Roanoke Rapids daily herald., 1948-12-17
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B, GARRY CLEVELAND MYERS. PL.p.

By GARRY CLktkLANU hIEkS, fh.D.
JUST think how much you and
I would know if only we had our
bits of knowledge unscrambled. But
much of it is so mixed-up as to bs
useless. Besides, some of the things
we think we know are so confused
as to get US into trouble sometimes
and cause US painful embarrass.
ment, especially when our confu.
sion brings gales Of laughter from
others.
Some years ago the American
Journal of Psychology carried a
study of mine entitled Confusion
in Recall" This article contained 4
vast amount Of data on actual con.
fusions revealed by students pre-.
pairing to teach in the public schools
Of New York City, of Noah Web
ster, with Daniel Webster, for exam.
pie. Every teacher who reads test
papers sees like samples Of such
confusions.
A few years later, q college COL
league Of mine on university staff,
by the name Of Webster, was visit.
ing in an elementary school in .
large city. As he was about to leave
the teacher said to the children,
eve have a great man with US TO-
day, the man that wrote the diction.
ary, Mr.. Webster" And she wasn't
joking!
Many Confusions
Many children and not . few
adults have many confusions over
the spellings of such homonyms a.
their and there, to, too, two. A very
common trouble the child beginning
to read and spell has is confusion
Of such pairs Of letters as b and d,
p and q. Some poor readers or spell.
ers Of the third or fourth grade still
are COMPOUNDED over such letters
which reminds me that a farmer
uncle Of mine who would never let
himself utter conventional profan.
ity but would think nothing Of say.
ing. "Confound that pig" He once
said to me when as a lad I annoyed
him, "Confound you." He hardly
could have cursed that pig or me
more violently. I've seen a pig suffer
over being confounded, as when fail
ing to find the hole it went through
in a fence. And as for myself, when
am confused over q pair Of words,
I'm very uncomfortable.
Suppose your child confuses d.
with b. or there with their and
the like. You probably will work
with him on both Of the confused
members Of each pair together. You
will show him how d. is printed
differently from 3D. show him =
word beginning with a. then an.
other beginning with b. compar.
ing them in all sorts Of ways. Well,
all school books seem to do like
wise, alas!
Which is Which
But after you have practiced him
repeatedly in this way he still may
confuse b. and d. He easily sees
that while the curve on one letter
turns one way, the curve on the
other letter turns the opposite way.
But he still may not know which 10
the one and which is the other.
II you wish to use good horse
sense, do it this way! Have the child
center on only one Of the letters,
keeping the other letter out Of sight
and hearing in the meanwhile. Let
him print 3D. for example, find all
the words he can on a page contain-
ing 3D. name all the words he can
beginning with b. and 50 on. Then
merely show him d. and how it 10
different without dwelling long or
often on the comparison. Once he
thoroughly knows one Of the letters
Of the pair, the other just isn't that
one. l wish parents and teachers
would try this simple way and write
me of their results. my bulletins,
Home Helps for Poor Spoilers"
and "Home Helps for Poor Read
ers," may be had in 4 stamped en-
velope.)
Answering Parents Questions
Q. Would you punish . child
three or four before company!
A. Sometimes, especially il he
seemed to take advantage Of the
situation. In Difference to the guests,
any discipline except . mild rebuks
should be in another room. But with
consistent discipline when there il
no company, punishment before
company might not be necessary,
especially if the child felt emotion.
ally secure.
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