St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1909-02-27
MISS PERKINS SIDE
OF SCHOOL AFFAIR
Teacher Of St Landry High School Tells Her Story
Of the Recent Controversy Which
Caused Her Resignation.

selves in any case. This number o
4 my pupils, at least, would do any
thing to have me return to them a
their teacher. Why? I leave you
people, who see education in it
broadest, noblest aspect to answer
They know how much work It woulC
mean, they know the severe punish
ments ii might mean, if necessary
They know all it would mean anC
they, ONLY, know. For their sakes
in some ways, to show them what
their love and confidence mean tC
me, / would gladly be their teacher
again but | most firmly believe thai
my actions all through the matter
will be better lesson than could
ever be learned from me on any other
teacher or learned writer or speaker
Example is better than precepti
so said one wise man: and only
hope that my pupils and my sue
cessor will, together, accomplish
many, nobler, better things than
could have been done under one 50
"heartless' as |, one who treated
them like convicts,0 and one who
couldn't appreciate their moral
rights, SPLENDID TEACHER, though
my kind antagonists say am.
would like the public to distinct
y understand that, NEVER, for one
moment, did ! wish to procure my
salary for the remainder Of the term,
or involve state authorities, OF drag
the matter into court, except so far
as it would accomplish my aim from
the beginning; and which, I believe,
will be accomplished without any Of
the intricacies of law or the inyolv-
ing Of persons to acknowledge things
which they were sorry they had said
when they learned they might have
to repeat them in public and thus
hurt their friends and their own as
sociations; or some fond mothers be-
ing made TO see their doting off
springs in the light in which they
stand to the faculty and people of
this community.
This affair is proof conclusive that
the people are fully awake to the
principle of right and / sincerely
hope that they will rise in their
might and see that in the future,
two or three all important families
do not control the school as they
seem largely to have done heretofore.
On the morning of the ninth in
stant, a very lengthy epistle was
brought to me BY one of my pupils,
who, with four others, vas being
kept in at noon recess, for fifty min
utes, every day for one month. The
cause Of this punishment was that
during two weeks previous to this,
these pupils had taken French leave
and gone home without any teachers
permission. This, in my professional
opinion, is one Of the most serious
offences any pupil can commit, though
it is very common here but not in
other High Schools Of Louisiana.
This particular child had the moral
right to go home, so said my then
superiors in authority, for I had sent
her from the room saying i did not
wish to see her face again. ii school,
that evening or something, which,
III substance amounts to that. At
the same time | gave her some work.
to do which would keep her busy nm
til after school, when hoped to set
tie her III some way or other FOR I
had taken all the impudence and inn
pertinence and nonsense from my
pupils that / intended to. Her
offence which led To her being sent
from the room, followed Immediately
upon lecture which | had just given
the grade as to what was right of
them TO do and what not; one thing,
being especially, not to leave the
school grounds without some teach
ers permission. She went into the
halI, remained for over an hour and
worked faithfully enough, though, /
suppose, still very angry. One Of
my boys, after getting permission to
leave the room, met her IN the hall
and be, being angry, too, Tor some
reason, discussed the matter and they
both dedided to go home. The next
day, he very gentlemanly acknow
edged his error, said he had gone in
a ft of anger and very eheerfully ac-
cepted what told him was the con-
sequences
After giving the matter due con-
sideration from Friday to Monday,
/ saw it was only right to treat an
who had gone home that week, in.
the same manner on the morning
of the first proceeded to tell the.
grade Of such misconduct and what
/ had decided to have them do. In
order to remember ii the future.
They were to remain Id the e5ass
room, everY noon recess for fifty
minutes, eat their lunches. talk to-
each other ard move around some,
for one month unless they showed
promise Of better when their time
would be shortened Things went
on smoothly enough. though these