Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-11-08
SCHOOL DIsCIPLINE-CosrINURp.

pegeee iulcneSS ana reckleSSDeSS IN
them. Life, energy and industry in
him will be at once reproduced in
them. The teacher must work to fit
himself for his high calling, and to ell
evate his profession. He must work
for his school to interest and benefit
his patrons, to rouse and inspire his
pupils, and to prepare himself for his
daily teaching. Indeed, the true
teacher is always reading, thinking, or
acting for his school. He succeeds,
also, in making his pupils work, not so
much, however, by direct effort, as
through the influence of we'll man.
aged and well governed school. With
children of common physical and men
tai ability it is not often necessary to
enforce industry. 1t is the teachers
business rather to direct and control
this activity in systematic process of
self culture and development.
The studies pursued must be adapted
to the capacity and standing of each
scholar-not so difficult as to cause dis
couragement, nor so easy as to allow
idleness. His time must be fully &C.
cupied and his energies severely tasked.
If his lessons could be learned with
out effort, his school life would so far
be without profit. But if industrious
and laborious, he not only needs no
outward discipline, but is sure of i'm
provement.
Another important influence in the
school room is public opinion. This
must be created and directed by the
teacher, or he is powerless. And, first
of all, he must create a favorable opin-
ion of himself-that is must gain the
confidence of his patrons and pupils.
To this end he must form an intimate
acquaintance with both parents and
pupils; he must interest himself in
what interests them, and adapt himself
to their varying tastes and PECULIAR
ties. On terms of friendship and full
sympathy with all, he is prepared to
secure their cooperation and thus car
ry out his plans and purposes for the
welfare of his school. But the teacher
will not secure the confidence of his
pupils by an attempt to crafty all their
wishes. The reckless are always the
first to find fault with loose discipline.
IF he would be respected in his Office,
he will govern with firmness and vigor
and yet he must always act with kind
ness, magnanimity and justice.
Public opinion must also be employ
ed to secure good order, to control
recklessness, subdue rebellion, and
crush out the evil tendency of bad
habits. Whatever is right and proper
and necessary to make good school
must be made popular. Whatever is
wrong and of evil tendency must be
made unpopular. This can be done,
but the teacher must have skill, pa
thence and perseverance.
Mental and physical recreation are
important disciplinary agents. The
mind and body are inseparably con-
nected. Hence mental culture can not
be successfully carried on without
physical culture. Both mind and
body must have recreation more than
the ordinary holidays and recesses af-
ford. And, as every teacher knows,
there are certain hours and days, when
the fiend disorder seems to reign in the
school room. He can not assign any
reason but the very atmosphere seems
pregnant with anarchy and confusion.
And what can the teacher do to over
come the evil? He may tighten his
discipline, but that will not bind the
volatile essence of confusion. He may
ply the usual energies of his admins
tration, but resistance is abnormal
He may fog, but every blow uncovers
the needle points of fresh stings. He
may protest and supplicate, scold and
argue, inveigh and insist, the demon is
not exercised, not even hit, but is only
distributed through fifty fdgetty forms
He will encounter the mischief sue
cessfully only when he encounters il
indirectly. Here applies the proposed
remedy-mental and physical recrea-
ton. Let an unexpected change di-
vert the attention of the pupils. Let
some general theme be introduced in a
familiar lecture or exciting narrative
The room is ventilated of its restless
contagion, and the furies are fed. -
Now add to this mental, the physical
recreation of school gymnastics, and
the remedy is still more sure.
Kindness is another powerful agency
in the management of a school. BY
this, as exemplifed in the life of the
true teacher, | mean his uniform good
will, earnest sympathy, and hearty gen.
crosby, habitually exercised toward
his pupils. There is no force on earth
so potent as love. When it has pos
session of the human heart it is all
pervading and overpowering, and es-
pecially if brought to bear upon sym
pathetic childhood and youth. That
teacher alone who loves his pupils has
power to gain their love and confidence
which should be his chief reliance in
school management. An affectionate
pupil will confde in our judgment,
respect our authority, and fear our dis
pleasure. If we show him by our per-
sonal attention and kindness that we
are his true friend, and that all our eff
forts are designed to secure his best
good, and make him believe it, we
hold him as by the power of enchant-
ment. We have. no further need of
physical force as applied to him. But
this kindness, which is an essential ell
ement in every true system of govern
ment is not, and can not be, substi-