Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-04-03
THE HERALD.
Whipping In Schools.
From the Educational Weekly.

fact that late number of the Weekly
contains record of three instances OF
legal proceedings against three peda.
gogues from their use Of the rod.
It is not necessary, l suppose, to
argue the affirmative of the following
propositions, viz: that the teacher
Furnishes only from the best motives /;
that parents are generally willing to
submit their children to Just and iu-
dicious chastisement; that the law
sustains a teacher in administering
such punishment that a "sound
thrashing," sometimes even severe
one, is frequently that thing above
all others which the pupil needs,
and which may be Ghe means of pre-
venting his ruin.
But while there may be no ques.
ton in regard to the teachers right,
the parents willingness, and the pu-
Pills need, there is, I think, a question
touching the teachers duty. I main
tain that in the public schools as at
present constituted the teacher should
never. under any circumstances, re
sort to the rod. 1t is no part of the
business of a teacher to fog. The
profession has been brought into dis
repute by the willingness of teachers
to do this dirty work, from which
their finer nature always shrinks. The
s'loco PARENTS" doctrine is in this re.
spect fraud upon the teacher. The
parents willingness to transfer to the
teacher this disagreeable parental
duty is no reason that the teacher
should assume the task. Some. pa
rents, if we can Judge from the ap-
pearance of their children, are willing
to have the teacher wash them and
black their boots.
What then shall be done with the
pupil whose presence is hindrance
to the progress of the school? Put
him out.
/ grant that this is more easily said
than done. Parents have so long
freed themself from the responsibility
of the behavior of their children by
casting it upon the teacher as "h red
to do double duty; teachers have sc
long tacitly consented to stand 4, loco
PARENTS, that considerable effort is
necessary to enlighten parental and
official minds, and some friction may
result from the attempt. But ] i'm.
agine that the average pedag ogue
would prefer to be censured &c. re
fusing to punish, rather than to ts ar
rested and tried because he has pun
ished. And he incurs the risk O the
latter every time that he stril es 6
pupil
There is no more sense in pc init
ting school to be disturbed b. the
pranks of a mischievous boy thar
there is in allowing church Sc vice
to be interrupted by rowdy of rge'
growth. The preacher would b jus
tilted by law in securing order b,
pounding the rufiian; but he won d be
regarded as having departed from his
dignity. No less, but rather 'lore,
does the teacher degrade himself by
striking person younger and weaker
than himself.
The experience of the Oh cage
schools has proved that the schools OF
large city can be successfully con
Quoted without the rod. And | am
glad to observe that the presens Su.
perintendent, in his category of pun
ishments, places the rod after suspen
sion. / think that it remands it to the
parent to whom it belongs.
Closely connected with this subject
Is another, upon which l have writ
ten at some length elsewhere, and
which l will mention here.
The practice of opening the public
school.room to all, Unfortunately,
is pernicious to the individual charac-
ter and to the welfare of the state
We admit all between certain ages,
with the single condition of freedom
from contagious disease. The moral
condition of the applicant is not con
sidered. He may be known thief, q
liar, profane and obscene in language.
indecent in habits, there is no law tc
refuse him admittance. Thousands OF
graduates Of our public and phi vate
schools carry stains on their moral
natures caused by unwilling contact
with the filth of school compar ions
What is the remedy? The esta ,lish
ment of schools for those of inl lora'
character renders them unfit to 1850
ciate with the mass of school chill lren
There should be something bet veer
the public school and the prison. The
reform schools, excellent in thei,
place, do not satisfy this demand The
pupil whose expulsion from sch, Of is
necessary to the progress or ssft ty OF
his mates should neither be cas- on;
in the streets nor committed to Jail
There should be a school desi ,neo
specially for his class, in whicl the
instruction and discipline sbou' be
suited to his case. Here, If in any
school, is the proper place for cor ooral
punishment.
But the establishment Of such
schools is not in the hands of teac lers
Not Immediately; but il tea hers
would make their power felt, such
schools would soon exist. 1t il the
duty of teachers to enlighten s. hoo
boards and the public generally 10 re
gard to the condition and neeo OF
the schools. As long as they Seer
silent, there is little probability c i'm
provement.
There is danger that the p lblic
schools in the large cities will d. gen.
crate; that they will lose the. oni.
dence of the better class of cit lens,
and that the great benefits resulting
from the coeducation of all classes
and creeds of our people will be lost
to the commonwealth.
The amount and kind Of pp fish.
ment inflicted at school is one o the
best tests of teachers capacity and
fitness for the station she occupies
No subject connected with school
management is more delicate, none
more important, aud none requires
more judgment, discretion,or wisdom.
As general rule, the best teachers
are those who punish the least, and
the wisest, those who make the bes,
choice when punishment must be In
fioted. Whatever savors of i'll tenn.