The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1912-08-30

favored oneS.
Teachers make very grave mi
take in getting up at the commene
] ment of term and Celebrating
| great lot of rules. for governing the
charges. just as though rules we,
what taxpayers sent their children I
school to learn. The successf,
teacher needs no rules and gives non,
The teacher that writes and nromn
gates as many rules as the moral Law
frequently Furnishes by authority !
an Tx Post Facto Law. or under RI
general crime of conduct unbeeomin,
good pious little effeminate mama,
baby boy pupil. If l could have m,
way in this county, each school boar,
would say to their teacher. 1--WE will
line you $25O-take it out of your sal
ary' Tor every pupil that you whip OF
expel."
What We want you to do is to in
terest our children in their work So
that it will not be necessary to spend
an entire forenoon three times a week
10 look up the Statutes made and pro-
vided."
Children who are interested in their
work do not require governing, as they
unconsciously govern themselves.
Think of the kind of laws, or the
condition that person would be in to
execute laws, on Monday morning
after having had lovers quarrel with
a sweetheart the night before.
We should get out of the habit of
thinking LAWS sacred. That savors
too much of the absolute monarchy of
a Russia or Turkey.
If the school boards would adopt
my idea of the fine" system. I am
certain that even here in Vinita. deli
cate little children would be saved
from the brutality of teachers. feel
very confident that the pedagogues
would see a great light, and when they
met in. their next association. the
muscular fellow with the long paper
on The Necessity of Corporal Punish.
ment,' would be conspicuous by his
absence.
Iowa has one of the best school sys-
TENS in the United States, stands first.
and corporal punishment there is not
permitted. The world still turns and
lowa's citizenship will compare favor !
ably with any state in the Union.
A lady from Iowa said to me last
winter; Il am going to have to take
my little boy out of your Vinita public
school, as he is very nervous little
fellow and can't bear to see his little
playmates dragged out in the hall and
hear their cries. He doesn't sleep at
night and is very much worried"
II the teachers 'of this county would
make a diligent and careful effort with
he charges placed under their control
hey could in almost every case inccr-
sst the bad Boy" of the district. and
he necessity of any sort of punish
nent would be gone.
Interested pupils require no govern
particularly no beating and
'ruising of their bodies by dignified
who pose as instructors;
'ut whose greatest aim is the eollec-
ion of the monthly warrant. Let
eachers take their pupils into the
ields, and teach them all abouc the
lowers, the birds, the soil, all about
he different phenomena of Nature
each them something that interests
hem here and now, and leave Gram-
nar. Rhetoric, and other abstruse sub
ects until much later in life.
Teach the children about their own
odies and the care OF them--teach
hem physiology, teach them about :
ne stars, and teach them the common
ranches such as Arithmetic, Writing.
pelling. Teach them how to measure >
crib of corn or a stack of hay, or a =
ONU OIL WOOu.
I venture to say that there are not
lree teachers in this county who
ould tell you the number of gallons >
| cistern with the dimensions before I
lem, unless they had books to refer E
}. II
II children are taught subjects that .
ley can grasp, it will not be neces- r,
Try for a trim little school-ma'am to Il
eep the dull boy in school after hours
ld hold club over him to make him d
arm how many degrees of comparison S
Ie word round has, or to diagram tho
d sentence: Il have more corn than Of
know what to do with Grammar, d,
hetoric, and even History are sub tc
cts that come later in life and should "
SO recognized; but the subjects { Ii
I'VE mentioned are the subjects that az
e pupil meets every day. cl
IL