Evening star., 1935-04-24
Ill Adjusted
Child Rises
TO Success
Nervous Traits Lead
to Possibilities if
Corrected.
BY ANGELO PATRL.

USUALLY when a teacher or
parent says that child is nerv-
GUS he means that the child is i'll
adjusted, that he is failing at home
or in school. Sometimes we find
that such children are not nervous
at all, far from it. Their nervous
systems are dulled and their reac-
tions are slow and Inaccurate. The
children are III.
Other children who are nervous
are not ill. but i'll adjusted. Either
they have been unable to hold their
minds to the task in hand or be-
cause of unusual speed they have
overlooked the essentials. There
are all sorts of nervous children be-
tween these two sorts. Some of
them, as have said, are i'll. The
rest need to be adjusted to home
and school, or. more likely, home
and school must be adjusted 10
them
Nervousness is not disease. The
race horse is nervous, the genius is
nervous. the successful leader in
any trade Or profession is highly
nervous. All successful undertak-
ings are the product of highly
sensitive nervous organization that
has functioned beautifully. Instead
of worrying about children being
nervous we ought TO rejoice that
they are possessed of sensitive
nerves and proceed to train them
to healthy activity.
All children need the foods that
nourish the nerves. Usually we
find the failing, nervous child is
undernourished. He refuses food.
He refuses the extra rest and sleep
prescribed for him. He resents re-
straint more than other children do
and protests against anything that
holds him still for more than
minute. Yet this child needs extra
food. extra rest, extra sleep, ad-
justed school programs and pro-
vision for his play in the open air
with the right sort of companions.
Scolding or Furnishing him only
makes a bad matter worse.
The healthy, nervous child needs
plenty of work and responsibility.
The lad that is nicknamed Quick
silver needs TO be harnessed In
order that his energy can function
and his nervous system be trained
to habits of usefulness. He is the
one who finishes his work first and
looks around for something else
and finds it 10 the annoyance of
the teacher. He is the one who
answers the question before the
teacher can call the pupils name.
He speaks out in class, falls over
somebody's feet. waves his hand
with or without occasion, minds
everybody's business, his own last
of all. He is truly nervous. Ad-
Just his program to his needs and
instead of being a general nuisance
he becomes a community bene-
factor.
This sort of child can take great
deal of detail from the teachers
mind. He can take attendance,
take charge of material. check on
supplies, guard the ventilation,
manage traffic, attend TO distribu-
ton and collection of clothing and
belongings. He can open doors and
station guards at rapid dismissals,
he can be an assistant teacher, re-
lieving the teacher and developing
his own powers at the same time.
1t is fine thing 10 be nervous il
the nervous system is in good health
and functioning normally. The
worlds work is accomplished by
/ the nervous people who have been
trained to harness their energies
| to the task in hand. Study the
! nervous child you have and treat
| him according to his needs.
tCopvrirht IQ3bl