I LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, ||l':il?. ..:V....^.... lojjmijM |cr .,..:- .:. II UNITED STATES OP^TjIEIJICA | LECTURES SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. ,.^./ At jy^URFACE, A. 1?., LL. B., SUPKRINTENDENT SCHOOLS, WEST LIBERTY, OHIO ; I,ATK SUPERINTENDENT, OERMANTOWN, OHIO. !N.:^!4.a^'M URBANA, O: SAXTON A BRAND, STEA>[ PRINTERS. 1877. 3 Si o\\ i^:^^. Entered aeeording to Act of Congress, in the year 1877, by A. J. SURFACE, A. B., LL. B., In the oHice of the Libarian of Congress, at Washington. 5 ui [ - TO MY WIFE, MRS. EMMA J. SURFACE, A8 A TESTIMONIAL OF MY RESPECT AND ESTEEM, AND ABOVE ALL AS A SMALL TOKEN OF MY LOVE, these pages are dedicated by The Author. PREFACE The author must say what almost all authors say, that is, that the book is not, by any means, what he wishes it to be. Yet he sends it forth to the profes- sion and to those who contemplate entering the pro- fession, hoping it will indulge him in the many errors with which it is encumbered; still, with all its imper- fections, he presumes to hope that it may help some of his fellow teachers to overcome some of the many diffi- culties which beset them on every hand. The book consists partly of lectures delivered at the different Teacher's Institutes in which he has labored; and partly of the instructions in government and school management given from time to time to his teachers, while he was superintending a school of eight depart- ments, in addition to teaching half a dozen of the higher classes of the High School. The lecturas consist of little more than the notes which were jjrepared to lecture from. Many thoughts delivered during the different courses from which these lectures are compiled are not embodied in this book. There are also sudden transitions from one subject to another. This is caused by leaving out the thoughts which were delivered orally and which connected the thoughts delivered into one harmonious whole. Only PREFACE. 5 enough reference is made to the fact that the matter was delivered in lectures to keep up the connection and preserve the unity of language and style in accord- ance with the fact. As a consequence of the above facts, the work will not seem as well written, nor as systematically arranged as it otherwise might have been. In fact there has been no attempt at scientific discussion or arrangement. A few words in regard to the style may here not be out of place. Every one who reads the lectures will notice that many things are repeated, and that others are stated in different language. This results from the fact that the matter contained in the book was originally spoken. For in accordance with the rules of rhetoric, any subject must be treated more fully when it is delivered in words than when it is written upon pajjer. When a speaker is sj^eaking, he knows that if he does not make his statements clear, the hearers may never have the opportunity of a thorough understanding of what he says. Not so, however, when the statements are written down, for the writer knows that the reader can, if he wishes, refer again and again to the written or printed matter. These considerations cause a speaker to use more words, and to spend more time upon any subject than a writer finds necessary. The writer can condense; but the speaker, in order to })e understood, must enlarge and amplily. A. J. SUKFACUv Canton, Ohio, iSeptember, 187G. CONTENTS. LECTURE 1. Introduction — Advantages of aGood Beginning 9 LECTI RE 11. Organization I'O LECTURE 111. The Necessity oi" Vigilance oH LECTURE IV. Tlie Assignment oi' Pupils to Heats 48 LECTURE V. The Programme of Recitations 57 LECTURE VI. The Programme Explained 67 LECTURE Vll. Hindrances to Classification 85 LECTURE VIII. System 96 LECTURE IX. Rules .*. 113 LECTURE X. The Treatment of Some Annoyances 128 LECTURE XI. The Teacher's Own Conduct 157 CONTENTS; 7 LECTURE Xir. How Teachers should Talk 175 LECTURE XIIL What Teachers should Study 190 LECTURE XIV. Punishment.. 209 LECTURE XV. Thoughts for Teachers 21^0 LECTURE XVI. Miscellaneous Matters 242 LECTURE XVIT. Kindness — Conclusion 259 LECTURES ON SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. LECTURE I. INTRODUCTION A GOOD BEdlNNlNU HALF THE WORK. Felloiv- Teachers: — In this, my first lecture to you, I shall address myself most to those who have never taught, but who are preparing to take upon themselvevS the responsibility of the teacher. I hope, however, that those who are so fortunate as to have passed the ordeal of teaching their first school, will not be entirely unprofited. Before I begin the subject upon which I am to talk, it may not be amiss to tell you something of my experience. I shall do this that you may better understand what I shall have to say. It is said that we only understand things as they are 10 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. in accordance with our observation and experience. Besides the more of a man's experience we know in re- gard to any matter, the better we can appreciate what he says in reference to it. We can also understand better what he means. So I will give you a short outline of my life as a teacher, that you may know the reasons why I have done as I have done and why I shall speak to you on this subject as I intend, and that you may know the reasons for saying many things which you would per- haps not otherwise clearly discern. You must remember however that a man can give only the outlines of his experience. He cannot give the little and varied minutia that fill it up. I have taught in all kinds of schools, from the dis- trict school in the country to the graded school of a village of several thousand inhabitants. I have taught in all grades from the primary department to the su- perintendency in which there was but little teaching, but a great deal of governing, controlling and managing. At each place where I have taught it has been my lot to take charge of schools which were said to be dif- INTRODUCTION. 11 ficult to govern. So that it has fiillen to my lot at every change I have made, to reduce pupils to obedi- ence, who had before been very refractory. In fact, I have always had schools which were hard to control, whether I was in the position of teacher or superin- tendent. I have been called a rigid disciplinarian. Perhaps my having had hard schools to teach has had something to do in making me so. I think that it was only by my rigidity in government that I have been a successful disciplinarian. It is likely, too, that the experience I have had in controlling difficult schools will have much to do in giving to my talks to you a certain sharpness and sever- ity, with which they would otherwise not have been tinged. I will say that I have never been more rigid than I thought the necessity of the school demanded. If I were teaching a school which is easily governed I should adopt no stern rules. I will at present not al- lude further to my experience but will let you gather it from what I shall hereafter say. I must however say that I do not want you to follow 12 SCHOOL (GOVERNMENT. my instructions implicitly, as if there was no other way in which the teacher could attain success in govern- ment. Every man ought to be himself, and ought to follow the dictates of his own judgment, rather than imitate some other person. No system by which an- other works will exactly suit you. You must make plans for yourselves. Yet the more you see and hear of the plans of others the better you can arrange a sys- tem of your own. The plans for managing and govern- ing a school, which my experience and observation have suggested to me, will only be of advantage to you, that you may evolve your own plans out of them. Teachers can make better plans of their own after they have ob- served and examined the workings of the plans of others. Even if they make use of the identical plans of others, their observation, and (after they begin teach- ing,) their experience will suggest changes to suit the circumstances under which they are teaching. How many ways there are of doing a thing, no one can tell until he has visited other schools than his own, or un- til he has heard others tell how they govern their schools. Therefore it is the duty of the teacher to INTRODUCTION. 13^ visit other sdiools, to read what he can. to attend lec- tures, and Teachers Institutes and Associations to see and hear how and what others have done to manage their schools. Many young, inexperienced persons think all that is necessary to become a teacher is a smattering knowl- edge of those branches of study in which the law re- quires them to be examined in order to get a certificate. There never was a greater mistake. Many never aspire higher than to be able to pass the examination, and above all to get a situation. Every art, every science, every trade and every pro- fession requires years of study and practice. If it re- quires a long apprenticeship to be able to work well in wood, or metal, or stone, how much more study and observation ought it to rec^uire of one who works on minds, which are of infinite more importance than a few blocks or lumps of earthy matter ! How much more important is the mental and moral education of a man than the work of his hands ! If the artisan or mechan- ic make a mistake, it can readily be rectified, but if the teacher make a mistake, and thereby causes any of 14 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. his pupils to become vicious, disobedient, immoral or deprives him of the opportunity to gain an education, it can never be wholly made right ; but its influence and effects must go on to the end of time and perhaps ex- tend into eternity. A teacher can shirk some of his work in the school- room, he can shirk giving instruction, but the respon- sibility of government he cannot. It forces itself upon him. He cannot by any means whatever rid himself of it. He may try to avoid any responsibility by not attending to the matter which causes the responsibility, but that will only bring increased responsibility. Dif- ficulties will arise ; they must be met ; they cannot otherwise be avoided than by entailing greater difficul- ties. They must be overcome, or they will overcome the teacher. Often when the teacher least expects any trouble, it comes suddenly upon him. It often comes from an unexpected source, in an unexpected manner. If teachers had any means of knowing when troubles were coming and whence and how they would come, they would prepare for them. Unfortunately this is not the case. Very often the teacher is unexpectedly INTRODUCTION, 15 called upon to decide an important matter in a moment. Not even a minute of time is given him for considera- tion. This being the case, it is readily seen how much his knowledge, experience, observation and study will help him to make a just and proper decision. The teacher's true business is to teach, to instruct, to train the mind to think ; but in order that he may do so he must have order in his school. Then it fol- lows that the teacher's first duty is to procure order. It is said that order is Heaven's first law. It must likewise be the first law of the school. It is the design of these lectures, as you all know, to give you a few practical hints on the subject of school government or rather school management ; for if a school be well governed it will be well managed. I shall not extend my remarks to the subject, '-How to teach" but shall, as far as possible, conform myself to the sub- ject, "How to control, govern, and manage a school, so that the teacher can teach most successfully and thor- oughly." The two subjects sometimes seem to run to- gether and blend into each other, so that if at any time I trespass, I trust it will be seen that this almost un- separable intimacy is the cause. 16 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. It is the teacher.s best policy, and I believe that it is his highest duty, to conduct and govern his pupils in such a manner that he will have as few offenders as possible. We know that some teachers are constantly reproving or punishing some one for misbehaving in some way. On the other hand we know that others very rarely punish or reprove a pupil, and yet seem to have model schools. Now, if the teacher can keep his school (|uietand orderly without reproof or punishment, he will be doing a great work, not only for himself, but also for his pupils, and still greater for the community in which he is teaching. For there is no doubt that men as well as children are hardened by being contin- ually reprimanded and punished, or, by seeing others reprimanded and punished. You are all anxious to know how you can get along without punishment and still have orderly schools. I am glad to inform you that there is more than one way of repressing disorder, confusion, disobedience, and all other evils against which the teacher must contend. Having now given you the prelinnnaries which I have thought it necessary to mention before entering A GOOD BEGINNING. 17 upon the subject proper, I will now enter upon the con- sideration of the subject. The first thing necessary for maintaining a good school is a good beginning. "A good beginning is half the work/' is an old Greek maxim. This is pre-emi- nently the case in school teaching in our common schools. No one can overestimate the benefits result- ing from a good beginning. It is a God-send to the efforts of one who expects to adopt teaching as a pro- fession. Do not understand me to mean that no teacher will be successful who does not make a good beginning. What I mean is that one who begins well has much in his favor, while the one who does not has much to pre- vent his future success. Indeed the future success of one who does not make a good beginning will only be assured by much harder work than if he would have begun better. The one who makes a good beginning will thereafter have very little trouble, while the one who does not will have not only the difficulties inci- dent to every school to overcome, but will also have to overcome the effects of his ill-success at the outset. Besides by beginning well the teacher will have more unbounded success. 18 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. The first day of school taught by one who expects to become a professional teacher, is perhaps the most im- portant day of his life. Upon the success of the man- agement of his school on that day depends in a greater or less degree his success or failure as a teacher. But even if his success or failure does not, his like or dislike for the profession may depend upon it. If many trying emergencies arise on the first day and the teacher is unprepared to meet them, he will think the business of teaching a very irksome and laborious one. The busi- ness will be much harder to one who is entirely un- prepared. The teacher who thus acquires a dislike to the profession may finish the term, but will very likely leave it at its close. On the other hand, if the teacher has considered well his first day's duties and is prepared to meet all pressing emergencies that arise, teaching will be a pleasure. Though he may be very weary at the end of his first day's labor, he will long for the next to begin. He disposed of all hindrances so well the first day that he wants to see how well he can do there- after. For it is human nature to like to have the abil- ity to dispose of difiiculties as they arise. A teacher A GOOD BEGINNING. 19 who thinks he has his plans well matured, will be anxi- ous to put them into operation ; just as any young man preparing for any other profession, or business, if well prepared, will long for the time when his probation will cease and his true life work will begin. Then, I say to you, prepare well beforehand. ''Study well your first case" is the advice of an eminent lawyer to his students. So, to the young person intending to teach it may be said, study well your first school. Know all its faults ; know the reason of the success of your predecessors who have been successful ; know also the reason of the fail- ure of those who have been unsuccessful, if any have been so unfortunate. Above all, know as well as you can, what kind of pupils you will have, what difiicul- ties you will encounter, and last, but not least, know well the parents of your pupils. LECTURE IT. ORXJANIZATION. I have hitherto been addressing my remarks to those who have never taught. You who have taught will of course have received little or no benefit from what has just been said, because you have already run the gaunt- let (if T may so speak) of having taught your first day of school. I shall now enter upon a subject which will be profitable to you all. Yet I am well aware that those who have taught can more readily understand me, and will therefore be most profited. Yet, if you, who have not yet taught, will retain what I now have to say, you will, I think, find it of much advantage to you in your first attempt to organize a school. The first day of a term, or the first day of the school year, is the most important day of the term, or the year. This is especially the case if the teacher has not before taught in that place. EMBARRASSIN(} QUESTIONS. 21 On taking charge of a strange school the teacher will naturally encounter many embarrassing questions which will present themselves. It is much better to have these questions disposed of before the term begins, as far as they can then be, than to leave them until the term has actually begun. When a teacher goes into a town or district where he is unacquainted with the school and its wants, he will be placed in a very awk- ward position, if he does not know exactly what he ought to do. Let him have his plans ever so well di- gested, he will be embarrassed by many things which will be entirely unexpected. How much more will he feel himself embarrassed, and at a loss what to do, if he has no plans at all. Now. though I do not suppose that any one ever goes into a school house to begin a term of school, without thinking some of what he will do, how he wdll begin and what he will say the first morn- ing ; yet. there are many who consider very little the many arduous duties they are to assume and the hard work that will be placed before them. In order to be well prepared for your first day, you should learn all you can of the school before the term 22 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. opens. As I said in my first lecture, you should study well your first school before you begin it. I may here say as an echo to this, study well every school before you begin it. You can learn many things, before the term opens, from the patrons of the school and the people of the town and district, and even from those who will be your pupils. For this purpose you ought to be in the town or district a week or two before the time at which school is to begin. The people with whom you will get acquainted will naturally, in their conversation with you, turn their attention to the topic which they think most interests you. When the con- versation is once begun you can learn all you desire without even asking a question. The people will tell you what kind of a school they have had, how success- ful or unsuccessful your predecessors have been. They will volunteer all manner of advice. They will readily express their opinions on questions connected with man- aging schools. Of course their opinions will be difier- ent. The teacher can, however, generally extract what he wants to know from the many things which will be told him. Thus he can prepare himself to assume his ARRANGING THE PRELIMINARIES. 23 duties, without making many mistakes which he would not otherwise avoid. The teacher wants to feel his responsibility the first morning, but he does not want to betray this feeling. He ought to go into the schoolroom with all the assur- ance possible, just as though it were an old business with him. The more he acts as though he understood his business, the more readily and easily success will be attained. Before the teacher does anything at organizing the school, he ought to see that every thing is properly ar- ranged, — the furniture and apparatus properly disposed. He ought not to call the pupils to order until all pre- liminaries are disposed of, and he is entirely ready to take the names of the pupils and organize the classes. The reason that I recommend this course is, that the pupils, while the teacher is arranging the preliminaries, will get impatient and will begin to whisper, or to do something which is as bad, if not worse. Moreover, the teacher will very likely, by thus arranging everything beforehand, prevent some confusion and some tricks which the worst boys will be inclined to play while his 24 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. back is turned or his attention is drawn to these mat- ters. Besides they can just as well be attended to be- fore calling the school to order as not. Let us here notice in this connection the principle of human nature, that even grown persons get impatient when proceedings in any assembly, or in any public meeting, drag slowly along. Children are much more easily made impatient when they have nothing to do. When the teacher has everything ready to go right to work, he may call the school to order. This ought not to be done in a loud, boisterous manner but rather quietly and calmly. When all have taken their seats, and everything is quiet, the teacher may look thought- fully over his audience and make his inaugural speech. He may tell his pupils that he is glad to see them, and that he is pleased to know that there are so many in that town or neighborhood who want to learn some- thing. Or, if there are only a few present, he may ex- press his regrets that there is such a small number who want an education, but that he hopes there will be others who will attend by and by. He may also tell them that he has come among them for the purpose of ARRANGING PRELIMINARIES. 26 teaching them, but that he may be able to teach them and that they may be able to learn, they must be quiet, orderly, obedient and attentive, and that they must be diligent in studying their lessons. He ought to tell them that he expects them to do as near right as they know how. He may also tell them, that he hopes that they will get along pleasantly together ; that he expects to labor hard for their good, and that he hopes that they, themselves, will work hard for their own good. After the teacher has finished his remarks he ought to call upon the school officers or any prominent citizens, who may be present, to make a few remarks. After these are through speaking he may begin to take the names of the pupils. While he is doing this, there is likely to be a tendency to confusion and dis- order, which should by no means be allowed. Any whispering or other unnecessary noises should imme- diately be suppressed, kindly but firmly. Every species of insubordination should be nipped in the bud. Beginning thus early to regulate the conduct of the pupils will have a very good effect. After the teacher has taken the names, he ought 26 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. perhaps to call the roll to see whether he left out any^ and whether he has made any mistake. He ought here to be very careful not to make any mistakes in names, because mistakes in names are very apt to excite mirth in a certain class of pupils, which may so early in the term be the first step towards demoralization. In order to prevent mistakes, as far as possible, the teacher may pass slips of paper (prepared beforehand) to all those who can write their names, at the same time tel- ling each to write his name with his age upon it. From these slips he can make up his roll. Making a regular roll ought, however, not to be done until recess. These slips will also help him to get the names of those who cannot write, for many of those who cannot write will have brothers or sisters who have thus handed their names in on the written slips. Besides, these names thus written, will help the teacher to spell the strange names which we are sure to meet in nearly every com- munity. I may here add that there will be this addi- tional advantage in the teacher's coming into the dis- trict a week or two before the school begins, that he will learn many names which would otherwise be strange to him. ARRANGING PRELIMINARIES, 27 Now the teacher is ready for the organization of the classes. In order to keep the pupils busy and thus prevent any tendency to mischief or disorder, while the teacher is organizing the classes, he may assign a read- ing lesson to all, by telling them that they may study the first reading lesson in the reading book, or readers which they have with them. Here, perhaps, the pupils will be very apt to ask questions, some wanting to know which is the first lesson, others wanting to say they have yet no books, and others that the first lessons are torn out of their books, and others will be wanting other things. All these want to know what they shall do about their several cases. The teacher can prevent many questions by saying that they must now do the best they can, and that he will attend to those things after awhile, for he does not want to be bothered while he is organizing, arranging and classifying the pupils into classes. All this should be done deliberately, the teacher all the time taking care to prevent any thing which ought not to be allowed. After he has thus as- signed a reading lesson, and disposed of all questions. he may go on and organize his classes. In order to do 28 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. this, it would, perhaps, be better to call out each class to the recitation seat, or. if there are no recitation seats, to the place and into the position, he expects his classes to be in while they are reciting. It will perhaps be best to begin with the Grammar or Geography, or other higher grades of classes, and go down the grade to the least advanced, telling each as he assigns their lessons what they will next recite. In the organization of each class, the teacher may ask the members of the class how far they have been ; how long they have studied the subject ; what authors they have used ; and such other questions as he would like to have answered, before he assigns a lesson. He ought, perhaps, not to ask any question on the subject matter of the book. In this manner he can call out and dispose of each class. When he has thus gone through with all the classes he can think of, he may ask the school whether there is any class or any study which he has forgotten, and he may tell the pupils, if there is any that he has omit- ted, the pupils in that class shall raise their right hands. I think it well, when the teacher thus calls out the ARRANGING PRELIMINARIES. 29 pupils of each class, for the purpose of arranging them into classes and assigning lessons, to take the name of e^eh pupil in the class upon a slip of paper. (He can do this much more readily if he has already taken the names as I have before recommended.) By doing this he will have the names of all his pupils as they are classified. Afterward, before he knows the pupils by their names, during the time he is hearing the differ- ent classes recite, he can make good use of these papers containing the list of names of the members of the class, by placing the slips into the books which he holds in his hands, and upon which he looks while hearing the class recite, so that he can call upon the pupils to re- cite as he has their names written upon the slips of paper. Thus he will make no mistakes and will also be calling upon the pupils by name from the very first recitation. He will likewise, by this means, learn the names of the pupils much more readily and rapidly. Besides he will not need to ask numberless questions about the names of pupils. After having disposed of all these matters, the teach- er can begin recitations by hearing his reading classes 30 SCHOOL (iOYERNMENT. read the lessons which he assigned. As the chisses are reciting he can make such suggestions, as he sees proper, in regard to books and other matters. He sliould also make such changes as he thinks necessary. In doing all these things the teacher, as I have said before, ought to have all his plans well matured. If he does everything in a bungling manner, the pupils wdll very soon notice it. Tt is the nature of most pupils, when they learn that their teacher is embarrassed, to tr}^ to increase his embarrassment rather than re- move it. A teacher who wishes to be a snccessfnl disciplina- rian, must be careful every day. nay. T must say. every hour, every minute of the first few days of school, to see that everything not allowable is suppressed. The teacher cannot have a definite programme the first day. so J would recommend that next after read- ing he call the grammar or geography classes to recite, and so on down to the lower grade of classes. In the afternoon he may hear the other classes for which he did not have time dui'ing the morning. Thus we have pointed out the teachers first day's ARRANGING PRELIMINARIES. 31 work, as nearly as it can be definitely done. The sec- ond day he ought to have everything ready to follow a programme, which he ought to arrange and put on the blackboard, or post up conspicuously in some part of the room, where all the pupils who can read can see it. We will have more to say about the programme when we get further along. Before dismissing school the first day, it may be well for the teacher to make a few remarks recapitulating what he said in the morning, and slightly touching upon the events of the day. He may tell his pupils that he is glad that they have gotten along pleasantly 80 far. There is nothing like commending pupils when they deserve it. He can also say that he anticipates a pleasant time during the term. Then he may branch out upon the benefits of a good school and a finished education. He may also say that in order to learn they must study, and that they may be able to study they must be quiet, orderly and obedient. The teach- er may go on and tell them that it is not for his bene- fit that he must restrain them, but that it is entirely for their own. He must make his pupils believe that 32 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. he is working, that he is laboring and that he is study- ing for their good ; that if he had his wish, he would not restrain them at all, for it would be much pleas- anter to him never to deprive them of anything they wanted, nor to disagree with them, nor interfere with any of their plans. These facts ought to be kept be- fore their minds. No one can tell how much good such talks do. The skillful teacher will every now and then during the term thus speak to his pupils, noting their progress in deportment and commending them for it if they de- serve it. Yet a teacher must not talk too much. It is better to talk too little than too much. Everything you do the first few days will be reported at home by the pupils, and will be commented on by many of the parents and brothers and sisters of the pupils. If on the first day or two of the school a pupil is reproved or punished for any act that he may have done, the parents generally will say that it was right for the teacher to do so. But if a pupil has done some- thing which he ought not to have done, and goes un- punished or unreproved, the parents will just as readily ARRANGING PRELIMINARIES. 33 pass uncomplimentary remarks on the teacher's manner of conducting the school. You cannot be too careful at the beginning of the term. All these remarks, or many of them, are heard by the pupils and are treasured up by them for the future. I wish that I could by these lectures, reach more of the parents of the school-pupils of our land. I would here throw in a few paragraphs of advice to them. They have much to do with the success of the teachers of their children. Children are very much in- fluenced by what they hear at home in reference to the school. After the first day's school the pupils will confer with each other in regard to the teacher's manner of conducting the school. We have often heard them on their way home talking about the prospect whether the teacher is going to be cross, and telling those who were not at school and confiding in their friends whom they see soon after. Pupils know pretty well about what is right. They generally know when they are doing about right, and they likewise know pretty well when the teacher is doino- what is best for the school. If 34 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. the teacher has done his duty well and faithfully the first day. they will in their hearts commend him, but ifhehasnot they will just as quickly condemn him. In the country or in a small town the conversation of the people for a few days after the school begins will be much about the school and its teacher. Even the loafers upon the street corners, and the women folks of the family by their talk and by their actions, have much to do in making a school successful or otherwise. If a pupil undertakes to play a trick at school and is headed off (as the boys say), persons not connected with the school who talk about it. will laugh at the boy and will praise the teacher ; but if the pupil comCvS it over the teacher (as they say), the laugh will be the other way, and the pupil will be praised. A boy who has been caught and punished for doing something the first few days of school, will not be so likely to do so again when he knows that he will be ridiculed and sneered at by those with whom he associates and those whom he passes upon the street. But on the other hand if he is successful in accom- plishing what he undertakes, and eludes the eye of the ARRANGING PRELIMINARIES. 35 teacher, or evades or escapes punishment, he is patted on the back, told that he is sharp — sharper than the teacher, he will very likely try to play the same trick or be guilty of the same misdemeanor. He will also lead others to do so and will himself attempt to do other things. These reproaches or promptings of outsiders, go far to repress or encourage insubordination and disobedi- ence in school. So you need not be surprised at my saying that the loafers of a town or neighborhood, have something to do in the government of the schools. LECTURE in. THE NECESSITY OF VIGILANCE. ^So many things crowd upon my mind that I would like to tell you, which T think a teacher ought to know, but which he cannot well learn except by expe- rience. My second lecture gave you a few hints on matters connected with organization ; in this I propose to treat of other matters more or less intimately con- nected with the opening of a term of school. At the beginning of the term many teachers tell their pupils that they will let them do as they like for the first few days, or even for the first week, that they may see what kind of pupils they are, so that they will know what rules to adopt. If the teacher does not tell the pupils this he acts as if he did, which has the same ef- fect. You may be sure that the pupils generally will take advantage of such a policy ; they will like to do a GOOD ORDER. 37 great many things which ought not to be allowed in any school. I think every teacher who follows such a policy makes a sad mistake. A teacher should have just such order the first day as he wants during the rest of the term. In fact, he must begin the first day, and persevere in keeping such order as he wants during the whole term. By doing so his pupils will soon learn that he intends to have order and will, in a short time, fall in with his plans and will generally thereafter go along without much trouble. Whereas if the teach- er allows them to do as they please, the first few days, they will just as naturally fall in with this plan. In- deed pupils much more easily fall in with the plan of doing as they please. At the beginning of a term of school, pupils are expecting limitations and curtailments of their privileges, and will not then be so easily offen- ded at being deprived of any doubtful privilege, even if they think it a stretch of the teacher's authority. But if he allows his pupils a great many privileges for a few w«eks it then creates great 'dissatisfaction if he begins to curtail them. 38 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. If you keep good order the first day, requiring every- thing to be done just as you want it done, the pupils ' will come to school the second day expecting that every thing will be done just as it was the first day ; they will likewise expect the same general plans to be fol- lowed. Indeed they will think that the teacher will be more likely to be more exacting than otherwise, be- cause he has more knowledge of what is necessary and knows more of the classes, of the pupils, and of the Bchool as a whole. But if the teacher has been loose in his discipline the first day, the pupils will expect ' the second to be a repetition of the first. After a school has been going on some time, the pu- pils begin to think that they have a right to do as they have all along been doing. This is especially the case with them if they have been rather laxly governed. When the teacher, who has not been very careful in discipline, forbids their doing something which they have been accustomed to do, they will think that it is depriving them of some of their rights. If a pupil in school once does anything without having his attention called to it in any way, unless it is a very flagrant (JOOD ORDER. 39 wrong, he will naturally suppose that he can do so again without being subjected to either reproof or pun- ishment. He will not only do so again but will go a little further, and will do something else a little worse. His example is contagious, for he leads other pupils to do the same thing, and others equally bad and even worse. For instance, nothing has been said about going to the water bucket, and a pupil goes there for the pur- pose of getting a drink, without having asked permis- sion, and then takes his seat without having any- thing said to him by the teacher ; he will very natural- ly think that the teacher intends to allow the pupils to go to the bucket whenever they feel like getting a drink, without asking permission to do so. Now, though I do not think that running to the bucket is a very grievous wrong, yet other pupils will observe what this pupil has done and will themselves think that they will be permitted to do the same. Therefore others will go to the bucket, perhaps only a few at first, but in time they will go often and oftener until there may at times be half a dozen crowding around it waiting 40 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. their turns to get a drink. While so many are around the bucket there will very likely be more or less jam- ming, pushing, pinching one another and disputing about who shall next have the cup or dipper. Many of my hearers no doubt have seen just such scenes as I have alluded to in the above paragraph. Besides pu- pils will not only go to the bucket but will leave their seats to go out, and for every other purpose they can conjure up in their minds. If they are not restrained they will go further and further in their encroachments on leaving their seats, until the school will present to an outsider, who does not know it is a school, the appearance of a public sale or a political mass-meeting. I have given the above as only one way in which a school may be ruined by a very little thing. It may also be done in other ways, by which the pupils from time to time push their gains further and further into the restraints which a proper discipline requires. I may mention whispering as another vice which will be- come a heinous school crime if not checked in its rapid course. vSuch a disgrace to any school can be prevent- ESTABLISHING ORDER. 41 €d by a mere word or two from the teacher, spoken at the proper time. So I will say, begin the first day and maintain every day thereafter, just such order and adopt and carry out such regulations as you want dur- ing the whole term of school. I shall perhaps again have occasion to speak of the tendencies of these vices, in treating of another subject nearly akin to the one now under discussion. I have long ago learned that it is much harder to obtain good order after teaching some time with loose reins, than it is by having good order the first day and keeping it throughout the term. Again, when a school once gets into a way of going it is much more difficult to get it into another way of going than to get it into that way at first. So I will say again, much the better and easier way for a teacher to do, is to be- gin at once with such a school as he wants all the time. There is this additional consideration to be weighed by every one, that a teacher who once gets used to a noisy school, will think that there is something wrong when there is not the usual amount of noise. I once heard a teacher make the remark, that he thought there 42 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. was something the matter with the pupils when there were not two or three upon the floor, passing across here and there for some purpose or another. It is the same if a teacher gets used to the shuffling of feet, the rat- tling of slates on the desks, or the murmuring of the pupils making a noise with their lips, either in study- ing or whispering. A teacher may never know that there is so much noise and confusion, until he visits some quiet school and sees the contrast, or until his at- tention is called to the matter in some other way, per- haps by visitors or by the school officers. When a school has become very turbulent, it is a very hard task to bring it back to the proper discipline. Many more men have the faculty of keeping a thing as it should be, than of making it what it should be. A School can, however, be brought from the worst state to a good condition. I will now devote myself to the consideration of a plan for the teacher who has been so unfortunate as to make a poor beginning, and has thereby let his school drift into the whirlpool of disorder and confusion. When a teacher sees that his school is not what it ESTABLISHING ORDES. 43 should be, in order to improve it, lie should ask the at- tention of his pupils, and require them strictly to listen to what he has to say. He should then tell them, in a few words, that the school is not what he wishes it to be, and that he has determined that there must be a change for the better. The best time to do this, would perhaps be in the evening, just before dismissing, in order to give the pupils till the next morning to think and talk over the matter. As it is a change, there will be considerable talk about the matter, not only among the pupils but among many others, especially those who are generally posted on school news. This, itself, will have a good eifeot, for all men look forward to a change with hope. Next morning as soon as school has been called to order, the teacher can in a few words, refer to what he said the evening before, and add that he is determined to carry out what he has determined upon. After say- ing this he may further state that they will now pro- ceed to the regular exercises, and that the first and every attempt at disorder must have its proper punish- ment. Then if ever vigilance, perseverance, energy 44 SCHOOL G0VERN3IENT. and firmness were necessary in the school room, they are demanded. The teacher should not for a few days pay so much attention to the recitations of his classes, as to the subject of maintaining the order which he most desires. He should then, by all means, know everything that is going on in the school room. The first thing tending to upset his determinations should be promptly dealt with. It will not be long after these declarations of the teacher, until some one will give him an opportu- nity to show that he is sincere in what he says. Some severe measures may be required, but it will not take many instances to show to the pupils that he really intends to maintain the proper decorum. The teacher should then correct every irregularity and annex a penalty for every action which ought not to be done in the school room. Before taking charge of a school it is well that the teacher consider that pupils will soon learn him, (if I may so speak), and that they will do little things the first few days, to see how far they can go, without be- ing called to order. It may be well enough, too, for PERSEVERANCK. . 45 him to consider that they anxiously want to know how far they can go, and that they want to see what liber- ties they will have, as well as what restraints will be imposed upon them. Very naturally the first thing which pupils undertake in order to learn the teacher's disposition, and to gratify their tongues is to whisper. If they are permitted to do this, they next do something else perhaps a little worse, and so go on from bad to worse. In feet, there is no limit to which pupils will not push their aggressions if they are not checked. Pupils will also soon learn how persevering a teach- er will be. When they once find that he is not perse- vering they will themselves persevere in their efforts to attain any end they may have in view. This being the case, the question is merely which will out-persevere, — the pupil or the teacher. When the pupils once learn that the teacher is not tenacious in his purposes they will be so, they know that it will only take time and perseverance to accomplish whatever they may desire. Therefore I say persevere in the beginning of your school in all you do and in all you undertake. Do not let your pupils know at the start that they can excel 46 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. you in this necessary qualification. An eminent edu- cator says that there are but few pupils who will not, in time, yield to a continued pressure. It is best to put on this pressure at the very beginning. A few in- stances of the suppression of disorder will often con- vince the pupils that nothing but implicit and absolute submission will satisfy the teacher. But if a few in- stances will not suffice, many should be resorted to. I will here speak of another very necessary qualifi- cation for a teacher — firmness. This is especially de- manded at the opening of a term of school, in a place where there has previously been trouble between the teacher and pupils. When your pupils have learned that you are determined to have things as you want them, they will very readily accede to your terms ; but if they have learned that you are wavering, undecided, fluctuating and indetermined, they will take advantage of that defect in your character. Firmness at the head of an army has turned many a defeat into a victory ; so in the school room, firmness on the part of the teacher, has prevented many a failure. We will not have time here to discuss another very PERSEVERANCE. 47 important characteristic of every good disciplinarian. I refer to attention to little things. There is nothing that contributes so much to success in government as looking after all the details of the multifarious matters of every school. We must console ourselves with the thought that there will very likely be time at some time during this course of lectures to treat of this sub- ject more fully- LECTURE IV THE ASSIGNMENT OF PUPILS TO SEATS. You all perhaps remember that in my first lecture, I intimated that it is much better to prevent a pupil from doing a wrong than to punish him after he ha^* done it, for the purpose of inducing him and others not again to do the same or some other wrong. T then told you that the first plan to prevent school vices, was to begin well. I have kept that in view constantly, dur- ing all my talks in the three lectures already delivered. I shall now enter upon a second method for disciplining and managing a school ; for preventing school vices and school crimes. So long as temptation is within reach of a pupil he will be likely to yield to its influence. Children are, in this respect as well as in most others, not at all un- like older folks. We all know that adult persons are easily tempted, when the temptation draws them in the ASSIGNMENT TO SEATS. 49 direction tlieir inclinations, passions, or appetites dictate. If we can entirely remove the temptation to do a wrong, we have accomplished very much to prevent that wrong. No person is likely to do a wrong or commit a crime without being led to do so by something outside of him- self which tempts him. The most abandoned drunkard is tempted by the near presence of liquor. So it is with pupils in school. If a teacher seats two pupils together, who are very apt to whisper or play tricks, or do other mischief, he is placing a very great temptation before them, and they may not be able to resist it, unless there is a very great restraint placed upon them. I must here say that the restraint must overbalance the temptation, or the pupils will yield. With some pupils the restraint must be greater than with others. Indeed we all know that some pupils do not need to be restrained at all. The first day of the term I would let the pupils seat themselves as they wished, telling them, however, that 1 would reseat them or change the seat of any one whenever I thought it best to do so. Every teacher will sooner or later find that the pupils will divide 50 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. themselves off into little knots or groups, as they are divided into circles by the society in which they move in every day life, or in their associations out of school. Those who are intimate associates before school begins, will want to sit together when they are in school. Every teacher will also soon discover, that mischievous pupils are very sure to get into the same seat, if the seats are made for two pupils, if not they get as near «ach other as they can. So I would say to my pupils, on the first day, that I would allow them to sit where they liked and with whom they liked, but as soon as I saw or heard any of them whispering, or in any way misbehaving I would move them into some other seat or separate such as offended. Merely making this an- nouncement is enough to deter some from transgressing. Then as soon as I observed any conduct calling for the separation of two pupils, I would separate them. I would, however, be very kind about it, reminding them that I had told them on the first day, that if they did not conduct themselves properly, that I would put them into different seats, and now as they were guilty of improper conduct, I would be compelled to do as I ASSIGNMENT TO SEATS. 51 had said I would. By vSo doing the teacher will gain two very important ends ; one is, that he will impress upon the minds of his pupils that he means just what he says, and that he does not forget it ; the other is, that he will get the tricky pupils into separate seats or into different parts of the house. In flict the teacher may gain another very important point. For these pupils which the teacher has thus put into different seats, may come to him and ask him tc allow them to sit together again, at the same time promising that they will not ''cut up.'" The teacher can then again have an opportunity of showing his kindness by allowing them to sit back in their former seats, and at the same time put them under the obliga- tions of a promise that they will not whisper or misbe- have in any way. He will find many instances in which he will not need to separate them a second time. They will think of their promise and will dislike to be put away from their old seat-mates into a seat or near one whom they would not associate with out of school. These thoughts will often deter them from misconduct. I think that, in an instance of this kind, when two 52 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. pupils who have been seated apart, come to the teacher asking him to allow them to take their old seats, prom- ising that they will behave, they ought to be allowed to do so. T have two reasons for thinking so ; — the first is, that the teacher thus shows that he is not at all ar- bitrary ; the second is, that they will know that they will be again separated if they are found guilty of any misdemeanor. These facts will be a restraint upon them and will lead them to do better and to practice self denial, which is the one virtue above all others that children of school age now-a-days need to practice. Children are not very likely to practice this virtue un- less led to do so by the training of their parents or teachers. If the teacher gives these pupils permission to resume their former places, the least offense should again call forth his authority. When he again puts them into different seats, he should call to their minds that they had promised that they would do better, and that they had now broken that promise. When they are separated a second time it ought to be with the distinct understanding that they were not to be allowed to sit together again. If the ASSIGNMENT TO SEATS. 53 pupils again come to the teacher with their promises, he ought merely to remark that they had broken their promises once, and that when a person once breaks his promise, he is not to be trusted again until he redeems himself by a course of good behavior, for a long time, and that if they will thus redeem themselves, he will perhaps at some time, let them sit together again, and then dismiss the subject, telling these pupils that he does not want it mentioned to him again. This sum- mary way of treating this matter will have a wholesome effect upon the rest of the school, especially those who may have made any promise. You will perceive that I advocate requiring the pupils to take a seat and keep it the whole term, unless it is changed at the request or order of the teacher. Some teachers allow their pupils to sit where they please and to change when they please. Others allow what may perhaps be some better, that is, their pupils to change places by merely asking permission of the teacher. He ought not to permit himself to be annoyed by any such a matter. He ought to give his pupils to un- derstand by his actions, rather than by his words, that 54 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. he will not give them permissions to change from oq seat to another, unless there are the very best of reas- ons for so doing. It would be much easier for our teachers if all our school houses could be furnished with seats so that there would be only one pupil to each desk. As this cannot be done the teacher will find that it will very much lighten his labors to put a mischievous boy by himself if there is room enough, or with a very steady one, and a tricky girl with a very honest one. It may also be well to suggest, that the teacher ought to put his worst pupils where he can have his eyes upon them most. This will generally be on the front seats near the teacher's desk. The teacher should also, in the arrangement of the places of the different pupils, take into consideration that many are in a great measure governed by the eye. Pupils will not violate the rules when they know that the eye of the teacher is constantly upon them. Every one with a guilty intent will quail before an earnest look. In order that a teacher may have his eyes, most of the time, upon the pupils, he should have his desk ASSIGNMENT TO SEATS. 55 in the middle of one end of the room. If possible, his chair and desk or table, should be elevated upon a platform about eight inches higher than the floor of the room. This platform should be large enough to contain the teacher's desk and several chairs. By be- ing thus elevated, the teacher either sitting or standing, can, if in his place on the platform, see all that is going on all over the school-room, much better than if he were sitting or standing on the floor on a level with the pupils. I do not here mean to say that the teacher should all the time be in his place on the platform, but that he should have his eyes as much as possible upon all the pupils in the room. The pupils should be so arranged that the larger ones should be on the outside of the outer tier of seats, with the girls on one side of the house and the boys on the other. To make the last statement plainer, I will say that if the seats could be arranged in a semi-circle around the teacher's desk as in an amphitheater, the larger pupils should be placed in the outer circle of seats, the next in size in the next inner tier, and so on to the smallest, so that the smaller pupils' places would 56 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. be in the inmost tier of seats or those nearest the teach- er's desk. Thus arranged, the teacher can always see the hirger pupils over the heads of the smaller ones. Whereas if the larger pupils are scattered promiscuously over the room, they can screen each other. I do not want it to be understood that I would watch my pupils as if I could not trust them, but that I had my eyes upon them as if it were my duty and my right. I would also have my pupils understand that I could see what was going on in every part of the room, inci- dentally, while I was hearing recitations and attending to my other duties. LKCTVRE V. THE PROGRAMME OF RECITATION. Hitherto in these lectures I have been giving you several different modes of preventing infractions of the regulations of school. In this I propose to give you somewhat of a different kind of a plan for preventing those things which tend to bring a school into disre- pute and render it unfit for its original purpose, — the education of those in attendance. The plan I shall to-day present to you, is no other than keeping the pupils busy. Keeping pupils busy is the best mode of governing them ; it is the best thing a teacher can do to keep them out of mischief No one can expect an old head on young shoulders. Children's natures prompt them to be doing something ; they can not, they will not, be idle. If they are not doing that which will be a benefit to them, they will be doing 58 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. sometliing which will be detrimental to themselves, and annoying to the teacher or to the school. If he can keep them busy he will be a benefactor to them in after life, both because they will be acquiring something for their future advantage, and will also be kept from fall- ing into evil ways. Many a man's course in after life is shaped and moulded by his school life. Many a man's downward course in vice and crime, is begun by his idleness and inattention during his first few months at school. I believe that there are now many men serving a term in our State prisons whose lives of vice and crime have begun in the school room. They have there had nothing beneficial to do, and prompted by their natures, have sought something in which their minds and hands might be busied. As the teacher gave them nothing to do which was right, they found something to do which was wrong. Can the pupil be blamed? If he cannot, who can? Let the teacher answer. How great then the responsibility upon the teacher ! In a word he holds the destinies of men of families, and, it may be, of nations in his hands. Then, teachers, you can see the importance of keeping PROGRAMME OF RECITATION. 59 your pupils busy, both for the present success of your school in its government, and for the future success in life of the pupils under your charge. While they are in school keep them so busy that they will not have time for misconduct. It takes time to concoct all the little schemes which cause disorder and confusion in a school. It has been said that a pupil will study a great deal harder how to play a trick, and how to escape de- tection, than he will to get his lessons. Then, I again Bay, keep something in the minds of your pupils, and thus keep mischief out. The teacher can do much towards keeping his pupils busy by the proper arrangement of his schedule or pro- gramme of recitations. In a programme, in which a pupil's recitations all come together, he will not have any time between the recitations to study his lessons. Whatever advantages this may have for college students or for the older pupils, I am satisfied it is not satisfac- tory for the great majority of the children in our com- mon schools. By such an arrangement of the pro- gramme, the pupil will get tired of studying during the time for study, and tired of reciting during the time 60 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. for recitations. By the proper distribution of recita- tions so that each pupil recites his different recitations at different times throughout the day, the teacher can so arrange the chisses of each pupil, that his recitations will occur at such times that the pupil will have enough time to study each lesson just before he is called upon to recite it. After these remarks the skillful teacher can readily see the propriety of so arranging his schedule of recita- tions that each pupil may study and recite alternately. To illustrate : if a pupil has four studies, two ought to be recited in the forenoon, one before recess and the other after recess ; and two in the afternoon, one before recess and the other after. By this method the pupil will have time after each recitation to study the lesson for his next recitation. If any have more than four studies, the time for their recitations ought to be ar- ranged to give them time to study accordingly. If our common district schools could be better graded it would lacilitate very much the arrangement of pro- grammes for them. I have endeavored to sketch out a programme which I think will be of some benefit to al- PROGRAMME OF RECITATION. 61 most every teacher in our rural, ungraded schools. It is by no means perfect, yet it will serve to direct the teacher somewhat in this important mattiu-. T know that no programme will exactly suit any two schools, yet I think the one I here give can be so modified, re- modeled and changed, that it may be accommodated to almost any common, ungraded school. Every teacher should have a programme which should be followed with as little variation as possible. By having such a programme posted up some where in the school room, or written upon the black-board, the teacher and pupils will always know what is proper- ly before them. Besides, if the teacher has everything concerning the times for the recitations and intermis- sions, the length of time of each upon his programme, he will not be annoyed by the thousand and one ques- tions which will certainly be asked if he has not, or if he has no programme. Even if he should be asked questions when he has his programme properly arranged, he can answer them so much more readily and intelli- gently. The pupils can. moreover, understand his answers much better. Any one who has ever tried it, 62 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. and written or posted up his programme in a conspicu- ous place in the room, has noticed how often those pu- pils who can read refer to it. I would not have said so much about this matter, but it is a lamentable fact, that many teachers in the country teach week after week, and even month after month, without any idea what classes they will, as a general rule, call first in the morning, or what they will call last before the inter- mission, before noon, or before dismissal in the evening. In fact, many while hearing one class scarcely know which they will call next, and thus go on blundering along from day to day, from the beginning to the end of the term. One could scarcely believe this to be true until he visits some of our country schools or questions closely the teachers on this topic. I might say too, that a schedule of recitations may be of use to visitors and especially to school officers. PROGRAMME OF RECITATIONS. 8:30 Opening Exercises, 8:35 5 8:35 Chart Class, 8:45 10 15 8:45 First Reader, 8:57 12 27 8:57 Second Reader, 9:10 13 40 9:10 Third Reader, 9:25 15 55 9:25 Fourth Reader. 9:40 15 70 9:40 Fifth Reader, 10:00 20 90 10:00 Recess. 10:15 15 10:15 Chart Class, 10:25 10 25 10:25 First Reader, 10:37 12 37 10:37 Second Reader, 10:50 13 50 10:50 Grammar, First, 11:10 20 70 11:10 Grammar, Second. 11:30 20 90 11:30 Writing, 11:45 15 105 11:45 Spelling, 12:00 15 120 12:00 Noon. 1:00 60 1:00 Opening Exercises, 1:05 5 1:05 Chart Class, 1:15 10 15 1:15 First Reader, 1:27 12 27 1:27 Second Reader, 1:40 13 40 1:40 Third Reader, 1:55 15 55 1:55 Geography, First, 2:10 15 70 2:10 Geography, Second, 2:25 15 85 2:25 Mental Arithmetic. 2:40 15 100 2:40 Recess. 3:05 15 3:05 Chart Class, 3:15 10 3:15 Arithmetic, First, 3:35 20 30 3:35 Arithmetic, Second, 3:55 20 50 3:55 Spelling. 4:05 10 60 64 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. By an inspection of the above table of recitations it will be seen that it is assumed that schools are called to order at half-past eight ; have an hour's noon, and dismiss at four or shortly after. Most country schools now do this, thouoh some begin sooner and others later and dismiss accordingly as is thought proper. Schools which begin sooner and dismiss later allow more time to the teacher, but as the pupils must then be kept longer, they are wearied more and upon the whole, I do not think anything is gained. 80, it is my candid opinion, that it is better to begin and dismiss as is indi- cated in the programme. Tt will also be seen that there are only two recesses, — one in the forenoon and one in the afternoon. The best teachers now think that it is preferable to have two recesses in each half day. Another plan still might be suggested which is to let the intermissions remain as they are indicated, and to let the pupils have two or three minutes to rest about midway between the times of each intermission. During this time the pupils should lay aside their books, sit erect, talk, or sing; but if I adopted this plan, I would not allow them to leave their seats. The pupils, PROGRAMME OF RECITATION. (55 where this plan is adopted, should be so trained that they will become quiet and resume their studies almost instantly at a known signal from the teacher. In order to understand the programme fully, it is necessary to study it ; study it as you would the multi- plication table. T will here, in the few minutes that are left for this lecture, enter on a short explanation of it. In the first column is given the time at which each recitation or exercise begins ; in the second, the study which is to recite at that time ; in the third, the time at which each recitation ends ; in the fourth, the length of time allotted to each, and in the fifth, the time after each intermission that each exercise ends. I have endeavored to arrange the programme so that there will be given to each class the proper proportion of time as the necessities of the class seemed to demand. Every minute of time is taken up. Every pupil who can study is given plenty of time to study his lesson before he is called upon to recite. No pupil who is properly classified is called to recite one lesson imme- diately after having recited another, except some in the writing class, which study, however, does not require- 66 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. any especial preparation before hand. In closing this lecture I will say that I will leave the programme upon the blackboard until our next lecture, next week, when I will more fully discuss it, and give the reasons for the several peculiarities contained in it. I may here also say that I think it would be a ben- efit to most of you to copy the programme, as it here stands, in order that you may not lose it, for none of you «an, perhaps, remember all its provisions. LECTURE VL TlIK PROGRAMME EXPLAINED. I remarked in my last lecture, last week, that I would leave the programme here upon the blackboard, that you might study it. I am gratified to learn that quite a number have copied it for reference in the fu- ture. T also said in my last lecture that I would to- day explain many things connected with the pro- gramme. During the opening exercises, I recommend that the teacher read a short chapter or a paragraph from the Bible. It will give character to the school. With all the better class of people in every community, no one thing will so raise the teacher and school in their estimation, as reading, every morning, a psalm or a few verses of the New Testament. Even those who are not members of church will approve of reading an extract from the Bible. None, except those who have become 68 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. prejudiced for some reason or another, will object to spend a minute in reading a portion of (lod's word to the school. It is true that the highest courts in some of our States have decided that reading the Bible in school can be prevented. I believe, however, that I would recommend to the teacher, to continue reading the Bible until he is prevented by order of the lawful authorities. This will throw the odium upon the school committee, or upon those who have ])revented reading. It will also relieve the teacher. He will, in this, have all the moral support of the better element of every community. Those who are opposed to read- ing the word of God in school, are not the proper ones to say what education the children and youth of our land ought to have. They are not the proper ones to lead society. I think that the objections to reading out of the sacred volume, are an indirect thrust at the whole common school system. During the five minutes given for the opening exer- cises, is the proper time to make any announcements in regard to changes of the programme, or lessons or any- thing else the teacher may have to state to the school. PROGRAMME OF RECITATION. 69 It is also the proper time to tell those pupils who have been absent what their lessons are. The rest of the time should be taken up in singing. Nothing so turns the minds of the pupils from their play to their study, as a spirited song. It paves the way for hard study. There should not be too much singing. Perhaps one song in the morning and one at noon is enough. The Chart Class, or in other words, the pupils in the alphabet are arranged to recite first, immediately after the opening exercises. This is done for several reasons. First, because not knowing how to study, they cannot apply their minds ; secondly, while they are reciting they will get some ideas uj)on which they will think some, after being dismissed from the class to their seats ; thirdly, the teacher can give them some work to do while they are at their seats, such as making certain letters upon their slates, drawing simple pictures or maps of such familiar places as the school room, or the school grounds, or their own homes ; fourthly, it will give the older pupils time to get their lessons. I would require every pupil in this class of little 70 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. folks to have a slate and pencil, and would teach them by what is called the Script Method. Some parents will of course object, saying that the children will break 80 many slates and lose so many pencils. In answer to this objection, it may truthfully be said that little children will be more careful of a slate than of a book. And even if a child does break several slates, it will in the end be cheaper, than if he tore up or wore out only one book. Besides they can now procure book-slates, which are light and are not easily soiled or broken. Pupils taught according to the plan proposed for the instruction of beginners will not need a book until after they have been in school three or four months. After which time they both know better how to use a book, and will go so fast in it, that they are not near so apt to tear it or wear it out. Any ingenious teacher can teach a class of small pupils much better if they have a slate without a book, than if they have only a book without a slate. At any rate, whatever plan of teach- ing may be followed, this grade of pupils ought to recite immediately after each intermission. By the programme it will be seen that only ten min- PROGRAMME OF RECITATION. 71 utes have been assigned to each recitation of the Chart Class. This is long enough. Time seeais much longer to little children than to older folks. A recitation or exercise should never last so long that the pupils get tired of it. Even men and women, if wearied by a ser- mon's being too long, are not so likely to go back to hear the preacher again as if the sermon were shorter, leav- ing them still willing to listen. So it is with these lit- tle pupils of which we have been speaking in regard to their recitations. After the last recitation of this class in the forenoon I would send those home who did not bring their din- ners. I would do the same with all of this class after their last recitation for the day. As they cannot study they have nothing to do after they have finished their recitations. Besides, after being confined in the school room so long, and kept measurably in one position, they need out-door exercise and fresh air. I know that many parents will object to this, because they think it 18 a waste of time. I will say that keeping these child- ren longer does no good but often does harm, and is really a punishment to them. SCHOOL' GOVERNMENT. I wish, kindly however, that I coiikl put all parents, who think thus dismissing them is a waste of time, into their children's places a few days. Parents, when you have nothing to do, does not time hang very heavily upon your hands? To your children it is doubly, trebly, yea, much more so, when they have nothing to do. One reason that parents complain of dismissing their child- ren before school is out, is doubtless, that many people want their children to stay in school to keep them out of the way at home. What a sad, sad mistake ! The progranmie as you see, has been arranged for four recitations each day for this class. Not being able to study much, the only time when this class is deriv- ing any benefit from school, is while they are reciting, consequently as they cannot, on account of immaturity of mind, recite so long at a time they ought to recite oftener. I would like to say a great deal more on this subject, but this lecture being only intended as some- what of a guide in school management and arrangement for the purpose of thereby better governing the school, anything further on the subject of teaching, would be foreign to the intentions of the lecturer. PROGRAMME OF RECITATION. 73 The next class which demands our attention, is the First Reader. I have put this class next for about the game reasons that I put the abecedarians first. They will have the ten minutes in which the Chart Class re- cites, to study their lessons. This is perhaps about the length of time they will profitably apply themselves ta study. When they have finished reciting and have been dismissed from the recitation bench to their seats, most of them will study some on the next lesson which has been given them. The teacher ought also to give this class some work to do on their slates, such as writing, copying the spel- Hng connected with their reading lessons, drawing pic- tures and maps of places familiar to them. They have a little more time for recitation than the primer class, because their minds are a little more ma- ture and are somewhat trained so that their attention can be confined longer to any subject. I have arranged for only three recitations a day for the First Reader class, because they will derive more benefit from a day's school with only three recitations a day, than the A B C Class will with four. You will perceive that I am 74 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. in favor of giving to the classes of smaller pupils more personal attention than to the classes of larger ones. This is because they require more, and will not, even then, learn as much. Now, the First Reader Class can use their minds longer, and apply themselves more than the Chart Class, both while they are studying and while they are reciting. During each recitation of the two classes named, I would vary the exercises as much as possible, in order not to weary their minds. I would have the class read, then spell and then write their spelling. I would also have them draw. Pupils nearly all like to make pic- tures. After a start in drawing, many minutes of their time will thus be spent usefully, which would other- wise be lost or spent in mischief. I would also send this class home when they were done reciting, as I re- commended in regard to the Primer Class. The Second Reader Class comes next on the pro- gramme. I will only say in regard to this class, that their minds are sufficiently matured to study pretty well, and that I would not dismiss them until the whole school was dismissed. I would also have them spell in PROGRAMME OF RECITATION. 75 one of the spelling classes which have a spelling exer- cise just before noon and clisiiiissal in the evening. Next comes the Third Reader Class. The pupils of this class will have writing, spelling, mental arithmetic and perhaps geography, so that their time and atten- tion will be so taken up that I have thought it best ta assign only two reading lessons per day to them. The Fourth and Fifth Reader Classes are placed next on the schedule. As they will have so many other studies, only one reading lesson is assigned to them each day. In regard to the Fifth and 8ixth Readers, as we have them in most of our series of reading books, I will say that there is no necessity for both in our common, ungraded schools. I would use only one of these books. It would not make much difference to me which one, as there is very little difference in the grade of advance- ment of the two in most series of readers. If pupils and parents wished, I would use the Sixth, entirely dispensing with the Fifth. But I am satisfied that the use of both is a hindrance, rather than a help in our common country schools. 76 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. Now we have come to recess in the programme. All the pupils have recited once, and many, if they have been diligent, have their lessons nearly ready to recite again. After recess we begin and proceed as has been Btated, until we come to the Grammar Classes to which I have given forty minutes of time. There being usu- ally two classes in this study, twenty minutes can be allowed to each. There should be no more than two ; if, however, there are more, the forty minutes allotted to Grammar must be divided among them. Next in order comes Writing. There is plenty of time given to this exercise. Every pupil from the Third Reader up ought to write. It is preferable to get copy-books with prepared printed copies. As the pupils can learn so much faster from them, they will in the end be the cheapest. Besides, in writing after a copy set by the teacher, the pupils will copy all the teacher's faults ; nor can any teacher set two copies precisely alike. Furthermore, it is best for any one learning, to get his first impressions of anything from the most perfect forms. Then you can all plainly see how much better it is to have writing-books with copy- PROGRAMME OF RECITATION. 77 plate copies. Most of the trouble in getting these books adopted and used in the schools, will be with the par- ents. The teachers must labor with the parents in thia respect, as well as in many others. If the pupils have uot copy-plate copy-books, or if the teacher prefers writing copies, he ought so to ar- range the time for writing them, that the pupils will not constantly be calling upon him in school hours and at intermission to write copies. I would have a regu- lar time, sometime during the day, for this purpose, end would require the pupils to place their writing books on my table ready for copies at that time. When I was teaching where T had no copy-plate books, I al- ways set apart part of the morning recess for writing copies, and required my pupils to bring their books up, either before school in the morning, or at recess while I was writing. T only spoke about it two or three times at the first of the term, but T refused to write copies in any books which were not brought to me at the proper time. So my pupils soon learned that they would not get copies unless they brought their books at the proper time. Then, if any were without copies, 78 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. when the time to write came, I would have them write upon their slates or on the black-board, or require them to stay in at noon or recess to do their writing. This effectually cures the pupils of their negligence in bringing up their books. The Third Reader class ought to have one grade of copy-books ; the Fourth another, a grade higher than the Third ; and the Fifth or Sixth, as the case may be, another of a still higher grade. All these classes can, however, write at the same time. At every lesson the whole of each class ought to be upon the same stroke or principle, or be writing the same copy. That is, the teacher ought not to allow one to be writing in one place in his copy-book, another in another place, and others still in other places, but he ought to keep them all together. If a pupil is out of school a day or two, he ought not to begin where he left off, but ought to turn over in his book to the place where the rest of his class are writing. What he has missed he can write up at home or at some other time. I believe I would limit the number of lines that each pupil is to write each day to about ten, and would have each one take PROGRAMME OP RECITATION. 79 up the whole time allotted to writing, in writing those ten lines. If the teacher does not, some will run hur- riedly through their ten lines and will then have noth- ing to do. I have heard many teachers say that they have more trouble to make this exercise successful, than any other one on the whole schedule. I would allow no one to do anything else than write during the time set apart for writing. If any pupil has no copy-book, or has left it at home, or misplaced it, either intentionally or otherwise, I would make him write upon the black- board or upon his slate. I will remark here, to those who expect to rear- range the programme, that writing ought not to come just after an intermission, because the pupils will then have been playing, running or otherwise exercising, so that they are nervous and their hands are not so steady as they are after they have been sitting awhile, conse- quently they cannot write as well immediately after be- ing called in from play. The last thing before noon is spelling. I would only have two classes ; the first consisting of those in the 80 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. Second and Third Readers, and the second consisting of those above the Third Reader. In the afternoon the programme is pursued as laid down for the forenoon, until we come to Geography, to which we have assigned a half hour. I have acted on the supposition that there will be but two classes in this branch of study. There should be no more, and if there are the teacher should, if at all possible, merge them into two. When drawing maps the teacher can put the two classes together and thus obtain the whole half hour for a map drawing exercise. This should be done perhaps once a week. Even if both classes are not drawing the same map, the teacher can direct his instructions to one class for a short time, and then to the other, thus passing from one to the other, perhaps half a dozen times during the half hour. After Geography conies Mental Arithmetic. I will here say that I teach a great deal of mental arithmetic during the time the Written Arithmetic class is recit- ing. Now we are again to recess, after which the Chart Class recites and is sent home, as I explained in my remarks on the programme for the forenoon. PROGRAMME OF RECITATION. 81 Now we come to Arithmetic. I have made arrange- ments for two recitations for this class. If I could not classify them exactly, I would have the pupils recite in two divisions, classifying them as well as I could ac- cording to their grade of advancement. I would hear one division in the first half of the time assigned, the other, in the last half This mode of reciting will be very likely to bring together pupils of somewhat dilFer- ent capacities and attainments in the study. I myself have tried this plan, and find that these pupils of differ- ent grades can be heard at the same time without much difiiculty. If the teacher does not adopt this plan, but classifies all according to their attainments, he cannot classify them without making too many classes for the time he has. I would all the time work to get as many pupils together as possible in these classes. If there ia not room enough on the black-boards, some of the pu- pils of the class can work the problems which have been assigned to them upon their slates, and read the explanation from them. After Arithmetic comes Spelling again, about which it is unnecessary to say anything more than that if the 82 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. teacher is much crowded for time, he may omit the most advanced class. I may here remark, generally, that if the teacher is at any time obliged to omit the recitations of any classes, he should always omit those of the most advanced classes. For the reason that even without recitations they derive more benefit from school than the classes composed of the smaller pupils do if they recite all their lessons. The older pupils can study while the younger ones cannot. It is a mistake to think because the pupils are small, and not far ad- vanced, that a recitation is not so important. Which would learn the most in school if there were no recita- tions at all ? The answer to this question will suggest to the teacher which pupils need to recite most. Unless the teacher, each time, names the particular class which he calls out, there will be many mistake^ by the pupils. Some will rise up, and sometimes even come out part of the way to the recitation, when it ia the time for some other class. This always causes con- fusion and annoyance. This, I may say, will almost constantly be the case unless the programme is arranged with reference to some principle which the pupils can PROGRAMME OF RECITATION. 63 readily understand and easily remember when their iime comes to recite. It will be seen that the pro- gramme which I have given you, is arranged so that the smaller pupils who are the ones that are the most likely to forget when the time comes for them to recite, will always recite immediately after school is called to order. They will, by this arrangement, soon learn to know that theirs is always the first class to recite after each intermission. The class which comes next is also generally of pupils comparatively small, but they will readily remember that they come second after each in- termission, and so on up to the higher grade of classes. The classes of the more advanced pupils, consisting of those who have attended school longer, who can remember better and who are not so likely to make mistakes by coming out to the recitation at the wrong time, are arranged after all the classes of the smaller pupils have recited. I may here remark, that the pro- gramme is not arranged especially for this purpose, but it answers very well. I might here say much more on the important mat- ters connected with the programme, but you will re- 84 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. member that I said in my first lecture, that it wa»s not my intention, in the least, to give you any thoughts on any matters not connected with government. I am, in this lecture, merely treating of the proper arrangement of the programme as a means of properly disciplining the school and of regulating it so as to prevent many of those things which will give the teacher trouble if he has not reduced everything to system so far as it can be. LECTURE VII. HINDRANCES TO CLASSIFICATION. In my last lecture I entered into quite an extended discussion of the programme which I marked out in a preceding lecture, and which still remains here upon the black-board. In my talk this morning, I propose to make a few remarks on subjects more or less connect- ed with the programme. It will be seen that I have assumed that there are no other branches to be taught than those usually de- nominated the common branches, to-wit : Reading, Writing, Geography, (xrammar. Arithmetic, and Or- thography or Spelling. I think that higher branches ought not to be taught in our common schools. If, however, they are to be taught, the teacher should hear the recitation of the classes in the higher branches be- fore school begins in the morning, or at noon or after 86 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. school dismisses in the evening. If he does not so hear them, the only way left is to take the time from some or all his other classes. I have taken it for granted too, that there is only one set of text books used in each branch. Yet we very frequently find two sets of readers, or two differ- ent authors on Geography, or two or more different kinds of books on other subjects to be taught in the school. This should not be as it so frequently is. It deprives the teacher of half the time allowed to each class, in the branch in which there are two sets of books. Then, too, there is not the least benefit in the world to- be derived from it. The only excuse, imaginable, for using an extra series of books, is that the people have the books and cannot afford to discard them and buy others. To those who are really very poor, this may at first view, seem to be an objection. Yet, I will as- sert, that even they will save money and time, by buy- ing the regular text books. For, suppose, that there are two Second Readers, say McGuffey's and Willson'a^ used in the school, the teacher must devote as much time to the one as he does to the other ; as a conse- HINDRANCES TO CLASSIFICATION. 87 quence, he can devote only half as much to each class. He must hear the class recite in McGufFey and also the one in Willson. Now if he can merge these two classes, thus made necessary, into one, each pupil will receive twice the amount of time and double the ben- efit from the teacher's instruction. In fact, he would receive more, as there is always time lest in changing classes to and from the recitation. Thus, I think in four weeks, the price of any book used in our common schools, will be gained in the in- creased amount of instruction these pupils will receive. I firmly believe that in a whole term much more will be gained by each pupil who has to buy a new book, than all the books usually used in a term of common school will cost him. The pupil is saving time and gaining knowledge faster, and his mind is more rapidly disciplined. Now time is money, and knowledge is power. With the poor this is quite an item, as time is their only wealth and an education is the only legacy they can leave to their children It is the best inheri- tance, even to the rich. I wish I could here address the parents of all child- 88 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. ren who are sent to school with an odd series of text books. I would say to them, Parents, Time and money will be saved for you by procuring the proper text books for your children. Besides by forcing others upon your schools, regularity and system are sacrificed. The efficiency and success of the school are often there- by impaired, the teacher is unnecessarily worried, and often disheartened and sometimes, in fact, even broken down by this worse than a double burden. I have, sometimes, heartily wished that every parent who entails thi.^ unnecessary labor upon the teacher could be compelled to take his place a few days, bear his burdens, endure his toils, and repeat his tasks. I think that, at the end of a week, he would gladly re- lieve the teacher, not only by buying the required books, but in many other ways in which parents now, unintentionally place hindrances upon the school. Again, the laws of almost every State, make provi- sion that a series of text books shall be adopted and used to the exclusion of all others. I must here say that I think it mainly the fault of the teachers them- selves, that more than one set of text books is used. J[INI)RAN(^ES TO (JLASSIFICATION. 89 Teachers should, all the time, endeavor to get rid of all superfluous books. They should not, when a pupil comes to school with an unauthorized book, whine a little about it and then assign a lesson in it ; but should assign the pupil a lesson in the proper book and tell him to get it. The teacher must also work with the parents and with the school authorities. Teachers, you have the law and reason on your side. If you cannot get rid of this great inconvenience by kindness and mild means. I would counsel you to adopt the rigid means of hearing only the classes in the books approved and adopted by the lawful author- ities. This may seem harsh and unforbidding, but it is better, both for you and the school, than to linger along limpingly, as you must with twice as many classes as are necessary. I would like to present other arguments on this sub- ject, but other things of more immediate, if not of greater importance to the teacher, demand our present time and attention. Very often the teacher is puzzled what to do when pupils bring books to school which they are not far 90 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. enough advanced to study. For very often those who should be in the Second or Third Reader bring the Fourth or Fifth and want to read in them. It is so with Geography and other studies. The best and most effectual plan that the teacher can pursue in this case, is to permit the pupil to remain in the class until he has fully demonstrated, as far as it is possible to do to the pupil's mind, by a rigid system of recitations, that he is not able to pursue his studies in the book which he has. Another plan is not to hear the pupil recite until he gets the proper book. In a school to which the teacher is a stranger, it will take a few days to learn the ability of the pupils to pursue these studies in the books they have brought. This trouble is caused by many parents being ambitious to have their child- ren advanced too rapidly, and are on that account easily induced to buy advanced books for their child- ren. But these parents are not so difficult to get along with as those who never want to get the proper books for their children. They, in a manner, want their children to commit every book, before they get another. They only want them to study one or two branches HINDRANCES TO CLASSIFICATION. 91 and do not want to get books to enable them to enter classes for which they are abundantly qualified. Some one may ask, "How can we follow the pro- gramme?" I wnll answer. Have a clock and keep strictly to the time. When the time allotted to a class is up. dismiss it from the recitation whether half or only a fourth of the lesson assigned has been recited. I will now dismiss this matter by saying that I will say something more on this subject if time and the committee permit, I will now devote myself, for a short while, to a sub- ject which may seem only very slighly connected with the subject of this lecture. I think, however, that there is no impropriety in bringing it in here. The greatest draw^back to classification and conse- quently to the proper arrangement of the programme in our common schools, is the change of one teacher for another every three or six months, or at fur- thest, every year. It is agreed by the best educators that almost every teacher must have a month and some- time as much as two, to get thoroughly acquainted with his pupils and the wants of the school. 92 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. One teacher will advance them in Grammar far be- yond where they ought to be in connection with their other studies, another will advance them in (jreography and still another in Arithmetic. This uneven advance- ment of some branches to the neglect of others, destroys every possibility of classification. Each teacher rides his particular hobby to the detriment of the school. Now if the same teacher taught right along for years he would be compelled, by the necessity of the case, to bring up all branches of study together. If a teacher knew that he would be retained in the same place sev- eral years, he would very likely be more careful to de- vote the proper time and attention t(j all the branches and not give the pupils (as we might say) a lop-sided education, that is, advancing them in one or two branches to the neglect of others. Besides, there would be this additional advantage, that there would be more professional teachers and not so many inter- lopers who have failed inother professions, who only intend to teach a few terms until they can retrieve their reverses. It is a fact that this tendency of changing teachers IliNDKANOKS TO OI.ASSIFK^ATION. 93 evei'v term or two is to drive them into other kinds of business which do not depend on the whim of one or two or at least a set of men. Again, about the time that one teacher gets things to moving properly another steps in, adopts different plans, and in reality spoils nearly all his predecessors work, or renders it fruitless. So long as such frequent changes are made, no progress can be made in classification. One teacher will undo what others have done. If any progress has been made by one, its effects and benefits are destroyed by his successor. I would like to say more here but I must desist. I think, however, that the best thing school officers can do is to keep their teachers as long as they can, al- though they may not have been entirely satisfactory in every respect. They can do much better than new teachers, besides there is no risk to run of getting a worse one. It ought to be considered, too, that the longer a teacher teaches at one place, the better he can do. When a new teacher comes into a place he must go over all that his predecessor did to learn the classes, 94 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT, their grade of advancement, tlic pupils' dispositions and a thousand other things which cannot now be thought of. Whereas a teacher who has taught in the school goes into the school room the first day of a term or at the first of the year and knows just what to do, just what each pupil ought to study, just what classes he will have and how to arrange them. In fact, he knows all about the school. He is, if he remains where he has taught, running no risk of being a failure. Whereas, if he goes to an- other district to teach he may fail in government, and thereby ruin his reputation as a teacher and acquire a dislike for the profession for which he has prepared himself, very likely by years of study and hundreds of dollars of expense. For you know that a teacher may be eminently successful in one place and may entirely fiiil in another ; and a teacher may fail in one place and be successful in another. Likewise a teacher may be successful in the most difficult school if he has the recjuisite experience, whereas, if he changes from one place to another he may be engaged at a place for which he has not the requisite experience at one time, HINDRANCES TO CLASSIFICATION. 95 for which he will be eminently qualified in a year or two. Therefore, I argue, that teachers ought to stay where they have been teaching provided they have at- tained any success whatever. I have here spoken of this subject and of the arrange- ment of the programme, merely as a means of disciplin- ing and managing the school. In my next lecture, I will more fully treat of system as a means of ruling the school. Here I have only touched upon the pro- gramme as a means of reducing the amount of labor and of removing many annoyances. LKCTVRE Yin. SYSTEM. You remember that m my first lecture I said that it is better for botli pupils and teacher that wrong doing in school be prevented by judicious management rather than by the infliction of punishment. In my previous lectures I have been endeavoring to give you several modes of preventing school vices by the arrangements which every teacher can make. I propose to-day to treat of system as a means of disciplining a school. Order in school is necessar}'. The first requisite to good order is system. In fact order and system mean nearly the same thing in many of their applications. The teacher should, as far as possible, reduce every thing to system. He should have system in recitations, system in conduct, system in intermission, system in everything. Any teacher will find any school much easier to control by having everything done systematic- SYSTEM. 97 ally. Not so many difficulties will arise if he reduce everything to system. Every difficulty small or great requires a certaiu amount of executive ability, — a thing very rare among young persons just beginning to teach. Then for them the necessity for systematic work is doubly necessary. Moreover, where there is system a teacher will know much better what to do in any given emergency. In fact the first requisite to a good disciplinarian is the power of reducing everything to system. Everything. in and about the school room should have the precision and regularity of clockwork. No teacher can succeed well who has a hap-hazard way of doing his work. Then I would say to every teacher have everything re- duced to system ; have everything arranged in order as far as it is possible to do so, before you enter the school room on the first day of your first term of school. If you have done this properly you will only need to put your school into operation as a mechanic puts a ma- chine into motion after he has it thoroughly fitted up,. put together, and lubricated. But if you go into the school room without any plan beforehand j^ou will find 98 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. that there will arise a thousand troublesome points upon which you must render a decision, some on one subject and others on other subjects all more or less difficult to decide. Live up to your programme as nearly as you can. Sometimes you may have a whole class absent. I would not then, in order to take up the time, sacrifice system by hearing other classes longer or by calling them sooner than the time for them indicated on the schedule, but I would let the pupils devote their time to study. During this time T would myself go around among the pupils and aid them individually ; see what their difficulties are ; and where they are studying ; leave a suggestion here, and make a correction there ; and answer any <(uestions which pupils may then see proper to ask. The teacher ought to carry out Ins programme in all its parts every day. For if he sacrifices system and fails to carry it out one day, his pupils may think that he will not carry it out next day. For instance, one day the teacher tells his pupils that they will not recite that day or that they will recite at a difterent time, SYSTE.M. 99 this gives the uienibers of the class reason to think that lie may not hear them next day or some other day. As a consequence, they will not prepare their lessons because it is the nature of most pupils in our common schools not to study their lessons unless they expect to recite them. Kven the ie^x who will study their lessons will not get them so carefully as if they expected to be called upon to recite them, or they will put oft' studying as long as they can, thinking the class may not be called upon to recite next day. but will again be excused or the recitation postponed. Again should a teacher one day give recess five min- utes sooner than the time on the schedule or five min- utes longer it will lead his pupils to hope that he may do so again, and when the clock comes to within five minutes of the time for recess the pupils will begin to want recess and will become restless. All this can be avoided by a rigid adherence to the programme. What I have said in reference to varying from the programme once, applies Avith more than redoubled force if there are tAvo or more variations in the same respect. For pupils will then begin to expect them now and then. 1 00 sen GO L GO V EK N M ENT. If there is never a variation in the way anything is done in school or in anything connected with school, the pupils will never expect a variation. No one ex- pects any one to a€t diiferently from his accustomed mode of acting. Consequently, if the teacher does not for a long time, dejtart from his rules or his programme, his pupils will not expect a departure but will think that every thing will continue to be done as it has all along been done. Moreover, the longer the time from one variation or departure to another, the less will the pupils expect them ; but if they occur often the pupils will thereby be lead to think that they niay often ex- pect them. I may here remai'k that if the teacher at any time loses his respect for system or becomes slack in any duty, the pupils will very naturally think that he will become so in others and do little things for the purpose of finding out whether he is becoming regardless of his former strictness. In fact as there are always some pu- pils who are very restless under any resti-aint whatever and are always ready to burst the bands of their re- straints ; they will, if not prevented, soon reduce order SYSTEM. 101 to chaos, system to confusion, and the school to a spe- cies of earthly pandemonium. Many pupils invent every plan conceivable, to get out of studying their lessons. Let a teacher suspend his efforts to preserve order in his school a few days or let him become irregular in the discharge of any of his duties, he will see tlie effects of it for weeks afterwards. If the teacher has been derelict in observing the programme, the pupils will say, -I did not know we were going to recite,' or that 'I did not know when we were going to recite and have not got my lesson yet,' or 'as we did not recite yesterday, I did not know what the lesson was for to-day.' or that 'I got the wrong les- son.' All this is caused by the teacher's non-observa- tion of system in carrying out his programme. As it is with the programme so it is with any other duties enjoined by the nature of school. If the teach- er gives any pretext whatever he may be ver}- sure that some of the pupils of this disposition will take advant- age of it. liegularity and system are the best handmaids to which the teacher can wed himself But thev cannot 102 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. be secured without pei-severance, industry and enei-gy. The teacher will find in hi.s efforts to obtain regularity and system that he will have thousands of irregulari- ties to correct. It seems too, that some pupils are all the time unconsciously acting to counteract every ef- fort of the teacher. I would always require my pupils to do what is prop- erly before them, thus observing system in requiring my pupils to be systematic. Thus as I have before said, I would not let them write when they ought to be studying their reading lessons, nor would I permit them to be studying their reading lessons while they ought to be getting their arithmetic lessons. The programme is so arranged that there will be suf- ficient time for every one who is properly classified to study his lessons just before reciting them. I would not permit any irregularity, however small, to pass without calling the pupils' attention to it. If mischiev- ious pupils learn that they can play little tricks, and in this way spoil the harmony of the teacher's plans, you may be sure that they will do so. Besides, if things are done in one way one day, and in another SYSTEM. 103 way next day, the pupils' minds will be cwifused and they will not know what to do or they will not know how to do anything that is ie({uired of them. For in- stance, a teacher calls out a class one way to-day and another way to-morrow, and another next day, the pu- pils will at no time understand what is wanted. So it is with all other things done in the school room. If things are not done systematically the pupils have no plan, no chart, nothing by which they can steer their course in their work or by which they can regulate their conduct. The teacher can also do much to teach his pupils to observe order and system by teaching them order and system in their games, and in their play upon the play- ground. For this purpose he can by example, if not otherwise, teach them to put away their play things, such as balls, bats and so forth, into some place pre- pared or appropriated for that purpose, and not let them lie around here and there over the whole play- ground. He ought, however, to be very careful not to seem to dictate or interfere in mere matters of play during recess or at noon. 104 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT, I liave all along in this lecture been speaking of one of the requisites of a good teacher. I will now turn my thoughts to all the requisites which combine to make a good teacher in the sense in which I am treat- ing of this subject. Executive ability is a phrase which embraces all the qualities of 0)ie who is a successful governor of human •beings. T once heard a leading educator remark that a person who can govern an ordinary common school of forty pupils can easily rule a State. He meant by this remark that it requires as much executive ability, or as it is sometimes called, administrative ability to control a common school, as it docs to govern a State. He was not much mistaken either, because it requires this kind of ability of a high order to manage a school successfully. You can all congratulate yourselves that you have talents of the very highest order if you con- trol your schools well. We frequently see persons who are in every other way qualified to become the very best teachers utterly fail, because they cannot govern ; because they cannot preserve order. Many excellent young men and SYSTEM. 105 women, of high scholastic attainments, have been driv- en out of the profession because they have failed to discipline well their first few terms of school, or they have themselves left the profession in disgust, because they believed themselves not among those who were "born to rule." How often do we hear it said of a teacher, "He is a good scholar but a very poor teacher !" Again we fre- quently hear it said, "He is a good instructor but a poor disciplinarian." It is necessary to have good order in the school room. For the pupils cannot study, nor can the teacher impart instruction where there is dis- order or confiision. Every teacher then should have sufficient executive ability to hold in check the dis- turbing elements about him, or his school will do but little good. He may seem to succeed for awhile by adopting cunning expedients but these will sooner or later lose their influence. Besides other things I here refer to rewards and credit marks. No teacher can permanently succeed without executive ability. I be- lieve that all men have this ability, though some may have it in a greater degree than others, I believe too 106 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. that the power to control men can be greatly developed by proper cultivation. But it must be done by culti- vating those qualities of character which are in a high degree necessary for a teacher, namely, vigilance, per- severance, energy, discretion and firmness. It may be asked, "in what does executive or adminis- trative ability consist?" This question is much more easily asked than answered. It may, however, be curtly answered that it consists in doing the right thing in the right manner, and at the right time. Now if the teacher can, in any emergency, determine just exactly what ought to be done, when and how to do it, he will, in my opinion, have executive ability of the highest order. One prominent element of executive ability is deci- sion of character. The teacher must have the inward power to say '-NO " He must have the moral courage to do what he thinks is right. I will here say that those persons who cannot summon up sufficient moral power to prevent a thing which they know to be wrong, or to enforce a thing which they know to be right will never become successful disciplinarians in our schools. When SYSTEM. 107 a teacher thinks a thing ought not to be done he ought to have the courage to say so ; and when he thinks a thing ought to be done he ought to have the courage to do it without fear or favor. Many teachers frequently know what is going wrong in their schools but they lack the hack bone to make it right. Let me here say that this class of teach- ers is much more hopeful than those who cannot see what is going wrong with their schools. Often teach- ers are afraid of offending their pupils or their pupils' parents by refusing to grant some request which the pupils ask. When a teacher is asked by a pupil for permission to do something which the teacher thinks the pupil ought not to do, he ought to have the courage to refuse, and that emphatically if necessary. The more favors you grant to pupils the more they will ask. Granting their requests once will encourage them to ask again. If you comply with their requests in one thing, it will not be long till they will want favors in something else, and so on until their requests will be endless. Now, though I like to please my pu- pils by doing anything that I think is proper, I here 108 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. am trying to urge that teachers should refuse, what their judgments tell them is not proper or prudent, and also that if there is any doubt it is better to lean to- wards a refusal. Moreover, after having granted favors to your pupils a few times, they will then be much more offended when you refuse them than if you had refused to grant the first they asked. Besides, there are some who will not scruple to ask anything if the teacher complies with their requests a few times and thus encourages them. Pupils sometimes do a favor for a teacher in order thereby to gain his good will merely for the purpose of afterwards asking some favor which they had in view but feared the teacher would refuse. Of course they would not do so if they thought the teacher would grant their re(|uests without. They 'also know their teacher, and are almost sure that they will gain their ends: because tliey are fully aware that he will dislike to refuse anything they may wish after they have done him a favor. The teacher should show by his manner that he receives every gift and every favor very thankfully and gratefully, but should not allow SYSTEM. 109 any thing whatever to cause him to swerve a single iota from what he considers his duty. It may some- times be rather difficult for a teacher to refuse to grant the request of a pupil who, in addition to having done some act of great kindness to the teacher, approaches him, it may be, very politely and smilingly ; but it must be done. If the teacher wants to maintain his authority in full force, he must refuse everything which the pupils may want, but which he thinks ought not to be granted. He must have sufficient nerve, suffi- cient stamina, sufficient steadfastness of purpose to resist all winning smiles, bland approaches and courteously asked questions. 3Iany teachers are very apt in devising plans but lack the executive ability to carry them out. They know what ought to be done, but they either lack the courage or do not know how to do it. Those who lack the moral stamina but know how to carry out their plans, will in time make much better teachers than those who do not know how to do what ought to be done. The former will soon learn by experience that it is much better to brave public opinion than to pamper it. 110 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. The very men whom you suppose will be most offend- ed at your actions toward their children, though they may at times be very angry at you, will inwardly re- spect you, because you have taken a manly stand. Even while talking to you they will respect you more, if you firmly maintain any position you may think right, than if you cowardly cringe to their opinions. I will close this lecture by a summing up of what I have said in a few plain, practical remarks. A teacher should always do what he thinks is right. This will sometimes be very hard to do. ( )ften the teacher may know what is best, and of course what is best is right, but he hates to do it for fear of some immediate dislike of the pupils or the pupils' parents, or even of the peo- ple of the district. But if the teacher does what is right he will gain in the end. Though the pupils or their parents and friends may temporarily dislike him they will afterwards respect him more because he has done what he believes to be right. Even if he does not gain the respect and esteem of the people, he himself will have the inward conscious- ness that he has done what is right, and will be able to SYSTEM. Ill meet every one without any oftliat guilty, self- condem- ning feeling which will manifest itself when he meets any one who has been concerned in the affairs about which there was any controversy, if he has at any time done things which he knows he ought not to have done, or if he has not done what he knows he ought to have done and which he would have done but for fear of an outburst of ill feeling in the community in which he is teaching. There is no one who does not at times make mistakes. Teachers are no exception to the rule. If a teacher makes a mistake he should be willing to correct it. He should tell any one concerned that he will be pleased at any time to make any corrections if any one can con- vince him that he has done wrong, but so long as he remains unconvinced that he is wrong, he must believe that he is right. Do not do anything of which you will afterwards feel ashamed. Never leave anything undone which you will be ashamed of not having done. A teacher feels well after having done a good action. Further, after having done something which he has long felt he ought 112 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. to do, but which he has dreaded, he will feel much better ; he will feel relieved of a burden. That is he will feel better satisfied with himself, and this is an agreeable feeling. You will find that you must often do what you would rather not do. You must consult your judgment and not your feelings as to what you should do in any matter whatever. LECTURE IX. RULES. I wish you to keep steadily in view the fact that it is the teacher's best policy to prevent all disorder and mischief before their inception, rather than to allow them and then punish the offenders in order to prevent others. I think one of the best ways of doing this i» by having everything done as systematically as it can be. To-day I shall talk upon a subject very intimate- ly connected with system, and that subject is the. Rules of School. You need not expect me to lay down for you a set of rules as I did a programme. It cannot be done. A system of rules that would be good for one school would be wholly inapplicable to another ; and a system that would be proper for one season of the year would not at all suit for another. So also a set of rules that is- 114 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. applicable to one class of pupils would not be applica- ble to another. Some object to rules in school ; they say they do not want any; they are not necessary, and that they do more harm than good. I must say that there are some directions necessary to guide the pupils in their con- duct. It makes no difference what you call these di- Tections, they are nothing more nor less than rules for the guidance of the teacher and the pupils. You may •call them directions, checks, regulations, commands, or anything else you please ; they are still rules. No school can get along without them. The very idea of school implies some such commands as that the pupils must get their lessons, and that they must behave well enough to do so, and that they must obey the teacher. Indeed when the teacher assigns a lesson he impliedly lays down a rule that the pupils •shall get that lesson. If the pupils get the lesson they "Comply with the implied command of the teacher ; if they do not they break the rule that he has made. If the true teacher expects that the lessons which he as- signs to his pupils will not be gotten he would better Rl LES. 115 not assign them. For it is better that the teacher give no opportunity to the pupils to break the rules. By the mere fact of his giving out a lesson to be studied he makes the tacit request that it shall be studied. Therefore that the pupils must study is then a rule and it is a primary rule of every school, whether it is enforced or not. You may call it a rule or whatever you please it is nevertheless a requirement by which the pupils are governed in their conduct in school. In fact that the pupils must study is the end, the aim, the purpose, the design of school. The next requirement naturally flows from this, and is that the pupils must so conduct themselves that they ca7l study. Indeed this latter rule is only a branch of the former, and all other rules necessary for a school are only branches of these two. These are the funda- mental rules, though they are administered in diiferent ways by different teachers. Yet in all their ramifica- tions and different applications they are no less rules because teachers generally do not call them by that name. Do right is a higher command than the teach- er makes, yet it is the law upon which all other laws depend for authority. 116 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. At the beginning of a term of school I would lay down very few rules. I would as I have already re- commended, (when speaking of the teacher's first day of school,) on the first day tell them that the' only rule I would make is, that they should do right. Then as rules were required I would introduce them. I would never make a rule until I saw it was needed. Whenever I saw a pupil doing anything that ought not to be done, I would call him to order and tell him that such an act as he has been doing cannot be allowed. For instance, if a pupil gets out of his seat without permission, before anything has been said by the teach- er about obtaining permission for that purpose, I would forthwith tell him to take his seat and that he must not leave his seat without permission from the teacher. This would then be a precedent for him, and not only for him but for every other pupil in the room who had noticed that the teacher had recjuired the pupil to take his seat and recjuired him to ask for permission. You may be sure too, that the pupils the first few days are wide awake for all such checks upon their conduct. Not more than two or three pupils need RULEvS. 117 their attention thus called to being out of their seats until all the pupils of the school will know that the teacher will not allow it and will conduct themselves accordingly. It is in fact a rule and the pupils know that the teacher will be guided by it, and will them- selves act accordingly. By promulgating too many rules at once the minds of the pupils will be confused, and they will forget some of them. Whereas, if a rule is not made until it is needed the minds of the pupils will be alive and open to the reception of it. When anything takes place to which the attention of the pupils is drawn, they will remember a rule made to forbid it, to curb it, or to re- strain it. much better than if the rule is merely made to meet the contingency that it may take place. Grive your pupils to understand that you mean ex- actly what you say. Whenever you make a regulation or rule for the government of the school, or the arrange- ment of classes, or for any purpose whatever, carry that out to the letter. Your pupils will soon learn to con- form to that state of aftairs and will know that every- thing must be exactly as the teacher wants it to be. 118 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. You need not be harsh and despotic in enforcing any rule unless there is a rebellious disposition on the part of the pupils. All that you want your pupils to know is that they must do as you tell them to do. I believe that it would be a politic measure for the teacher to tell his pupils that if they conducted them- selves as they should in respect to any matter, he would make no rules in regard to it. I think it would be well for a teacher, when he sees the necessity for a rule in reference to any matter, first to request his puptls to do as he wished them. Then if they do not comply with his request, he can lay down a positive rule. I think however, that a teacher who has his pupils well trained will rarely need to do more than merely to request his pupils to do anything he wishes. They knowing his mode of proceeding in this respect will rather comply with his wishes than wait till he commands. There remains also another fact to be considered here, which is that pupils often do things thoughtlessly, and will desist at a mere word from the teacher. In many cases I know that it will be the better plan kind- RULES. 11^ ly to ask what lie wants as a favor from the pupils. For example, pupils are in the habit of banging the the door when they enter or leave the room, or care- lessly throw their books and slates down upon the desks with a slam. >In cases of this kind my advice would be to the teacher first to request the pupils politely not to make those noises. Afterwards, if they persisted I would lay it down as a positive rule that they should not do so, and tell them that those who now violated would be properly dealt with. Just as the law of nations is a system handed down from generation to generation, made at diiFerent times as occasion demanded, so the rules of school may be re- garded as a system of unwritten law made from time ta time. As in the law, every case which calls for a deci- sion, is when decided, a precedent for all others of the same or a similar kind ; so in the school room every in- cident which calls forth the decision of the teacher may be taken as a rule applying to every other case of a like nature which may happen. Therefore the teach- er ought not to change the rules of his school every few days or for every whimsical purpose. For when 120 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. pupils once get used to a system of rules and regula- tions, it is somewhat difficult for them to get used to another. At the beginning of a term of school where a new teacher is teaching, the pupils expect new rules, and therefore on the lookout for them, but after the term has been going on sometime, they become settled in the system. The teacher's rules and the decisions in pursuance thereof should be uniform and harmonious. He ought to take into consideration that his school is a little commonwealth of which he is the governor. A State oannot, without a revolution, change the system of laws and the adjudications thereon by which they have been ruled and guided for generations. Even revolutions <3annot efface the effects of the old laws, but they will remain as customs for ages. So in a great degree it is with a school, after it has been going along in a certain "Way several months. The pupils will continue to act as they have been acting. They have become accus- tomed to the manner in which they have been con- ducting themselves and it is hard for them to change. Moreover it is very difficult to change from one manner of doing any thing to an entirely different one. RULES. 121 A school is much easier changed from good to bad than from bad to good. If one rule becomes a dead letter, others are fairly on the way to become so too. For if pupils find that they can in any way cause the teacher to disregard one rule, they will think that they can cause him to disregard others. They will say among themselves, "We played that rule out and we <}an play others out the same way." So I would say, maintain every rule in its full force until you see that it is not necessary. Then I would tell my pupils why I did not enforce it, and also tell them that I hoped that I would not need to adopt it again, but that it all depended upon themselves whether the rule should again be adopted or not. The reasons forgiving my reasons for not enforcing a rule longer, are that the pupils may see the propriety (so to speak) of repealing it. For children and young people are much more feasonable creatures than many older folks suppose them to be. Summing up what has been said in this paragraph it .i?rould be in the language of many, "Never cut on a rule." A teacher who is very careful about enforcing 122 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. all his rules, will have very little trouble in enforcing any new one which he may see has become necessary. For the pupils know that he will enforce it, and will immediately submit. But if the teacher has been some- what careless in enforcing his laws, he will find trouble in applying the new ones he makes. We have for a short time been considering rules in several of the ways in which they may be considered, but will now take another view of the same subject. If the teacher does not make his own rules, the pupils will make them for him. To illustrate what I mean, we will say that the teacher has said nothing about the pupils leaving their seats, and that one gets up and leaves his seat for some purpose or another. In this case the teacher must either make a rule in reference to the pupils' leaving their seats, or the pupil will make it by the mere act of leaving his seat and not having anything said to him about it. But if the teacher calls the attention of the pupil to the act, and tells him that he does not want any one to leave his seat without permission from the teacher, he will have established a precedent by which all the pupils will thereafter be guided. RULES. 123 The teacher ought, however, to call the attention of the whole school to the matter, so that no pupil can afterwards say that he did not know that he must get permission to leave his seat. On the other hand, if the teacher says nothing to the pupil who gets up out of his place and leaves it, that pupil and all others who see him do so, will think that the teacher does not in- tend to require them to get permission. Here again a precedent will be established, and this time by a pupil, and all the pupils will act upon this precedent just as if the teacher had told them that they do not need per- mission when they want to leave their places, in the class or in the room. In the first place, the teacher has made the rule ; in the second, the pupil. You can now see the force of the statement, that if the teacher does not make his rules, the pupils will make them. You can also see an illustration of that other statement, that a teacher ought not to make a rule until it is needed. What I have said about pupils' leaving their seats, applies with equal force, to whispering, to leaving the room, going to the water bucket, and many other things which 124 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. every teacher of any experience, and every one who has been a pupil in school well knows. It seems that pupils are constantly striving to have the rules or regulations of school modified ; they do not want to be restrained quite so much. They usu- ally begin by wanting the teacher to modify some par- ticular rule or relax its operation. He may generally be sure that if he modifies one rule in accordance with their wishes, the pupils will soon want him to modify another, and then another until every rule or regula- tion would be entirely abrogated, and the teacher stripped of every whit of authority. I am now only referring to the more aggressive ones among the pupils. For there are always some who without any questions, observe everything the teacher asks them, merely because he asks them to do so. They either have so much respect for themselves or for the teacher, that they will not infringe upon any right which the teacher may have reserved to himself, nor break any rule which he has seen fit to lay down. The aggressive class will, however, increase in numbers as the teacher gives them occasion to think they can ac- RULES. 125 complish anything in the way of having the rules mod- ified or entirely abrogated. Only a few pupils may at first come to the teacher to have a rule abolished or modified. But if he modifies or abolishes that, these same pupils, with some others, will soon want some other rule treated in the same way. If the teacher grants this, other pupils seeing what has been accom- plished, will array themselves with the progressive class. This will go on until there will be but little difference between the minds of the conservative and the progressive class of pupils. You know that success adds numbers to parties, sects and schisms. Only let your most restless pupils, who are uneasy under any restraint whatever, attain any success in having you modify, or even in themselves avoiding the rules, they will be soon joined by others. There are some vices against which a teacher need make no rules. Among them are fighting, lying, steal- ing and others which a teacher's experience will sug- gest to him. Every child old enough to go to school knows that it is wrong to do such things. So for the first oifense the teacher can punish the offender with- 126 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. out previously having said anything about the commis- sion of such wrongs. I may here add what every teacher knows, that is if the older pupils observe the rules there will be very little trouble in getting the younger ones to observe them. The younger ones as a general rule will see that those who are older than themselves must obey, and will think that if those whom the teacher is most likely to favor, obey, they will certainly be required to do so. Even if the younger ones do break the rules, a teacher can show more leniency towards them because of their want of discrimination between right and wrong. I believe, however, that I have heretofore re- marked that children observe more than we give them credit for doing ; they observe everything and draw conclusions from everything. They see that the rules must be observed and obeyed by others, and draw the conclusion that they themselves must observe and obey them. We are all very much influenced by those around us, even pupils of the same age will influence each other greatly. The example of one docs very much to RULES. 127 influence or restrain others. Often the punishment of one for an ofi"ense may be a sufficient example to restrain a whole school, for a term or even a year, from the commission of that offense. The more rules you have the more there will be broken. So it is a mat- ter of policy not to have too many rules. LECTURE X. THE DISPOSITION OF MANY ANNOYANCES. I have been speaking of system and rules and how they conduce to reduce the amount of trouble, annoy- ance, confusion and disorder. I now propose to speak to you upon another subject nearly allied to the one we have been considering, that is the prevention of dis- turbance, annoyance and confusion by reducing the necessary affairs of school to a systematic administra- tion of them. Every one who has ever taught, knows how pupils will take advantage of every weakness and every fault a teacher may have, and also of every necessity of the nature of school or of human natui'e. All teachers of experience know that many pupils do so merely be- cause they can. Groing out or leaving the room is one of the necessi- DISPOSITION OF MANY ANNOYANCES. 12^ ties of school and of human nature which is very much abused by the pupils. It is one of the greatest stand- ing annoyances that a teacher must endure. It must be curbed as much as prudence will allow, or it will become an almost unendurable annoyance. There is no necessity for more than about one hundredth part of the running out that there is in most of our common schools. I will here lay down some general rules to regulate this matter which I hope will be of advantage to every teacher. There ought to be only one pupil out at a time. Some teachers permit their pupils to go out without asking or obtaining leave to do so. This ought not to be done unless the school is very small. Even then I think it better to require the pupils to get per- mission. For if pupils are not required to get permis- sion of the teacher, some will go out who do not need to do so, and others will go out much oftener than nec- essary. Whereas if they were required to get permis- sion they would not go so often. Again, I believe I would give no one permission to leave the room until half an hour has elapsed after calling school to order. 130 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. and for fifteen minutes before dismission or recess. Nor would I allow a pupil to go out when his class is ^bout to recite. No comments on the above rules are necessary as ■every one can see the propriety of them. Here the necessity for a clock in the school room is again seen. Another good rule is to permit a pupil to go out only once between each intermission, that is once before and once after recess in the forenoon, and the same in the afternoon. I will digress here to say that I have seen one cer- tain pupil go out three times between the morning re- cess and noon, and twice from noon to recess in the af- ternoon, making five times from recess in the forenoon ■to recess in the afternoon, without counting the noon intermission. Moreover, in my opinion, each was en- tirely uncalled for. The pupil knew his teacher and knew that he could get out almost when he pleased, merely by asking. The teacher refused twice but the pupil persevered because he knew that perseverance was all that was necessary. To resume. I have found in graded schools that in DISPOSITION OF MANY ANNOYANCES, 131 the higher departments, where the pupils are of an older class, it is an excellent arrangement to say to the pupils that those who go out during school hours, shall stay in at recess. The very pupils who want constant- ly to be running out, are the very ones who do not want to be deprived of their recess. This rule will then cut oif all going out unless it is absolutely neces- sary. As intimated, this rule cannot well be adopted where there are small children. Exceptions to all these rules ought to be made in case of sickness but the pu- pil should then be sent home. Another necessity of human nature in the school room of which many pupils abuse liberty is getting water or running to the bucket. I may say that tak- ing a drink of water every few minutes is as much a habit as the drinking of beer. In order to avoid all questions, I would have the water passed four times each day, once between each of the intermissions, that is once before and once after recess in each half day. Besides the four times the pupils can, if they really wish water, go to the bucket in the morning before school begins, and at each of the recesses and at noon. 132 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. If the teacher is careful to have the water passed at the right time, he will never be annoyed by having his pupils ask him every half minute to get a drink. I have been in schools where, at times, nearly the whole time of the teacher was taken up in hearing, granting and refusing requests to go out, to go to the bucket, and for other purposes. You have of course gathered from what I have said, that I would not allow pupils to go to the bucket with- out permission. For they will abuse the privilege by going too often and by two or more going at a time. While on this subject I will name one thing which many teachers allow, and that is running to the bucket after the bell has rung; so that while school is coming to order there are often a dozen or more there crowding, jamming and pushing each other around, every one snatching at or trying to get the dipper or cup. There are two reasons why this ought not to be permitted. First, that confusion and disorder may be prevented, and secondly, that pupils are then warm from running or violent exercise and are apt to drink too much. DISPOSITION OF MANY ANNOYANCES. 133 I will here give you an illustration of the manner in which pupils will act and of the lengths to which they will go if there are no regulations in regard to this matter. I was visiting a school this spring. I got to the school just a few minutes before recess. I saw nothing out of the way with the school before recess. At recess, as it was a fine, bright, sunshiny spring day, all the pupils went out to play. I perhaps would not have thought any thing about their not going to the bucket, had not the teacher told them that those who were thirsty should drink at recess. Only a few drank as they went out. But when recess was over and the pupils were called in, two-thirds of them went straight to the bucket. As the school was large there was quite a crowd there. Of course there was confusion. The teacher being a real lady, and very sensitive, was constantly blushing with shame that her pupila would act so unmannerly when a visitor was present. For as is usual, when the school has visitors, there was worse conduct and more confusion. I noticed that some of the pupils were not satisfied with one dipper full of water, but drank, gave the dipper to some one 134 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. > and then waited until they got the dipper again. At last, the teacher's patience having worn out, she told some of the boys to take their seats. One replied that he had had but one dipper full and somebody had chucked him under the chin and made him spill it. Another said that some one hunched him so that he could not drink. Another said that somebody gouged him in the side so that he could not drink. The teacher then told two or three girls to sit down. One said that she had not yet had enough, another was so short and snappish in her answer that I could not understand what she said. It took between five and ten minutes to restore order. I am sure that this confusion and insubordination had not developed suddenly, but was the outgrowth of the whole term. Very little care and firmness at the beginning of the school would have sufficed to prevent this great evil, which I have no doubt annoyed the teacher more or less every time the pupils were called in from their play. But after it had become so bad, its thorough suppression would require great energy, not a little degree of skill, and perhaps a physical DISPOSITION OF MANY ANNOYANCES. 135- struggle or two between the teacher and one or more' of the pupils. What reflections can be made upon such a scene in the school-room? Now, though it is true that the pupils may have been very thirsty, still it is not necessary that such scenes be enacted. Any regulation in regard to this matter would have made the matter better. Besides the teacher must consider that the pupils are often too warm to drink after violent exercise in playing and running. I have related this little bit of experience that you may profit by it. Make some rules in regard to this matter. You can certainly think of some way to avoid such a disgrace to your schools. I may here say that I have seen many such scenes, not only in a few, but in many schools which I have visited. Another great annoyance is the advantage which the those pupils, who want to be troublesome, take of the heating arrangements of the school-room. Those who are nearest the stove complain that they are too warm, and want to move back, while those who are farthest from the stove complain that they are too cold and 136 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. want to get nearer the stove. No definite rules can be laid down to meet these emergencies. Changing the seats of those who complain of heat with those who complain of cold will often answer the purpose, for there are some who can stand heat best, while there are others who can stand cold best. The teacher ought, however, to make only one change of seats for this purpose, and when this has been done, he ought to tell those whom he has changed that he does not now want any more complaint. The best thing that can be done is to have the room as well and as equally heated in all parts as can be. In order to do this properly, the teacher ought to have a thermometer and ought to be at the house half an hour before time to ■open school, for the purpose of regulating the temper- ature, (as well as for other purposes.) It may be well enough in this connection, to say that the teacher must remember that no person can sstudy well when he is too warm. One then becomes too languid. Nor can any one study well when there is no ventilation, as is often the case of many of our school-rooms. Again, no one can study when too cold, DISPOSITION OF MANY ANNOYANCES. 137 because his attention is then constantly drawn from his study to the unpleasant feeling of his body. Again, during recess and at noon, as well as in the morning, there will always be a crowd around the stove. This is a fruitful source of noise and confus- ion; for if pupils are allowed, there will always be more or less pushing, jamming, pinching and crowding each other either toward or away from the stove. I would remedy this great grievance by requiring every pupil who wanted to be at the stove to sit down and keep quiet. If any one whispered or made any noise I would immediately send him to his seat, and require him to stay there until school was called to order. Besides if the teacher has no restriction on going to the stove, some pupils will constantly be running out at intermission or recess, and will then want to stand or sit near the stove. Others will stay out till school is called and will then want to get near the fire. The teacher should exercise his judgment, and unless necessity required, send the pupil to his seat. Another great annoyance resulting from the neces- sities of the school-room, is having the pupils in the 138 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. school-room at intermission and recess and when school is not in session. I remedy this by requiring all pupils who want to remain in the room, to keep their seats while they are in the room. And to avoid run- ning in and out, I permit them to go out but once. If the teacher does not adopt the plan of keeping the pupils in their seats during the intermissions as I have recommended he can, when there is too much noise in the room, call them to order, whether the whole time for the intermission has expired or not. -If they yell, and stamp, and halloo as they are dismissed, he ought to call them to order immediately, and require them to take their seats. When he does this he should not to do any thing else than preserve almost perfect silence till the time for recess is passed, and then he ought to begin recitations without any farther recess. If it happens at noon, he ought to keep them quiet in their seats fully fifteen minutes. He ought to call them to order when there is such a large number of pupils making a noise in the room, that he cannot distinguish who is making the most noise. Thus calling them to order will have a very beneficial eifect in pre- DISPOSITION OF MANY ANNOYANCES. 139 venting noise in the room, especially if it is persevered in by the teacher. When they got to making so much noise that I had to call them to order, I would tell them that the school-room is the place for school, not the place for play. Thus keeping the pupils in their seats will have two good tendencies; it will cause those who stay in to be quiet and orderly, and it will cause many to go out at recess who would otherwise stay in the house, if they were there allowed to play and move around. There is another thing of which I will now speak^ which is a great annoyance. Pupils are constantly asking permission to do something, or to get something, or to ask some one something, or to speak to some one about something. I have been in schools in which it seemed that the teacher was there for no other purpose than for the granting or refusing of the requests of the pupils. A pupil will want to borrow a pencil, a knife, a book, a slate, a sponge, a pen, or any one of the many hundred things he thinks he must have. Of course he will be required to get permission of the teacher, because pupils should be required to ask permission to 140 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. do every thing not in the line of their studies. Pupils will conjure up all the questions they can about the lessons, and propound them to the teacher. Now, in order to avoid all this I would adopt every possible plan that it might not be necessary for the pupils to ask so many questions. I would train them to remem- ber where their lessons were and how much they were to take. For those who had been absent, I would give a minute every morning, just after the opening exer- cises, to find out where their lessons were, or T would take so much time myself in telling them. Again I would not allow any one to ask a question while I was hearing a class recite. Nor would I per- mit any questions to be asked which I thought were unnecessary. This is one of the annoyances which will grow to be almost unendurable, unless it is checked. A teacher should, as fiir as possible, attend to all the regulations and little requirements of the school, and never give them into the hands of the pupils, unless it is absolutely necessary. I here refer to attending that the room is in the proper temperature, and not per- mitting the pupils to make fire when they think it DISPOSITION OF MANY ANNOYANCES, 141 ought to be made. The same may be said in regard ta opening the doors and windows of the room, if it is too warm, also in regard to passing the water, as I have already remarked. Nor should the bell be rung by any one except the teacher, or some one under his im- mediate direction. For if the pupils have any privilege of this kind they will be sure to abuse it, unless it is under the superintendence of the teacher. I will here speak of another thing, a thing for which the pupils are not entirely to be blamed, but of which they take the advantage. It is the want of the proper books on the part of the teacher. Many teachers have no books of their own, but must always borrow of the pupils, when they want to look on in hearing the classes. This, I may say is a nuisance, caused by the teacher. Every one who teaches ought to have alj the text books used in the school, ready for use or refer- ence upon his desk or table. There is in nearly every school a mania among some pupils to go after water ; that is if the water used for drinking in the school has to be brought in a bucket. These pupils keep a watch upon the bucket until it 142 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT, is half empty, and then they ask the teacher for per- mission to bring a bucketfull. This, like every thing else, soon becomes a standing nuisance, at the least encouragement on the part of the teacher. This annoyance is usually caused by a certain class of pupils who will do anything to get out of the school-room, or away from their studies. The teacher should adopt some rules for having water brought. If he does iu">t he will constantly have this inconvenience to contend against. A good plan is to tell those pupils who ask to fetch water, to go after it at recess. This closely followed will soon break up the habit of being annoyed by those who are continually asking permission to bring water. To avoid confusion, and that pupils may not make unnecessary noise in calling a class to the recitation, I would do so by number, or in some systematic way, so that pupils could not take advantage of the noise, which will necessarily then be made, to make more noise. When I desired a class to come out, I would number "one," at which I would have the class rise up in their places, not allowing them to advance any. DISPOSITION OF MANY ANNOYANCES. 143 When I numbered "two," I would have them start from their seats to their places at the recitation seat, not allowing any one to crowd or step before another, but each walking lightly in his or her own place in the line to the recitation seat. When all were at their places, I would number "three.'' at which I would have them sit down upon the seat. Some teach- ers, instead of numbering, prefer tapping a bell. This does very well, but is not so handy. If the class were a large one. I would call them out by sections or divisions, perhaps making the girls one section and the boys another. If the class were a very large one. I would call them out by tiers of seats. If there were five tiers of seats across the room, I would make five divisions, each consisting of those pupils who occupied the same tier of seats. I would dismiss the class in the same way that I called them out. In a Mental iVrithmetic class, or any class which recites without books, I would have the members of the class sit erect and fold their arms. While asking questions, or in a reading class, while pronouncing the words intended to be spelled, if the class spelled orally 144 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. I would do the same. The propriety of doing this is evident. In the first place, it is better for the pupil's physical body ; in the second, it makes the class look better ; in the third place, those in the class will not be so likely to get into such bad habits as sitting in improper positions, putting their fingers in their mouths, or playing with the buttons on their clothes, their hair, the flounces on their dresses, or the marbles or other playthings which they may have in their pockets. Be- sides it will keep them from playing little tricks upon each other while in the class. For some pupils can scarcely resist the temptation to pinch a fellow pupil, or otherwise to tease him when a good chance presents itself The members of the class when deprived of all tendencies to distract the attention, pay better attention to the recitation. When pupils know that they have no chance to do anything, except that which they ought to do, they will willingly do that. I have said before that the removal of temptation will prevent many from becoming tricky or mischievous. If a pupil is careless or inattentive in the class during DISPOSITION OF MANY ANNOYANC'ES. 145 the recitation, the teacher ought to call upon him to recite immediately, even though another pupil is in the midst of a train of thought. There is this benefit result- ing from calling upon them promiscuously, that they being in constant expectation of being called upon, will pay much better attention. If they are called upon to recite as their names stand upon the roll, or as they stiind or are seated in the class, they will soon learn the order in which they recite, and many will always be more or less inattentive, until they think their turn has nearly come. The teacher should always manage his recitations so that he can, as far as possible, prevent disorder, inatten- tion and confusion. Besides if the plan of calling upon the pupils in recitation be known before hand, many will only study the part they expect to recite, and will then have more time to annoy the teacher, be- cause they will be idle longer than if they knew they must get the whole lesson. As you have a place for every one in the class, so you should also have a place for every one at the blackboard. In general, pupils should be assigned to 146 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. places at the board as they sit or stand in the class while reciting. This ought especially to be done in the Arithmetic classes, and may be done in any class which uses the blackboard during recitation. Thus giving each pupil a place has many advantages. It will prevent any disputes for favorite places, it will also reduce the amount of confusion when a whole class is sent to the board. For each pupil will know exactly where to go. It may also prevent crowding and pushing, and some times hard feelings between pupils, for which the teacher will be held responsible. No pupil ought to be changed from one place to another during the term without good reason. One of the greatest annoyances that many teachers permit, is the boisterous manner in which they allow their pupils to come in when school is called. Some allow them to come whooping and hallooing ; others allow them to crowd, and jam, and push each other, sometimes almost running over the little ones, and often hurting some of them ; and still others allow them to straggle in for five or ten minutes after the bell has been runo-. I will first recommend that the first bell DISPOSITION OF MANY ANNOYANCES. 147 ought to be rung half an hour before school begins, that the pupils may know what time to be upon the school grounds. The teacher ought to train his pupils so that the moment the second bell rings, or at the first tap of the bell to call school, that they will stop playing and go in. [f the teacher does not require the pupils who are in the house to be in their seats during the intermission, as was recommended when speaking of the methods of preventing noise in the school-room during inter- missions, it will be well before the teacher rings the bell to take up school, to recjuire all who are in the room to take their seats. This he can do by some signal which they will all understand, or by merely telling them the bell is now going to be rung, and that they must take their seats. Then when those come in who are out doors, all who were in the room will already be <{uiet in their places. This avoids a great deal of noise and confusion, especially as some who are in the house almost always want to run out, when they see that the bell is about to be rung. When the teacher rings the bell to call in those who 148 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. are on the playground, he should go to the door and superintend their coming in. If he does not, there will soon be some who will not come in as they should, or they will not come in until it suits them, or until they think it prudent. I have several times, even in the country, adopted the plan which many town schools have resort- ed to, of requiring the pupils to fall into a straight line, or into two lines in front of the door at the first tap of the bell, and then in a minute tap the bell again, as a signal for them to march in. This, in my opinion, is the best plan, as it saves time and avoids confusion. After calling school the teacher ought to procure perfect order before beginning any exercises or recita- tions. In dismissing pupils, I would first recjuire them all to get ready to be dismissed, and then dismiss them by sections or classes. It ought to be so done that <)?ie section or class should all be out of the door before another section or class is dismissed. I believe I would sometimes dismiss one section first and at other times a different one. If any pupils, while being dismissed, step before others or attempt to go out before their time comes. DISPOSITION OF xMANY ANNOYANCES. 149 they ought to be sent back to their seats, and not be dismissed until all the other pupils are out of the room. If the same pupils persist in doing so more than two or three times, the teacher ought to inflict some other punishment, or keep the pupil longer. I have, how- ever, found that perseverance in retaining these pupils who thus offend until all the others have passed out, or a little longer, will have the desired effect. I have fre- quently told such pupils that they were in too much of a hurry, and that they might now wait until I went. If I told them that I would retain them five minutes or longer, I always made them wait as long as I told them I would and no longer, but dismissed them exactly at the time I said I would. After being thus detained two or three times these pupils will generally be very careful and will afterwards not be in such a hurry. Those who thus show that they want to be out as quickly as they can, are the ones who will be most punished by being kept in. By the very act of hurry- ing out they show that they are greatly affected by the restraints of the school-room. This at once shows the 150 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. teacher what punishment mo.st aiFects them. He should not be slow to take advantage of it. The teacher must remember that ii' he allows him- self to be bothered a few times by any little thiiig, he may be sure that he will soon be often bothered by that same thing. For instance, a teacher allows his pupils to ask questions about anything, they will soon ask questions about every thing. Now, although I always like for pupils to ask questions about proper subjects at proper times, yet T think a teacher should be careful not to let this privilege degenerate or become an annoyance. Never allow your pupils to talk to you or ask you questions while the pupils are coming in when the bell has been rung to call them in from their play, to their work, or while a class is going to or coming from their seats to the recitation. You do not then want to attend to any thing else than the way and manner in which the pupils of the class are coming out to the recitation seat or retiring from it. Your whole atten- tion should be so given to avoiding confusion while the class is thus upon the floor, that you cannot attend to DISPOSITION OF MANY ANNOYANCES. 151 any questions of the pupils. Besides, pupils when they find that your attention can then be diverted, will lay plans to do so. If any one asks a question before the pupils are quietly seated in their places, either tell him to wait till all is quiet or pay no attention to his question until all is quiet. Very few refusals to grant the pupils' requests, or answer their questions, will settle this matter so that the pupils will not then ask questions. In fact the teacher ought never to allow himself to be annoyed with questions while he is busy with anything^ whether it is superintending the coming in, or hearing a class recite^ or making an explanation of a problem, or solving it. I have been in some schools, where as soon as the bell is rung to call the pupils in, a half dozen would run up to the teacher and ask to go after water, or to be excused, or some other thing which can jnst as well be done at some other time, while others seeing that the teacher's attention was drawn from his proper duty, would come pushing, running, crowding, jamming in as they see they can make the most noise. Do every thing that you can to avoid confusion. 152 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. Adopt every plan possible to prevent annoyance. It so much lightens the teacher's labors, besides it contri- butes to the success, progress and reputation of the school, to have all things done systematically and to have the pupils understand that they are to be done so, both by the teacher and the pupils. Every teacher ought to make it a study how to prevent any acts which ought not to be done in school, and the repetition of any acts which are not positively annoying, but which may become so so by being re- peated. Every teacher of experience knows that whenever any thing has been going on for some time, even if it does not grow worse, will take much time, energy and perseverance to break it up. A very bad habit, as well as one of long continuance, requires an extraordinary remedy. No teacher ought to allow any evil to become a habit. A teacher who is careful to prevent any little annoy- ing acts will not so often have his attention drawn from hearing his classes. This is a very important item. For it seems to me that there is nothing so supremely iinnoying to a teacher as every half minute to be com- DISPOSITION OF MANY ANNOYANCES. 153 pelled to call some one to order, or to administer some reproof for some little unbecoming act. A teacher who thus constantly allows his pupils to bother him never has a moment of time which he can devote exclusively to a recitation or exercise. He cannot listen to a pupil who is reading, or parsing, or explaining how he solved a problem, and on that account cannot tell whether the pupil who is reciting is right or wrong. His attention passes from his duty to the class, to the conduct of the pupils and back again, really not resting thoughtfully upon either, and consequently is thoroughly devoted to neither. If a teacher is careful to have every lesson well recited, that is, if he does not let his pupils pass over a lesson or recitation just as if he wanted to get rid of it as quickl}^ as possible, they will think that he will carry the same trait of character into matters of govern- ment, and that he will be just as particular in regard to their conduct not to let any irregularity or impro- priety pass without the proper attention. Some teachers hurry carelessly through every lesson, permit- ting all manner of mistakes to pass unnoticed, as well 154 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. 'Afi treating the subject very lightly. This, I may say, has its influence upon the conduct of the pupils, and begets in their minds an idea that the teacher has the same method of doing things in the matter of govern- ment. They will judge that he is in one thing as he is in the other. For example, if a teacher is particular in requiring his pupils during a writing exercise, to sit properly and to hold their pens as they should, it will cause them to think that he will be particular in other respects. They will continue to think so until their experience tells them that he is not so. Strictness in one thing will have its effects in every- thing else; so looseness in one thing will have its effect in everything. Consequently strictness in several particulars will be sensibly felt throughout all the details of school affairs with which the teacher has any thing to do ; while on the other hand, looseness in a few matters will be just as sensibly recognized in every thing done in the school. Therefore if a teacher is careful in most of the doings of his pupils, they will give him the reputation of being so in nearly all. But if he is careless in most, he will get the unenviable reputation of being careless in all. DiSroSITION OF 3JANY ANNOYANCES. 155 If lie acts ill a certain way to-day they will naturally suppose that he will act the same way to-morrow, and also in greater or less degree every day. If he is care- ful ill a few matters, they will think that he will be so- in others; just so it is if he is careless or lazy. So we may come to the conclusion that if a teacher is thorough and searching in the examination of his pupils in their studies when they recite, he will, in a higher or lower degree, be so in regard to the govern- ment of his school. If there is anything in the school-room, or any of its surroundings, which is the source of continual an- noyance, disturbance, or confusion, it should, if possible, be removed. A blubber in a window glass, a spot on the wall, a paper-ball sticking to the ceiling, and many other such things have fallen under my observation as objects which cause mirth, or at least draw the atten- tion of the pupils away from their studies or exercises. I have also known a dusting brush to be a fruitful source of a certain kind of annoyance. The pupils formed the habit of running for it every time they saw a speck of dirt or dust upon their books, their seats or 156 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. their desks, whether the dirt or dust was caused by themselves or not. The natural inference of teachers of experience would be that most pupils go for the brush merely to have something to do, to get out of their seats, or to have an excuse so be upon the floor. If the teacher prevents confusion engendered by such things as we have to-day enumerated for a few weeks, at the beginning of his school, he will thereafter very rarely be annoyed by them. Woe unto him who does not ! For he will be annoyed by all these and by others which the pupils will invent for the sole purpose of gratifying themselves by annoying the teacher. LECTURE XL THE TEACHERS OWN CONDrCT. In our talk to-day I want to speak of some matters which the teacher can turn to advantage in the man- agement of his school, but which many teachers either do not think of or entirely neglect. As the teacher is the model for the pupils in the school room, so to a great degree he is out of the school room. If he smokes he cannot enforce his precepts to be free from all vice. His example contradicts his theory. It is the same if he chews or uses profane language, or has any other bad habit. Every bad habit is a vice. I will here single out one vice to which many teach- ers are addicted as having perhaps a more pernicious influence than any other. I refer to the vice of loaf- ing. The teacher who loafs contradicts the very idea of school by the incentive to idleness which his exam- ple creates. 3Iany of the pupils of our schools have without this incentive more ambition to become loafers 158 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. than they have to become scholars. 80 if their teacher is addicted to this habit they will very readily fall into it, and when admonished or upbraided for it by their par- ents or friends, will point to their teacher and say "the teacher loafs.'" Now teachers, do you want to be pointed to as an example of a loafer? Some teachers claim that it makes no difference with a good teacher whether he is guilty of these little things or not. because he is getting along well any way, and needs not his example to enforce or maintain the proper order in his school. The better the teacher, the worse the example. A good teacher is looked up to and is referred to, and his pupils often wish in many things to do as he does ; they want to become like him ; therefore they will imitate him in his actions, manners and habits, regardless of whether they are the best or not. Make it a point always to observe the strictest punctu- ality in everything, and give your pupils to understand that you expect them to do the same. Causing pupils to do this, may, in a school which has been loosely governed, create some dissatisfaction at first but you THE teacher's OWN CONDl'CT. 159 will be liked all the better afterwards. It is very bad policy in school to do one thing yourself and reciuire your pupils to do another. Do one thing at a time and do not let anything (un- less it is something extraordinary) cause you to vary from this rule. You cannot call your school to order, hear a class recite and reprove a pupil at the same time. Teachers not only sacrifice system but confuse the minds of their pupils, by endeavoring to do too many things at once. The teacher himself as well as his pupils, ought to acquire the habit of doing what is properly before him at any given time. Then let him lay down these rules for his own guidance as well as for the guidance of his pupils, that there is a time for everything and that everything must be done in its time. 3Iany pupils acquire bad habits in school which cling to them during their whole lives, and this want- ing to do too many things at the same time is one of the worst. Teachers ought now and then to speak of these mat- ters to their pupils. Sometimes a few remarks inci- dentally spoken upon a subject of this kind, is seed loo SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. sown upon good ground. As I have before hinted, re- marks of this kind can do no harm, even if they do no good. I may here add by way of encouragement to you all, to become good teachers that whatever a suc- cessful teacher says will have great weight not only with the pupils but with all with whom they associate. While on the other hand the remarks of an unsuccess- ful teacher will be scorned, will be laughed at, and will be reported as the folly of a foolish teacher. Moreover, the parents and friends of the pupils will comment un- favorably upon what the unsuccessful teacher has said. We all know that what one man may say will be re- garded as witty or sharp, while if some other person says exactly the same thing, it is regarded as foolish and weak. The intelligent, the knowing teacher will know what to say, when to say it, and how to say it. Be careful about little things and greater things will take care of themselves. Little things in the school room after awhile become big things. The vices of school are like weeds, they grow ; and like weeds too they choke out and smother whatever good there may be. I mean by attention to little things, that if a THE TEACHERS OWN CONDUCT. 161 teacher is strict and suppresses, or does not allow the lesser school vices, such as whispering and heavy walk- ing over the floor, he will have but little trouble with the greater ones, such as fighting on the playgrounds, or open insubordination in the school room. The pu- pils knowing that he is very rigid in little matters, will regard it as a matter of course, that he will be strict in proportion to the enormity of the crime. For instance let a teacher be very careful not to allow any whisper- ing during school hours, nor any loud or boisterous talking or laughing in the house during intermission, his pupils all knowing this, will naturally be led to think that if he is so particular about such little things he certainly will be more so about things which they themselves know are much more enormous. One little thing which I have found so frequent in many schools, I must speak of in this place, and that is pouting. Never allow any pouting. This is one of the things for Which I would punish a pupil for the first olfense. For every child who is old enough to go to school, knows or ought to know, that it ought to do what is required of it and that promptly too, which 162 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. none who are in the habit of pouting can do. I think it one of the worst habits a child can get into, when- ever it does not get what it wants, or is not allowed to do as it pleases, to become sullen, turn around in its seat with its head down, or if it is at home go into a corner with its eyes hidden with its arms. Sometimes mild means may be best, but it always seems to me that for the offense of pouting, vigorous measures are the best means that can be employed to secure the de- sired end, and to bring a child to a proper sense of its duty. For if a child learns that you are going to coax it or use mild means, it will pout so much the longer and the oftener. It seems to me that children pout for the purpose of being coaxed. So, that at times, if one only lets them alone, they will assume their proper place, and do their ,duty in the school room. I may remark here that any child which will pout has been very much spoiled. It may seem a little thing to say that the teacher's example has a great influence in the school room. If, however, he does everything quietly, it will be much TIIK TEACUER'8 own CONDI OT. 1()3 easier for him to get liiw pupils to do (quietly wliat they have to do. If he talks loudly they will do the same. If he walks heavily over the floor, they will conclude that they have a right to do so. If he slams the door of the room and the lids of the desk they will naturally think they can do so. If the teacher throws books or slates from one desk to another his pupils will not wait long until they will do the same. Noise begets noise. So if the teacher is noisy the pupils will be noisy. There is another fault on the part of the teacher which I must here allude to. that of talking, reading and pronouncing words in such a high key and with such force that his voice can be heard over half the district, when the windows and doors happen to be open. Besides if the teacher reads or talks in such a high key the pupils will do .so. I think that this pitching the voice so high results mainly from the noise in the room. For if everything in the room is quiet the teacher and the pupils too can be heard without such a pitch and so much force, but if there is a great noise the teacher and pupils must 164 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. talk loudly that they may be heard. In this you may yee an additional reason for keeping a quiet school, which is that you and your pupils may not get into the habit of talking so loudly. Again I will say that the teacher is the great exam- ple, he is the moral after which the pupils pattern. If a teacher is slow about everything, the pupils will be slow. If the teacher is slow in dismissing when the time has come to dismiss, the pupils will be slow in coming in when the bell rings to call them in. Ff the teacher is slow in calling out and excusing classes, his classes will be slow and sluggish in their recitations. On the other hand if he is prompt, it is a great incen- tive to make his pupils prompt. No scare will long affect a school. When its influ- ence has once died out the pupils will be worse than if no such means had been resorted to. When a teacher who has several times tried to scare his pupils says any- thing, though it may not be intended for a scare, the pupils will say among themselves, "Oh ! that is just the way he talked before and he didn't carry it out." After a scare has been tried a time or two, the pupils THE teacher's OWN CONDICT. 1(15 will say, '-We don't care a cent for that, he wont en- force it." I have even heard pupils say so within hearing of the teacher. This was. however, in a very badly regulated school. For instance, a teacher tells a pupil to stay in at recess, he ought not to say so to scare the pupil into submission or quietness, but ought to keep him in and ought not to excuse him from stay- ing after five or ten minutes of the recess have passed, but ought to keep him in the whole recess. A scare is at best a doubtful measure. I may here add that doubtful measures should rarely, if ever, be resorted to to govern a school. Any teacher who supposes that any outside influen- ces will affect his school for the better will find him- self sadly mistaken. I have known teachers who have told their pupils that if -Any misbehaved their names would be handed to the school board, to be dealt with as the board saw fit. This may have been done only for a scare. Even if it is not done for that purpose, outside pressure will do but little good. It may be beneficial for a day or two but not much longer. And when the reaction comes the pupils will take advantage 166 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. of it and be so much harder to control. The pupils must know that there is an ever present, ever active, ever watchful power governing them. Very few pupils in school will be in any way. much influenced for any length of time in their conduct, ex- cept by that which they know is immediate and cer- tain. A teacher is doing himself harm by any such arrangements ; he is weakening his own influence ; he is undermining his own power ; he is also destroying whatever respect his pupils may have for him. No satisfactory arrangement can be made in school matters by which the pupils can be made to obey a power be- hind the teacher. We will now transfer our attention to another matter. A teacher who makes his pupils do what he tells them to do will seldom have any trouble in having them to do as he wishes. In fact a teacher will only occasion- ally have any trouble, if he requires implicit and abso- lute obedience. But one who does not, will need to tell his pupils again and again, even then when obedi- ence is given it will only be half-way obeying. There are many teachers who ruin their authority in this way. THE teacher's OWN CONDUCT. 167 80 we may come to the emphatic conclusion that when a teacher tells a pupil to do anything he ought to make him do it without any if s or and's, or hut's. If a teacher tells any of his pupils to do anything and has any doubt whatever, whether they will do it or not, it then becomes his duty to see to it that it is done. Otherwise a teacher ought never to tell a pupil to do anything. A teacher or a parent either, would much better not tell a child to do anything, than to tell it to do something and let it do it or not as it pleases. The child will soon learn that it can obey or not, and will of course follow its own inclinations. When children once get into the habit of doing as they like about such matters, it is much more difficult to correct the habit than it is to train the child properly in the first place. Besides by not doing what the par- ent or teacher tells the child to do is disobedience, wilful disobedience. And we may say that there is no habit so bad in a young person, or even in a little child as the habitual disobedience of parents and teachers. When a teacher tells a pupil to do anything, he ought not only to be very careful to see that it is done, but also that it is done as he has told the pupil to dO' 168 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. it. Often pupils when told to do anything, delay or do not do it as the teacher wants it done. Everything that the teacher requires of a pupil ought to be done properly, neatly and promptly. If the teacher does not attend to the proper execution of anything he re- quires, the pupils will very soon lose respect for what he says. If for no other reason, you ought then, in order to retain the respect of your pupils, and to pre- serve your authority over them, make them do what you have told them to do as you have told them to do it. True it is, that a teacher may sometimes tell pupils to do some things he would not tell them if he knew all the circumstances connected with it. Then if the teacher learns those circumstances, be they either those connected with the pupil or the thing to be done, it will be proper and prudent to modify his demands ac- cordingly. Here again, you can all see the necessity of the teacher's considering well everything in refer- ence to any act or demand which he makes of his pu- pils. It has been said that it is better to err on the side of Mercy than on the side of Justice. This may THE TEACHER S OWN CONDUCT. 169 be true : but Mercy is often sacrificed in the very act of erring in her favor. In the time that remains for this lecture, I want to call your attention to another matter. I find that our lectures on this subject must close sooner than I ex- pected. So in order to treat of as many topics as pos- sible. I have resolved to crowd my thoughts on three or four different subjects into one lecture. If I could not remember well I would get me a little book, such as a pocket memorandum, in which I would note down anything I did not want to forget. Many times there are things we want to do at some future time, but for want of memory, forget them until it is too late. If we have some note or memorandum of them we are not so likely to forget them, even if we do not refer to our notes, the mere act of writing them down seeming to fasten them on our memory. For instance, a boy has a poor lesson on Friday, if I say to him I want him to get it better on Monday when I will call upon him again, I would note it down upon a slip of paper or in my memorandum book, because otherwise I would forget it. 170 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. It would certainly be much better to remember it if I could do 80. Merely a word or two of notes, or the name of the pupil, would suffice to call my attention to it when in looking over my memorandum, my eye caught the writing. Of course I would not let my pu- pils know that I had any such note or memorandum. By doing this every pupil will soon learn that when you say that anything must be done in the future, that you do not forget it, but that you will remember it, however long a time may intervene, and will require it or enforce it as the case may be. They will also learn that when you tell them to do anything tomorrow or next day or next week, that they will certainly be called upon to do it. Every person whether a teacher or not, ought to overcome his short comings and weaknesses. Espe- cially ought we as teachers, to get rid of all our vices and bad habits. Every one who intends to teach may be sure that his faults will be made prominent by the necessities of the school room. His temper will be tried, his energy exhausted, his patience worn out, his perseverance sorely taxed, and even the fire of his en- THE teacher's OWN CONDUCT. 171 thusiasm burnt out. Many times will he be at his wits end for some expedient to control his school, either to curb a growing evil, to restrain a naughty pupil, or to counteract the tendency of some to insubordination. The teacher should never betray his feelings what- ever they may be; he should not let his pupils know that he is ever vexed or perplexed. He should at all times and under all circumstances, preserve a heroic stoicism. He should always seem to his pupils to be ready for any and every emergency which may arise. Many teachers ruin their schools by their own folly in rendering themselves incompetent to govern them. I here refer to a physical as well as an intellectual in- competency. By staying up late at night and thus de- priving themselves of the necessary amount of sleep, many teachers render themselves unable to manage their schools properly. There is no profession, busi- ness or trade, which requires as much sleep as the teacher's, because his mind is upon a constant strain more hours than any other's. One or two nights' loss of sleep will make a teacher unfit to discharge his school duties for a week and sometimes more. His 172 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. whole system is deranged by this irregularity, and it takes it some time to resume the proper condition. Many teachers are so gluttonous that they will now and then render themselves unfit to perform their du- ties for a whole day because of the overcrowded condi- tion of their stomachs. Others again by violent exer- cise for an hour or two in the morning, or a few min- utes at recess or noon, are too much fatigued to devote the proper attention to their schools. I here tell you and I wish I could make it ten times as emphatic, that a teacher should be regular in his habits. There is no other profession which gives such abundant opportuni- ties for thorough system in everything. His duties are all marked out for regular hours. He then opught to take the hint to eat; sleep and do all other things at regular and seasonable hours. A teacher should all the time be of one disposition. Not sometimes lenient, and at others rigid and exacting. He should so act, and so give his pupils to understand, that if they violated any rule that punishment was sure. Sometimes some teachers punish for the infrac- tion of a rule, at other times they will not for a viola- THE teacher's OWN CONDUCT. 175 tion of the same rule. I think it must be much owing to the temper they are in at the time. This leads pu- pils to think that they may sometimes violate the rules and escape punishment. The teacher should always act as he has all along been acting, so that his pupils may know in any case just what may be expected. Those countries whose laws sometimes dispense justice and sometimes not, can scarcely be called civilized. So the teacher who at times is just and humane and at other times unjust and despotic, sometimes vigilant and active, and at others careless and lazy, may certainly be classed among the lesser lights of his profession. If he willfully and knowingly permits an act at one time, he should do so at all other times. For instance he permits a pupil to leave his seat or to go out without permission once, he should continue to do so unless he calls the attention of the whole school to the matter and then and there tells all his pupils that he does not want any of them to do so. Then he must see that this is enforced. When a teacher hears or sees a pupil do something which ought not to be done, he should, at the earliest 174 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. possible moment thereafter, take measures or adopt some means to suppress it or at least to prevent its repetition. On account of the natural disposition of human beings to procrastinate and put oiF unpleasant duties, this will be one of the most difficult tasks. LECTURE XI I. HOW TEACHERS SHOULD TALK. Some teachers do not seem to know how they should talk to their pupils, nor what effect the different modes of speaking to them may have upon them, I shall to- day devote a part of our time to giving you a few hints on the manner in which teachers should speak to their pupils. In speaking to my pupils I would do it kind- ly, but in such a tone and in such a manner that my pupils would understand that I meant exactly what I said. There may be some trouble to get your pupils to understand you at the beginning of a term, especial- ly if you are successor to one who has not been so careful in his language and manner. Yet as I have said before, perseverance will accomplish almost any- thing in the school room in the matter of keeping- order. 176 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. When a teacher speaks to his pupils he should speak in such a way that they cannot think otherwise than that he is talking to them to do them good ; that he is trying to make them better scholars or better men and women. He should never speak to them as if he were impatient or disgusted with them. If he does he may be sure that it will in some way reacfe upon him. When a teacher is talking to his pupils he should observe the effect it has upon them. If at any time he sees that his efforts fall like seed upon barren ground, he should cease talking, but if he sees that the pupils are listening attentively, he will know that he is doing good and may go on. Pupils are always anxious to hear what any one whom they respect has to say, if it is properly said at the right time. A teacher should never talk long. Nor should he go over and over again the same things without putting his thoughts in differ- ent language or his ideas into different attitudes. Never tell your pupils more than once to do any- thing. Be sure to speak in language that they will understand. If they do not then comply with your re- quirements, punish them or deprive them of some priv- HOW TEACHERS SHOULD TALK. 177 ilege as the nature of the offense may require, so that they will wish that they would have done as you told them to do. All that any teacher wants is that the pupils understand that he will not speak to them more than once. If a teacher once gets into the habit of speaking twice to his pupils they will think that he will speak three or four times or oftener. Then they will begin to hesitate when he tells them to do anything and will soon begin to despise his requests, disregard his commands, and laugh at his threats. If the teach- er must resort to compulsory measures he might as well do so after telling his pupils once as by telling them oftener. If he is very careful to carry out what he says he will not often need to resort to harsh measures. On the other hand if he often says that the pupils must behave better or he will have to resort to severe pun- ishment, they will not obey and will soon learn to mock what he says. It may be asked what will you do if the pupil does not do as you want him to do after you have told him once? I will just answer this by asking another ques- 178 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. tion. What will you do if you tell a pupil twenty times and he still refuses to do as you tell him ? Then I would answer, do just what you would do if you had told him a dozen times. In fact you can more readily overcome your pupils in the way that you want to over- come them, by making them do as you want them to do after telling them just once, than if you tell them time and again. Pupils must understand that words will be backed by something else if it becomes neces- sary. If you wish a favor done use some such phrase as "Please," or "Will you please be so kind" or "Will you oblige me by doing this or that." It must be a very heathenish pupil indeed who would disregard the teacher's wishes thus politely expressed. Again I may say for your encouragement to become good teachers, that pupils always are anxious to do a favor for a teach- er who is considered successful, while they are a little wary of doing favors for one who is a failure. When you say anything mean it. Do not heedless- ly speak out that you will do this or that, or something else if a certain pupil does not do better, or if the whole HOW TEACHERS SHOULD TALK. 179 school does not behave better. Nothing can have such a bad effect upon a school as for the teacher to say upon the commission of every little oifense, "If you do not do better I will have to whip you." Thus constantly speaking of inflicting punishment without doing so, has a ruinous effect upon the teacher's authority. I was once visiting a school, where two pupils had been at the bucket drinking for sometime, and then went to the stove and warmed and then again to the bucket. The teacher who noticed their movements, very impatiently cried out in a harsh voice, "When you get thawed out and filled up inside, take your seats." I was much surprised at such an outburst of passion, more at the manner than at the words, because the teacher was a minister of the gospel. After having listened to these lectures for the past two weeks, you all, perhaps, know that such an occurrence would not be very likely to take place in my school, and if it should take place you can perhaps imagine what I would have done. When I had made my arrangements and told the pupils what I wanted, what I expected and what I would exact from them, I would attach 180 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. 8ome penalty, however slight the offense, to every act which I had forbidden. It is preferable to saying, -'I will punish you if you do so again.'' A teacher ought to be very careful what he says. In fact he ought not to say anything without mature deliberation. Especially ought a teacher never to say anything for effect. For this is like a scare, after a (lay or two the effect will be just the opposite from what he intended. Everything strange, extraordinary, or anything out of the ordinary language of the teacher, will be reported at home and will be commented on by the parents, brothers, sisters, and associates and com- panions of the pupils. You cannot be too careful how you speak to them. Never bandy words with them. 8ome teachers will dispute with a pupil for half an hour in the pres- ence of the whole school. This, besides being entirely unprofitable, is also ruinous to the teacher's authority. As every one knows, who knows anything about schools, that the sympathies of the pupils are very rarely for the teacher, but are nearly always for their fellow- pu- pils. ^0 in a dispute between the teacher and a pupil, HOW TEACHERS SHOTLD TALK, 181 (or we might say in the quarrel), the pupils nearly al- ways side with the pupil. Besides, this wrangle be- tween the teacher and a pupil nearly always has the opposite effect from that intended by the teacher ; in- stead of strengthening his authority it weakens it. In speaking to them be sure that you are right and let them know by your manner, your words, and your tone that you think so. Do not let them have the opportunity of contradicting you. You will find it a safer plan if you want to argue a point with a pupil to take him aside after dismission and there argue it with him privately. A teacher should never make any command which he does not expect to be obeyed. Indeed he should use force if necessary, to compel the doing of whatever he may command. He ought not, however, to com- mand for the mere sake of being obeyed, but only when it is absolutely necessary for the legitimate good of the school. I may here say, parenthetically, that one can- not be to too careful in carrying out what he commands or requires. For pupils very readily learn that a teach- er will now and then be irresolute if he really is so. 182 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. If you do not carry out what you tell to tlie school, your pupils will very soon learn to disregard your com- mands ; there is then but a step to deriding them. If a teacher tells his school that he is going to do a thing, he ought to do it, it makes no difference what it is, whether it is a promise to them or the enforcement of a rule or regulation. Therefore he ought never to make any threats. Threats are generally made in ex- citement, intended only as an intimidation for the time, and are very rarely enforced. P]very one should try to keep from getting excited in the school room in re- gard to school affairs; but should remain cool and calm whatever be the circumstances. Nor ought a teacher to make any rash promise which he is not sure that he can fulfill. Never scold. If your pupils do not do as they ought, it is greatly your own fault. Simply tell them what you want them to do or not to do. Then if they do not do what you have told them, make them do it. Scolding only betrays that you are out of humor and pupils will often think that you do not know what else to do. Besides scolding does no good. In fact it does harm. HOW TEACHERS SHOULD TALK. 183 When you are talking to a pupil look right at him, and do not put on such an appearance as though you were afraid or ashamed to talk to him, or as though you were guilty of some mean act in doing so. Some teachers say they cannot help it, they sometimes hate to talk to some pupils about some things. I say get over this as quickly as possible ; you will never make efficient teachers until you do. Where it is necessary to talk to pupils do what you think you ought to do without giving yourself time to think how you will feel. The more time you take for any matter that you do not like to do the worse you will dislike to do it. Besides the effect will not be so good. Again, never try to come at matters in a round about way. Sometimes teachers, to prevent whispering, say, "I hear some one whispering. Who is it?" and then put themselves into an attitude as though they were listening. This may prevent whispering for a very short time but I think it bad policy. The teacher should speak directly to the pupil, "John, I hear you whispering," and then go on and do whatever he thinks will cause John, as well as others, to quit that vice in 184 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. school. Teachers will all sooner or later, learn that it never does much good, thus to beat matters about the bush. "Drive directly at the point," would be a good motto for teachers. Every one who has taught has noticed that some pupils when spoken to by the teacher, seem to be very much offended and assume a very injured air, presum- ing that it is a mean insult to them that he should even think that they could be guilty of such a thing as he has spoken to them about. They seem to think that it is preposterous that any one should at all suppose that they are or even could be guilty of any impropriety. This is very often only the means they have of trying to cause the teacher to believe that they never do such things. What such pupils want is to relieve themselves of all suspicion. Special atten- tion ought to be given to pupils who manifest such an injured air when the teacher says anything to them. Though they seem to be so much wronged because they are suspected, they are often the very ones who are the originators of mischief or trouble. They put on this injured air that they may cause the teacher to HOW TEACHERS SHOILD TALK. 185 think that they are not the ones who are concerned in such affairs. If a pupil once finds that he can thus ^'come it over the teacher,' (as they say) he will try it often. Such pupils will even reply to the teacher in an inquiring manner, "Do you suppose that I would do any such an insignificant thing?'" Never make any reflections on any of your predeces- sors, however unsuccessful they may have been. For you may thereby offend some who have been their friends notwithstanding their ill success. For you all know that almost every teacher, though he may have failed to discipline his school, has some friends just the same as one who has taught a very successful school will have some enemies. Besides, it is unmanly to at- tack a person who has perhaps done his best, and who, being absent, cannot defend himself And then a teacher who makes disparaging remarks about his pre- decessor, is teaching his pupils by his example, the pernicious habit of tattling. Again it is a very little business for a man who is supposed to have enough in- telligence to be a teacher and a leader of public opin- ion, to say things about persons whom perhaps he does 186 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. not know, especially when he knows that his speaking as he does can do no good whatever. We will now change the subject of discourse a little. It will never do to favor any pupil. The teacher will gain more than he will lose by being the same to all his pupils. He will certainly accomplish more good by treating all alike, than by favoring some whom he thinks will not bear a close restriction on account of the wealth, social position of their parents, or for some other reason. He may often think, "Now if I call this pupil to account T will be censured for it."' A teacher may sometimes make enemies, for a time, of some of his pupils or of their parents by a rigid enforcement of his orders, but when they find that he uses other pu- pils the same way and acts without partiality or favor, and from a sense of duty, they scarcely ever fail to be- come his best friends. Teachers very frequently fail in government because they lack the moral courage to withstand what they fear would create a little neigh- borhood gossip. But let me tell you that a teacher will gain more honor and greater popularity by being firm than by pampering to the good graces of the town HOW TEACHERS SHOULD TALK. 187 or district. Even the pupils whom you thus favor will afterwards be harder to govern. They will think that you are afraid of them or that you dare not, for some reason or another, call them to account because of their standing in the community. The sooner a teacher gets such pupils disabused of this idea, the better it will be for both teacher and pupils. Many pupils especially the larger ones are in the habit of asking the teacher to excuse them from their classes or from school for some reason or another, often very frivolous ones too. I will here say that if a teacher makes it a rule never to excuse any one from school or from any one or more of his classes, and adheres rigidly to it, he will find that he will in a short time very rarely be asked to do so. In case of sickness the teacher must of course excuse the pupil, but he should, in some places at least, be very careful that he is not imposed upon. After excusing a pupil because of sickness, he should inquire after his health of the parents, brothers, sisters, friends or neighbors. I have several times thus de- tected pupils who feigned sickness in order to get ex- cused from school. Aside from all the considerations 188 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. we have mentioned, excusing pupils from school or from their cla.sses has a bad effect upon both the school and upon the pupil. You may sometimes think that it will be better to suspend the operation of a rule for this or that pupil or this or that particular instance, but you will soon learn that you will gain more by a firm adherence to the rule. If you relax the sternness (if! may so speak) of a rule for one particular pupil in one instance, you will soon be called upon again by the same pupil to do the same thing again, or to suspend the rule in another respect, or to suspend another rule. Then if you re- fuse you will incur a greater displeasure from that pu- pil than if you had positively refused when the pupil first desired you to favor him. A school may easily be ruined by thus acceding to the wishes of some pu- pil. Besides, when you do this a time or two, it will not be long until partiality will be charged. When that is once charged against a teacher it will be be- lieved by some, however slight the grounds for the charge may be. After this almost every act of the teacher is construed as favoring some pupil or another. . now TEACHERS SHOULD TALK. 189 You must also take into consideration that granting a pupil's request merely because he asks it, is really an unkindness to the pupil instead of a kindness. You will afterwards, almost certainly, be compelled to dis- please this pupil in some respect, and why not do so in the first place and thus preserve your rules intact, have a clear conscience and be free from the charge of parti- ality or favoritism ? You ought further to consider that when any one knows that you do a thing which you ought not to do. merely because he asks it. he forms a worse opinion of you. The teacher ought to talk often with the par- ents and guardians of the children under hi& charge, also with the people of the town or neigh- borhood who have no children. He ought to do this not only that he may cultivate the friendly feelings that ought to exist between the teacher and the parents but also that there may be an interchange of opinions in regard to matters connected with the school. He may thus often learn that some faults have crept into his management of the school, almost uncon- sciously to himself, but which are well known to the 190 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. parents and children. Pupils as you are all aware, are always striving to hide all their faults from the teacher, but many are not so careful to hide them from their parents and brothers and sisters and the people of the town or district. The teacher ought in fact to bring every resource to bear which can in any way contribute -to the success of the school. And this association with persons who do not attend school, will be one source from which he can learn his own faults, and also the vices of his pupils which had escaped his notice. Be independent in your intercourse with the parents of your pupils. Do not assent to everything they say merely because you are afraid they will not like it if you contradict them. You ought of course not to be crusty or snappish, but you must be affable and polite. You uiust be pleased to see the parents and you ought to make them think and feel that you are glad to know them. Be always willing to give them the reasons for anything you have done at school. Very frequently a teacher must appease an enraged parent. Sometimes this is hard to do, but it is best done by a manly bear- ing during the conference. Never try to please every HOW TEACHERS SHOULD TALK. 191 body. As sure as you do you will please nobody and you will become disgusted with yourselves. Do what you think is right; then if you please nobody, you will yourselves at least have a conscious pride that you have done right and can meet every one, and any one of the patrons of the school without shame. Whereas if you try to please everybody, you cannot meet any one with- out a feeling that you may have done something that has not pleased him or her whom you are meeting, and that what you have done, you know yourself was not altogether right. There will often be a conflict between your wishes and your duty ; between your inclinations and your conscience ; the one prompting you to do this, the other telling you that it would not be ri^ht. I may here remark that whatever is expedient in the school room is right. Many young teachers think that they will hurt this ones or that one's feelings by doing- something or omitting something that ought to be done. Let me tell you that a straight forward course is al- ways best for the teacher and for the pupils. Never trv tu smooth a matter over after it is once 192 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. settled. It is much better to leave it when once settled than to try to mend it or apologize for it and by these means bring up the whole matter afresh. When a pupil or any one else finds that you are in anxiety about a mat- ter, instead of being appeased, he will feel that you ought to make some further concession. I would not have said anything about this but some teachers seem to have a constitutional hankering after stirring up old troubles. Avoid making difficulties as much as you can. Some teachers seem to want to make difficulties in order to get the opportunity of overcoming them. It is much better to prevent a difficulty than to dispose of it or settle it after it has arisen. I do not want to be un- derstood that I advocate avoiding the settlement of a difficulty. For I think there is no quality which many of our teachers lack most than the courage to adjust a misunderstanding between teachers and parents or be- tween teachers and pupils. It will not take a young teacher long to learn that on some days schools are much harder to control than on others. Some evenings you will go from the school HOW TEACHERS SHOULD TALK, 193 house delighted with the way in which you have con- ducted matters. Other evenings you will go home dis- gusted with the school and out of humor with yourself. Sometimes the pupils are to blame ; at other times the teacher. Sometimes you will think yourself enthusi- astic and energetic enough to meet almost any difficul- ty : at other times you will find yourself almost ready to give up in despair. You must guard against these times of depression. Some teachers think that, when things do not go well if they could only dismiss a pa*i"t of the school, the rest would not be so troublesome. This is a mistake. For when a part of the pupils are dismissed, those who remain, also want to be dismissed and will become rest- less and inattentive to their studies and recitations, thereby causing more trouble than if none at all had been dismissed. When teachers feel tried or worried and do not feel like hearing classes, it becomes their duty to muster up strength and to summon all their energies to go through with their duties as their duties appear to them. Often we do not feel like doing what we have to do. If we yield to this feeling once, it will 194 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. afterwtiRl? be much harder to overcome. Therefore, when such feelings come over us we should do our ut- most to overcome them. Giving up to them once pre- pares the way to give up again. Do not allow yourself to get low-spirited. If you do. and your pupils find it out. j^ou will have more •difficulty with them because there are always some Avlio want to take every advantage and such are always .aggressive and want to make all the encroachments they can upon the order and system you have adopted. T will here speak* further on a topic to which I have merely alluded. When an aggrieved parent comes to you to talk about a punishment which has been inflict- ed, tell him to wait and to listen to you, and that you will tell him all about it. Then tell him all the facts connected with the matter. In order to do this you may have to go back weeks and even months, to trace the conduct of the pupil who was punished. In many cases such a review w^ill be absolutely necessary that the parent may understand why the pupil was pun- ished. If at any time he interrupts you, tell him to wait until you have told him the whole story and that HOW TEACHERS SHOULD TALK. 195 he may then talk. When you are through ask him if he wants to screen or justify a person who has done as his child has done. If the parent is not inclined to believe what you say, tell him that it is useless to talk farther and then walk away from him, thus leaving him to his own thoughts. If he does not agree with you in any matter, tell him that you are of a different opinion. LECTURE XIII. WHAT THE TKACHER SHOTTLI) STUDY. It behooves the teacher to look down deep into the well of human thought: it behooves him to know if he can the motives by which children are actuated and he ought, as far as is in his power, to know the inmost thoughts and feelings of his pupils. There is no other profession which requires such thorough knowledge of human character. The teacher needs this knowledge both that he may know how to instruct his pupils and that he may know how to govern them. How can a man without a knowledge of human nature expect to govern, control, and manage beings endowed with that nature ? He may do it by brute force. But in order to govern as he should, he must know the desires, the motives and the impulses, which prompt men not only to do evil but also those which prompt men to do good. WHAT THE TEACHER SHOULD STUDY. 197 He ought to know what prompts his pupils to misbe- have in order that he may check it, or if possible, to entirely remove it. Likewise ought he to know what prompts them to behave in order to place before them the proper inducements to do so. Besides a teacher often needs a competent knowledge of human nature when an aggrieved parent or guardian comes to him with some complaint in regard to his child at school. He ought to know when to be calm and mild and when to be rigid and stern. I would like to say something- further on this subject, but cannot do so to-day. Per- haps I may have an opportunity in our next lecture, as the subject is somewhat of a kindred nature to the sub- jects to which I propose to call your attention to-day. Akin to a knowledge of human nature is vigilance on the pai't of the teacher. Without it his school will soon be a bedlam, notwithstanding he may have begun under the most favorable auspices. I will here exclaim in the thoughts, if not the words, of an eminent orator of the Revolution : Be vigilant, be active, be brave, but above all be vigilant. There is a political maxim that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. AVe may 198 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. make a parallel maxim for the teacher of our common schools, that eternal watchfulness is the price of success in disciplining a school properly. The teacher must be careful to thwart any plans to which the pupils re- sort to over-ride or to make his rules and regulations ineifectual. It is often interesting to notice the expedients to which pupils will resort for the purpose of heading off the teacher, (as they say). The teacher will be com- pelled, if he desires to be successful, to exercise con- stant and unremitting vigilance to discover and thwart them in their designs. The pupils will adopt all sorts of plans, and will study up every device ingenuity can invent, to circumvent the teachers plans. They will debate in their own minds and with each oth- er, the feasibility of some plan to get around the con- struction of some rule. The pupils, or many of them, will study much harder at this than they will to get their lessons. Tf the teacher does not exercise care, he will soon find that his pupils have rendered his rules almost useless, or wholly inapplicable to the purpose for which they were made. WHAT THE TEACHER SHOULD STUDY. 199' I will here give an instance of the ingenuity which pupils will exercise, which has fallen within my own? experience as a teacher. I was then teaching the high school in the second story of a large building with five departments of school in it. The pupils got to making too much noise in the halls and entries during the in- termissions. To remedy this, I being the principal, forbade the pupils of my own department, and told all the teachers in the building to forbid any one to be in- the hall, except when passing in when school was called and in passing out when school was dismissed. This caused them to remain in their rooms. There was then quiet in the halls and entries, but the pupils soon became too noisy in the room. (I have reference now only to the high school, because for the government of the pupils in their own rooms. I allowed the teachers tO' make their own rules). When the pupils became too noisy in the room. I told them that all who were in the room at intermis- sion should not be allowed to run to and fro over the floor, or stand at the windows, but should remain in some seat or another. Certain ones always contrived 200 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. to get together, and after a short time, again began making too much noise. So I made a rule that each one should keep his or her own seat whenever he or she was in the room, whether it was before school in the morning, or noon, or at recess. This answered the purpose very well for several weeks. After a time those pupils who always were anxious to be together wanted permission to go into the other rooms for the purpose, they said, of seeing the teachers or pupils there. Of course I could not allow this, as it would undo all I had done to keep them quiet while they were in the building. After failing so far in their schemes, these pupils, at the beginning of cold weather when fire was required, wanted to sit up around the stove, pleading that they wanted to warm. Here the noisy ones again got together and talked and laughed as loud as ever. When I saw that this would not do, I told them or rather made a rule, that none who were out of their own proper seats warming at the stove, should talk or even whisper, while they were there warming. All those who whispered or in any way made the least confusion while there, I sent to WHAT THE TEACHER SHOULD STUDY. 201 his or lier own seat, or put them into some other seat in another part of the room. If they complained that they were cold there, I told them that that was a pun- ishment for disobeying the rules, or that they ought not to have whispered, or that it was their own fault that they were not now sitting nearer the stove. Of course I did not put them where they would actually suffer from cold. This rule served two good purposes. It prevented confusion and noise around the stove, and kept all pupils away from the stove who did not actu- ally need to go there to warm. For you all well know that pupils will not deprive themselves of the privilege of talking during recess or at intermission, unless neces- sity compels them to do so. So none came to the stove unless they really needed to warm themselves. Of course I required them to get permission for this pur- After being thus frustrated in all the plans they had devised, it took them some time to conjure up another to get around these rules. In order to obtain an ad- vantage, the pupils made an excuse that they wanted to get books from the library. The book-case contain- 202 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. ing the library stood out in the hall. The device the pupils adopted was to ask permission to go out at recess or before school to make selections of books. I told them that I had not the keys to the book-case, but that I would get them next day. Having forgotten the keys next day, I was very much annoyed by those who said they wanted to get books. Thus matters went on several days. These pupils seemed very anx- ious to get something to read from the library, and be- came very clamorous for books. I noticed too and thought it very strange, that those who were most eager to get books were those with whom I had had the most trouble in my previous efforts to maintain order and decorum during the times for intermission. When I got the keys, I told the pupils that I had them and that for those who wanted to get books, I would make a rule or two ; first, that I would allow only one out at the library at a time, and that when that one had chosen a book and come in and taken his seat, then another might go out and so on until all who wanted books were supplied, or if they would wait un- til school was out in the evening, as many as wanted WHAT THE TEACHER SHOULD STUDY. 203 books could go out and get them without any restric- tion as to the number of pupils in the hall. I am sorry to say that but one book was taken by those pupils who were so clamorous to get them. The very fact that they did not take any books proves that they were not so anxious to get them, but that they wanted thus to evade the rules made to keep them out of the hall and in their seats. They only wanted to be out in the hall to be away from under the eye of the teacher, to talk, laugh and retail their gossip. It would only have been a few days until they would have made as much noise in the hall as ever. As soon as I announced what would be the rules for getting books, I saw by the looks of these pupils that they were dis- appointed. After this I had no more experiments with these pupils in this direction ; but I have not the least doubt that if school should have lasted two or three months longer, some other expedient would have been resorted to by these pupils, to evade these rules. I could give you many other similar cases which have come to my own knowledge, both while I was a pupil and since I 204 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. have become a teaclier, especially since I have been placed as a superintendent over other teachers. Then, considering all the facts, how important it is to the teacher that he knows the aims, purposes, and designs of his pupils. He should know the incentive as far as he can learn it of every act which his pupils do. It has been said that a teacher should know every- thing that his pupils think. You cannot then, attach too much importance to the study of human nature. I have heard it said, and partly believe it, that one will learn human nature faster by teaching a common school than in any other way. It has also been said that if a man has never felt the workings of a passion in his own heart, he is unable to understand what others may say about it. Accordingly a person who has never been in love cannot fully appreciate what those say who des- cant upon that tender passion. It is equally the case with anger, fear and all the other passions. So it is with a knowledge of school affairs ; a man must experi- ence it before he can fully understand what is said about school teaching. A man may acquire the principles of an art by read- ing or observation, but he can never acquire the art it- WHAT THE TEACHER SHOULD STUDY. 205 self. A student in carpentry may study all the works on the subject that are within his reach, and all the arts and sciences connected with it, yet when he comes to work, he will find he is unskilled in the use of the saw, the augur, and all other tools. In addition to his- theoretical knowledge, he needs practice. So it is with the teacher in regard to his profession. Notwithstand- ing all this, my advice to the teacher would be to read everything that he can get on the subject of teaching. He ought also to visit all the schools he can. Every man can best work by his own plans, yet every teacher can learn something from every other teacher, whether that teacher has had much or little experience or whether he is a good or a poor teacher. He can learn something by visiting a poorly conducted school as well as by visiting a well conducted one. From a good school he can learn what he should adopt, and from a poor one he can learn what he should avoid. He can learn from a young teacher by seeing how dif- ferently things are done by then visiting and contrast- ing them with the experienced methods of an older teacher. But he ought all the time to remember that 206 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. time, work, patience and labor in the school room alone can give him, what he really most needs — experience. A teacher who is disposed to learn can soon acquire much from the transactions which are constantly going on around him. School teaching is a science to be ob- tained by study, and an art to be acquired by practice. We may read ever so much of it but can never attain excellence in the science without studying affairs under our own control in the school room. In fact, in any art, theory is never perfect unless it is accompanied and perfected by practice. I spoke of reading books on the subject. They are not the only things you want to read. You want to read men, to study men. The teacher who has a knowledge of human nature has ten chances of success, where the teacher who has nothing but book knowledge, has only one. Human nature, I may say, is, in the main, everywhere the same, in all ages, in every clime, among all classes, and among those of every age, we everywhere find human beings subject to the same pas- sions and prejudices and swayed by the same influences. If we only knew so much of human beings, that we WHAT THE TEACHER SHOULD STUDY. 207 knew how to allay their passions, how to overcome their prejudices, and how to remove their jealousies, we could control them well. As the teacher pursues his studies in human nature he will learn many things about children and also about men that he never be- fore thought of. He ought, as far as is possible, to find what motives prompt pupils to be mischievous, or to disobey. He will discover too that these motives are as various as the pupils are numerous ; some pupils are so for one reason, others for other reasons entirely different ; some to annoy the teacher in school, others to boast of it when they get out of school ; and others to have some- thing to do ; and still others to excite a laugh at some- body else's expense. The teacher will find, however, that if he pries into the matter, that almost every pu- pil has some one motive which generally prompts him in all wrong which he does in school. When he has learned the nature of a particular pupil thus far, he has only to extend his investigations a little farther to learn what will best cause that pupil to banish the par- ticular motive which moves him to do his evil deeds. 208 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. A teacher's knowledge of science will often aid him in detecting the perpetrators of tricks. For instance, his knowledge of the laws of reflection of light will tell him when some one by means of a looking-glass or a wet slate, is throwing the rays of light over the room to the amusement of the pupils and the annoyance of the teacher, that it is some one who is sitting where the sun shines. Again if he can distinguish the hand writing of his pupils and of others it will sometimes be an advantage to him. LECTURE XIV. PUNISHMENT. Hitherto we have been considering how to control, govern, and manage a school without resorting to pun- ishment, and we have said that it is best to do so. Now we shall devote a talk or two to that important subject. I promise here that I shall not enter upon an elaborate discussion of the subject, but shall present you a few thoughts as they have occurred to me in my own experience. Indeed I shall avoid, as much as pos- sible, all debatable questions on this much debated subject. I suppose that no one will despute that there must be order in school, and that there may be order that there must be government, and that where there is government there must be punishment of some kind or another. Government implies law, law implies pun- ishment. Where there is no punishment, there is na law and where there is no law there is no order. 210 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. A teacher must exercise legislative, executive and judicial power ; that is he must be at one and the same time governor, law maker, and judge. He must, in his capacity as governor, execute and apply the law, and in his capacity as legislator must make it ; and in his ca- pacity as judge must expound it. He is an absolute •despot ; his decree is final ; there is no appeal from it. If there could be it would undermine his authority. A school may be likened to an army, in that it will not govern itself; in fact it cannot, like a republic or a democracy, govern itself; self government would be fatal to its institution. There must be one mind, one will, in which centers all power. Who ever heard of «uch a thing as an army of men falling into line and ■assuming a military appearance and attitude without -command, and that such a command too, that the in- dividuals of the army knew they would not dare to dis- obey ? The army must be well drilled too before the soldiers will fall into line properly, and they must have respect for their officers and confidence in them before they will endure any hardship, fatigue, self-denial or danger. PUNISHMENT. 211 Just SO it is with pupils in the school room. They will not obey unless they know they must. They must be trained to obey ; they must have respect for their teachers and confidence in them. For very few pupils will confine themselves to one seat, deprive themselves of the privilege of talking and moving about, to say nothing of applying themselves to such hard, irksome work as study is to most of them, without something to stimulate them to do so. They may even know that it is to their advantage to deprive themselves of these pleasures, but the temptations around them are too great to be resisted. Nevertheless the example of those around us has much to do in inciting us to study or work. So that if even a few are doing their duty, it is a help to the teacher in the government of the school. On the other hand those who are careless and those who misbehave have their influence upon those who desire to learn. It has been truly said that a bad man can much more easily make bad men of his associates than a good man can make good men of his associates. Punishment or penalties are never intended as an equivalent or compensation for the commission of the 212 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. oifense, but are that degree of pain or inconvenience which are supposed to be sufficient to deter pupils from introducing that greater degree of inconvenience which would result to the whole school from the general per- mission of the act which the necessary regulations for- bid. It is no recompense to the teacher or to the school for the consequences of the violation of a rule that the offending pupil should afterwards be whipped or expelled. It is only for the prevention of future oflPences that punishments are inflicted. All punishment, says an elegant and accurate writer, is for the purpose of example, prevention, or reforma- tion, — that is for the purpose of preventing crime again by the same or some other ofi"ender, or for the reformation of the criminal or for example to others. All these purposes are served by the different kinds of punish- ment used in the school room. Punishments which are given privately are for the reformation of the pupil punished ; those inflicted before the class or the whole school are for example to others as well as for the refor- mation of the one punished. Expulsion or suspension is for the prevention of the crime by the pupil expelled or suspended as well as for example to others. PUNISHMENT. 213 We have so far been considering the nature of pun- ishment, but will now direct our attention, for a short time, to the mode of applying it. When a pupil has violated some rule it is very often much better policy to speak to him or reprimand or punish him privately, than to do so before the whole school, or before his class. Very often a pupil is hardened by a reprimand or punishment given in the presence of his classmates or schoolmates. They sympathize with their fellow pu- pil and will tell him that he is right and that the teacher is wrong and is real mean for talking to him so or for punishing him. Whereas if the teacher speaks in private directly to the offending pupil, or punishes him when there is no one by, the pupil is more apt to think and feel that the teacher is right and that he himself is wrong. Besides there will be no other pupils to gather around him, take him by the arms, and pat him on the back. Pupils privately rep- rimanded or punished by the teacher, will seldom tell their companions of it. Every person knows that pu- pils have much more feeling for each other than they have for the teacher, at least until the teacher has 214: SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. gained their good will and respect. There may be ex- ceptions to this in some cases in regard to a pupil who is not very well liked, or if the teacher was well known by his pupils before he began the term of school and was a general favorite the above remarks may not so generally apply. In corroboration of what I have said I will refer to the truth which has almost become a maxim, that re- marks made to an assemblage of persons are almost always lost, but if made to an individual have their full effect. If one addresses a large crowd each person hearing the address does not take home to himself the advice or criticism as if he were the only hearer. He either thinks that it entirely applies to his neighbor or if to himself, he consoles himself that it applies to others likewise. If a pupil is alone with the teacher he knows what is said to him all applies to himself, and if he is thus punished privately he solaces himself with the fact that he is not used as an example to others. All men are apt to think that there is some reason for excusing themselves when they do wrong and that they are not the worst persons in the world. It is al- PUNISHMENT. 215 most universally true that a man who commits a crime thinks there is some excuse because it is he and that he ought not to be punished, or if he is punished it ought not to be so severe as if it were some one else who had committed the crime. He looks at the causes which led him to commit the crime as mitigating cir- cumstances. Whereas if some one else had committed the same crime he would not know the circumstances under which it was committed, and would very likely be as clamorous for punishment as the public usually are. This is the nature of most men. We are all prone to find excuses for ourselves even while condemn- ing others. This applies in school with redoubled force. When a boy is accused of any wrong he very generally tries to justify himself by accusing some one else of doing the same thing that he did. I think that a teacher may show the boy how inconsistent he is by askinpj him, "Why did you not tell me before?" or, "Why do you tell me now?" or, "Does that screen you because somebody else did it?" A school boy will play a trick and think that he ought not to be punished because of this or that or 216 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. some other reason. It is even so with men in their opinions. They will embrace a doctrine or form an opinion without examining it in all its details. After having done so, they will, to sustain it, bring every ar- gument to bear which their skill, knowledge and inge- nuity can discover or invent. A boy will whisper to another about the lesson or ask for a pencil, or a slate- rag and think himself not only excusable but justifia- ble. He does not know, or does not think, that such •conduct in all the pupils in the room would subvert all regulations in regard to whispering. So it is with men as well as pupils in school, in regard to every vice and crime. In cases of this kind, if I may so be allowed to ex- press myself, there is always equity in every rule. When a teacher investigates a case and learns all the facts in regard to it, he will also learn the circum- stances which ought to mitigate the punishment or en- tirely excuse it. School punishments may be divided into two kinds ; first that kind which deprives the pupil of some priv- ilege ; second, bodily or mental affliction. In a certain PUNISHMENT. 217 sense every punishment may be regarded as a mental punishment, but there are some that are peculiarly so, because they only hurt the feelings of the recipient. Among the latter are reproofs and reprimands, whether administered in public or private. Some pupils have so little self-respect that this kind of punishment avails but little. Some pupils will desist at a mere word, they even consider being spoken to as a punishment. Indeed mere detection in doing a wrong will be suf- ficient punishment for some. For example, I see two boys whisper, I tell them not to do so again. One of them does not whisper again, or at least for several days ; the, other, as soon as I take my eyes off of him does. Here it is very readily seen that a word suffices to cause one to quit whispering, whereas the other will not until some severe punishment is inflicted upon him. The one who offends a second time may again and again be told not to whisper, but still he persists and whis- pers whenever he feels like saying something. More- over, his respect for the teacher's word decreases at each time that he is spoken to. After thus going along for some time it takes a much harder punishment and 218 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. much more perseverancej if it can be done at all, to prevent that pupil's practicing such a school vice. It is then evident that, to such a pupil, simple reproof will, instead of being a benefit, be a decided injury. Besides it will be injurious to the whole school. If a teacher earnestly desires to break up the vicious habit of whispering in such a pupil as the one last mention- ed, he must inflict some severer punishment than reproof. Perhaps changing the pupil to another seat or desk, or keeping him in at recess or after school may have the desired effect. I may also here say, that if you at any time inflict a punishment which does not accomplish its purpose, then you, as a general rule, will have good reason to think that it should have been severer, or should have been of some other kind. What to do in a difficult case, will very often depend upon the time, the place, the offense, the character and disposition of the child, and also at times, in some degree, upon the temper, dispoistion and intelligence of the parents ; it may also depend upon the condition which the school is in. Sometimes mild means may be best, at other times the severest corpoml punishment. It PUNISHMENT. 219 is a fact to be taken into consideration that a mere word, nay a look, from the teacher, is a greater punishment to some pupils than the hardest whipping is to others. A modest unassuming girl may be more seriously hurt by a disapproving nod than a bold forward boy is by the most brutal chastisement. Though the one is merely a mental suiFerer. John may be more greatly punished and thereby more restrained from future of- fenses by merely being spoken to, than James is by an application of the rod. Still James may be more great- ly punished by being made to stay in at recess, and thus deprived of his play time. Some pupils can be more easily managed by letting their parents know how they are behaving ; others by merely taking them aside and kindly talking to them. Very often the character of the deed done may de- termine the kind of punishment which is proper. A boy who abuses his recess by fighting or swearing dur- ing that time may be entirely prohibited from doing these acts by not allowing him to have any recess. One who is slow about coming in when school is called may generally be effectually cured of this fault by dis- 220 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. missing him last, or among the last, for a few days or weeks. I may here say that such punishments as keep- ing pupils in at recess or depriving them of some other privilege has upon many pupils a better effect than any other punishment. I believe that it is the nature of most children to do things in order to enjoy some privilege rather than to avoid a penalty. Men will act or not act, as the case may be, rather to enjoy some advantage than to avert an evil unless that evil is very pressing. Depriving pupils of some privilege which they esteem very highly is to most the severest punishment that can be inflicted upon them. It then becomes a matter of self-interest to them to behave well. The large majority of men so live that they may enjoy riches or something else that is coveted, while it is perhaps only a small minority which lives justly from the fears and penalties of the law. Children are in this respect just like men. In fict they are only miniature men. Their natures are the same. The likes and dislikes of boy- hood are only intensified or softened when the boy puts on the robes of a man ; he is not very often changed in PUNISHMENT. 221 character, only in degree. It has been said what a person is when he is a boy he will, in a greater or less degree, be when he becomes a man. This may not al- ways be the case but the exception (as the saying goes) only proves the rule. I would not always say what punishment I would inflict for an offense. There is often much gained by holding an uncertain punishment before the vicious. There is no doubt that many a crime may be prevented by the mere terror that the punishment is uncertain. The offenders do not know what is coming, and on that account, do not venture to do their evil deeds. Where- as if they knew the exact punishment they would brace themselves for it and screw their courage up to the point of doing the forbidden act. For the first offense I would only inflict a slight punishment, but if the act were done again in the same manner by the same offender, I would make the pun- ishment more and more severe until I found some pun- ishment that would cause the pupil to desist from vio- lating the rule on that point. Sometimes a mere word, at other times merely calling the attention of the pupil 222 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. to what he is doing, may suffice. Some pupils may not be conscious what they are doing, others may not think that that which they are doing is wrong, and by a mere shake of the head on the part of the teacher, will de- sist and never be guilty of that deed again. I have seen a pupil, who, when going to his desk from the recitation, would thump each desk as he passed it. Now his mind may have been very intent on the lesson just recited or busy on some other im- portant subject, and he may not have known that it was annoying either to the teacher or pupils and con- sequently did not think it wrong. Though I am not a very great advocate of merely speaking to pupils in order to have them correct any impropriety or irregu- larity, yet I would in this case, first have called the at- tention of the pupil to what he was doing, and have told him that I would rather that he would not do so. Then afterwards if he did the same thing again, I would perhaps have made him walk back to the recita- tion seat and then have sent him to his desk. So I would have increased the punishment until it caused him to walk to his seat without making the unnecessa- ry noise mentioned. PUNISHMENT, 223 Again if a boy is in the habit of spitting on the floor, I would first call his attention to it. Then if this did no good, I would tell him to get the broom and clean it up. After which if he still continued to spit on the floor, I would make him wipe it up with a piece of pa- per. Then if he still persisted I would punish him in addition to making him wipe it up. Every means possible should be resorted to before corporal punishment is inflicted. But in my opinion it is better to inflict corporal punishment than to expel a pupil. Expulsion is in school jurisprudence what capital punishment is in municipal jurisprudence. It entirely disposes of the ofi'ender just as hanging disposes of the traitor or murderer. By hanging or shooting the criminal, the world is forever freed from his com- mitting any more crimes ; so in school by the expulsion of the offender the school is thereafter delivered from his annoyances and hindrances. There is one fact to consider in this connection, which is that a pupil may very often be restrained from doing an act by again and again inflicting the same punish- ment. If punishment is sure it is much more eff"ectual 224 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. than if it is severe and not so sure. If every possible crime could be found out and punished it would very- much lessen the amount of crime. If a pupil is pun- ished for every violation or infringement of the rules he will sooner or later think that he cannot do any- thing wrong without being punished and will begin to consider whether he ought to do the wrong. Every one who commits a crime, be he a tricky pu- pil in school, or a vagabond at large, considers first whether he can escape being detected, and secondly, if detected, whether he can escape punishment. If he thinks there is a chance of escaping detection, or if he is detected, a chance of escaping punishment, he com- mits the crime, otherwise, he does not. Men do not rush rashly into crime ; they usually have it under contemplation some time. I do not mean to say that persons do not sometimes do things without mature de- liberation. For they do, and are guilty of acts which they would not be if they had deliberated more. It is the deliberation and wilful perpetration that make any act a crime ; a man may even kill another without being guilty of a crime, the act being either PUNISHMENT. 225 justifiable or excusable : justifiable when done in self defense : excusable when done by accident. So with a pupil in school, the intention is always to be looked at.. But if a pupil does anything unintentionally, which annoys the teacher, or disturbs the school, it has the same eiFect and does the same harm, as if it were in- tentional. What the teacher should do in a case of this kind, whether to inflict punishment or not, is sometimes very difficult to determine. If the pupil is in the habit of doing little things unconsciously, the teacher should by all means do all he can to correct the habit as soon as he discovers it. I may here throw in a parenthetical remark that a teacher should all the time, as far as he can, correct all bad and uncouth habits which any of his pupils may have fallen into. The pupil does an act without thinking and on that account he has not really done any wrong, he is not guilty, still his acts have caused disturbance, annoyance or confusion in the school. But the fact that the pupil does not think what he is doing, is a sufficient reason to call for some animadversion on the part of the teacher. 226 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. Pupils very often do little things which are not in- tended to be annoying, nevertheless they are very much so. As I have said they ought not to be allowed to get into the habit of doing things listlessly and thoughtlessly. They ought to be taught that they :should think before they act ; that they should always be conscious of what they are doing. Of course these pupils may be entirely innocent of any evil intention ; they may not have intended to do what they did do ; but then the acts are on this account no less annoying. Pupils should be trained that they are responsible for all they do. When they get into the habit of do- ing things without knowing what they are doing, it is high time that the teacher should break them of that ■habit. I may here add that when a teacher has once told a pupil not to do a certain thing again, doing the thing then becomes a positive violation. As I have a minutes' time I will add an additional thought upon one of the topics, touched upon in this lecture. Pupils, you all know, consider every avenue of escape when they are about to do a wrong. They first consider whether they can escape detection, after- PUNISHMENT. 227 wards if they think they can escape detection, they consider whether they can escape punishment. They are not very apt to do anything in which they know they will be detected and for which they know they will be punished. On the contrary they will commit crimes with impunity, even if they are detected if they know they will not be punished. When more than a proper degree of punish- ment has been inflicted upon a pupil, he, instead of being sorry for the wrong which he has done, will begin to entertain feelings of resentment towards the teacher. Moreover the minds of the pupils, his parents, and the people of the community, will be incensed against him. It is often a question with the teacher how much punishment is proper. More than that is injustice ; less fails to accomplish its purpose. What I have now said must be understood as having some exceptions. There are pupils who think they are wronged even when the most even handed justice is dealt out to them. Most pupils, however, when prop- erly punished will feel that it is just, and a frank pupil will say so at the time ; others not so frank will after- wards acknowledge it. 228 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. I believe that I said that I would not discuss any of the disputed points on this subject, but will here throw in a few remarks on the subject of corporal punishment. By abolishing corporal punishment those who are most hardened will entirely escape punishment. For there is no punishment for a very abandoned or hardened person except that which he feels in his body. He has no conscience, his feelings are blunted ; how then can he be reached except by the infliction of pain upon his body ? This kind of pupil is the very one which causes most troubles in our schools. Some pupils do not at all care for being kept in or talked to. In fact these things are only sport for them. The teacher who uses such punish- ments, will be called a milk and water man, ar),d will be laughed at for his sickly, puny attempts to govern them. Such being the case, what will he do but dis- miss them from school, as the only means of preventing their misdemeanors? Many pupils when they learn that expulsion or dismission will be the punishment, will be unruly on purpose to get dismissed from school. They do not want to go to school and are sure to do PUNISHMENT. 229 something in order to get expelled. How much better is it to punish such pupils and thus compel them to behave than to give them an excuse to misbehave on purpose to be expelled from school ! It is always bet- ter to keep pupils in school to train them to habits of study and obedience, than to expel them to take lessons in vice and crime upon the streets. LECTURE XV, THINGS TEACHERS OUGHT TO KNOW. Teachers sometimes think that they ought not to call the attention of pupils to some things that they may be doing. This I think is a mistake on the part of the teacher. He ought to do so if for no other reason than to let the pupils know that he knows all that is going on in the room. For instance, a pupil whispers the word "sponge" to his seat-mate, meaning thereby that he wants to borrow his sponge. The teacher ought to call attention to the matter and tell the pupil that it is as bad to say one word as it is to say a dozen. In fact I would in this case inflict some slight punishment. Sometimes by leaving an act unreproved or unpun- ished, a teacher may create among other pupils the im- pression that the act is not forbidden. Then those who would otherwise not do so may be led to do things which THINGS TEACHERS OUGHT TO KNOW. 231 they had seen others do without correction, and conse- quently thought not wrong. We all know very well that they will do what they see their fellow-pupils are- allowed to do. Then I think it much better to put a veto upon the very first little thing which the teacher- thinks ought not to be permitted in school. It is much better to stop an evil in its beginnings than to let it go until it has assumed great proportions and then try to stop it. And you may be certain that anything in school will assume giant proportions if it is only let alone. It takes no care or cultivation ta make a little leak a great one. Any little school evil will soon become a great one. Whispering if allowed and not at all curbed, will soon become talking, and that, if not checked, will certainly become hallooing. When a pupil once learns that a teacher does not like to reprove him for a certain act, that pupil will af- terwards frequently be guilty of that act ; and not only he but others also. They will likewise be found guilty of other little peccadilloes to see whether they cannot discover something else for which the teacher will hate to punish them. Then as I have before intimated 232 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. there is but a step to something else and so on until the teacher's authority is but an empty show. Many teachers too often see pupils doing things they ought not to do and merely tell them not to do so again. This may answer the teacher's purpose a few times, but the better plan would be to make them con- form to system, and to have them do everything just as he thinks it ought to be done. For example, a pu- pil leaves his seat without permission, the teacher in- stead of telling him not to do so again without asking leave, ought to make him go back to his seat and there ask and obtain permission. Again when a class is called up to recite, if a boy rises up before the proper time or steps out of his place, instead of telling him not to do so again, the teacher ought to tell him to take his seat or his place and come out in the proper man- ner and at the proper time. We must all take into consideration that children think and that they think much more than older per- sons suppose they do. They observe and draw conclu- sions too from everything he says or does. They will interpret his language in accordance with its true im- THINGS TEACHERS OUGHT TO KNOW. 233 port rather than understand anj^ effected meaning he may wish to convey. They will soon learn their teach- er. They want to know how far he will let them go in their own purposes. They do little things the first few days in order to learn how much privilege he will give them or how rigid he will be. If at any time during the first part of the term of school they see that he is lax in his discipline a few times they will conclude that he will often be so. Pu- pils always notice when he is negligent or careless and when he is "cross," as they say. They will throw out what may be called "feelers," that is they will do little deeds merely for the purpose of seeing whether the teacher will notice them. If he does not do so, they will go further and further until they are checked or until all is chaos. There is no limit to which pupils in school will carry their aggressions, if they are permitted to do so. When a pupil once does anything in violation of a rule, the teacher will be sadly mistaken if he lets the offence pass, thinking that the pupil will do so no more. For 234 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. he will be guilty of the same evil deeds frequently and will play the same tricks oftener and oftener every day. Every teacher may be sure too that many pupils will take advantage of every weakness he may have. The teacher who is in the habit of forgetting things, will soon find his pupils taking advantage of his defective memory in many ways. They will tell him and make him believe too, that he has said or done so and so, when he has said or done nothing of the kind. Of course this will only take place in extreme cases. The teacher who has faults or weaknesses which be- come apparent in the school room will be sure to find that his pupils will soon be forming little conspiracies to take advantage of his fault or weakness. If he is in the habit of going into abstractions, or in other words into the abstract state of mind, he may rest assured that some of his pupils will play such tricks as throw- ing paper balls across the room, or even boxing each Other's ears right under his very eyes. They know by his appearance and actions that he is not thinking of what is going on around him. but is perhaps studying how to solve a difficult problem, or how to analyze a THINGS TEACHERS OUGHT TO KNOW. 235 difficult sentence, or parse a difficult word. His pupils when they have once learned that this is the case, will go further and give him difficult questions and hard problems merely for the purpose of thus intensely en- gaging his mind so that they can play their pranks. I believe in intense application of the mind, but think that the school room is not the place for a teacher to exercise it. He ought to know all his lessons so well that he will not need to exercise hard study in the presence of the school. If he has any difficult ques- tions he ought to solve them before he goes into the school room. Absent mindedness before the school ought especially to be guarded against. The teacher wants that state of mind which perceives all and knows all that is going on around him. A teacher should so train himself that when he is intently studying any subject or is reading, his eye will catch any unusual motion made by any pupil before him. You have perhaps noticed that at times when you had been studying very diligently that you imme- diately observed any unusual thing that took place in your presence, though your eyes were not turned di- 236 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. rectly upon the object that drew your minds away but when your eyes were directed toward the book or other object upon which your thoughts were engaged. As it is with the eye, so it is with the ear. If any sound to which we are unaccustomed strikes our ears we im- mediately turn our attention to it, the mind leaving the train of thought it had been following when it was arrested by the sound heard by the ear. It makes no difference how busily we may be engaged, let any- thing arrest the attention, the mind is immediately transferred, so to speak, to the object disturbing it. From these facts we may draw the conclusion that the teacher should have his school in such a condition and himself so trained, that if anything unusual takes place, something that ought not to take place in the school room, will be unusual, and, on that account, will draw his mind from that with which it is engaged to that which at that moment demands his attention. For this reason every teacher needs a quick ear and an ever piercing eye. If he once gets into the habit of repressing all confusion, disorder and everything else that is improper in school, he will not when any confu- THINGS TEACHERS OUGHT TO KNOW. 237 sion or disorder arises in the room, feel satisfied with himself unless he represses it. Every one can so train himself that when anything goes wrong in school, that he will immediately feel it and will want to make it right. This should become a habit. You can now, perhaps, realize some more of the reasons why I have so earnestly urged all teachers to begin well and keep constantly just such schools as they all the time want. You can train your eyes and ears that they will not fail to tell you when there is anything wrong. You can train your eyes and ears as well as artists and musicians can, or as machinists and mechanics can their hands and fingers. There is a natural impulse in almost- every human being to finish what is begun before beginning or doing anything else, however necessary or important it may be to begin to do it forthwith. This propensity, though planted in the breast of man for a noble pur- pose, sometimes causes young teachers to be less vigil- ant than they ought to be. When a teacher takes charge of a school in which the pupils have been very naughty and unruly under his predecessor, the propen- 238 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. sity we have just mentioned, will work great injury unless it is especially guarded against. For instance, when a teacher is reading, he does not want to look up until he has finished the sentence, or it may be the whole paragraph. Again, when he is writing copies, he does not want to attend to any other duty until he has finished the word or the entire copy. So it is when he is at the black-board solving or explaining a problem ; and it is the same with many other duties of the school room, although he may be conscious that all is not right among the pupils. It may be said that a teacher should have his pupils so trained that they will not misbehave when the teach- er is busily engaged, or when his back is turned. I acknowledge all that. But will answer that this is one of the ways to train them. For you all know that there are always some who will take advantage of any- thing and everything to play tricks, to whisper, to throw a chewed paper ball at some one, up to the ceiling across the room, or to do something that is not becom- ing. They are even watching for such an opportunity. And when it comes they seem to be seized with an im- THINGS TEACHERS OUGHT TO KNOW. 239 pulse almost irresistble, to do something to annoy the teacher, to make their fellow-pupils laugh, or that they may afterwards boast of what they have done at school. They think it "cute." Pupils will soon learn to take advantage of the propensity to which we alluded just a few minutes ago. They will also, at the same time, learn when and in what direction to direct their efforts. Every teacher will quickly learn that there are but few who demand his constant attention. When speak- ing of the manner in which pupils should be seated we intimated how to dispose of this few. In almost every school the pupils can be divided into two classes ; one consisting of those with whom the teacher will never, or very seldom, have any trouble ; the other consisting of those to whom almost every difficulty may be traced. The first class go to school with the intention of be- having, the other class go not knowing exactly what they will do, whether they will behave or not. They wait for developments ; they wait to see what kind of a teacher they will have to deal with. The second class can generally be subdivided into those who will conduct themselves properly if the teacher has the 240 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. proper restraints placed upon them, and those with whom the teacher will have nearly all his difficulties. But you may be assured that the first class of this sub- division will readily join the second if they see that there is any prospect for a successful termination to their alliance. Almost every teacher will find that there are only a few who require his constant attention. In fact in al- most every school there is only one or two who may be regarded as the prime movers of almost every disturb- ance or wilful annoyance. True it is that there are some who do little things now and then for reasons that seem almost unaccountable. Teachers will also find another kind of pupils who are not at all troublesome to govern but are exceedingly annoying in another respect. They are those who are always behind. They seem to have a constitu- tional preference for being behind. When a class is called out to recite, they are not ready, having something to do before they leave their seats, such as hunting their pencils, putting away their books, or slates, or doing something else which hinders the com- THINGS TEACHERS OUGHT TO KNOW. 241 ing of the class, and thereby annoy the teacher and the whole school. It makes but little diffierence how much time you give their classes to get ready, when the time is up they are still behind. If you again lengthen the time for the class to get ready it will only be a few days until they are again behind time. You will find some of this kind in every school. They are not only behind in school, but everywhere, in their play and in their work. They seem to be behind in becoming men, behind in life, behind in business, be- hind the times and behind their neighbors in prosperity and success. I have resorted to various expedients to cause these pupils to be prompt. A friend of mine who has taught longer than I have, says that he has had best success in making this class of pupils prompt by ridiculing them for their slowness. LECTURE XVL MISCELLANEOUS CONSIDERATIONS, The teacher's real business, as I have several times said, is to teach, yet the primary object seems to be to preserve good order. This really is only the secondary object. Yet it is of primary importance, because the real object cannot be attained without the concurrence of sufl&cient order. I may, however, in this connection say that the teacher's occupation has a double object in view; one is to train the pupils mind, the other is to prepare him to become a citizen when he arrives at manhood fit- ted for the many duties of citizenship. The latter object he can best attain by teaching the pupil that he must obey all lawful commands of his superiors in au- thority. In our country where the republic is sus- tained by the good will and intelligence of its citizens, MISCELLANEOUS CONSIDERATIONS. 243 too much attention cannot be paid to training the young and getting them into the habit of obedience to law, and attention to duty. Then we see another im- portant reason why the teacher should have all his af- fairs so adjusted that there can be no cavil, no dispute whether a certain act is right or wrong. How many of our criminals condemned to the scaffold or the State's prison, have begun their downward course of vice and crime by disobedience and idleness in the school room, can perhaps never be told. Yet I have no doubt that thousands have either directly or indirectly been made the hardened creatures they have become by those who were employed to instruct them in the arts and scien- ces and to make them better. I may here add that too little attention has heretofore been directed to the fact, that in our schools, the future citizens of our land are, in a great degree, trained for the duties they are to assume as voters ; yea, the rulers, of this great com- monwealth. With most of the pupils of our schools, a common school education is the only training they ever get. The teacher ought also to consider that he is, in a 244 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. great degree, responsible for the moral as well as the mental training of his pupils. He can train them to think that swearing, fighting, lying, stealing and cheat- ing are all wrong. All these, I may say, are, at times, committed at school. By showing how wrong and wicked such things are, and by holding them up as great crimes he can make a lasting impression upon the minds of his pupils while they are young and tender. By doing so he will very likely not only prevent such things in his school but will go far towards preventing them in their after lives. Taking these facts into view, we cannot attach too much importance to the vocation of the teacher. He cannot do too much to make the school attractive, in- teresting, and entertaining. When I am asked how I would make a school attractive and interesting, I can not tell you how I would do so. Yet I may say there are a thousand ways. In the first place a school is made attractive by being systematic. Pupils naturally love order and system, and just as naturally dislike dis- order and confusion. The very pupil who creates most disorder and confusion in the school room will like the MISCELLANEOUS CONSIDERATIONS. 245 school best when it is orderly and quiet. Therefore a teacher can do much to make a school attractive by systematic arrangements and an orderly and quiet dis- position of matters therein. Children are proud of a good school just as they are ashamed of a poor one. So if you can get your pupils to think that you have one of the best schools in the country, and can make them feel proud of it, many of them will frown down and often prevent whatever they see wrong in others. This will especially be the case with many of the older and better class of pupils. Whereas if they are disgusted with the government of the school, many of them will do little wrong things merely because they are disgusted. I may here add that many teachers accomplish much in governing their schools by causing the pupils to think that the school is theirs not his, that if there is any disorder or mean- ness it is they who are guilty and the blame must rest upon them. There is nothing like having a school room neat and clean, I might even say, tidy and cozy. Pictures and flowers have a mellowing influence upon pupils, as well 246 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. as upon older folks. No one can tell how much a pic- ture or a bouquet cheers a little child when it looks up, it may be after studying very intently for awhile. An- other one of the essentials in a school room, as well as everywhere else, is neatness. Again, the teacher's demeanor and deportment have much to do in making a school attractive and enter- taining. No one loves a snappish, childish, snarly per- son. Especially do children not love such a person, when that person is their teacher. Much can be gained by being pleasant and having a good word for every one at the proper time. The teacher ought always to have a smile and an approving look for every good ac- tion done by a pupil. It is said that the years seem twice as long to us at ten years of age as they do at twenty, three times as long as at thirty, four times as long as at forty, and so on with each ten years of life. I know that when I was very young, it seemed almost an age from one Christmas till another, but the passing of each succeed- ing year seems to shorten the length of the years. As it is with the years so it is with the hours. An hour MISCELLANEOUS CONSIDERATIONS. 24T seems much longer to a child than it does to a grown up man. So to a man who is awaiting the happening of any event, an hour seems much longer than at any other time. Every one who has waited any length of time at a station for a railroad train can tell you this. Now the child in school is like a man at a depot waiting for a train, he is anxiously wishing for the time to come when school will dismiss; this makes it seem very long to him, — much longer in fact than if he were not waiting for recess or for school to close. Again, the pupils expect to play as soon as school is out, and of course are also anxious for the time to pass on that account. Even older persons, when expecting some pleasant time, think it passes much slower than under other circumstances. Any one who is busy does not notice the flight of time, when one's mind is constantly engaged it seems very short. We sometimes say when we are enjoying a pleasant affair, or when we are having a good time, it does not seem to last long. To a child an hour of play does not seem half as long as an hour of study or con- finement in school. In play the minutes seem to flit '248 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. rapidly away ; while in study, to children, they seem to >drag slowly and heavily along. I have before remarked that keeping pupils busy is the best means of governing them. When any one is busy, he is not in any way troublesome to any other person. Many teachers, knowing this fact, think that it is better to give long lessons in order that they may thus keep their pupils busy and out of mischief This, in my opinion, is a gross mistake. Another mistake made by many who want to keep pupils busy, is giving them too many studies. The true plan is to give your pupils lessons of the proper length, and require them to get them thoroughly. Then by a system of exact- ing recitations, give them to understand that you will accept nothing but a perfect lesson. But as this sub- ject is not entirely within the outline of this course of lectures, I will desist from saying further on it here. Many pupils have acquired a dislike for school be- cause they have nothing to do which is interesting to them. Then he who makes a school interesting de- serves the thanks, not only of those under his charge, THINGS TEACHERS OUGHT TO KNOW. 249 but also of their parents and the future citizens and rulers of the land. I may here say, too that many children acquire their habits at their homes before they are sent to school. Favoritism cannot so readily be shown at school. On the other hand, many a child who was well behaved at home, has been ruined at school. School was so unin- teresting to him that he got a dislike to it. He en- deavored to stay away from it as much as his parents would allow, while he was yet too young and innocent to play truant, then when he became hardened enough, he played truant to keep out of school. School was nothing else than a punishment to him, it was in fact, a prison to him, which he avoided as much as possible, by honorable means as long as he had any honor left^ but as soon as he lost his honor in this matter, he re- sorted to dishonorable means in every way he thought he would not be detected. School was irksome to him, it was a dull, prosy routine, in which he could see but little or no use. He learned to dread it because it had no attractions; he learned to hate it because it re- strained him. Now, if a spark of interest can be ex- 250 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. cited in the breast of such a pupil, he may be saved from the gallows or State's prison, and instead of be- coming a lasting disgrace, may become a comfort to his friends and an ornament to the community in which he lives. It is well to make the change between home and school as slight as may be. This should especially be the case with children who have never attended school. The reason is that the pupils may not become tired of school and long to be at home. The young pupil should be lead from play to study as gently and grad- ually as his age, health, disposition and habits will per- mit. So that he may not so early in life become dis- gusted or restless under the restraints of school. Be- sides study should be made as much like play as it is possible to make it. A child should have a slate and pencil instead of a book when he first starts to school. With a slate and pencil a good teacher can so teach a very young child that he will while away many an hour in useful work, such as writing and drawing pic- tures which would, if he had nothing but a book, be needlessly and injuriously spent. If a child can keep THINGS TEACHERS OUGHT TO KNOW. 251 its hands and fingers busy, time will pass much more rapidly. This it can do with a slate. Whereas if it has nothing but a book, if it wants to do any good, it must chain itself down to study almost without moving a muscle. There is much gained by keeping the interest of the school alive. A teacher who can fire up and keep ablaze an earnest enthusiasm will not have half the trouble to govern his school that one will who cannot kindle up that burning flame. He who can awaken in the minds of the young who are in his care a thirst for knowledge, will be doing much and will be going far in the way to govern them well. A desire to learn will then be uppermost in their minds, and as a matter of course they will not have time to think of mischief, of playing tricks or forming conspiracies. They will also then begin to think it is beneath their dignity to do anything contrary to the teacher's will. It is the teacher's legitimate occupation to teach the pupils of his school and to get them to study and to learn all they can. By creating in them a zeal for knowledge he will best be accomplishing his legitimate end, and 252 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. his pupils will acquire learning more rapidly than if they have not this zeal created in them. Again, a teacher who can fill his pupils with enthusiasm in the pursuit of knowledge can bind his pupils to him as if by a cord. They will love him better, respect him more, and will even fight for him if it becomes necessa- ry. Besides, by this means, a teacher can often create quite a revival for learning in the whole town or neigh- borhood in which he is teaching. This will again re- act in his favor and will spread abroad his fame as a teacher successful in every respect. ^ In this way a teacher can counteract many prejudi- cial allusions to the school. For when bad reports once get into circulation about a school, only the bad and not the good will be spoken of Very, very few good reports go out from a badly managed school. Teachers must also consider that when the gossip of the town or neighborhood once takes the school as its sub- ject, it certainly suffers at the hands, or I should say at the tongues of the gossipers. So, when a school gets well established in the good graces of the people, it takes a great deal to overthrow their good opinion of it. THINGS TEACHERS OUGHT TO KNOW. 253 Teachers can do much to govern their schools by constantly trying to get their pupils into good habits, because if pupils have formed good habits it will take some time to break through them. A teacher wants his pupils to get into the habit of studying, and this will keep them from doing any thing else. In order to do this he must restrain them from doing every thing else during school hours. Study is the end, the aim, the purpose, and the design of school. Every thing else ought to be given up. Nothing else ought to be allowed. Every teacher will find in every school some pupils who would rather do any thing else than study. He will find too, that if they cannot do one thing they will want to do another. It is the nature of children to be busy about something. If the teacher permits them to whisper they will spend a great deal of their time in whispering. If they are not allowed to do that, some will resort to one thing, others will resort to other things, in order to pass away the time. Pupils in school are generally anxious for time to pass. They seem instinctively to want to be doing something to make the time pass more rapidly. 254 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. A boy, if not allowed to whisper, will, if he has mar- bles, put his hand into his pocket and count them over time and again one by one, or will pull a piece of paper into bits, or chew it and roll it into paper balls, or play with the buttons on his coat, or will do any thing else he can think of which the teacher does not prohibit. A girl will, for something else to do, take down and put up her hair, or will arrange the folds and flounces of her dress, or will re-arrange the books in her desk.— Hundreds of other devices might be enumerated to which pupils will resort in order to have some means of passing the time away more rapidly. The teacher wants to turn this propensity of the children to be doing something to advantage. He wants, as I have said, to get them into the habit of studying. This he can do by proper care and man- agement, by depriving them of every other means of spending their time. By doing this he will have gained a twofold victory, first he will be governing his school in a praiseworthy manner, and secondly, he will be training his pupils into good habits. Besides, he will teach his pupils perseverance in getting their THINGS TEACHERS OUGHT TO KNOW. 255 lessons, and they will be doing something useful, rather than frittering their time away doing something which is worse than doing nothing. So long as pupils are allowed to do these things, so long they will do them. The human mind is like a tree, it will grow ; but if let alone, it is subject to every influence, good and bad, just as a tree is subject to be bent by the wind, dwarfed by drouths and frosts, stunted by worms and bugs, and wilted by the hot sunshine. The mind wants to be taken care of; like a tree, it needs to be pruned, watered, dressed, and the abnormal sprouts and growths must be cleared away. The teacher has most of this training and trimming to do. If he does not do it, it is rarely ever done. There are very few pupils whom such a training will not benefit. Children's minds are very easily turned away from their studies. Their thoughts easily wander away from their lessons to something else. It is the teacher's duty to bring their thoughts back from their wanderings to their lessons. Children's minds are like tlie minds of older folks, in that they let their minds run at random, from one thought to another, without attempting or trying to 256 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. confine them to any thing. But the minds of children will not so easily come back to their studies at their own bidding. They must be brought back by the teacher. So, when a teacher sees any of his pupils listlessly and idly dreaming their time away, it becomes his duty to call their attention to their studies. It is true that some pupils can maintain a perfectly listless inactivity and look upon their books with a perfectly blank attention; but most will be doing some good, will be gaining some ideas, even while they seem to be perfectly thoughtless. I want to apply these remarks to the one school vice which is the most common of any in school. It is the first vice of which pupils are guilty. I may say too, it is one of the most annoying, and the hardest to pre- vent. I suppose you all know that I refer to whisper- ing. I had all along thought that I would have time to devote a whole lecture to whispering, but the Com- mittee have just told me that one-half day of the In- stitute is devoted to the election of officers and the passage of resolutions. So that I will be obliged to say on this important subject what I have to say, at the last part of this lecture. THINGS TEACHERS OUGHT TO KNOW. 257 No one plan for the prevention of whispering will answer very long, but will, so to speak, wear out. Another must then be adopted. A severe punishment cannot be inflicted for an ofiense which is generally regarded as being so slight. I myself have tried almost every plan I ever heard of. Now, to apply what I have said about depriving pupils of doing something wrong, and thus force them to do something right. If pupils are not permitted to whisper or do any thing else, they will soon get tired of sitting in their seats doing nothing, and as they have nothing else to do they will study. Young persons cannot well be idle, cannot pass their time doing noth- ing, so they will be, in a manner, forced to study. Then how much it conduces to the prosperity of a school, to deprive the pupils of the means of doing a thing which will be a detriment to themselves and to others, and thus in a certain degree at least, compel them to do a thing to their advantage. Whispering is more a habit than any thing else. I have before said that any bad habit may in time be- come a vice. Whispering in the school room soon be- 258 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. comes a vice, and almost an unbearable one. As all habits when once formed are very hard to overcome, it is much better not to allow any thing to become a habit. LECTURE XVII. KINDNESS. — CONCLUSION. The subject of kindness in the school room has been so much talked of as a means of government, that I almost fear to treat of it. Perhaps, too, I am not so competent to speak of it as others may be. For you will remember that I said my experience has been almost wholly in schools which had been demoralized before I took control of them. My opinions expressed in this course of lectures, or rather in this series of talks during the last three weeks, may, perhaps, be taken as very rigid and stern. I have one consolation, however, it is, the schools in which I have taught have prepared me for almost every emergency. You who have taught in hard schools will have the same consol- ation. It is very likely that if a teacher has his j&rst few terms of experience in schools which are easily con- trolled, he will there form his opinions of the whole ex- 260 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. tent of school matters in accordance with his own ex- perience. It is our past mode of life and action that prepare us for after actions and modes of life. In always having hard schools to teach, I have per- haps had more occasion to fathom the depths of a knowledge of human nature than most teachers who have not been placed in such trying situations. I may say however, that it has been a benefit to me; it has prepared me for almost every emergency than can arise in my future school aifairs. He who has been towed about by the waves of ad- versity looks at business matters very differently from him who has been fondled in the lap of ease and plenty. The one knows how to buffet the waves of opposition and difficulty, the other either sinks beneath them, or after struggling for awhile, must have help to overcome them. The one has the experience needed for life, the other has not. He who has had all his desires gratified by merely asking, will be a very different kind of a man from the one who has never had any desires gratified, except the most absolute necessities demand- ed by nature. KINDNESS CONCLUSION. 261 You have all no doubt read many very nice essays, and heard many feeling lectures on teaching and con- trolling through means of the pupil's better nature. These things all sound very well when we read them or hear them delivered in eloquent and nicely rounded periods. But will they stand the test of the school room? That is the question. Not long ago I heard an able man deliver an address upon the subject of school government, but he treated it as though chil- dren were but a little lower than the angels. What would such a man have done amid the turbulent elements which some of us have had to control? What whould he have done with those pupils who came with the express purpose of breaking up the school? He would, without a doubt, answer, "Win the pupil." This may all be very well, provided they can be won. I, too, would say, win your pupils, when- ever, and by whatever means you can. But I am satisfied that most of our teachers cannot win all the pupils of every school which may fall to them to be taught. 262 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. We must take human nature as it is, not as it ought to be. There is no doubt that it is better to rule by love than fear. But pupils must first have reason to love their teacher, before they will be restrained by the mere fact of knowing that the teacher would not com- mend them if they did a certain act. These theories would all be very nice if children were perfect beings, not liable to err. For my pai*t, however, I have found them far from being so. The pupils must know and feel that there is some- thing else to govern them besides kind words and bland smiles. Of course the intelligent kind hearted teacher can do much to elevate the pupils whom he has under his care for some time. But we must consider that almost every teacher is every few weeks receiving new pupils who have been trained by vicious parents, or who have been taught by teachers unskillful in govern- ment. When such pupils as these come to school, very likely against their own wills, as many of them doubtless do, they, thinking that all teachers are alike, or that teachers make use of the same means as their parents, must first be taught that there is a systematic KINDNESS — CONCLUSION. 263- power to back the teacher in his restraints upoa viciously inclined pupils. The teacher's first business is to establish his author- ity. He must be able to command the respect of his pupils. A person who pretends to wield authority but has no power, cannot be kind to his pupils without causing them thereby to think that he is doing so for policy's sake. They will think, and even say, that the teacher is trying to wheedle them into obedience. Being kind and clever is to them, a sign of weakness. But if they know that he has the courage to adopt and maintain any measures that may be necessary, they will think, when he is kind to them, that it is from disinterested motives, and will appreciate his kindness, and, will on that account be much more respectful towards him. A weak man in any position requiring power is despised. This is evidently the case in the profession of teaching. This holds good though a man may have been ever so great a favorite before he began teaching. Let him lack the power to control his school, he will be hooted at and his name will become a byword of 264 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. reproach in the town or neighborhood in which he is teaching. I believe in being kind, but there is danger of being too kind. A teacher ought to establish that he has force of character before he can afford to be kind to a great degree. Of course a teacher, as well as every other person should always be polite. A great many teachers make a sad mistake by sup- posing that if they do not annex the penalty for the violation of some rule, their pupils will think that they are very obliging and kind. But not so, the pupils will put an entirely different construction upon his acts. Some teachers also think that if they do not inflict a punishment, they are entitled to the love and gratitude of the pupil who was to be punished. Now, after a teacher has established that he has the requisite moral force, can afford to be kind. His pupils then know that he is not afraid to carry out his rules, and if he does them a kindness, they set it down as a favor. Let me here say, however, that I do not advocate letting a pupil go unpunished for any wrong he may have done, I only mean that a teacher can other- wise be kind and obliging to his pupils without giving KINDNESS CONCLUSION. 265 them room to think that he is doing so for policy's sake. I may here say, too, that if you are a success- ful teacher and control your school well, the pupils will be glad that you are their friend ; they will then be truly thankful for any kindness. On the other hand, if you are not a successful teacher they will not covet your kindness or your friendship, and will disclaim any friendly advances you may make. In fact they may •even shun your society, merely because you have been !ijin.successful in governing them. The way to win pu- pils is to coerce them, not into friendship, but into obedience, and that will bring respect, and even friendship, I will here venture the remark that the strictest disciplinarians always will have firmer friends among their pupils than those who are not so strict in their discipline. Some pupils will slight a teacher in company, cut him while passing him on the street, or take other meth- ods of assailing him for no other reason than that they have been punished by him. They will do all that, too, when they themselves very well know that they de- served the punishment. The best way to remedy this 266 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. evil is to manifest perfect indifference, because if the pupil sees that the teacher feels the insult, they know they are accomplishing their purpose. If, however the pupils see that the teacher is indifferent or if they are not sustained by the community or the circle in which they move, they will relent and be more respect- ful to the teacher. Here again we may see the advan- tage of having right on our side. For if the teacher does what is right, the people will generally sustain him, and he will always have the approbation of the better classes. These lectures much lengthened beyond my first intentions, must now be brought to a close. I would much like to have said much more on some of the topics here handled, and upon others not touched upon, but which are intimately connected with the subject as a whole. I by no means lay down these plans which I have from time to time here presented as if there were no others, but lay them down for those who have no plans of their own. All that I claim is that these plans, or most of them have worked well for me, and I believe they will benefit KINDNESS — CONCLUSION. 267 most of you. What I insist upon is that there be some plan, some system. Any plan, any system is bet- ter than none. In the treatment of the subject I have not aimed at a strictly scientific discussion of the subject, but have all along endeavored to make my remarks as plain and practical as possible, taking into consideration that many of you have never taught. This has perhaps caused many repetitions, and perhaps some seeming contradictions. These I trust the teachers will reconcile by carefully studying what has been said. As there are quite a number of visitors with us to-day, and among them are many parents, it may not be inappropriate to say a few words to them. Parents, I will here make an assertion that may startle you, but it is nevertheless true; it is that you either directly or indirectly cause more than one-half of all the troubles that beset the teacher on every hand. Hence, I say give your teachers all the encouragement you can; throw as few obstacles in their way as possible; help them all you can. They are laboring to train the immortal minds of your children. They are educating 268 SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. them to care for you when you are old and tottering to the tomb. May they not educate them to bring your gray hairs in sorrow to the grave. They are teaching your children to revere you and to reverence your memories when you are gone, to transmit your words and deeds to their own children, and children's chil- dren, for long years to come, and when time shall close, that innumerable generations may rise up and call you blessed. In my conclusion to you. teachers, let me say perse- vere; your work is a noble one. Be firm in carrying out your plans in doing good. May you feel that you are responsible to your fellow man and to your God. Let each days work be well and faithfully done. May you so act and so teach that your pupils, will by their lives, reward you in time and bless you in eternity. THE END. mi-