Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1861-10-31
educational 9spartment.
Hints Concerning Small Children.

Some OF the greatest difficulties which many
teachers have to meet, arise from the young
est children. II is often pleasant to see their
eagerness TO 60 TO school with their brothers
aud sisters aud their smiles sometimes add
cheerfulness to the place, without iuterrupting
business but more frequently they cause dis
turbance, and bafie the teacher in all his efforts
to keep the others attentive aud orderly.
Many teachers suffer small children TO at
tend their schools out OF respect to their
parents, or for some other reason, while they
feel that they get little good aud do much
harm. Intelligent persons know. too, that the
trouble they give is not generally Intentional,
bat arises cut Of some natural cause, such as
nconvenient seats, want Of change, Of exercise
or of appropriate occupation.
Now most district schools are so i'll proTid.
ed for the comfort of young children, and most
Of them are conducted on a system so i'll calcu.
lated to keep them interested, that probably
many teachers Of such schools may think the
difficulties above spoken Of can never be obvist-
ed. When it is possible, the small children
may be placed in separate room, with great
advantage, under the-care Of female but in
many districts this is not easily done.
1t happens, however, that some schools 10
different places have been so improved, both
III arrangements and methods ofteaching, that
these evils have been almost entirely removed.
We will give g brief account Of ore such
school, hoping that some teachers will try ex-
perments for their own benefit aud that Of
their pupils.
few months ago the teacher OF district
school in country village, complained that
the little children many OF whom were sent
to bis school to be kept oat of the way. great
IL interrupted bis discipline and Instructions.
To the eye Of visitor they indeed presented
a painful spectacle, being left almost entirely
to themselves, with nothing TO do which they
could understand, and seated on benches SO
nigh, that they feared tall, aud not unfre-
quentIy got one. The weakest were often
crowded or otherwise oppressed and irritated
By the strongest ; and their complaints and
cries, sometimes mixed with laughter, confused
the master, diverted the attention Of the other
children and diSpIeased the spectator.
A few weeks afterwards, at another call, the
visitor found three or four low benches placed
iu one corner Of the room, and sll the small
children seated on them, some with states and
pencils They were attentive, cheerful and
silent. Their little feet rested on the floor,
they could lean back when weary, and every
fifteen or twenty minutes the teacher, or one
Of his most trustworthy and capable elder pu-
pis, gave words Of command, or some signal,
and they rose, clapped tEeir hands, faced 10 the
right and eff, and made various motions in
imitation of him. Then they would sing some
little hym or song they had learnt and after
wards repeat the addition or multiplication
table all together, or hear story lead about
the COW, lion, eagle, or some other object,
while picture Of it was held up before them.
TIE teacher said that be had derived indes-
cribable relief from this change in his school
and that, after the few first days, the other
scholars were not disturbed by the exercises.