The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1907-03-15
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g TEACHING SCHOOL. g
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The "Parson" once taught a coun-
try school. He also taught certain
classes in a school where some of
the pupils knew more than he did
about many things outside the par
ticular branches under discussion.
However, he is not going to tell you
about what he taught, but rather
what the teaching taught him. For
one thing it convinced him that he
was cut out for an easier and less
dangerous job. One takes compare
lively little responsibility in attempt
ing to mold the opinions" of grown
people-for the school teachers have
already bent the twig in the direc-
ton the tree is inclined. Molding the
opinions Of grown people (women
excepted of course) consists mainly
in organizing tendencies already de-
veloped and stirring up enough en-
thusiasm to insure united action.
The first thing the "Parson" ad-
mires in a school teacher is he our-
age it requires-lot the physical cour
age, but the moral courage,-to I'M
dertake such a responsibility. In the
backwoods districts perhaps physical
courage, too, is essential. Still losing
ones temper is a weakness, and strik
ing a child in anger is the rankest
cowardice. We all realize this in III
cooler moments, and are ashamed of
O11rSn1unS Cfi11 II iS mi0htU hard for
those of us who were brought up
with a club to refrain from venting
our illness on the next generation.
AS the greatest of American philoso-
piers has said, actions are the
only apologies noble natures can
bear to make.
When even parents, who ought to
understand tAeir own children, are
guilty of %scolding, threatening and
thrashing them, is there not some
excuse for the teacher who loses his
head under the strain Of trying to
and girls, from a dozen families, all
inheriting dispositions and tenden-
cies which nobody but their mothers
can fully comprehend?
Say what you will about psycholo-
gy. and study it earnestly, but almost
none of its theories admit of general
application-or perhaps We should
say of indiscriminate individual ap.
plication. 1t is only an average rule,
to be used as a basis for measuring
individual variations from the rule.
In this study the teacher should learn
more than any of her pupils. for ev-
cry child in the school-room has
some traits the teacher does not pos
sess and can never even partially un-
derstand except by careful obserga-
ton in each case. A tremendous IN
observation-disclosures impossible. That
reverence to the sublime courage of
the true teacher.
In the humblest school-rooms, from
the primary department upward, are
pupils whom the teacher may some
day deem it an honor to have taught
the elementary principles that open
the doors tt the storehouse of know
ledge found in n books, and
strengthen the purpose to explore
fields of learning not yet developed,
and maYhap write new books for fu-
ture teachers to quote as authorities.
We all preach better than we prac-
tice, of course; but the facts with
which every teacher is face to face
are more important than any theory
of pedagogy that ever was written
or ever will be written.
You have some pupils who take no
interest in certain subjects. These