The Washington times., 1920-02-14
School Minus
Discipline
BY DR.. VIM. A. McKeever,

r. IGHTY' seventh and eighth
r .-- grade schoolboys in a manual
4 t1training class working with pre-
teison and at very rapid rate,
Teach on a piece -handiwork, of
(his own choosing, and no teacher
, IN sight.
I Where is the teacher of this
,"hss?'' l. asked He is in. the
IlSr pr'a'"s While nearly every day." U was
it9e matter-of-fact reply.
\ Il was astonished. The idea of a
SCHOOL in session and no teacher
tpresent-no one to instruct, hold
the attention on the lesson, admon-
issh and sometimes threaten-that
was a new deal for me.
But it was even so. Every boy
was set. to work only after he had
tdscided upon the task he wished
Ito complete and had been shown
,csrefully the drawings, blue prints,
stools, and the like, necessary for
his design. After that he
was turned loose with his own time
land energy. An older boy across
fine aisle would explain any dit
iicult point.
How about discipline?" I asked
~ prevents mischief from breaking
H. tsy for that" was the quick an
iswer
I Now, here we have the secret Of
he real school as against the arti-
hicial school. Here we have creative
Energy applied eagerly to the thing
Ut loves. Here we have the point
pr interest reaching out as di-
Eine force from within and eX-
pressing itself in the thing in proc
lrss OF development. ..N.
\ The boy is right. There, amt
ho such thing as discipline He
phas been right throughout the ages
kf time. We have tried to, whip
tilm and drive him to a dull. unat-
fractive lesson, and he has as often
balked. That is the answer to our,
fblundering. doubt il we are
really educating the pupils whom
i've hold under the whip to the tasks
(which they despise. We merely
fmagine we are educating them.
Some day we shall wake out of
his nightmare of hard discipline
knd ask always for the heart love
t,f the younger learner to point the
Hay. Some day we educators So
talled shall see a new light and we
kytll ask God to forgive us for driv-
ing so many good boys and girls
but Of the school and into hard in
fustry or vicious idlencss before
bhey were mature enough to man
hge their own careers Some day
81 will all appear to the common
i've as a big pedagogical scandal.
his effort to run the pupils all
Through the same machine and call
at an education.
After the easy rudiments OF
learning have been mastered there
should then be practically no course
pf study, but every child should be
fiealt with as ana individual-some
10 master books, some to produce
but of the soil. some TO create out
bf wood and metal, some to weave
hut of yarn. some TO paint pictures.
kome to hew and haul, some TO
lramatixe or act, some to learn to
iervc, some to learn to command.
Eome to minister to the sick and
keedy, some TO blaze new trails
through mountains, some to labor
patiently with research, some to
yreach and proclaim a new mode
pr life, some to point the way OF
redemption, and so on till all have
found tho peculiar light in their
lives and followed II unto the day
bf seIf-perfection and beauty.
Thus, after a mere beginning has
been made the child will lead the
Nay and the teacher will follow as
4 mere guide. Thus the life more
abundant may finally becoms tho
common lot of all young and grow
ing personalities