Evening star., 1935-04-12
Discipline
Paves Way
For Talent
Elementary Class Is
Place for Drill
and Order. .R
BY ANGELO PATRI.


A LADY visitor looked at the class
all hard at work, heads bent in
tentlv over their desks. A troubled
expression clouded her face. They
seem so suppressed" said she. just
then the teacher tapped a pencil on
the desk and said, Time" very
sharply, barked it out like a drill SER
reant. Instantly 40 pencils dropped
into 40 slots on 40 desks and 40 chill
dren Strengthened up, eyes on the
teacher THE answer is two and
three quarters. Right, stand. Wrong,
go to the board. Next example"
Like a well-drilled division the chill
dren obeyed.
IT think that discipline is awful"
said the lady visitor. THE children
have no chance for self expression,
no opportunity for creative work.
Mass teaching is tragedy, childhood's
tragedy"
This class was an elementary class,
learning to add and subtract mixed
numbers. This is an essential element
in the course of study in arithmetic
and takes its place by the side OF
the tables. 1t is a process to be
learned automatically. There is one
vay to do it. There is no room for
creative power. This is not the place
for it. That mistaken notion has
about wrecked elementary classes In
the schools afflicted by such ideas.
Freedom of initiative has its place.
creative power is all important and
must be cultivated. But the arithme-
tic class in the elementary school IS
TO place for either of them, important
though they be.
Tables, words. lists. dates, all the
information and all the processes that
90 to make up the tools Of wider and
deeper learning must be taught with
thoroughness and accuracy. The chill
dren ought to learn them in the early
grades. 1t is during this period that
they learn to follow leadership, to
obey to follow accurately and thor
ouehly the directions and the orders
Of their leaders. Unless this is done
we are going to have set OF chill
dren who are never certain in their
minds about anything because they
missed that phase of their growth
that was intended to give them GER
tainty and power and security.
Initiative and creative power do not
spring from uncertain minds. They
are the fruit of positive minds. When
a child is not certain whether seven
and two are nine or ten or eleven,
when he is not sure in his mind about
two times two, when he cannot make
up his mind whether he ought to
spell which with or without, when
he isn't sure whether he is right or
wrong about that date, he has
mighty poor equipment for self ex-
preston, initiative or creative power.
These qualities come along in the
high school years If the work of the
elementary schools has been well done.
Then comes the time for initiative
and self expression and creative pow
er, under wise direction. No child
is to be left to go his own way until
he has shown that way to be a good
way for him to follow.
Z would not say that there is no
place for choice, no place for crea-
tive power and self help in the lower
grades. But I am saying as plainly
as know how that there is little room
in those early grades for these quail
ties. The teacher carefully sets the
stage for them in the periods where
personal taste and talent and imag-
ination find chance for expression
as il the music and art and litera-
ture lessons. But in the period when
mastery of the tools of education is
the aim, ordered lessons, rigid stand
ards, accuracy and thoroughness must
abound. Let us not get confused about
the right time and place for valuable
phases Of child growth.
(Copyright 1891