The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-03-29
KINDNESS TO PUPILS.

Free Press:
have received several letters on the
subject OF corporeal punishment in
schools. One esteemed gentleman
writes: you seem to know very little
about the power of kindness with boys.
A bad boy is only made worse by a
whipping, while a few kind words
spoken at the right time may change
his whole life
CHATS all right. There is no gen.
eral rule for the treatment of boys. A
teacher must be close observer OF hui
man nature. Itwould be very bad pol
lev to whip some boys, while there are
Others that are just spelling for good,
sound thrashing.
taught a school once where had
for assistant teacher a young lady
whose rule was of the mildest possible
description. One day she came to the
main room and said that John Dicks
persistently refused to do anything that
he was told.
said, Miss Smith, | think if you
we're to use little kindness with John
YOU would get along better with him. J"
IL try to be as kind to the pupils as |
can. | have never whipped John, al
though he is nearly always misbehav-
ing"
The idea of her whipping him was
rather funny, for he was bigger than
she was. He was a great lubber OF a
fellow, without the slightest spark of
pride or manliness about him. He was
quite content to stay in the junior de-
partment--there were only two depart
ments in that school-and never would
advance beyond the very rudiments OF
education. SO this whale among min
nows was the terror of the gentle wom-
an who taught the A B C's. 1t is true
my predecessor had given John slight
whipping, and John went home and
brought his mother, who, when she
was not doing the washing for the
neighborhood, employed herself critl-
cising the educational affairs of the dis
trict. The :mpetuous woman OF portly
size had dragged the unfortunate
school teacher before mentioned from
his desk to the door by his collar, and
he only saved himself from eviction by
bracing his feet against the door jamb.
When the collar gave way he fell back
ward into the aisle, amidst the Laughter
of the pupils, and thus prone on the
floor the good woman left him.
| always think these little episodes,
although amusing to the pupils, have n
demoralizing effect on the teacher au-
thority Anyhow this man never whip
ped again, and John pursued his edu-
cational way unmolested
Leave the door between the rooms
open," | said to Miss Smith. 81 will
keep one eve on Master Dicks and try
the effect of little kindness on him. "
Shortly after | saw John nearly raise
the scalp from the head of the urchin
in front of him.
John Dicks pullin' hair, shouted
the unfortunate youngstcr.
| | walked through to where John sat,
and to his astonishment grasped him
by the top of his head and raised him
to his feet with surprisingly little diff
Guilty when You consider his size.
John" said you see that sort of
thing hurts"
in tell my mother" blubbered
John.
"All right. I'll give you something
else to tell, too"
And so | gave John the most reliable
whipping it had ever been his fortune
to receive.
IN bring my mother" he sobbed.
"Do," | said, and went back to my
desk.
John put on his cap and fled. lcalcu'
lated that he would take AT his present
rate of speed about ten minutes to get
home, and as Mrs. Dicks never wasted
any time on personal adornment, TWEEN
ty minutes would see them both back,
so fifteen minutes after Johns depart
ure, when the school lulled down to its
usual status, | went to the doors and
bolted them. Sure enough three min
utes later / saw Mrs. Dicks coming VI
the road with nothing oh her head ex
cept uncombed hair, while she had mo-
even taken the trouble to roll down hel
sleeves over her great red arms. Johr
was trotting along in her wake. She
didn't rap. but evidently intended t
walk right in. Finding the door lock
ed she pounded on it with her fist, ther
went to the door of the junior room
and finally tried to kick it open. Luck
ily the door was strong. She mex
picked up a,club and made a circuit o
the school-house. l thought she wa
going to smash in q window. but re
fecting that II she did / wouldn't neet