The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1908-07-23
EDUCATIONAL.
By w. Il. LARSON.
WHY DO SOME TEACHERS FAIL IN
DISCIPLINE?

| What Is the reason that so many
teachers fail in government?
Give it up. Some fail because they
are not competent to occupy the posi-
ton of teacher in any school and have
not the requisite amount of tact Others
from insufficient education to meet the
demands of the school; and some because
they hold the respect and friendship of
their pupils by being easy on them
still others fail because they are lazy, or
because they possess uncertain erratic
temperaments, making them easy in
the matter of discipline one day and
strict the next day. This difficulty
arises frequently from week digestion
or disordered liver. Another class
fail because they have u beau and
they hope that it shall be the last term
of school and consequently they don't
care" Others fail because they have
enough relatives and good friends on
the school board to Insure their contin-
uance in school, no matter whether it is
properly taught or not.
A large number fail through no fault
of their own. They possess the require
ments of school'and are earnest, energet
ic, willing, tactful, desirous of more
than earning their money and also win
ming reputation. The reasons that
teachers fail are too numerous to men.
ton. They happen te strike a district
where every body in the district knows
a good deal more about teaching than
the teacher does, or at least they tlatter
Themselves by thinking they do. The
result is that when the children return
things that have occurred in the school
room and thoughtless parents make un
| favorable comments with reference to
the work. The teacher is blamed by
somebody in the district for everything
she does do and by other somebolies for
many things that she doesn't do. The
result is that the parents are doing ev-
erything in their power to render the
school a failure if possible They eX
peot II teacher to preserve good order
with thirty five or forty pupils coming
from dozen or fifteen homes represent
ing several different walks of life, pu
pills of all ages from four TO seventeen
or eighteen, impudent, saucy, uncon-
trolled, irritable, Industrious idle,
bright dull, good natured, vicious, gent
lemanly, ladylike, not only while the par
ents are doing everything to pre-" ent the
keeping of good order and advancement
of the school but when from one fourth
to three fourths of the parents in the
district are known to be incapable of
controlling, the one or two or three
children that they have had under their
care and training since birth In some
cases where there are two teachers. one
of them teaching for the iirst time and
the other for the third or fourth year and
in an inferior position, in the game
school, the trouble arises because the
older and better acquainted teacher
through jealousy or envy assists the
district in creating trouble for the new
teacher by spreading vague reports and
inuuendoes with but the very slightest,
if any, foundation The golden rule is
entirely over looked economical expen-
diture of the districts money is not con.
sidered for an instant; the patrons of
the school getting their pay for this eX-
penditure through the fun they have of
talking over matters with each other,
| dis cussing the school teachers no mat
ter if by their neglect of loyalty to the
school and their want of exercising a
sense of Justice, the school is rendered
practically worthless FOR the year. No
teacher, no matter how we'll qualified,
under the above conditions. She should
have ard must have the co operation of
the intelligent parents of the district
and of the board Of education and the
sooner these forces combine to maintain
good school, the better for the rising
generation in this state. No teacher,
however competent can be expected to
pleass all the district, for teachers are
human and like others are liable to
make mistakes, but taking it all around,
the teaching majority of the more than
Is, 600 teachers in the state of WisCon-
sin are more capable, jealous, public
spirited, energetic, honest, sincere, and
competent than will be found in any
other class Wis journal of Education.