Evening star., 1937-02-08
WhenPatient
Explanation
I S N eed ed
Constant Drill With
!: out Understanding
!. Is Useless.
BY ANGELO PATRI.

4WHAT9 -Four wrong out of
.A' five?"
: "1 can't do them. 7 don't under
Stand them
5 "rll explain them again. Now
listen. There now. You see
how easy they are? You stay in this
fecess and do five more and I'll give
8ou 10 for homework"
: Peter, appalled, by this, tied him.
Self to the end of the line at recess
time, and ran home, crying, to his
mother.
Z "You ran home from school? You
are very naughty to do anything like
chat Now you must go right back" J"
And back he went, still crying, to the
3eacher.
Z You'll stay in just the same and
90 the whole IS examples, said the
conscientious teacher. You need
3his drill, out you ran away from it.
How do you expect to learn?"
9 Peter stayed after school He
couldn't get away this time, and by
1lint of prodding and telling and scold-
ing set enough numbers on the paper
10 justify the teacher to herself. She
gave him a sheet with 10 of the puz-
xles on it and told him to bring them
In correctly worked next morning.
: "You certainly ought to know how
30 do them now," said she. But he
1lidn't know how to do them.
: whats this? You ran home when
The teacher kept you in to do your
Eork? What's the matter with you?
you have them for homework? Show
ahem to me. Why, you ought to
BE able to do these. Come over here
and show me what you do, anyway"
: Father watched Peter for few
minutes, saw that he didn't know the
FIRST thing about what he was supposed
10 do, and told him how stupid he was
Ind asked him why he didn't learn
what all the other children learned?
:'Was he dumb, or just stubborn
Peter cried some more. Father lost
patience. He slapped Peter. made him
20 wash his face and sit down to do
those example and be quick about it.
8 No, Peter did not get them right
He cried more and more, and finally
Nas sent of to bed in disgrace. The
next day he didn't want to go to school,
but his mother took him there. His
3eacher said he was just bad and he
would have to do 10 more after school,
and more again that night. "You
need drill" said she, and his mother
Thought so, too.
. Then Peter was sick. The doctor
listened gravely to the tale Of his bad
hess, his stubbornness, his laziness
3'Hm. Why didn't you do the ex-
Hmples, Peter?" "'Cause I don't un-
derstand them. I get all mixed up.
They're in my head and they're hurt
3ng my head"
HIM" said the doctor. Him. Keep
him out Of school for a while. He
will go to sleep now, and if he knows
he does not have to go to school he
3win be all right In the morning. I'll
9e in again.
|. eff he can go to school next week
s&1Ilu DC ChSQSCo 44Oll1 OIL
lessons, I'd say let him go. If that
Iannot be done he must stay at home.
He must not be bothered about this
number lesson any more. You cannot
drill a child into learning what his
anind refuses. Either he Is tired, or
his mind Is not ready to take this
swork yet. If he is tired rest will
4ettle the matter. If his mind is not
ready we have to wait until it is"
. Mr.. Patri has prepared lea1et en-
: 9itled, Baby Carriages" in which he
aells parents how to make the car
9iage ride happy, profitable expert
ence. Send for it, addressing your re-
quest to Mr.. Angelo Patri, Child
Psychology Department of this paper.
Enclose a self-addressed, stamped g.
cent? envelope.