The Helena independent., 1893-12-29
The Lot Of Z Teacher In the Public
Schools Is not Happy
ons.
6oms OF tho Things That Tend
to Rum . the Teachers
Temper.
More the IntsrfsFsuos OF Parents Thau the
HsrvsrsIty 81 the Chiidrsn-ssm.
pie Annoyances.

mother can mako more trouble in school
than go children.
"1f have entertained one complaining
parent ut this desk, have entertained u
hundred, and without exception they have
all made the same identical remark; Mary
or Johnnie, or whatever the name may be,
is n very nervous child!'
"If any one should ask me what con-
slider the greatest menace to the country,
should unhesitatingly answer, nerves! |!
That is, il nm to believe what am told
by the parents Of the coming generation.
Sometimes think must have school OF
freaks, because am coniidcntiaIly inform
ed by two-thirds of the parents, who Of
course ought to know, that their individ-
ual progeny is of a very peculiar tempera-
ment.
"Once in awhile ~" ',"~c n visit from a
complaining parent Z. the masculine gen
der. We had one the other day lie was
stern and pompous.
My daughter tells me'-that's always
the opening-'that one of the teachers
made some very cutting remarks to her
yesterday. She was very much distressed
and was unable to sleep last night. Now,
there is just one thing about my daugh-
ter. She hns d very peculiar temperament,
sensitive, and il she cannot he treated with
kindness ] shall remove her from the
school,
"If he only would! But he won't. As
for notes, wo have them of all kinds. The
mothers send advice, complaints, threats
and excuses until the capacity of our waste
baskets is taxed to the utmost.
"But that is Just the way with parents.
They interfere when tlcy should not, and
when you ask them to interfere they have
'nothin ut ell to say I've had mothers
come here and roll their eyes to heaven as
they declared TINT they must believe the
scholars story rather than the teachers,
because they had never known their child
to tell u lie.
"A few years ago had boy who would
simply dance up and down and howl if
anything did not suit him. And had an
other who would lie down and pound his
head on the floor if his will was crossed.
Imagine such n pair in Il schoolroom! They
would demoralize any so of tho best be-
havcd children you could get together.
The first week that had these twin stars
celebrated the discovery of my first gray
hair. The wonder is that l didn't turn
white in u single day. When Frank was
quiet. John was dancing and bowling like
a wild Indian, and when John settled
down from sheer weariness, Frank was
humping his head on the desk or the floor.
Occasionally they both broke loose at the
same time. Then sat still and wondered
il there was shotgun in the building.
''TLo second day sent notes to the two
women who had tho awful responsibility
of being the mothers of those two wild an
finals. Wednesday morning came. So did
Frank and John. But the mothers did
not put in an appearance. really didn't
blame them. Pm sure I should have
drowned myself rather than appear and
answer to the charge of having such chill
dren. But | smothercd my feelings of
pity-that is, Frank and George did it for
me with repeated howls and thumps.
sent two more notes, but Thursday and
the wild animals came and still no moth
ers. The notes that night were commands,
and Friday morning two complaeent COM
Portable DANES appeared in such close COM
pany with Frank and George that could
not mistake tho fact that they were the
presumably unhappy mothers.
II had expected to see women worn and
haggard, rs WIS fast getting to be. But
these two careless creatures took my
breath away. stated the case to them,
however. They laughed rich, unctuous
laughter, which made me want to dance
up and down and howl as Frank had so
well taught NE it could be done. 1t seems
that Franks father had cheerful little
habit OF stamping around and swearing
i'll thunder tones whenever anything dis
pleased him. Consequently Franks moth
or had always said that he was Just like
his father and had let him rage like the
most abandoned heather. And as for
George, he, too, was just like his father,
who, when he recovered from 4 spree which
had absorbed all his wages, would pound
his head against the wall to get even with
himself.
~ went to see those two women the
next day, and labored with them till the
going down of the sun before could con-
vince them that they ought to check the
howling and Humping resemblance of
those boys to their respective fathers.
'As for children themselves, they al
ways select n time when their parents are
present to show off their teaching in the
most unfavorable light. | remember that
one time spent all of one afternoon in
explaining the punctuation marks to my
pupils. The last thing put on the board
was quotation marks, and wrote out the
definition and had the school say it over
and over. The next day there was to be
an examination, so was particularly care
full. In the morning the quotation marks
were still on the blackboard, so reviewed
the pupils IL little. They said the defini-
tion word for word: Quotation marks
show that the words they inclose are tax
en- from some other author or speaker l
thought they would remember it till they
were 100, If they lived that long. The
trustees came, and the parents came, and
the examination was begun. Finally
asked the class to explain the meaning
and use of quotation marks. They looked
blank-pcrfectly blank-all but one boy
who hopped up and down, he was SO anx-
ious to tell.
"'WeIl, Johnnie2' said.
Quotation marks show that the words
are taken from some other liar or speak
erp shouted Johnnie in triumph
"EyerS3 3hdy else shouted. too, and
we'i- .,:rhaps didn't hear from Johnnie's
mosner later! In another school ! had
girls about Is or 10 years old, and in con.
nection with their rhetoric was having
them read selections from Shakespeare.
One mincing little miss brought me note
from her mother one day, in which was
requested to excuse Mary from any classes
involving study of Shakespeare She did
not want Mrry's morals to be contami-
rated Oh, it's f0cl I assure you! It's
all right for poets to talk of what is home
without mother!' But | can tell you that
school without II mother would be a
blessing to teachers. AS for me, my next
position shall be in an orphan asylum"-
New York Sun.