The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1914-03-07
THE EDITOR.
The High School Problem.
by IDA NJ. STREET.)

AT the adolescent age, the high
school age, when the child is "as a
squash is before it is peascod," nei-
Their wholly child nor wholly man or
woman. but part of each, the problem
OF training or discipline is peculiarly
difficult. | once heard an anxious
mother say, IF | can get my boy
through the first three years of the
high school without his becoming bad
or lazy, | shall take long breath and
relax This, no doubt, voices the I'M
spoken feeling of many parent. Per-
haps both parents and teachers are
| too anxious. They push or nag the boy
or girl unconsciously in their desire
to see him succeed AT this age,
even more than at any other. devel-
opment must come from within and
naturally. Forcing processes. always
dangerous, may now be fatal to intel
lectual and spiritual life.
The development into manhood and
womanhood is a growing fitness for
assuming responsibilities. Young peo-
pie who are relieved of all responsible
ity are childish, thoughtless, uniformed.
Those who, for any reason, have been
thrown on their own resources, are
thoughtful manly, developed. The
problem of the high school faculty is,
How can We convert these irresponsi
BILE children into young men and wom-
en- fit to assume the responsibilities OF
life? For even those who go to college
are entering into a less sheltered life |
than they have known before. At ev-
cry step the problem resolves itself in
to the questions, How much RESPONSE |
bility ought we to throw on to this
student or class of students at this
time? How far can he be developed to-
wards manhood? How far can he be
trusted as a man? The teacher must
pray for God-given intuition to answer
-hese questions, for there are no math-
ematical, no pedagogical rules for solv-
ng them.
The paradox in the solution is that
he more responsibility child has had
he more he can take. Yet even this
paradox can be solved if we accept
he analogy between moral or char
cter stamina and muscle growth If
he muscles are exercised but not over
xercised they grow firm, capable of
acre effort and endurance. So the sort
+ moral stamina that makes a boy
+ girl stand up under responsibility
nd take the consequences of his care
+ his carelessness grows stronger as
is judiciously called into action
hat word judiciously covers a muf
tude of conditions. The student must
e helped and advised, but the true
urden of responsibility must not be
fled from his shoulders. We teach
rs are so DESTROYS that our pupils +
lould do well in whatever they under
Ike that we unconsciously sometimes
post them through their work.
This criticism applies to the activi-
es both in and outside the classroom.
course in the class room it is a :
acher's business to make eXplana- +
3ns, but it is not his duty to so help
e student both in and out Of the
citation room that he does no think ~
g for himself. He must not acquire
e habit of running to somebody for :
Up every time he meets the slightest FL
stacle in his lessons; he must learn
exercise his own ingenuity to get
nself out of straits. In my own
Sc | am sure that ! often do mental -
rk for a student that | ought to
Ike him do for himself. 1t is so
ch easier and quicker to do it than rr
cad him to do it. In mathematics, for ,
lance, where the good to be acquired =
largely mental drill and, subordin- w
ly, knowledge, the student should
We his own problems. This is the
ory. But in practice, with large I
sses of students of varying abilt