Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-08-15
NOW MY IDEA is THIS!
Daily Talks With Thinking Phadephians Subjects They
Know Best

results in the best way with the material
given her? But no piece of material is un-
important to the teacher.
1.-The temptation of the teacher 10 see
progress is great Parents also want this
but the knowing teacher wants most of all
a vigorous mind in vigorous body and will
not cram the one nor weary the other. The
child has been born into q beautiful world
and we should see that Gods gifts of sky
earth. fruit, flower. stream and stone are
enjoyed, the beauty Of them, the joy OF
them, the use of them. The growing memory
should be stored with things worth rcmcm-
bering for their beauty and utility. and the
summer schol may work to perfection along
these lines.
Memory may BE enriched and cultivated
long before 1t is taxed with tables of arith-
metic, dates of history and rotc recitation
or geography. Much arithmetic and history
and all geography can be taken in a per-
tectly natural way, and the summer school
can do this admirably.
In discipline, there Is much needful
work. The children must be led to see
that an unpleasant task is good that we
grow by striving as the seed grows to the
flower. Concrete illustrations from nature
and from biography will teach this as no
!ecturing or scolding will.
The Esthetic Training
The summer work will permit much
esthetic training by picture and story. The
teacher must direct the effort bur the child
must make that effort. \ teacher cannot
exercise child's mind she can only stimu-
late It, The art is to be able to make the
child want to do, not to make him do.
only trained teacher with warm
heart and love for the children can do this.
Trained because she must work in harmony
with Gods laws Of mental growth, because
she must be ready for an emergency, Just
as an engineer is. No school work will run
smoothly all the time; no engine will. Whom
the emergency comes the teacher must be
ready with the proper remedy.
"A teacher should try to sit or stand
The eye must be quick. An experienced
teacher. even with n large class will see
any child who is not doing what he should,
but the experienced teacher will not always
speak instantly Of what she sees. As n
rule teachers see the wrong more quickly
than they do the right. a child does many
good things without our notice, but few Of
the bad ones escape.
Praise for the Children
praise is good for the children, even
exaggerated praise for the little ones Very
bad work may be commended if it is the
best effort of the child-a smile is sometimes
sufficient.
THE beginnings of disobedience should be
checked at once. No di obedience should
De tolerated IN any schOOrOOm. The COM
fort of teacher and pupils Is disturbed by
it and the safety of the pupils is risked.
Children are often disobedient because the
commands are not consistent, not well con-
sidered, or not clearly, decisively and briefly
given. A command should not be given az
request, and n wobbly, wordy, sentimental
teacher Is enough to make any child dis
obedient and inattentive.
THE voice of the teacher should be clear
and low, 50 that she may be emphatic when
necessary loud teacher makes nosiy
schooroom, and all children, who have de-
fective sight or hearing should be seated
where they will be comfortable. 1t is well
not to touch children when securing obcdi-
ence or directing movement If the directions
be plainly spoken. they are sufficient.
Always Something to DO
disorder is best destroyed by letting
children have something to do and motive
for doing it. Quiet and attention are not
the same thing; class of wax figures would
be quiet, but not attentive. Attention must
be secured by following certain laws, and
the first law, of course, is interest. we
give attention Immediately when we are
interested.
THE child should be made self -respectiny
mot srif- sufficient nor vain. The child