The success of these results is closely connected with the delicate
intervention of the one who guides the children in their development.
It is necessary for the teacher to _guide_ the child without letting
him feel her presence too much, so that she may be always ready to
supply the desired help, but may never be the obstacle between the
child and his experience.
A lesson in the ordinary use of the word cools the child's enthusiasm
for the knowledge of things, just as it would cool the enthusiasm of
adults. To keep alive that enthusiasm is the secret of real
guidance, and it will not prove a difficult task, provided that
the attitude towards the child's acts be that of respect, calm and
waiting, and provided that he be left free in his movements and in
his experiences.
Then we shall notice that the child has a personality which he is
seeking to expand; he has initiative, he chooses his own work,
persists in it, changes it according to his inner needs; he does not
shirk effort, he rather goes in search of it, and with great joy
overcomes obstacles within his capacity. He is sociable to the extent
of wanting to share with every one his successes, his discoveries, and
his little triumphs. There is therefore no need of intervention. "Wait
while observing." That is the motto for the educator.
Let us wait, and be always ready to share in both the joys and the
difficulties which the child experiences. He himself invites our
sympathy, and we should respond fully and gladly. Let us have endless
patience with his slow progress, and show enthusiasm and gladness at
his successes. If we could say: "We are respectful and courteous in
our dealings with children, we treat them as we should like to be
treated ourselves," we should certainly have mastered a great
educational principle and undoubtedly be setting an _example of good
education_.
What we all desire for ourselves, namely, not to be disturbed in our
work, not to find hindrances to our efforts, to have good friends
ready to help us in times of need, to see them rejoice with us, to be
on terms of equality with them, to be able to confide and trust in
them--this is what we need for happy companionship. In the same way
children are human beings to whom respect is due, superior to us by
reason of their "innocence" and of the greater possibilities of their
future. What we desire they desire also.
As a rule, however, we do not respect our children. We try to force
them to follow us without regard to their special needs. We are
overbearing with them, and above all, rude; and then we expect them to
be submissive and well-behaved, knowing all the time how strong is
their instinct of imitation and how touching their faith in and
admiration of us. They will imitate us in any case. Let us treat them,
therefore, with all the kindness which we would wish to help to
develop in them. And by kindness is not meant caresses. Should we not
call anyone who embraced us at the first time of meeting rude, vulgar
and ill-bred? Kindness consists in interpreting the wishes of others,
in conforming one's self to them, and sacrificing, if need be, one's
own desire. This is the kindness which we must show towards children.
To find the interpretation of children's desires we must study them
scientifically, for their desires are often unconscious. They are the
inner cry of life, which wishes to unfold according to mysterious
laws. We know very little of the way in which it unfolds. Certainly
the child is growing into a man by force of a divine action similar to
that by which from nothing he became a child.
Our intervention in this marvelous process is _indirect_; we are here
to offer to this life, which came into the world by itself, the
_means_ necessary for its development, and having done that we must
await this development with respect.
Let us leave the life _free_ to develop within the limits of the good,
and let us observe this inner life developing. This is the whole of
our mission. Perhaps as we watch we shall be reminded of the words of
Him who was absolutely good, "Suffer the little children to come unto
Me." That is to say, "Do not hinder them from coming, since, if they
are left free and unhampered, they will come."