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

Page 24 text:

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