Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-03-12
Teacher Irked

John Michael does teachers
everywhere a serious injustice
in his recent letter. He fails
to show the understanding and
Christian charity that he urges
on teachers.
One would infer from his let
ter that most teachers are
peevish, vindictive persons
ready to take out their spite
on helpless children for mere
trifles. And that the pupils
who have been placed in I'M
graded classes are Just poor,
misunderstood little children
who have been abused by these
mean teachers.
AS matter Of fact, teachers
are human beings with feel
ingS, emotions, ambitions, and
opinions like anyone else. One
OF the occupational hazards of
teaching is the constant and
terrific nervous strain which
comes with dealing with to-
days restless, oyer-stimulated
under disciplined boys and
girls day after day. Thus.
teachers may not always
be as even-tempered or for
bearing as they would like to
be. But doesn't Mr.. Michael
ever get tired or irritated on
his job? 1 wish it were possi-
BILE for him to get Just one
weeks classroom experience
he might get a little insight
into teaching II he could.
When he speaks of the
smart alexis and pupils with
annoying mannerisms in school
he is talking about the aver
age youngsters. These we
see and deal with satisfactorily
every day with not too much
friction. I doubt very much If
Mr.. Michael could point to a
single specific case Of a young
ster with only these charac-
teristics being placed in an I'M
graded class. Although occa-
sionally a mistake may occur.
the vast majority of pupils in
ungraded classes are of an
entirely different sort. Their
offenses consist Of any or all
OF the following: Habitual re-
fusal to obey school rules or
rightful orders of teachers;
insolent. insulting, defiant be-
havior toward teachers both
in and out Of school; vandal-
ism Of every variety; habitual
hardness and persistent re-
fusal to either work or allow
other pupils to work; fighting
and showing other pupils in
the corridors and classrooms:
vulgar. obscene language and
drawings in books, on desks.
and on school walls. Surely
not even Mr.. Michael advo-
Gates keeping this type of pu-
Pill in regular classes.
There isn't a school in town
that doesn't have at least one
or two of this sort of pupil.
Many have more. Either school
is a place to which pupils 90
to learn and teachers 60 to
teach, or 1t isn't. If it is, then
these insists should be put
somewhere else. Any teacher
can tell tales of experience
with this type of pupil which
would make ones hair curl.
In fact, the type of acts men,
toned in the above paragraph
are so common that they are
taken for granted by teachers
in some of the schools.
! agree that 1t would not be
good policy to merely turn ex-
PEELED pupils loose on the
streets. Some other solution
must be found. But until they
are put in an out-of school
atmosphere that can give them
the warmth. understanding,
kindness. as we'll as the much
needed discipline that their
homes have never supplied,
school can do nothing for
them. We are simply not
equipped to handle the COM
pick social and psychological
problems that they represent.
Mr.. Michael also shows an
ignorance Of school procedures.
when he implies that a mot
too kindly" teacher can take
out his spite" on a pupil by
having him placed in an I'M
graded class. No one teacher
or group of teachers. however
inclined. can do this. For a
pupil to be placed in a special
class a mass Of documentary
supporting evidence OF miscon-
duct must be collected from
many sources-teachers as we'll
as Others coming into contact
with the pupil. Even then, APP
proval for the transfer must
come from school headquar-
tiers. DR.. Cornings recent pro-
posal includes even stronger
safeguards against the rail-
reading Of a youngster to a
special class because Of a per-
sonality clash with one or two
teachers.
In short, Mr.. Michael sounds