The Lubbock avalanche. (Lubbock, Tex.) 1909-1922, 1922-08-29
PARENTS AS EDUCATORS
t44+ t&t4 80 .
Cult'vatina Childs Sense %
Humor
(By Edith Lochridge Reid

We are an familiar with the old
saying that sense Of hum0r II a
saving grace, but even though We
adults, mothers and teachers, appre-
oiate this trait, too often we neglect
the opportunity TO encourage u In
the child All children love q Joke.
Even very young children are quick
60 catch a pun or a play on words.
They are always ready for a good
laugh, and they are all the happier
IL some one viii enjoy the laugh
with them.
Fortunate indeed Is the child who
has teacher who INDUCES a sense
+ hamor in both herself and her
children. And II these same pupils
receive further encouragement az
home through mother, they develop
clean wit which is JOY even
while they are small The children
ho daily play under my window
make remarks that are clever
enough for any writer 60 use in his
daily newspaper department, but !
n rrf reriscd 1t their remarks
n know the eachcr who h1s
bad them 10 charge az least f0lr
rours each day. She is always bu1-
Bling with mrth and never allows
e trasome details Of routine %
dom her perspective. She never
loses chance 90 turn @ word or
phrase at the proper moment so that
the children catch the hum0r. And
hey grow 10 like this game of
matching wits with the keenly alert
mind of the joking teacher.
visited chat teachers room one
dav and The class was writing a
nno tion non Mother" Ruth
sed hor hard and asked How do
yla spell 'awfui2' Miss Allen looi,-
rd a beg moment in surprise and
.han said. "Why Ruth, you don't
maan you're using that word IN a
talk about Mother'p Ruth's eyes
+ danced and "a broad smile broke over
her face as she replied. Il just asked
tlnt on purpose % see you look
/ surprised. / know how % spell that
word and I'm saying my mother
does awful nice things for me- The
I dea was that the child planned %
rao chat word (this is not the place
o dis les the propr.cty Of it's usel
and when she saw the opportunity
Cor Joke. she felt al liberty to
hare her discovery with the teacher
1 be- susa There was chat certainty Of
nnrnciation which Miss Allen had
encouraged
Yesterday that same crowd Of
children 30 which | have previously
referred was exploring the mysteries
I of new house in process Of con-
iruction. The carpenters had laid
Be shingles around the top Of the
Proof n punches just as them came
IN the lumber yards, and Dorothy
4 bad never happened 90 see shingles
IN that shane before SO she said
arelessly. II didn't know shingles
aine that way, and Bohbie, catch
ing the remark quick as WINK
shouted "uow did you think they
came, in pasiehoard boxes wrapped
In mink tissue paporg' Now Bob
bic goes 10 school 20 Miss Alien, and
in addition he comes from a family
who, although very mOdestiy endow-
ed financially, have a wonderful
faculty Of getting fun out Of life.
They can construct glorousy
happy home on the very foundation
of adversely simply because they
mix In that wonderful saving grace,
sense If humOr
Aside from teaching the children
his happy trait, IL is a most help
ful factor in adding zest TO the
daily tasks Of the teacher a good
laugh Is a splendid nerve touic, as
any physician will testify, and the
tension Of everlastinglyikeeping-a
Il IAN be relieved many times during
the day by the well-directed habit
Of roaming on for moment into
lighter vein Some children as
well as adults are more richly en-
bowed by nature than others with
this characteristic Of humor, but II
Is wonderful what cultivation Of
even the tiniest germ viii produce
even in the soberest and seemingly
dullest individual.