North Shore Country Day School - Mirror Yearbook (Winnetka, IL)

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PARENTS ASSOCIATION Under the spreading Knollslea tree The Parents often meet They make a mighty crowd to see As they come down the street The subjects that the grades discuss Give everyone a treat. They form committees by the score Chairmen and such abound And even in the office now Some parent can be found To answer phone calls, tend to shop Foreign visitors show around. The Parents serve the lunch at school And serve it very well, They make the costumes for the plays And have been known, ere now To give a play with the faculty That really was a wow. The greatest problem parents find Is figuring out some way To keep from being wholly deaf To what the children say And making Teachers understand Just what the Parents say. Miss Blue — How nice to have you two come along. You are both so full of things that are going on. You cheer me up a lot. Alice Green is coming, and we can play some bridge. Mrs. Brown — Sorry we are a bit late. I couldn ' t get Mabel away before. She was at the Country Day School all day. Miss Blue — It makes me laugh, Mabel, to see you, who have such a reputation for side stepping jobs, giving so much of your time to that school. Mrs. White — You would do the same I know if you had any children. You, who have been so devoted to uplift, can ' t chide me, can you? It is different with Ruth here who never likes it when we are late for bridge. Mrs. Brown — What do you get out of it anyhow? Can ' t they run a school and educate your children by themselves? I should like to know what good vou do over there. I should think you would be just in the way. Mrs. White — Oh! I suppose sometimes we are, but not when we get educated enough. Miss Blue — That ' s it, I really do believe they are educating the parents rather than the children. Look at Gretta Black! She does not nag her children as she used to; it seems to me she understands them much better. Mrs. Brown — Gretta Black doesn ' t give any time to the school, does she?

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Place — Any Winnetka home. Time — Any school morning. The father is reading the headlines of the paper and efficiently disposing of his orange at the same time. He puts it down as the mother slides hastily into her chair and reaches frantically around the floor with one foot. A colored maid enters conspicuous for her mop of black straight hair. Bring the coffee, Amarantha, please. Any news, dear? Leave the paper; I want to see the bargains, — think I ' ll go to town — no, not with you — on the 9:10. I ' ve got to call up the entire grade about the meeting tonight; why one notice isn ' t enough, I don ' t know! I have to get some flowers for Sally at the hospital, — and get a lot of stockings ready to go back to Field ' s. I do wish Adelaide could like the same shade two weeks in succession; I send up dozens for her approval. I should certainly think — begins the father. No, Dick, you mustn ' t criticize, she really hasn ' t a minute to shop — you know how they have to study — and — Oh, I mustn ' t forget about the Jone ' s coming for dinner. I ' d better stop at the grocer ' s myself on the way to the train. Guess I ' ll take the 10:15. We ' ll have an early dinner and take them to the meeting. It ought to be interesting — Adolescence. The children get more adolescent every day certainly, — by the time we know all about it they ' ll be grown up and ready for college, and we ' ll forget everything before our grandchildren come. I do wish they ' d be a little more prompt for breakfast. Calls, Adelaide, Betty, John, buckwheat cakes and you won ' t have time — There is a thump in the hall and a boy comes in adjusting his necktie. He takes orange juice at a gulp. Cakes? — tell her to hurry, will you? Got to finish my History before school. Aren ' t thinking of driving Dad to the station and dropping us at school, are you, Mum? Mother shakes her head. Well, I just thought I ' d ask. Glancing at father, Yes, I remember you walked four miles to high school, Dad, — anyway, you always claimed it. Shame North Shore isn ' t four miles away. My character might get built right, too. Lapses into active silence with large plate of cakes. A rush from the hall and two girls race in. Dibs on the first piece of toast! shouts one. Just because she grabbed the bathroom first, now she thinks she can get toast first. — Mother, didn ' t I get over this threshold first? You know that ' s the rule, and dibs don ' t count, indignantly exclaims the other. Ah, cut it out! grumbles the boy and leaves the room. Don ' t start the day quarreling, girls, expostulates the father. Well, I ' ve got to go. Gives Mother a hasty peck and goes. If you children can ' t settle little things like that yourselves — I ' d be ashamed of myself! says the mother distractedly, and frantically searching for the bell. Girls, I wish you ' d wear more clothes; just because the sun shines you take off wool dresses for those thin things and wear spring coats and no hats. Why, Mother, returns Adelaide, we ' re plenty warm enough. Just because in the olden times when you were a girl you wore union suits (with scorn). Pauses and changes tone. Do vou mind If I eat this piece of your toast — it ' s so late Thanks. You ' ll starve, children. I do wish you ' d get up ten minutes earlier. Finish your milk anyway, Adelaide. No, Mother, I couldn ' t eat anymore; Fm not hungry. Betty, I want you to wear your rubbers. It isn ' t wet out. Besides, my rubbers don ' t fit these shoes, and, besides I have rubber soles. Chorus of goodbyes. Hurrying footsteps on the front porch. Silence. Mother presses bell calmly. Amarantha, is there any hot coffee? And will you make out your list. There ' ll be a call from Field ' s. I ' m going to town. The clothes for the cleaners are in the hall. Takes the paper eagerly as hot cup of coffee is brought. Guess I ' ll take the 11:11. 16

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Mrs. White — Indeed she does, she spends one day a week in the office. Miss Blue — What does she do in the office? Mrs. White — Oh, answers the telephone, and takes visitors around the school, and greets the strangers who come into the office. Mrs. Brown — Now why does a parent do those things? That ' s a strange idea. Mrs. White— Not such a bad one. Those are the unexpected things that inter- rupt the regular routine of the office. Besides I really think all of us parents are getting a little education through that office committee, they are there all day and get a look at the school from an inside point of view. Through them we learn to be more reasonable in what we expect. You know they spend what time they can visiting the school so they will be intelligent guides when they are taking visitors about. Gretta told me the other day that there were visitors almost every day and many days several. You know our school is getting quite a reputation all over the world. Mrs. Brown — Well, to tell the truth, I mean to send my children there when they are old enough, only I hate to think of going to monthly grade meetings in the evenings, and serving lunch, and making costumes, and working in the library, like the rest of you girls. There will never be any time for bridge. Mrs. White — But those things are all privileges, every one. You can ' t imagine how much you get from those grade meetings. You may be bored to go, maybe every time you will wish you could stay home. But when you get through you will know so much more about what the parents of your children ' s friends think, of what the newest thought is on the upbringing of children, and of what your child is being taught and why, that you can ' t afford to miss them. Miss Blue — Couldn ' t you get those things by reading, and not take your husband ' s precious evenings? Mrs. White — But he wouldn ' t want to read that sort of book would he? Nor want to hear me talk to him about it. Besides it means a lot more when you discuss such things with people you know. Mrs. Brown — I think making costumes would be fun. That opera they give every year, and the Christmas play, I think they are lovely, but serving lunch! That ' s a chore, I shouldn ' t want to do that. Why do they need mothers to do that? Miss Blue — That ' s a thing everyone likes to do. I had lunch at the school one day when I was taking Alice Green over, and I enjoyed being there with so many young people I knew. How many mothers serve lunch? Mrs. White — Two every day, and each person comes once a month. That is forty mothers who are serving lunch regularly. Miss Blue — You certainly are all roped in one way or another. Mrs. White — We are roped, and branded, and taught our paces. Miss Blue — I said N. S. C. D. S. was a school for the parents. I wonder why they have any children at all. Mrs. White — The children teach the parents instead of the parents teaching the children. Miss Blue — You all teach each other. That ' s what I call cooperation. Here comes Alice Green. Mrs. Brown — Well, let ' s hurry and get the bridge table out, don ' t let Alice hear us talking school, her Jane is in the first grade. She ' s beginning to be in- terested in education and we wouldn ' t get any bridge. 18