Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-04-18
HENRY G. DEINlNGER
On School Discipline Today

THE day of the rod and the task and the
l. other more or less militarstic forms of
discipline in the schoolroom has passed for
ever, in the opinion of Henry &. Deninger,
principal Of the Northwest School.
Little Johnny is no longer required to
stay after school and write i have been
bad boy hundred or more times or to read
fifty verses Of poetry or do columns OF hg-
ures by way Of rejecting on the cnormty OF
his sins" said Mr.. Deininger.
ITO begin with. we want Johnny or any
other boy or girl to like all these things; we
want him to learn and to think and to grow
up TO be a useful citizen. So for that reason
the schoolroom czar with the punitive form
of discipline, who earns the Child's contempt
and increases his talent for caricature at
the expense of other substantial fundamen-
tails. is no longer TO be found in modern and
up to date schools.
"But by virtue of the fact that discipline
must be Of a more constructive kind today,
and must be more subtly and tacttully ad-
minStercd If the best results arc to be OBJ
tained, it is more difficult problem. II
means that the teacher must be Il skilled ad-
ministrator az we'll as u good pedagogue.
Tyranny Is Passing
"One BY one the marks of teacher tyranny
have been removed. The thick ruler, the
railing around the teachers desk. her Gle
waited position on daiS somewhat above the
class suggestive of autocratiC power and
tyrannical. unsympathctiC supervision. have
all been eliminated. Not only is tho teacher
on a level with her pupils, but in many
ClassroomS she does not even face them.
Her desk in these cases is at the back OF
the room.
To-day interest and 20 o.Opcration ar" tho
guiding thoughts back of school discipline.
The element Of public opinion, the esteem
of his fellows is the check rein that keeps
the offender within bounds. They are his
i,,Iu nd 10 t,Ipy hn tnnp no II
visible force, the guiding hand of steel in the
velvet glove that controls the situation,
"As nearly as is possible today the pupil
is living in the school the life which aS Il
citizen he may have when he goes out, into
the world Starting with the kindergarten
and continuing until the senior classes in the
high school, an effort Is made to build up an
element of personal responsibility in the IN.
dividual and u feeling of operation and
community interest in the classes.
Authority Not Pressed
AS a result many Of the reasons which
impplled the prankish or unruly yOungst"r
of the past to block both his own and the
progress of others by unbecomiug conduct
have been eliminated There is no consti-
tuted authority in the old sense of the word
Through the civirs idea, carried out in
all tho classes, spirit of democracy has
been foStered that has grown up into Il
potent force. When pupil OffCnds today he
is NOT Onrndlng the teacher personally hC
has Sinnrd against all his fellows, against
the community and institution i'll which he
is spending much Of his time and around
which much Of his young life is wrapped.
To be ostraci2ed or excluded from those with
whom he comes in daily contact acts as a far
more powerful deterrent than any punish
mcnt which the teacher in the old days could
have devised, To break the rules which hi-
fellows have made and approved aud which
they understand and respect no longer makes
him a hero or Il martyr. The collective force
OF class diSapproval is the one that hits him
| the hardest.
ITO accomplish this TO build up charac-
| ter, enhance progress and enlist and keep
| the interest and 90 operation of the pupils
| generally in getting the best results is Il task
| that tests the capacity Of the teacher
| sympathy, understanding and tact are
| three fundamental requirements Of the of
| feCtive disrlpinNran Of today. There is a
| very definite relation between health and be- .
| havior, not to mention home conditions and
environment and many other human factors.
Healthy Body Essential
For instance, the child who is forced Ia
come to school without breakfast is more
| liable to run into the rocks of discipline thnu
| one who has eaten Il satisfactory morning
meal. Investigation il made of this factnr,
aud where noted the child is given II nutrl .
| tive breakfast in the school unChrOom
! Estrangcmcnt between parents or other
| family trouble often leads the boy or girl IL
| do unreasonable or outnndish things. 4
| comparatively thorough survey Of the famiI, ,
conditions of most pupils is therefore "A rnrI
! Of the school work.
''Ih" Old tim" ."h0O' ard 4 NJ u hero T., n