The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-03-21
School Discipline.

The school-boys of twenty and twenty
five years ago are very much ashamed Of
the degeneracy of the boys of to-day.
We do not refer to the case occupying
the attention of the Detroit public, for
that was an aggravated instance and
demanded the attention of the school
authorities. But here and elsewhere
there seems to be general disposition
to bring to public tribunals school-boy
applications which were formerly kept
to ones self.
A school-boy of tina. time would no
more thin of going home to his .'pa'
or his una" and telling of his slick
ings'' than he would tell of the girls he
kissed on his way from school. This is
an unheroic age when flabby boys whine
like martyrs over their thrashings, and
get editorial ''dudes" to SWIVEL over
them in public. Aboy who '.sguealed"
because q woman clicked" him was
especially an object of disgrace.
Brace up, boys! brace up! and if you en-
Joy making trouble and vexation for your
teachers take the consequences without
murmur! Teachers with forty or fifty
pupils who know that they can go
whimpering to the Board of Education
if they are hit too hard have serious
and anxious task to keep order and dis
cipline.
Perhaps the exercise of a little inge-
nuity would often avoid these conflicts
which end in the use of the rattan. As
rule school children are anxious to
stand well with the teachers, and if the
laugh can be turned against an obsti-
nate or misunderstanding pupil, the
teacher will be the hero instead of the
pupil.
Of course; it is very difficult to put
ones self in place of teacher, and
much easier to say afterwards what
might have been done, than it is to do
it at the time. But take the case now
before the public. A hoy is mischievous
and makes the pupils laugh. He mis-
calls words and figures. He says that
twelve house" instead of shorses,"
cost So, 900; and then, by way of cor
rection, says that twelve houses cost
$50. 1t is possible that he might have
been subdued by taking him in mock
earnest and holding him up before the
school as an ignoramus who thought
that horse generally cost far more
than house, and that probably no one
else. in the room was so stupid, and by
asking several of the pupils if that was
their notion of houses and horses, etc.
A teacher once took . school which
had always been subjected to the dis
cipline of the rod He laid it upon 3
shelf within reach, but not on the desk
where before it had always been handy.
He spoke in low, firm voice, and in a
few minutes had all but some Of the
worst cases under his control. One of
these, q notorious Ounce, instead of
listening, began figuring on his slate,
disturbing the whole school. The
teacher at once called him up to the
desk, and ironically congratulated him
on his weH-known studious habits, and
especially on his fondness for arithme-
tic. This irony took with the other
scholars, who roared with laughter.
Since he was SO fond of ciphering, the
teacher went on, he might stand by the
masters desk and indulge in it, so rs
not to disturb the other scholars. And
there the boy stood for an hour or more
with slate and pencil, compelled 80
compute the problems which the teach
er gave him without mercy or restraint
These methods require time, patience
and ingenuity-more, perhaps. than car
be expected of teachers with crowded
schools and pupils of widely Varied tai
ents, training, temperament aid na-
tionality. But any process is very de-
sirable which for force substitutes the
moral pressure of the school itself,
either in the form of fondness and SYM
pathy for the teacher, or admiration Of
her ability to 'rurn the tables" against
the refractory pupil, or desire for her
approval. Detroit Free Press.