When Miss Smedley took charge of the third grade in the Russell Sage
School, she had to meet several new situations, one of which was most
annoying. Almon Metcalf insisted on studying aloud. Most of the pupils
in the room were accustomed to this, as he had been in the same room
with them for years.
[Sidenote: Studying Aloud]
Miss Smedley was conducting a class in arithmetic in the upper division,
when she heard a monotonous mumbling on the other side of the room.
Almon Metcalf was studying his reading lesson.
“Almon, I wish you would study silently. Don’t you know you are
interrupting our arithmetic lesson?”
All the children then turned around to look at Almon.
Again she started to take up the lesson, but the children’s attention
was all on Almon. Miss Smedley’s patience was taxed to the utmost. It
was hard enough to pound two times two into the minds of children when
they were interested, but to have their attention distracted by a boy
who insisted upon studying out loud—this was too much.
“Almon Metcalf, come here!”
The scared little boy hesitantly walked up to the front of the room.
“Aren’t you ashamed to take up my time this way?” Miss Smedley shook him
while the rest of the room looked on the scene with greatest interest.