The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-01-14
SCHOOL MELANGE.

government. for school well managed
Is n school governed. and that without
serious trouble. Here Is where the
proper preparation for the work comes
In. A teacher may be ell right In the
ory. !. e., can tell Just how school
should be managed. and still fall mis-.
eraely In the management OF the same.
Theories are all right In their plnce.
ana many O young teacher enters the
school room full OF theories, and OK
pcctlnS to have no trouble whatever In
the matter OF discipline. and perhaps
before the first month closes that
teacher Is ready TO declare that all tho
line spun theories and rules for the
guide OF the young teacher are false.
such instances are not OF rare occur
renee. IN,
Many times failure In discipline
arises from the fact that the teacher
does not exercise his good, common
sense as he does IN other matters.
In nine cases ont OF ten the failures
Hes with the teacher. This may be a
broad assertion. bat Il ID nevertheless
true. 1.-THE teacher. In many Instances,
seems not to realize the fact that the
children are human beings, possessed
or minds, just Us any other human be-
irgs, and that they especially have n
VIII Of their own. and thnt they are
inclined to do just what that will lend
them to do. To know how 10 guide
that Will In order that the child may
be led TO do right under all clrcum-
stances Is the duty Of the teacher, and
when that Is done the school Is goy-
erncd, s=
But there orc teachers, and their
name Is legion, who seem TO possess tho
unfortunate faculty OF antagonizing the
Will OF every pupil In the school. When
ever and wherever this u done there
Is trouble. Methods OF punishment
ere used hat Will have tendency to
cause the pupil 10 seek TO rebel aglIns.
authority. Sad Is the lot OF that teach
er whose pupil says OF her: II hate my
teacher" The writer has often heard
such expressions from pupils, but there
are many teachers Of whom such cx-
prcss!ons are never heard.
One method OF punishment very COM
mon In the Wheeling schools. but one
Of very doubtful propriety. to say the
least OF 1t, is that OF keeping In after
school. Prof. J. W. Patrick, the cele-
brt<std teacher and author. says of this
method of punishment: Pupils should
not be detained after the regular school
hours for any cause whatsoever De-
tcnt!on only irrltates them. Idleness
cannot be cured by any such cheap de-
vice. The only real cure for poor
lessons is industry. and the only way
TO get an idle pupil to study Is to in
ierest him." This Is surely good sense,
and 1t would be great help toward
good discipline In our schools IL 1t were
religiously followed by the teachers.
TO allow the pupils to remain short
time, In order TO finish an illustration
OF some kind may be all right, but even
that Is doubtful. 1t Is thought by our
board Of education that six hours Is
long enough for. pupils to be confined
In the school room. This Is the out
side limit. and II the pupils are kept
longer they feel. that they are being
imposed on, III feeling Is cngendered
and good discipline destroyed.
How foolish. also. Is the punishment
OF giving extra tasks TO punish for
lessons poorly recited.H For instance,
them twenty jaw-break!ng words to
commit In spelling. II they miss
word In spelling. have them write 1t If
ty or hundred times. II they miss in
arithmetic, give them n page in geog-
r1phy to commit. II they miss IN all
zebra. give them an extra dose in
grammar, and SO on. nd irtnitum.
Teachefst5ls This eStravagant? Just
such things have been done even In our
own city schools. 1t Is to the credit
Of; our schools, though, 30 hear that
teachers who punish IN the ways men
tened are leaving the profession. There
Is no profession that more requires the
use of good. common sense than docs
that OF teaching. and at no time Is the
good. common sense of the teacher in
greater demand than IN the mater OF
discipline.
A noisy teacher cannot be success
In governing. \ noisy teacher makes
noisy school, a scolding teacher can
never be success in discipline: child
rcn are SO constituted that they are
FESTIVE under the restraint imposed by9
the loud threats Of Il scold; for 4 scold
invariably talks loud and long. I'll
would be 4 good thing for some of our,
schools II the scoiding teacher received
the punishment that the scold received
In I'VE olden time" 1t would, at least,
rid our schools OF the scolding teacher.
which would be z great blessing to all
concerned. Threatening. under any
circumstances. should be avoided, be-
cause teachers, under the excitement
Of the moment. may make threats, that
In his cooler Judgment may be consid-
cred all wrong. II the threat Is not
carried out. the confidence of the pu-
pill In the teachr Is destroyed. The pu-
pill takes the threat rs q dare. and the
teacher who makes the threat generally
gets the chance to carry 1t out or to
refuse to do so. The question might
be asked II the teacher finds on second
thought that he has made 4 threat
that he. should not have made, should
he carry 1t out. We answer no. Bet
ter. far better, acknowledge your mis-
take. The writer remembers what he
considers one Of the greatest victories
Of his life, when he, instead OF carrying
out n threat, he acknowledged before
the whole school that he had made
mistake. and even went to the parents
OF the pupil threatened. and acknowl-
edged his mistake. The result was
good boy as a pupil ever afterwards.
and since then he has counted those
parents among his flrmest friends I'M
til the day OF their death.
Teachers, We can afforG to acfnowl-
edge any wrong We mny do. and even
apologize to the pupil. IL the wrong has
been done 10 him. In this article we
have tried to point out failures In gov
ernins. In our next we will try 10 tell
the young teacher how TO succeed.
An interesting and profitable meeting
Of the C and D teachers of Richie
school was held In the office OF the prin-
cipnl on Wednesday. the 18th instant,
ut 1l:15 n. N. Tie superintendent was
not present. on account OF sickness. |
The meetings was on the Round Table |
style. and the following subjects were
discussed: =
l. Keeping pupils after school.
.. Pupils sent out OF the room for dis
orflnr ~. MOE. ..z .-H.r-|.. e.. !