Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1870-12-02
School Government.

AT the foundation of every system of
management that can be expected to re-
suit favorably, must lie solemn sense
of responsibility and just views of the
destinics and capabilities of the persons
who are to be the subjects of such man
agement. The teacher who feels that it
is his duty to manage his school proper
ly, and who rccolects that those pupils
may be trained to virtue, usefulness and
happiness, or may become vicious mis-
chievous and wretched, in a great meas
ure as he shall perform or fail in the dis
charge of his duty, will ever have
mighty motive to diligent pains taking
and self-dcnying eXert'on. One thing
should be always remembered, that
children, at an early age are capable of
acquiring habits of feeling and temper
which will materially influence their
future characters; and teachers should
therefore guard against anything that has
to the formation of character of vice or
worthlessness. Every tendency to petu-
lance, seltishness, vanity or envy should
be counterworked with steady and watch
full determination. The child that is rude
ly checked for every eXuberancc of feel
ing, for every mistake in opinion or for
every error in practice, will likely be-
come reckless, and either pctulant or
morose, according to the temperament,
while the indulgence of unreasonable
wishes will lead to boundlcss selfishncss
and contemplate imbccility. Pupils
should never be praised for excellence in
comparison aoiM others, but should al
ways be approved for well doing. The
former eXcitcs vanity, the latter en-
courages and stimulates to worthy ac-
ton. 1t is dangerous to reprovc ncgli-
gence or fault in children by comparing
their actions with others whose worth is
thereby made the standard by which
their delinquencies are ascertained. 1t
will form in them a habit of estimating
actions not by their character but by
comparison. These evils are not usually
such as need to be corrected, but should
be prevented. The authority of the
teacher should be inyiolable If pupils
perceive that they may neglect obedience
in dhy circumstance with impunity, much
more if they are allowed in any case to
oppose the authority of the teacher with
success, their subordihation from that
moment becomes perpetual. They ought
to be made to understand by experience,
that disobcdience is out of the question,
be the matter great or small, or the cir
cumstanccs of the case what they may.
To render this reasonable, authority
should be sparngly and judiciously ex-
crciscd. Never should pupil have oc-
casion to impugn the justice or kindness
of the authority to which submission is
required. Teachers should require only
Il reasonable service No whim should
ever find place in their requirements and
every command should proceed upon
careful adjustment of its scope to the
capacity of the child. 1t should be al
ways apparent to the child that in exer-
cising authority the teacher is actuated
by kindness This is peculiarly necessary
when authority is enforced by chastise-
ment. Let the pupil but suspect hat
the teacher Furnishes from motives Of
passion. revenge, or a love of domination,
and the moral force Of the chastisement
is lost, and the teachers authority is
greatly weakened if not entirely destroy
ed. When pupils are old enough to be
reasoned with, they should be carefully
instructed in the rcasonablencss of the
course which is pursued by the teacher
in order to exhibit the necessity of the
restraints which are imposed, and to
place the authority of the teacher beyond
all suspicion of caprice or dcspotism
Above all, children should be taught to
consider their obligation to their teacher
as growing out of the higher and more
solemn duty of obeying their parents and
their God. This once fixed in their minds
it will be easy to direct them in right
course Of action Every teacher to be a
successful disciplinarian must be cduca-
ted. He must study that part of his pro
feSsion which relates to the intellectual
and moral susceptiblities; he must study
the power and faculties Of the human
mind and the laws by which it is regu-
lated; he must study the best mode of
correcting bad habits and offormng good
ones; in short he must be thorough
scholar and an active teacher
NJ C.