However important we regard school life to be, there is no denying the fact that children

spend more time at home than in the classroom. Therefore, the great influence of the parents cannot be ignored or discounted by the teacher. They can become strong allies of the school personnel or they can consciously or unconsciously hinder (阻碍) and thwart(阻止) curricular objectives.

Administers have been aware of the need' to keep parents acquainted with the newer methods used in schools. Many principals have conducted workshops explaining such matters as the reading readiness program, manuscript. writing and developmental mathematics.

Moreover, the classroom teacher, with the permission of the supervisors, can also play an important role in enlightening parents. The informal tea and the many interviews carried on during the year, as well as new ways of reporting pupils' progress, can significantly aid in achieving a harmonious interplay between school and home.

To illustrate, suppose that a father has been drilling Junior in arithmetic processes night after night. In a friendly interview, the teacher can help the parent elevate his natural paternal interest into productive channels. He might be persuaded to let Junior participate in discussing the family budget, buying the food, using a yardstick or measuring up at home, setting the clock, calculating mileage on a trip and engaging in scores of other activities that have a mathematical basis.

If the father follows the advice, it is reasonable to assume that he will soon realize his son is making satisfactory progress in mathematics, and at the same time, enjoying the work.

Too often, however, teachers' conferences with parents are devoted to petty accounts of children's misdemeanors, complaints about laziness and poor work habits, and suggestions for penalties and rewards at home.

What is needed is a more creative approach in which the teacher, as a professional adviser, plants ideas in parents' minds for the best utilization of the many hours that the child spends out of the classroom.

In this way, the school and the home join forces in fostering the fullest development of youngsters' capacities.

The central idea conveyed in the above passage is that______.

A．home training is more important than school training in that a child spends so many hours with parents

B．teachers can and should help parents to understand the objectives of the school

C．parents need to realize how to cooperate with the teachers in educating their children

D．parents have unconsciously hindered and obstructed curricular objectives