The Van Buren press., 1897-11-27
Things Which All Good Teachers Will
Avoid.
From the Little Rock Democrat

1
| Avoid.
From the Little Rock Democrat
| While the nature of school govern
ment is necessarily monarchial, the
teacher must ever remember that he is
not an autocrat, and that he exercises
only delegated powers. He stands in
the place of parent only for the pur-
pose of maintaining necessary order
and discipline in the schoolroom. Every
pupil has certain personal rights that
the teacher is bound to respect.
Probably most teachers will indorse,
in theory, the foregoing propositions,
but there is unfortunately large
number of teachers who entirely ignore
them in practice. Thoughtless, ILL
tempered, or spiteful teachers subject
pupils to personal indignities that are
positively barbaric. Here are few
instances that have come under our
personal knowledge:
Pupils detected in chewing gum were
required to give up their gum to the
teacher, who stuck the pellets together
as fast as they were collected then the
gum chewers were each required to
chew fragments taken from the mass
thus collected. One little girl who was
subjected to this disgusting punishment
was seized with violent nausea
Children guilty of using improper
language on the playground were re-
quired to chew fragments of soap taken
from the lavatory.
One teacher INDUCED herself in the
practice of pinching the cheeks of the
little offenders until they were black
and blue. Another was in the habit of
entwining her finger in child's hair,
and using this as leverage. pressing
with the end of her thumb in the
depression at the base of the ear Until
one has been a victim of this torture
he does not know how painful it may be
made when administered by an expert
The young woman who employed this
cruelty was In the habit of boasting of
her accomplishment.
Boxing children s ears with books,
striking their knuckles with rulers,
ferruling the palms of the hand with
the fingers bent back, are still in vogue,
and these outrageous forms of punish
ment are not confined to the backwoods
either. They are practiced in modern
schools by men and women, who out
side the schoolroom exhibit semblances,
at least, of sensibility and refinement.
1t is difficult to characterize these and
similar forms Of punishment with
out using Incorporate language. Per-
haps it is enough to say that no teacher
can employ them without suffering
marked degradation of character
There is wide difference between these
revolving cruelties and legitimate
corporal punishment, and no refined,
self respecting teacher will be in any
danger of crossing the boundary that
separates them.
But there are means of trampling up
on child rights other than the en-
ployment of physical abuse. There is
no more efficient instrument of torture
than reckless and venomous tongue.
Sneers. ridicule. taunts and ssrcasms
are infinitely more cruel than blows !;
their wounds are deeper. keener, and
more lasting. Yet we have teachers
who seem to take pride in being adopts
at this sort of cruelty.
Miss l. doesn't whip much. 8"
we overheard little girl say not long
ago. as she was on her way from school /;
but. o my how she does scoldl She
can say the swfulest things. / don t
believe she ever loved anything in her
life.
What teacher would be proud Of such
a reputation as thati Yet an un-
restrained tongue is a quite sure means
of acquiring 1t.
Lack of self control is probably re-
spousible for most of the gross disregard
OF ehildren's rights. Overcome By
sudden prUv0cation. teachers will do OF
say things Of which they are heartily
ashamed in their cooler moments and
many a teacher has in moment OF
passion made hopeless shipwreck Of his
professional reputation. The public
has a right 10 demand Of the teacher the
most perfect self mastery. no matter
how trying the situation and the
leacher who is unable to comply with