How do Scout and Jem's perceptions of their father change in Chapter 10 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Well, look at the very first sentence of the chapter to ascertain some of their feelings regarding Atticus before the gun incident.  It states, "Atticus was feeble."  So, they thought he was old and lame (literally and figuratively).  Scout goes on to clarify that she and Jem thought of his older age that it "reflected upon his abilities and manliness."  They felt he was not much of a man, and had abilities that weren't as cool as their friends' fathers.  Scout says that "there was nothing Jem or I could say" about Atticus when their peers bragged about all of the cool things their fathers did.  Atticus worked, read, wore glasses, and "didn't do anything" exciting or dangerous.

The main event that changes their attitudes towards Atticus is him killing old Tim Johnson, the rabid dog, in one clean and effortless shot with Heck Tate's gun.  That is completely awesome in their eyes.  First of all, they didn't even know Atticus could shoot; he refused to teach them to shoot their air-rifles, and didn't have a gun that they knew of.  So, to see their dad walk out into the road, toss his glasses aside, and swiftly and efficiently shoot a dangerous dog, it was quite a shock.  It was a pleasant one though.  Jem and Scout realize that their dad really IS cool, and CAN do something awesome.  Scout is so excited by this fact that she tells Jem that they'd "really have something to talk about at school" now!  But Jem, respecting his dad's wishes to keep his talent on the hush, tells her not to tell anyone, because if he'd wanted people knowing, he would have said something.  Jem then declares, with pride, "Atticus is a gentleman, just like me!"  In this chapter we see their attitudes turning from shame and embarrassment to pride and respect.

How do Scout and her brother feel about their father in To Kill a Mockingbird?

In To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout and Jem have respect for their father; however, they describe him as different than most fathers during this time. Scout and Jem both call Atticus by his first name. They do not affectionately refer to him as dad. This could be due to the fact that Atticus treats his children as his equals. He has adult-like conversations with them. He is straightforward and teaches them to respect all people.

Scout mentions that her father is courteous but sometimes distant.

Jem and I found our father satisfactory: he played with us, read to us and treated us with courteous detachment (6).

Scout and Jem did not seem to mind that Atticus kept his distance to create independence in his children. Atticus did not seem to mind that his children called him by his first name.

While having the utmost respect for their father, Jem and Scout did think their father was feeble. Scout considered him old:

Atticus was feeble: he was nearly fifty. When Jem and I asked him why he was so old, he said he got started late, which we felt reflected upon his abilities and manliness.

This idea of their father being feeble ended on the day Atticus picked up a gun to kill a rabid dog. They had no idea he could expertly shoot a gun until the day Atticus had to shoot the rabid dog. They found a new respect and decided that Atticus may not be as feeble as they had assumed.

By the end of the novel, Scout and Jem have a new respect for their father’s bravery and self-control. He teaches Scout and Jem to walk away from ignorant men like Bob Ewell. Ultimately, Scout and Jem think their father is courageous for representing the innocent Tom Robinson. Scout and Jem gained more and more respect for their father because he took on the whole town when he defended a black man whom the white townspeople considered guilty solely because he was black.  

In To Kill A Mockingbird, how do Scout's and Jem's opinions of their dad change?

In the beginning of To Kill A Mockingbird, Jem and Scout think of their father as boring and dull. They also feel he is old:

"When Jem and I asked him why he as so old, he said he got started late, which we felt reflected upon his abilities and  manliness." (pg 89)

They compare him to the other fathers in the neighborhood and feel he is does not measure up:

"He did not do things our classmate's fathers did: he never went hunting, he did not play poker or fish or drink or smoke.  He sat in the living room and read." (pg 89)

Although Atticus would play keep away in football, he would not allow Jem to tackle him. Jem felt that his dad should allow him to tackle him, but Atticus responded with the statement that he was too old:

"Jem was football crazy.  Atticus was never too tired to play keep-away, but when Jem wanted to tackle him, Atticus would say,'I'm too old for that, son." (pg 89)

Truly, Jem and Scout feel their dad is much too old to play with them. They feel he is uninteresting as compared to the other fathers in the neighborhood. 

As the story progresses, they begin to see their dad in a different light. When he shoots the rabid dog, Jem and Scout are impressed. They had no idea that their dad was a sharp shooter. This is an instance that changes their mind about their dad being old and feeble. Instead, they see Atticus as a hero. They admire his shooting skills. When they talk to Miss Maudie about their dad's shooting abilities, she tells them that Atticus was the sharpest shot in the county:

Scout and Jem find out that Atticus was known as “One-Shot Finch.” Their respect for him is increased tremendously.

When Jem and Scout asks why Atticus had never told them he was such a sharp shooter, he explains his response:

"I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see through it no matter what."--Atticus (pg. 112) 

That kind of response from Atticus makes Jem and Scout very proud of their dad. They gain a new respect for him as the novel closes. Both Jem and Scout realize what a great man Atticus is. They realize he is a good person who works hard to defend Tom Robinson. They have a great deal of respect for their father while he is defending Tom Robinson.  

How do Scout and Jem view their father in the first 11 chapters of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Jem and Scout both respect their father, and they are careful not to allow him to find out about some of their secretive neighborhood activities, such as playing the Radley game and making raids on the Radley property at night. But they know that Atticus has his ways of discovering their secrets, and Scout is amazed how Atticus knew she was eavesdropping on his conversation with his brother Jack at Christmas ("I never figured out how Atticus knew I was listening") or how he found out that it was the children who Nathan Radley chased from his back yard with a shotgun. As the children grew older, however, they became embarrassed about Atticus's advanced age, his lack of "manlinless," his wearing glasses, and his being "feeble."

     Our father didn't do anything. He worked in an office... did not farm, work in a garage, or do anything that could possibly arouse the admiration of anyone.  (Chapter 10)

Additionally, Atticus didn't drink, smoke, hunt, fish or play poker like "our schoolmates' fathers did. He sat in the livingroom and read."

Miss Maudie tried to explain that Atticus was a great checkers player (which Scout didn't believe since Atticus always lost to her), that he played the Jew's Harp, and that he could "make somebody's will so airtight can't anybody meddle with it." But none of this impressed Jem and Scout until the day when Tim Johnson, the mad dog, came wobbling down their street, and they discovered Atticus's hidden talent: that as a youth, he was "deadest shot in Maycomb County..." When Jem wondered why Atticus had never bragged about this skill, Maudie explained that "People in their right minds never take pride in their talents." The children learned a lesson in humility, and Jem's shame turned to pride in his father.

"I couldn't care if he couldn't do a blessed thing...
Atticus is a gentleman, just like me!"  (Chapter 10)

Jem is angry with Atticus in Chapter 11 after he is forced to read for Mrs. Dubose for a month as punishment for destroying her prize camellias. In the end, Jem is taught a lesson about the different forms of human bravery, and how courage is not always "a man with a gun in his hand."h