Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1902-10-17
From The Viewpoint of a Pupil.
BY STELLA CORNELL.

u
anyone can receive benefit from
a what pupil thinks is required
to constitute good school, and yet is
not the pupil the one most concerned
| in the matter?
Many may differ with me on this
subject, and yet think you will all
agree that one of the prime requisites
of a good school is order. This at
first seems to mean nothing, more or
less, than department. Does it not?
But in reality it means far more.
True, department is essential to
enable the pupil to study, but order
embraces the neat appearance of the
room in general. For instance 1
noticed in a school room where there
were ten framed pictures that six of
them were hung so very crooked, that
as friend of mine said, cit hurt his
eyes to look at them"
Time, how valuable this is. Some
one has said, Cline and tide wait for
no man. A great amount of time is
wasted because of little things in
school. For example there is a boy
in the room who causes disturbance,
perhaps small one that takes the
attention of the pupils and teacher
for only two minutes. This is not a
loss of two minutes TO that pupil alone
but to the fifty or sixty pupils in the
room. If this is repeated four or five
times day every day in the school
week at the end of that time this one
pupil has practically lost or caused
the loss of over one thousand hours.
If punctuality and regularity are
taught in school it will help US to DE
prompt and regular in after life. A
pupil should not have to be called to
class more than once, unless of
course he is SO deeply engrossed in
study that.he does not hear, which is
seldom the case, or he will get to the
depot in after years just in time to
see his train pull out, or will make an
investment. in meat when it is high,
just, in time to see the market fall and
leave his bank account several dollars
smaller than it was at first If a
pupil is not regular in getting his
studies and always puts them off he
will remember on the night of some
entertainment that on the morrow
there is to be quiz, then the awful
question Of whether he will study or
go to the entertainment must be
decided.
A school in order to do good work
must do interesting work. There
must be topics of general interest
studied. Current events" is one of
the interesting features of the present
day. We can know what the people
all over the world are doing and not
have to remain in ignorance of
common happenings. General
questions" is another way of inter-
esting the pupils. Ask questions
that every one should know. For
instance one of the questions we had
in High School the other day was,
''Who is our minister to England?"
1 wonder if I should ask that question
of some of you if you could answer it
correctly. But then, won't for I'm
afraid some of you might be visibly
embarrassed like our teachers were
few days ago.
In my opinion the program used in
the high school for opening exercises
is very good one. A few minutes
each morning are devoted to different
topics. On Monday morning we dis
cuss the government of the United
States, our state, county and city, the
officials and their duties. On Tues
day we have general questions,
Wednesday is left vacant for the
teachers to fill at their pleasure,
Thursday is used for current events,
and Friday is poets morning. This
program is varied enough to create
interest.
The topic of most importance and
prominence is the one of proper
relation between teacher and pupil.
If the teacher holds himself aloft, is
cold and unsympathetic the pupils
naturally do not think of him as a
friend but simply as an instructor.
1t should be the aim of every good
teacher to be personal friend of each
pupil, to make them think of the
teacher as one of them.
If teacher will play foot ball with
his boys they will get algebra to