Evening star., 1941-09-11
Dull Child
Must Be
Helped
Patience and Love
Work Better Than
Punishments
By A neelo Patri

There always will be slow children
and faster ones in school.
However, every child from the
handSomest. Smartest one in town
to the homeliest and dullest is i'm
portant to the community. Not
one must be lost, not one neglected,
not one hurt in body or soul. Teach
ers are duty-bound to like all chill
dren, to help and encourage all
children so that they are happy
in school and succeed there to the
fullness of their abilities.
When a teacher divides her class
into three groups the quick and the
not-so-quick and the dull. she takes
a grave risk. The quick are de-
lighted. They inherit enough of
human vanity to be pleased at their
election. The not-so-quick are not
so well pleased. they TOO being
human and longing to be praised.
But what shall be said of the dull,
those assigned to the last row as
unfit? 1t is to thCs Sc unhappy, Of
Tended little ones that ] would
respectfully call the attention of
the teachers of the lower elementary
grades.
In the early years of life children
grow unevenly. Some will be well
able to read and do number work
and some will DO fairly and that
last little group are not ready at
all. They have not developed the
powers that preside over reading
and number work. In time they
may: some surely will: some will
do fairly well, some will not do
at all.
But are the least among them
to be made to feel unfit? Not if
the teacher knows her professional
duty. Every last one will be helped
to do his BEST encouraged and pro-
vided with work that enables him
to succeed in some way every day.
No child who fails daily goes to
school willingly and any child who
is an unwilling pupil will not learn,
because he cannot.
Putting a child in the dumb
row" will never make him bright
I know the teacher does not call
1t the dumb row." but the children
IN the first row do, without hesita-
ton. The cruelty of that needs no
emphasis.
Children do not learn with the
same rate of speed. nor with the
same degree Of understanding and
profit. Some will take knowledge
as they take their breath, some
won't. The skilled. understanding
teacher discovers who is which in
short time. She allows the speedy
learner to help the slower one, see
him safely over the hard place
Instead of cultivating a spirit of
competition and, therefore, grudg-
ing and jealousy in the children,
she cultivates a sense of RESPONSE
bility, good comradeship, among
them. The quick one feels a con-
Germ about his SLOW growing friend
and both children grow in intelli-
gence, power and affectionate un-
derstanding
Nobody is slowed down. Helping
another child master his lessons
enlightenS and strengthens the
mind and spirit of the helper
greatly to his benefit. Nobody is
hurt. The slow child beams with
affectionate gratitude on his helper
friend.
One of the helpers tugged at the
teachers sleeve. Please, Miss La
vnia, hear Ioey now quick, tefore
he forgets it. He knows his SEN
tence now"
How proud Joey was to read
that sentence and how happy his
helper was to show him off to the
class and the teacher only the
teacher who has experienced the
thrill can tell Sheep and goats
have no place in the classroom ever,
but especially never in the lower
grades.