Evening star., 1936-10-28
Child Must
Be Trained
and dGuided
Expressing Individu-
atty Can Sometimes
Be Overdone.
BY ANGELO PATRI.
TOR mercy's sake! Edith, make

LOH merCyS sake! EQlIn, Whke
that child stop that awful noise T"
20 no. I wouldn't do that. He
will soon stop of his own accord. He
will soon get tired. I don't want
to suppress his individuality. That
is what Is wrong with so many people.
They never had a chance to express
themselves fully and the poor things
are suffering from all sorts Of dif-
ficulties."
So Malcolm went on stamping
floor with a stout walking stick.
Mother had read some good books
on education and attended classes
and conferences and discussed at
length the freedom of the child. This
was the freedom of the child In full
swing.
When 1t came time for Malcolm to
enter school mother visited many.
II went in to see the first grade
in the public school, just close by,
but could never send Malcolm there.
The teacher gave commands like a
drill sergeant. Glass, stand and up
they came, like so many Jack-in-the-
boxes. Class, Sit and down they
went, as II pressed by magic spring
They stood, marched, faced about
all to command-and smiled as If
they thought it good game. Poor
little things. feel so sorry for them.
When I told the teacher she Just
laughed at me and said, This is
where We teach them to obey orders,
to move together, to feel themselves
as q class working together. They
like it. 1t is the right time for this
teaching
But not for my Malcolm"
So mother visited private schools.
II never thought private schools were
so rigid. They're just as bad as
the public schools. really! The chill
dren have to wait for the teachers
word every time. They can't do as
they like. I mean, suppose Malcolm
wanted to sit by himself and sing,
the way he does here at home. and
the teacher wanted the class to listen
to a story. Well. he would have to
listen to the story. whether he liked
1t or not. I asked the teacher and
that Is what she said. OF course.
He would have to be cooperative. ;
She called it being cooperative, and
the public school teacher called it
learning to obey orders, but they
meant the same thing in the end.
My Malcolm would have to merge
his individuality, and that is pre-
cisely what I do not want to happen.
I'm going to have him taught at
home, under my own eye"
The trouble Is that grown-up people
think Of freedom from a grown -up
attitude. They think that children
want to do what they like to do and
in the same way. That Is not so.
Adult freedom is the freedom of q
seasoned mind and body. 1t Is ripened
experiences, contact and struggle
with life. Children have no such
background and no such feeling.
They are waiting. ready to be trained
for such experiences, and the trained
leader who knows when to lead for
expression and when for suppression
is necessary. School routine, regular
duties, self-effacement and self-ex-
preston, all must be developed and
related into the self-sustaining spirit
Of childhood and youth.
Letting child 60 his own. wild
way is to let him go to destruction.
People who do that have not read
their books Alright, have not listened
with intelligence. They make fatal
mistake. The happy, successful child
is the one free Of ignorance.
tcopyr:ght, 1850