The Virginia enterprise., 1908-12-04
The Way to Be of Service to
. the Boy aud 'Cirt IL School.
BY SUPT. LAFAYKTTE BLISS.

II BY sUPT. LAFAYETTE BLISS.
The question how to aid the boy
or girl in study and in conduct is
but another way of asking, howis
the teacher properly to teach boys
and girls?
| All development of the childthat
is not physical is@spiritual. Ali
teaching which is not purely phys:
icai is spiritual; and all good spirit-
ual teaching ends in moral teach
ing.
The school period of a child's life
is his developing period. 1t is the
time in which he comes to his own,
or as we often express it, coming to
himself or finding himself. He IS
susceptible. d0Cl1e. He desires to
improve, to grow, to progress, and
to gain the approval of his associ-
ates. He has an inherent sense of
obligation, of duty. He delights in
acquisition. On the other hand he
is immature and erratic. He is
sometimes egotistical, selfish, re-
bellioue, mischievous, deceitful and
even lazy.
1t must be understood, that all
| the characteristics enumerated are
seldom found in any one child, but
some of them are found in every
! l~b;11 ~l1 IS
school.
SCHOOL NAY BE PLEAsURE ORA
BORE.
While it is true that some children
are either born full of interest for
the things of life and the school, or
else their early environment is such
as to steep them with it, the aver
age pupil comes to school with but
little if any idea of the purpose for
| which the school ia run. The school
may be pleasure or bore to him.
The teacher may be an attractive or
a repellant force, according as is
his attitude toward her kindly ser.
| vices. He does not fully, perhaps
not even partially understand the
meaning Of school, much less of
education; and unless the eye Of
his soul he open to the full view of
his environment he never will know
it. Until he is conscious of what
it means for him and to him, he
will not subject himself peacefully
to it. This consciousness must be
developed from within rather than
accumulated from without.
ACTIvITYTHELAWO OF DEVELOPMENT
Activity is the law of develop
,nent fla child ia to grow physic-
ally, intellectually or morally, it
must be through the activity of his
physical, intellectual and moral
faculties respectively. But these
faculties can be called into action
only when there is something to be
acted upon by them. A child's in
ward being cannot grow in a spirit.
ual vacuum any more than his body
can in physical one. There must
be physical exercise for the body,
intellectual exercise for the mind,
and moral exercise for the morals.
! The practice of study and right
conduct by the boy or girl must
become his or her habit in order to
be effectuai and abiding; it involves
principles which must become
part of character. Then since these
practices lie within the inherent
power of the child and can be per-
fected only by his exercise of them,
| what can the teacher do for him by
way of assistance?
4 For our present purpose we will
say that education is the adjust
rnent of child to his environment
1t is this environment to which the
teacher must lead her pupils and
put them in proper relation. 1t is
for the pupil to select and absorb
those elements which make for his
growth. If the child should grow
in habits Of correct thought and
conduct, in the school, the teacher
must bring him in contact with
those influences about him which
are conducive to right thinking and
right acting.
MATERIAL AND SPIRITUAL ENVIRON
4 MENT.
4 The child's environment is en-
bodied in two worlds; the world of
things aud the world of books. One
is material, the other spiritual.
| Naturally tie must turn to the study
of nature and common affairs aud
the study of books. 1t is here and
there only that he can find those
llessone that are to sustain him.
II However, before dema nding study
! of a pupil, it is the duty of the
teacher to see first that his condition
is such as to permit study, and
second that the pupil himself is in
a condition for study. Untoward
} and distracting influences should
/ be removed as far as possible.
\ CONDITIONS FAVORABLE TO STUDY.
II Among the conditions favorable
to study are the physical health
and comfort of the pupil. No chile
can study we'll if suffering from