Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1906-12-18

be on the verge of defeat. So I should
say the successful teacher should have
a quiet room. Most teachers have
nerves and the teacher who does not
have them usually congratulates her
self upon the fact. 1 would not give
very much for the teacher who has no
nerves. nor the one who is never dis
turbed in any way. A teacher should
be disturbed by the slightest noise or
disturbance and should not permit or
tolerate those things.
AS to Discipline
Upon the subject of discipline a
great deal may be said. There is less of
corporal punishment today than ever
before in the worlds history. For CEN
turies spare the rod and spoil the child
has been the cornerstone of discipline.
Upon that rock every school or penal
institution has been based. Every time
a boy or girl has been saved by this
method from the downward path 999
have been pushed farther down. If
there is any purpose in the discipline
at all 1t must be to make the boy or
girl better, or better man or woman.
Discipline that does not aim at that is
not discipline; it is merely an attempt
to control things that false impress
sion may be conveyed to those who are
looking on. In some states the whip
ping post has been adopted for men
who beat their wives, with the idea that
that kind of brutality would cure them
of their offense. The. experience in
those states is that the women get
more whippings and that it is no worse
for the man. 1t is better to convince
a criminal of wrongdoing and start
him right than to beat him. 1t is
great deal better, If you put it on the
dollar basis, to convince a man of his
~ nd q re-
put him right, than to confine him for
number of years at the expense of the
state.
"There are two kinds of teachers.
One says that the bad boy or girl is
communicating influence and must be
gotten rid of and must be banished
from the school. The other class holds
that the bad boy or girl must of neces-
sity be saved and that the teacher is
tho one to do it. Now, know you say
you are giving us theory You say the
bad boy or girl must go out of school
o. else we cannot control it. 1t is TOR
the teacher to be sure first that she is
right, and then settle the case of the
boy or girl. Interest is the most vital
thing in the work, and when this IS
established between teacher and child
the rest of the problem will take care
OF itself"
what Is Most Important in Teach
ing was the SUBJECT OF EuWdIu iiS"N
at the Polytechnic high school. He SAID
in part:
Reading is the key to everything
else. There is our greatest intellictual
responsibility as teachers, How ofteh
does youngster fail in arithmetic pc
cause she can't really read the prop-
lem? How many boys hate grammar
because they don't really read II m
diligently and understandingly? HOW
many of the big boys who leave us ~
the seventh and eighth grades DO ~
because they cannot read easily ai il
rapidly enough to keep up with the
procession? They say they leave school
because they want to work or peeause
their parents take them out we az az,
cept and repeat this explanation WIZ
a sigh for the degeneracy or the parents
who don't force their children TO sehooi
but the real fact is that we nave lalleu
with these pupils in interesting 'n aS,,e
and keeping them in the schools. inc
pupils who are active, interested VI
with their pates and doing r Wen arr apS
their parents win make any sacrifice
! 10 stay. Our whole school system as