 
 
 42 
 
interests and surroundings, the visiting teacher gives her at- 
 tention. Her work along these lines is of a distinctly pre- 
 ventive nature, helping those children whose unsatisfied curi- 
 osity or love of companionship, unwise choice of companions, 
 however adverse, or lack of moral training is tending to lead 
 them astray. Sometimes working parents, under stress, leave 
 their children to the education of the streets. Often they are 
 unaware of the danger until the visiting teacher brings the 
 matter home to them. So much helpfulness has resulted from 
 a little timely oversight and advice, and a redirecting of the 
 child's thoughts and activities, that this phase alone of the 
 visiting teacher's work is worth all it costs. 
 
 The New York Times published the following in a letter 
 from Franklin Chase Hoyt, Presiding Justice, Children's 
 Court, New York City, in October, 1919: 
 
 "I have been in close touch with visiting teachers' work 
 for several years, and know that many children would find 
 their way annually into the Children's Court if they were not 
 assisted by a visiting teacher at the critical moment in their 
 lives when the sinister influences of their environments begin 
 to destroy what the schools are endeavoring to build up. 
 
 "The most effective treatment of delinquency and crime 
 is their prevention. It saves human misery and taxpayers' 
 dollars." 
 
 The visiting teacher seeks to turn the gang spirit among 
 the boys into a community asset. Many adolescent girls, as 
 well as the boys, are without suitable recreational facilities for 
 which the visiting teacher must make provision. In many 
 cities, the visiting teachers have found it necessary to organize 
 groups to meet the need for healthful, stimulating interest;. 
 Among these are» found scout groups, gymnasium classes, 
 dramatic clubs, dancing and cooking classes, city history clubs 
 and "evening social clubs" for the girls who "must go some- 
 where." In some of the smaller cities new clubs and attractions 
 are undertaken by the visiting teacher. In Hartford a success- 
 ful evening club was organized for adolescent girls. As an out- 
 growth of her work with individual children in other cities, 
 other community needs such as day nurseries, homes for neg- 
 
 43 
 
lected children, social settlements and scholarship funds have 
 been pointed out by the visiting teachers and met by the com- 
 munity. 
 
 Rumors of neighborhood evils that are affecting the lives 
 and morals of the children are confided to the visiting teacher 
 as she goes about. Then she sets in motion agencies in the 
 community to create counteracting and constructive forces that 
 will safe-guard the children's morals and develop sound 
 American citizens. 
 
 1 8. In a congested part of the city, Lucy, aged II, was 
 losing her interest in lessons and coming late to the afternoon 
 session, offering as excuse that "mother was sick", but her 
 classmates whispered that she was talking to boys on the street. 
 The visiting teacher went to the home, and learned from the 
 bed-ridden mother that Lucy had changed since coming under 
 the influence of a playmate and neighbor, Elsie. Lucy's father 
 was insane, and her brother an invalid home from the war. 
 Lucy escaped at 3 p. m. from this dreary home atmosphere 
 to go, no one knew where, till she was sought and brought 
 home at 11 p. m. The visiting teacher saw the necessity 
 of getting acquainted with Elsie, and went to her school. 
 Elsie had an unenviable record for repeating grades, half days 
 absence and poor conduct. The visiting teacher took this 
 record to her home and questioned the parents. They were 
 aware that Elsie had been left back and that there were days 
 when she had not been at home as well as absent from school. 
 But they had been unable to find out where she spent her time. 
 The visiting teacher was not content with her explanation that 
 she went "no place'', and finally by careful probing, based on a 
 study of the record card, showing at what date the child began 
 to go wrong, got the information she was seeking. 
 
 The visiting teacher communicated with the Children's 
 Society, and within a few hours they had put under arrest a 
 man who had been teaching immoral practices to Elsie and a 
 score of her friends. The man was convicted and sent to jail. 
 The visiting teacher took the children under her care and 
 looked out for their recreation and companionship as well as 
 for their lessons. Lucy became at once, when the friendship 
 with Elsie was broken, a better student at school. Her mother 
 lived to see her become again her faithful nurse and house- 
 keeper. 
 
 Elsie, because her habits of delinquency were stronger, 
 needed careful supervision at school and at home, but the home 
 
 44 
 
co-operation was secured, and she goes "no place" now that is 
 not accounted for. Her interest in school was aroused so that 
 she is now making normal progress. Her character is slowly 
 developing, good points long dormant showing in her changed 
 attitude. 
 
 4. LEAVING SCHOOL PREMATURELY 
 
 All sections of the country report as a big problem the 
 number of children leaving school before graduation. Many 
 boys and girls seek working certificates not because of economic 
 pressure, but because they are discouraged or "misfitted" into 
 the educational system, or because they are lured by the earn- 
 ing power of comrades. In some schools the visiting teacher 
 investigates the requests for working papers before the em- 
 ployment certificate is issued, interviewing both the parents 
 and the child. Frequently she is able to work out some emer- 
 gency plan so that the child's help will not be needed at home ; 
 or, where there is financial stringency, she places a member of 
 the family in a better paying position, secures a scholarship or 
 financial help. Where she discovers that the working paper 
 is sought because of some maladjustment at school, she 
 straigthens out the difficulty through the co-operation of the 
 instructors. 
 
 Keeping Many children would end their school- 
 
 Children in d avs U p 0n graduation from grammar school 
 
 were they not persuaded by the visiting 
 teacher to continue into high school. Many parents are mis- 
 informed regarding high school, or know nothing of the ad- 
 vantages open to those who have had secondary and college 
 education. The visiting teachers connected with high schools 
 meet with the same tendency for children to drop out of high 
 school during the restless period of adolescence; but through a 
 sympathetic recognition of their difficulties keep many from 
 giving up their course. A little timely advice, extra help in 
 lessons, or suggestions for a more congenial course of study 
 arouse a new enthusiasm and throw the balance in favor of 
 education. 
 
 45 
 
19. Kate wanted to drop high school altogether; she 
 "hated it so", and her parents had kept her to her studies only 
 by a continual struggle. The visiting teacher called upon her, 
 and noted that she was very shy, made no friends and took part 
 in no school activities except recitations. The visiting teacher 
 persuaded her to return to school, and interested two of her 
 teachers and the librarian in her. The latter asked Kate to 
 help in the library during the study hour. 
 
 Through this close association the librarian won her con- 
 fidence, and gradually brought her into contact with other girls. 
 Kate is almost a new girl now, regular at school and happy 
 in her work. 
 
 20. Jim is the oldest of seven children of foreign parents. 
 The mother explained to the visiting teacher that, on account of 
 her husband's insufficient wages and of her inability to go to 
 work because of a small baby, their eldest son would soon have 
 to forego school for work. The boy was therefore planning to 
 enter a trade school for his last two years. A bright, energetic 
 boy, small for his age, always alert on current news, fond of 
 reading, of history, and — according to the mechanical training 
 teacher — not at all mechanically inclined, was to be sent to a 
 trade school! It did not take long to persuade him that he 
 ought to go to high school and then to the university. It was 
 presented to the parents that there was no reason why their 
 son might not study law or enter some other profession. After 
 the visiting teacher promised that she would continually keep 
 in touch with the boy, getting him part-time work, and helping 
 to supply books and other school necessities, the parents agreed 
 to the plan. The visiting teacher hopes to see him safely 
 through the four years of high school, but even if he should not 
 be able to complete the course, it is probable that the additional 
 study will secure him employment more suited to his aptitude 
 than the machine shop. 
 
 Vocational While all visiting teachers seek to in- 
 
 Guidance spire a high purpose in the children and 
 
 show them how to attain it through a college or vocational edu- 
 cation, the visiting teachers of Chicago and Minneapolis add 
 to their other duties that of vocational counsellor for their 
 schools. Adjustments are made by all visiting teachers where- 
 by the boy or girl is placed in a school or a class suited to 
 his major interests or to his special mental or mechanical 
 ability. In most cities, however, vocational guidance is a 
 
separate department to which visiting teachers refer children, 
 with helpful information and recommendations based on their 
 long acquaintance with the family and intimate knowledge of 
 the child. 
 
 5. PROBLEMS OF THE FOREIGN BORN 
 Nationalities As a further index of the character of 
 
 Vlslted the visiting teacher's work, the questionnaire 
 
 also asked for the approximate percentage of the nationalities 
 visited. Twenty-two nationalities were reported by 48 visit- 
 ing teachers. As will be seen from Table VII, more than 23% 
 of the work is done among American families, leaving JJ% 
 immigrants of more or less recent arrival. Of these, the Italians 
 and Jews together represent about 47%, and all the others 
 collectively the remaining 30%. 
 
 Table VII — Nationalities Visited by Visiting Teachers 
 
 Nationalties and Races 
 
 Number of 
 Visiting Teachers 
 
 Percent 
 
 1. American 
 
 38 
 
 23.33 
 
 2. Italian 
 
 34 
 
 21.11 
 
 3. Jewish 
 
 33 
 
 25.5 
 
 4. Polish 
 
 24 
 
 4 
 
 5. Colored 
 
 23 
 
 6.5 
 
 6. Russian 
 
 20 
 
 11.11 
 
 7. Scandinavian 
 
 17 
 
 4.16 
 
 8. German 
 
 14 
 
 small 
 
 9. Austrian 
 
 13 
 
 2 
 
 10. Hungarian 
 
 9 
 
 small 
 
 11. Finish \ 
 
 
 
 
 12. Danish 
 
 
 
 
 13. Japanese 
 
 
 
 
 14. Indian 
 
 
 
 
 15. Irish 
 
 
 
 
 16. French \ 
 
 1 to 4 
 
 small 
 
 17. Slovak 
 
 
 
 
 18. Greek 
 
 
 
 
 19. Armenian 
 
 
 
 
 20. Syrian 
 
 
 
 
 21. Chinese 
 
 
 
 
 22. Swiss ' 
 
 
 
 47 
 
There is an apparent discrepancy between the percentage 
 for American, Jewish and Italian families and the number of 
 visiting teachers reporting these nationalities as shown in the 
 two columns, but the disagreement is only apparent. While 
 actually fewer visiting teachers report visiting Jewish and 
 Italian families, the percentages of the Jews and Italians visited 
 are greater. Many visiting teachers report their districts 85% 
 to 99% Jewish or Italian, whereas only a few report a large 
 percentage of Americans. The tendency of the Jewish and 
 Italian immigrants to live in Ghettos and "Little Italy's" 
 makes the school population for those districts fairly homo- 
 geneous. Furthermore, Jewish immigrants live in cities, where 
 most of the visiting teachers are located, and are well repre- 
 sented in the schools, since the Jewish immigrant more than 
 any other brings his family to America and endeavors to keep 
 his children longer in school. 
 
 The heterogeneous character of the school populations 
 may be seen in the reports. Ten visiting teachers, each, work 
 with children of six nationalities ; four with seven nationalities, 
 three with eight, and four with as many as ten. 
 
 From Minneapolis one visiting teacher reports that 98% 
 of her cases are foreigners, of whom 75% are Russian Poles. 
 Another reports 76% Russian Poles. Both of these speak the 
 Slavic language. Two others report a large percentage of 
 Scandinavians. The remaining visiting teachers in Minnea- 
 polis are assigned to districts of mixed nationalities. 
 
 Chicago has two visiting teachers in districts largely 
 Italian, and one in a predominantly Polish district. In Hart- 
 ford the work is carried on in a population largely Jewish and 
 Italian. 
 
 From New York City six visiting teachers report work- 
 ing in districts predominantly Jewish (81-96%) and two in dis- 
 tricts largely Italian (75-85%), one among colored families 
 and the remainder among a variety of nationalities. In Boston 
 four visitors work in Italian neighborhoods, three in Jewish, 
 one in an American district (98%) and the remainder among 
 mixed nationalities. 
 
 48 
 
The visiting teachers reporting neighborhoods pre- 
 dominantly American represent Minneapolis (2), Rochester, 
 Raleigh, Louisville, New York City (1), Glen Ridge, Kansas 
 City, Boston (2). 
 
 Colored Of the twenty-three who report colored 
 
 Children families, all give negligible percentages, ex- 
 
 cept two — one in Raleigh, and one in New York. These two 
 devote practically their entire time to colored children. 
 
 "Americani- Naturally the parent who will most need 
 
 zatlon to have the American school interpreted to 
 
 him is the foreign-born parent. Our American ideals of edu- 
 cation, our school attendance, child labor, and other laws for 
 the protection of the minor, represent a different point of view 
 from that held in many foreign countries. If, as is too fre- 
 quently true, the American schooling of the child creates a gap 
 between him and his foreign-born parent, then the visiting 
 teacher is the first in the field to forestall this disaster. She 
 brings the parent into sympathy with the work and aims of 
 the school, of which he frequently has but scant information, 
 and acquaints him with the developmental possibilities of his 
 child. The child is progressing toward "Americanization" by 
 much more rapid strides than the adult. The visiting teacher, 
 while eager to preserve all that is good in the foreigner's tradi- 
 tions and consistent with our democratic ideals, leads the con- 
 servative parent, through the needs of the child, to realize that 
 he must live with his child, seek recreation with the family, 
 enter into the daily life of the child, sharing his language, his 
 books, his companions, his aspirations for the future. The 
 immigrant who despairs of controlling his liberty-loving 
 American off-spring is given a new vision of parental obliga- 
 tion, and the child safe-guarded from losing his respect for 
 his "green horn" parent. 
 
 A letter from the New York Principals' Association ad- 
 dressed to the Board of Education, New York City, October, 
 1919, emphasizes this phase of the work: 
 
 49 
 
"Only those of us who have worked among our great for- 
 eign population, with its ignorance of Anglo-Saxon traditions 
 and ideals even more than its ignorance of our English tongue ; 
 or who have had to struggle with the moral and disciplinary 
 problems that are rampant in so many parts of the great city, 
 can realize how important — how necessary the work of a visit- 
 ing teacher is. In the home, numberless adjustments can be 
 made, — questions of law explained, America's attitude toward 
 children be made clear to people who have no faintest glim- 
 mering of such a conception of duty, aid — medical or financial — 
 arranged for when necessary, investigations made which enable 
 the school to deal intelligently and humanely with individual 
 cases — in short, work absolutely necessary to the educational 
 and social sides of school life done, which is a sheer impossibi- 
 lity under the high pressure conditions prevailing in the office of 
 a modern school. Any good visiting teacher saves her cost 
 every year to the city in actual money value." 
 
 The visiting teacher is not, however, to be confused with 
 the "home teacher", whose work consists primarily in Ameri- 
 canizing the foreign MOTHER through the teaching of Eng- 
 lish and other means at her command, whereas the visiting 
 teacher is concerned with the school CHILD and the adjust- 
 ment of his problems in or out of school. 
 
 6. SUMMARY OF THE GENERAL MEASURES USED 
 IN REMEDYING CONDITIONS 
 
 Measures Used In addition to the concrete description of 
 
 in General specific cases as outlined in the preceding 
 
 pages, the visiting teachers were asked to summarize the gen- 
 eral measures used in remedying conditions and to indicate 
 which were found most helpful and which were used most 
 frequently. The answers to this inquiry are given in 
 Table VIII. 
 
 Of the sixty mentioning personal influence, forty-five 
 visiting teachers lay stress on this as an important means of 
 making adjustments in the lives of individual children. They 
 cite the child who is "bewildered by his failure," or "deadened 
 by the lack of personal interest in a large school", or "hyper- 
 sensitive to fancied wrong and finding himself in the position 
 
 50 
 
where a 'feller needs a friend' ". Many of the trying habits 
 that distress the teacher and discourage the mother are elimi- 
 nated when the child finds that somebody "thought enough of 
 me to come to my house", and point the better way. 
 
 Table VIII — Summary of Measures Used 
 
 Measures Used 
 
 Affirmative Answers 
 
 1. 
 
 Personal Influence 
 
 60 ^ 
 
 2. 
 
 Information Brought Back to the Teacher 
 
 60 
 
 3. 
 
 Cooperation of Outside Agencies 
 
 56 
 
 4. 
 
 Physical Examination 
 
 56 
 
 5. 
 
 Mental Examination 
 
 50 
 
 6. 
 
 Financial Relief 4 
 
 50 
 
 7. 
 
 Recreation 
 
 45 
 
 8. 
 
 Change of School Recommended 
 
 44 
 
 9. 
 
 Change of Interest 
 
 42 
 
 10. 
 
 Change of Class Recommended 
 
 41 
 
 11. 
 
 Change of Environment 
 
 41 
 
 12. 
 
 Referring to Society for Prevention of 
 
 
 
 Cruelty to Children 4 
 
 40 
 
 13. 
 
 Change to a Special Class Recommended 
 
 37 
 
 14. 
 
 Promotion Recommended 
 
 36 
 
 15. 
 
 Demotion Recommended 
 
 30 
 
 The use of mental examination is reported by fifty visit- 
 ing teachers and is given a place of importance by twenty-four. 
 Both this and physical examination are frequently used as an 
 aid in the diagnosis of difficult or neurotic children or children 
 who exhibit peculiar mental or physical traits. 
 
 Co-operation with social and other organizations is re- 
 ported by the majority of visiting teachers. Such measures as 
 "providing financial relief", "recreation", "change of interest 
 or environment", "protection", etc., are frequently necessary to 
 bring the child or the family into better relation to society and 
 community life. 
 
 The obvious importance of bringing back information to 
 the teacher has already been discussed and needs no further 
 elaboration. 
 
 * Two agencies frequently used where specially asked for. 
 
 51 
 
The order of frequencies of use of these measures was 
 found to be as follows: "personal influence," "information 
 brought to teacher", "securing co-operation of social agencies", 
 "physical examination", "securing financial relief", "mental 
 examination", "change of interest", "change of environment", 
 "recreation", "recommendation for special class", "demotion", 
 "promotion", "change of class or school" (to special, trade, 
 and other schools), and "referring to Society for Prevention 
 of Cruelty to Children". 
 
 Measures Used As scholarship cases were so frequent in 
 
 in Scholarship occurrence, a separate inquiry was made as 
 
 CaSeS * 4-U J X 
 
 to the measures used to overcome poor 
 scholarship. In addition to "securing the co-operation of the 
 teacher" and "of the child", which are understood to be in- 
 herent in every case, the answers given are compiled in 
 Table XI. 
 
 Table XI— Measures Used in Scholarship Cases 
 
 Measures Used 
 
 Affirmative Answers 
 
 1. 
 
 Securing Cooperation of Parent 
 
 53 
 
 2. 
 
 Stimulating Child's Interest 
 
 49 
 
 3. 
 
 Bettering Home Condition 
 
 48 
 
 4. 
 
 Bettering Physical Condition 
 
 47 
 
 5. 
 
 Securing Recreation 
 
 42 
 
 6. 
 
 Use of Mental Tests 
 
 40 
 
 7. 
 
 Securing Help with Lessons 
 
 38 
 
 8. 
 
 Through Promotion Suited to Mentality 
 
 35 
 
 9. 
 
 Through Demotion Suited to Mentality 
 
 27 
 
 In these answers great stress is laid on securing the co- 
 operation of parents and on stimulating the interest of the 
 child, as these two measures are used no matter what other 
 means may be employed. The replies from New York City 
 and Hartford are quite uniform in stating that all of the 
 foregoing measures are utilized. Other measures reported 
 
 52 
 
by individuals, and not listed above, are "change of the course 
 of study or program", "placing in nutrition class", and "secu- 
 ring part-time jobs". 
 
 The visiting teachers were asked to list these measures in 
 the order of the frequency of their use. "Co-operation of 
 parents" proved to be first in frequency of use, followed in 
 turn by "physical examination", "stimulating interest", "bet- 
 tering home conditions", "securing help with lessons", (through 
 the school or outside), "mental examination", "recreation", 
 "promotion suited to mentality", and "demotion suited to 
 mentality". 
 
 S3 
 
VI 
 
 What Qualifications are Essential for'j 
 Visiting Teachers 
 
 IN A FIELD OF WORK so new as that of the visiting 
 teacher it is to be expected that no specialized line of 
 preparation will have been developed but that those 
 entering it will have been drawn from various branches of 
 teaching and social work. The questionnaire, therefore, in- 
 cluded several questions regarding preparation, in the hope 
 of finding out what, if any, common elements were repre- 
 sented in the visiting teachers' previous training and ex- 
 perience and, also, of formulating recommendations for the 
 training of future visiting teachers based on these common 
 factors and the visiting teachers' estimate of the relative 
 value of various phases of their own preparation. 
 
 In answering the question, "What was your training 
 and preparation for this work?" the visiting teachers have 
 evidently assumed that only that part of their preparation 
 was desired which had a direct bearing on the work. Hence 
 the summary does not pretend to be a complete account 
 of their preparation but only of the education and ex- 
 perience which prepared them directly for this work. 
 
 Educational Of the fifty-eight replying, twenty- 
 
 Training three visiting teachers state that they hold 
 
 college degrees, sixteen the degree A.B., five B.S., one A.M., 
 and one Ph.B. Seventeen mention training for teaching in 
 normal schools, kindergarten training schools, etc. 
 
 54 
 
The appended list shows the institutions represented 
 Universities 
 
 Chicago 
 Clark 
 Columbia 
 Iowa 
 
 Barnard 
 Bryn Mawr 
 Simmons 
 Smith 
 
 Colleges 
 
 Minnesota 
 Nebraska 
 New York 
 Vermont 
 
 Teachers 
 
 Vassar 
 
 Wells 
 
 Nineteen mention special courses supplementary to the 
 above or toward a higher degree. These additional courses 
 include : psychology — general, abnormal, educational, of the 
 child, of atypical children, of delinquency — psychiatry, psy- 
 cho-analysis, mental hygiene, mental tests and educational 
 measurements, child study, eugenics, vocational guidance, 
 philosophy of education, economics, sociology, social psy- 
 chology and Americanization. 
 
 Social On the social side, twenty-nine visit- 
 
 Training i n g teachers reported special training at 
 
 schools for social work. The Boston School for Social 
 Work, the Chicago School of Civics, and the New York 
 School for Social Work were those most frequently repre- 
 sented. 
 
 Experience Thirty-two visiting teachers mentioned 
 
 teaching experience in elementary or high 
 schools. Three were formerly principals and one was a 
 superintendent. Forty-five mentioned experience in social 
 work which represented widely different fields, including 
 public and associated charities, child labor, industrial wel- 
 fare, settlements, recreational work in connection with 
 clubs, etc., juvenile courts, travellers aid, department of 
 labor, public health, Consumer's League, neighborhood and 
 church centres, war work, social service nursing and various 
 forms of visiting school children such as visiting housekeeper. 
 
 55 
 
Preparation In the replies to the question, "What 
 
 Found Helpful p art Q f vour preparation have you found 
 most helpful?", the special courses were mentioned far more 
 frequently than the normal training or college work. This 
 might indicate, in part at least, that the latter was taken 
 for granted as a foundation for the more highly specialized 
 visiting teacher work. In the courses mentioned as espe- 
 cially helpful, psychology in all its branches headed the -list. 
 Then came: sociology, mental abnormalities and mental 
 testing, dietetics, biology, medical knowledge and acquaint- 
 ance with industrial conditions, especially for those whose 
 work includes vocational guidance. In their social training, 
 special mention was made of case work, acquaintance with 
 social agencies, and mental hygiene. 
 
 Every visiting teacher will encounter the social prob- 
 lems early in her service to the schools, and her social 
 experience will aid her in coping with them ; but the special 
 problems which gradually sift down to her on longer ac- 
 quaintance with the school — the disciplinary, emotional, 
 neurotic, temperamental children, — will require a different 
 skill and knowledge in handling. These are essentially 
 school problems, and while other agencies may help, the 
 solution requires a psychological analysis by the visiting 
 teacher. Hence — in answer to the question "What addi- 
 tional training or experience have you found you needed?" 
 the answer most frequently given was the study of psycho- 
 logy in its various branches, or of allied subjects, including 
 mental testing, psycho-analysis, mental hygiene, and 
 psychiatry — that is such courses as are not usually pursued 
 in an under-graduate college or normal course. Because of 
 the variety in the work, no knowledge comes amiss, and the 
 fact that over half the visiting teachers mention the need of 
 such courses in addition to whatever preparation they had 
 when they undertook the work, speaks strongly in favor of 
 including these studies in the training of future visiting 
 teachers. Those visiting teachers whose work includes vo- 
 cational guidance have mentioned courses along this line. 
 
 56 
 
Foreign languages have been found a necessity by 
 many, and those who have a speaking knowledge of Slavic, 
 Yiddish, Italian, or Polish have found the language a great 
 asset. With the exception of the Yiddish speaking, the 
 other three peoples are as a rule slow to learn English, and 
 express themselves more freely in their native tongue when 
 in intimate conversation with the visiting teacher. Even a 
 superficial knowledge of a foreign language will help the 
 visiting teacher when finding her way in a foreign neigh- 
 borhood and make her purpose understood. 
 
 As additional training in social work, several mention 
 methods of record keeping and "more case work". The 
 almost universal desire on the part of the visiting teacher 
 for more information along the lines of her work is due 
 partly to the fact, previously referred to, that she is still 
 more or less a pioneer in a field for which a definite line of 
 preparation has not been worked out. She has, therefore, 
 had to "get as one goes", filling in the gaps in her prepara- 
 tion as they have been discovered. Or it may be accounted 
 for, in part, by the fact that to a great extent she works 
 with serious problems which are no one's else responsibility and 
 which present "a constant challenge to her resourcefulness". 
 Her educational courses as well as her further experience 
 help her to add to her resourcefulness. 
 
 As additional experience, six visiting teachers who had 
 never taught mention the need of teaching experience "in 
 order to understand the school's point of view". Several 
 spoke of their lack of adequate experience to cope with the 
 various industrial, vocational and recreational situations 
 confronted. 
 
 An opportunity to meet other visiting teachers in con- 
 ference was a need almost universally felt. In a work so 
 new as this, conferences are of signal assistance. The ex- 
 change of experience between fellow-workers, the discus- 
 sion of one's own problems and difficulties, and comparison 
 
 57 
 
of methods found effective are of incalculable value. One 
 visiting teacher even expressed a desire for "money to go 
 and see what other visiting teachers are doing". 
 
 A Suggested In the light of the preceding, the visit- 
 
 Training i n g teachers were asked to suggest a 
 
 course of preparation for future visiting 
 teachers. A summary of the answers includes : 
 
 i. A good educational foundation at either college or nor- 
 mal school. 
 
 2. Special study in psychology, psychiatry and child study 
 in its various phases. Other courses as needed, such 
 as foreign language and vocational guidance. 
 
 3. Training for social work including study of sociology, 
 case work, industrial conditions, racial characteristics. 
 
 4. Experience 
 
 (a) In teaching — a sufficient length of time to un- 
 derstand the school problem. 
 
 (b) In social work — especially case work and if pos- 
 sible varied experience, in order to cope with 
 the various phases of the visiting teacher work. 
 
 It is interesting to note in this connection that about 
 one-half the present visiting teachers have had substantially 
 the training outlined above. In addition to the specific 
 training, the answers have called attention to the necessity 
 for such personal qualifications as a co-operating spirit, 
 spirit of service, "a consuming zeal for the work", sound 
 judgment, patience, tact and resourcefulness in emergency, 
 maturity, "sense rather than sentiment", knowledge of 
 human nature, and love of children. 
 
 58 
 
VII 
 
 What are the Fundamental Characteristics 
 and the Prospects of the Work? 
 
 AS A CONCLUSION to this report it is interesting to 
 note the answers given by the visiting teachers to 
 personal questions on: "What, in your opinion, is 
 the function of the visiting teacher ?", "What part of the 
 work interests you most?", and "What part do you think 
 needs to be developed ?". 
 
 Function of the To the question, "What, in your 
 
 Visiting Teacher opinion, is the function of the visiting 
 teacher?", the replies were about as follows: Thirty be- 
 lieved their chief function to be the bringing about of closer 
 co-operation and mutual understanding between home and 
 school, and to "home and school" six added "community". 
 Thirteen stated that their function lay in studying the needs 
 of the individual child and in making adjustments for his 
 betterment. Two emphasized the visiting teacher's help to 
 the parent as interpreter of the child as well as the school. 
 Three felt that their function lay in community improve- 
 ment and one or more in Americanization, socializing the 
 schools, and "retarding retardation". 
 
 To sum up these answers — the difference seems to lie in 
 the breadth of view of the respective visiting teachers, rather 
 than in any inherent contradiction of opinion. Wherever 
 the work has developed, the visiting teachers seem to in- 
 clude in their view, child, home, school and community, — 
 and a summary of their functions would comprise : 
 
 59 
 
1. Study of the individual unadjusted child and his prob- 
 lem. 
 
 2. Interpretation of : 
 
 (a) School and parents to one another. 
 
 (b) Child and parents to one another. 
 
 (c) Child and school to one another. 
 
 3. Securing co-operation of parents, school and commu- 
 nity in the interests of special children and of increased 
 educational facilities for all children. 
 
 4. Adjustment of the child's difficulties whether the cause 
 be found in the home, school or neighborhood. 
 
 5. Socialization of the school's point of view. 
 
 Most Interesting The answers to the question, "What 
 
 Phases of the phase of the work interests you most?", 
 
 Work . . . 
 
 discloses a variety of interests inherent 
 
 in the work and indicate what it is that really attracts and 
 
 holds the visiting teacher to this work. The answers were 
 
 as follows : 
 
 NINE found their chief interest in the solution of the un- 
 derlying causes of poor scholarship and retardation. 
 FIVE found their chief interest in the adaptation of the 
 school to meet the needs of the individual child. 
 TWELVE found their chief interest in home visiting — 
 eight because of the possibility of making adjustments in 
 the school, and four because of the opportunity of effecting 
 changes in the home. 
 
 SEVEN found their chief interest in preventive work 
 with the unruly, the misfit, or delinquent. 
 SIX found their chief interest in preventing children from 
 drifting out of school. 
 
 Among other features of greatest interest were men- 
 tioned work with the precocious, the neurotic and the 
 psychopathic child, the adolescent, the atypical, and the 
 mental defective. Others reported recreational work, nutri- 
 tion and diet, obtaining educational opportunities for crip- 
 ples, interesting parents of the deaf in the new methods, 
 mental development through physical development, and the 
 making of better Americans. 
 
 60 
 
In brief, there are two underlying elements in the visit- 
 ing teacher's interest in the work : first, a scientific spirit 
 which expresses itself as a diagnostician seeking, in home, 
 school, community, or the child, the cause of the trouble, 
 and, second, underneath the scientific spirit a definite per- 
 sonal bent toward understanding childhood and using that 
 sympathetic understanding for the adjustment of misfit chil- 
 dren. 
 
 The replies show that visiting teachers have not been 
 content to end their work with the adjustment of individual 
 children, but have drawn conclusions from case work as to 
 general underlying causes and basic changes which should 
 forestall certain maladjustments. 
 
 Future The answers to the question on the fu- 
 
 Developments ture development have differed in accord- 
 
 ance with the varying conditions in different localities. 
 
 While a majority of the visiting teachers work among 
 the average children, a need has been felt in some localities 
 for specialization. Cleveland has several visiting teachers 
 doing effective work among classes for the blind and for 
 sight conservation. Three of the visiting teachers in New 
 York City visit for subnormal children. Several smaller com- 
 munities have already initiated the work of the visiting 
 teacher to aid in the solution of community problems. The 
 work might well be extended to other special groups. A 
 field as yet almost untouched is that of the undiscovered 
 precocious children, "the leaders of tomorrow". 
 
 Nine have emphasized work beyond the school doors — 
 in the homes and neighborhoods, from the larger community 
 problems to those more intimate and no less complex with- 
 in the family circle, such as "Americanization" of foreign 
 homes, education of parents in the community and school 
 needs of their children. 
 
 Others have stressed individual case work on "problem 
 children", and advise working for earlier detection of symp- 
 
 61 
 
toms of maladjustment, for more study and better handling 
 of "borderline cases" and neurotic children, including more 
 time spent on making personal acquaintance with individual 
 children and on more insistent follow-up work. 
 
 The replies of twenty-two visiting teachers indicated 
 that they had found the "system'' unprepared to meet some 
 of the educational and social lacks which they had dis- 
 covered. Five of these advised working for more "elas- 
 ticity" in the system. Seven, following a similar trend, sug- 
 gested lines along which the school itself should be 
 "socialized", such as through closer integration of the work 
 of the visiting teacher and class teacher, and through the 
 introduction of social service courses in the normal schools. 
 In concrete form, were suggestions on altered curricula for 
 special types of children — special courses for the dull nor- 
 mals as well as the feeble-minded, more vocational training 
 for the maladjusted, and adapted curricula for emotionally 
 "different" children. Visiting teachers saw in this more 
 flexible system of the future not only a means of holding 
 children longer in school, but, what is more fundamental 
 still, a means of reducing our present too large output of 
 discouraged, misfitted young people unacquainted with their 
 latent, constructive possibilities and much too well ac- 
 quainted with their limitations, even to the point of well- 
 drilled habit of failure. 
 
 As pointed out in an earlier chapter, the visiting 
 teacher's place in the school system is still comparatively 
 undefined. Up to the present she has been a pioneer, find- 
 ing her way in a new field. The trend of development is in- 
 dicated, however, in several replies to the questionnaire. 
 The visiting teacher is coming to be recognized more and 
 more as an established factor of the school system. In this 
 connection it is interesting to note that some educators are 
 saying that she should be a teacher at large with special 
 equipment, and others, going further, that as her work is 
 closely connected with the administrative staff her position 
 
 62 
 
should develop into that of an administrative assistant in 
 the school in charge of investigation and adjustment of indivi- 
 dual problems. 
 
 While the visiting teacher everywhere feels herself 
 allied to the profession of social work, she is increasingly 
 realizing the advantage of being a member of the teaching 
 profession, sharing its burdens and its aims. It must be 
 recognized, however, that the visiting teacher has by now 
 developed a real technique of social case work as applied to 
 schools and that this technique is only acquired by training 
 plus experience. To expect a successful class room teacher 
 to master and practice the work of the social case worker 
 at the same time that she teaches school is as unreasonable 
 as to expect her to teach school and to practice the techni- 
 que of a physician or nurse. Nevertheless, it should be a 
 definitely recognized part of the visiting teacher's function 
 to assist the teacher to do more and better home visiting 
 through which to obtain a clearer insight into existing social 
 conditions and their relation to the child's reactions in the 
 class. The teacher and visiting teacher would thus secure the 
 best co-operation : the class teacher is a vital factor in any 
 satisfactory adjustment. It would also enable the class teacher 
 to handle some of the more simple adjustments herself and 
 leave the visiting teacher free to concentrate on the more 
 difficult cases that require expert dealing and need to be 
 followed up from term to term. 
 
 Through individual cases, fundamental lacks in the 
 school system are frequently brought to light and universal 
 needs pointed out. If properly standardized, records would 
 be of great value not only for use in case work, but also in 
 furnishing cumulative evidence to prove the extent of these 
 needs and the necessity of meeting them. Further, such a 
 standardized record would facilitate passing on useful data 
 to other visiting teachers whenever a child is transferred 
 from one community to another and would enable the new 
 visiting teacher to follow the case more intelligently from 
 
 63 
 
the very beginning. While standard forms are desirable, 
 it is essential that a certain degree of flexibility in their use 
 be maintained. 
 
 In individual schools it is necessary to work out 
 methods by which all available facts about the child's social 
 background may be brought together and made quickly and 
 conveniently accessible to teachers or co-operating agencies. 
 One of the developments suggested was the possibility of 
 assisting the teachers in making social studies of classes as 
 a whole. Such surveys or studies would enable the class 
 teacher to become familar not only with the social back- 
 grounds and consequent educational needs of the children, 
 but would also develop her skill in recognizing symptoms 
 of maladjustment. 
 
 One of the most important next steps suggested is the 
 extension of the work through the entire system, instead of 
 confining it to schools in socially or economically handi- 
 capped sections, to which visiting teachers have almost in- 
 variably been assigned. Although intensive study of the 
 individual child is still in its infancy, visiting teachers have 
 been impressed with the fact that many of the problems 
 with which they deal belong not merely to children of the 
 unprivileged classes, but are common to childhood in gen- 
 eral. The extension of this service in the schools, therefore, 
 seems to be an essential development in a progressive edu- 
 cational system. 
 
 64 
 
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