The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1897-03-25
CHILD STUDY.
CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK


tion showed he was one of four young
moiherless children. His father was
gone all day at his work but even
ings baked bread, and performed
other necessary household duties. 1t
seems that that child had been sent
home from school TO get a shoeSf,ing.
There was no way Of getting it before
night and SO the child had to wait.
Had his teacher studied the child's
home conditions2 ? Certainly not, if
the case has been correctly represent
ed to me. What right even had she
to Danish the child while she knew
nothing either of conditions or posi-
bilities? This is, of course, an exag-
gerated case, but our school life is
very dependent on two things, ideas
and habits. Young children get both
largely from their home environment.
The incident referred to shows how
completely this was overlooked by the
teacher Shall we ignore those con
ditions as revealed by the home or
shall we make definite and careful
study of them for the light thl own on
the child's stock of habits and ideas /?
have no doubt of your answer.
Many an inexplicable psychological
problem has found its simple solution
IN the home environment of the child.
And how study this2 Each case ac-
cording to its peculiarities. Have
they books, or no books2 Are their
parents living or not living1 Do they
play with older or younger children
than themselves Are they rich or
poor; petted or unnoticed3 All of
these and hundred other things
should certainly be known by each
teacher if she is to do her best for her
pupils.
1t has been found to be of the great
est value to study the child's home
surroundings as regards books IN some
0etaiL In my opinion period week
may we'll be spent in discussing what
the children are reading outside of
school and in directing the same.
Here is child that does not
enunciate properly. We must examine
the home conditions. We may learn
that the child is of foreign parentage
or that he has been petted and thus
fallen into bad habits. Much more
attention should be given to such
child than the one whose environment
is more favorable. You may not al
ways be thanked for your attempt to
break up the baby-talk even of ten
year-old child, but the effort is
worthy one and remonstrances will
not be numerous. In one case, in
school of this state, the attempt was
met by the mothers objection that
she did not wish the child made self
conscious.
In case of bad enunciation we
have this duty before us. We should
pick out list of words covering al
most all the sounds and common COM
binations of them in our language.
We should then ask the child to re-
peat after us each one of these. Check
off those the child mispronounces and
then begin systematic work in teach
ing correct and clear enumeration. A
little girl whom l tested in this way
could not pronounce the combination
ar in the first ten or twelve words
gave her. At last / found one where
she pronounced it correctly and then
only by the most careful work could
get her SO that she could pronounce
it correctly in the other words. Moth
ing could be done for the child except
by careful study of her by herself in
dividually.
There are in the ordinary school
room certain seats which subject the
occupants to peculiar physical dis
comforts. Such are seats near the
stove or radiator or in draughts of
either hot or cold air or where the
light is peculiar. The bodily effects
of fatigue caused perhaps by too many
| vi butlCo VI OlllCI
before school or late at night may be
the secret of our inability to reach
some children. That we should study
to counteract or remove these un-
fortunate physical conditions is a
truism. And yet are we Aoixg it?
The scientific study of fatigue has
produced a slight reaction against
that line of investigation and has
caused the remark that "both we and
the children hare to get tired some
times" True as it is we know per-
fectly we'll that we should find out
what children tire most easily and If
possible the reason. 1t may be the
first sign OF some insidious disease.
We know, too, that the clearness of
the ideas given is very dependent on
the child's condition of fatigue and,
moreover, that it is possible for us SO
TO vary our work as to reduce that to
a minimum and so produce the most
favorable conditions for clear think