[Sidenote: Approve the Clean Book]
Prof. Pierce of Lakeville High School has the habit of picking up books
from pupils’ desks and glancing through them occasionally while
recitations are going on. When he finds an exceptionally clean, well
kept book he says, “I like to see a neat book like this. It is a good
index to the kind of boy that owns it.” He has no trouble regarding
marked up textbooks.
[Sidenote: Lower Grade]
(2) _Learning to write neatly._ It is not an easy task to take the early
steps in writing which are so highly interesting for the first grade
child. Still less easy is the training in carefulness, neatness and
accuracy. Much of the difficulty is due, however, to the fact that the
teacher attempts too much at one time, is not sufficiently explicit in
giving directions, forgets that little children learn quickest through
imitation, and lastly that they constantly need the stimulus of approval
for effort, and coöperation in the mastery of new and difficult tasks.
As an initial step toward overcoming any neglect in these directions we
would suggest that whenever any task is assigned, you first tell the
child very definitely how you want the work done. Assume that the child
does not know as well as you just what you mean by the word “careful.”
Show concretely just what you do mean. Take a blank piece of paper and
write before him on his desk. Assign some simple, concrete thing for him
to write and say, “Now, this is the way to do it.” Or, “Here is
something I want you to write for me. Now I have found that a good way
to do it is like this:” (then show the child your plan on paper).
Take time enough at the child’s desk to say, “Do you see what I mean?”
“Do you understand how I want it done?” No matter what the child says,
repeat your plan briefly, so that he will be sure to remember. Leave his
desk smiling and say, “I’ll come back to your desk after you have
finished and see how well you did it.”
Do not give the pupil a hard task. In fact, make it very easy and
simple. Then go back to the pupil’s desk in ten or fifteen minutes, and
make up your mind before you go back that you will not say anything at
all to the pupil except to approve those parts of his work that are at
all good. For example, say, “There’s a very good letter ‘O’; I am not
sure that I could beat that myself, and there’s another good letter—and
there’s another. Well, I should say! That’s all right. I am going to
give you some more work like that tomorrow. I did not know you could do
so good work.” Leave the desk while the child is feeling elated over
what you have said.
Repeat the same procedure the next day. Vary the introduction somewhat,
like this: “I want you to do this just as you did yesterday, except that
I want this margin over here on the right side to be on a straight line.
Wait till I take this ruler and show you.” Lay the ruler lengthwise of
the sheet you want the pupil to write on, so that you can take your lead
pencil and make a line about an inch from the right side of the page.
“Now, when you have written out to this line here, then stop and begin
on the next line like this:” (show the child how you write a sentence
and begin on the next line). It would be well if the sentence which you
use as an example were to be one that would express some familiar
thought about the child’s immediate interests, such as his favorite
sport. Leave the child’s desk as you were advised to leave it the day
before and also return as before and approve that which the pupil does
well, either saying absolutely nothing about the careless parts or
suggest incidently that the pupil could help such and such a part by
doing this or that thing to it. Be sure to end your remarks by some such
expression as, “That’s good,” or “That’s fine.”
[Sidenote: Lower Grades]
(3) _Learning to Draw._ Not infrequently it happens that a pupil comes
into school who has never learned to draw and who, feeling his inability
to accomplish the task set for him in the drawing lesson, refuses to
make any attempt to do so. Especially is this true if the picture is to
be drawn from imagination. In such a case it is best to begin with
copying. When this art is learned, drawing from imagination will be a
comparatively easy step.
For example, choose a very simple picture for the child to reproduce on
another piece of paper. It is a good plan for a teacher to have at least
a dozen or more pictures in one drawer of his desk all the time, because
many pupils like to draw and copy pictures and it is an excellent way to
get them interested in other work. Present the picture of some ordinary
scene. Tell the pupil before he begins that you are going to make a
collection of pictures which your pupils draw. The picture need not have
much life in it to start with, but right here we make use of the child’s
imagination to wonderful advantage. Suppose the picture, which you have
in hand, shows a tree or two, a house, a couple of bushes or any kind of
natural objects whatsoever. Talk to the pupil in this fashion, pointing
to different parts of the picture with your pencil and have your face
near the picture, indicating interest and enthusiasm as you talk: “Now,
right behind this tree here, I want you to draw a boy, sticking his head
out from behind the tree. And right over here, where I make this little
cross mark, I want you to draw a little girl hiding behind this bush. We
will suppose they are playing ‘Hide and Seek.’ Right over here, between
this tree and the house, draw a boy’s hat. Maybe he has lost it while he
was running to hide. You know how to make a hat. Just like this:” (draw
a very simple hat, merely making a straight line and a semi-circle
connecting two points in it.) “Maybe you can draw a better one than
that. I’ll come back to your desk pretty soon and see what kind of a hat
you drew and also that little boy sticking his head out from behind the
tree. Is your pencil sharp enough?”
The child will say that his pencil is all right. Then leave him at once
and in ten or fifteen minutes return. Go back with this one thought in
mind, that you will say nothing at all except that which is
complimentary. For example, say, “Well, I should say you _can_ draw. I
believe you made a better hat than I did. Now this afternoon, I am going
to give you something else to draw. Maybe a pony with a boy on his back
and a girl riding in the pony cart. You are going to be good at drawing
things for me, I know. I want to keep all of your drawings after you
have finished them for me.”
In case the child should interrupt and ask to draw the pony right away
instead of waiting until afternoon, answer by saying, “I will have the
picture ready for you after dinner and then I will bring it to you.”
Of course, it is not necessary to use the exact words we have suggested,
or to use the same pictures or even to use pictures at all. The
important point is to offer something that is at once interesting in
order to get the pupil started in drawing. Do not insist much upon
regular lessons during the first day or two in which your chief problem
is to get the pupil’s confidence.
After the child has learned to like to do the things which you suggest
present more difficult, or even purely imaginative, subjects for
drawing.
Use the same method in getting the child to take an interest in other
subjects than drawing—that is, give him very small tasks, then approve
and compliment him on his ability. This will bring good results with any
pupil who is normal.
As a transition step between mere copying and drawing wholly from the
imagination, and also to give the timid child confidence enough to come
to the blackboard to draw in the presence of other children, the
following might be tried.
Having the confidence of the little pupil, go to his desk just before
school closes in the evening and say, “I would like for you to stay just
a moment after school. I want to tell you something.”
After most of the pupils have marched out, return to his desk, begin to
talk enthusiastically about a picture which you have. Tell him to follow
you and you will try to draw it. Then after reaching the blackboard and
picking up a piece of crayon, say, “Now, I am going to draw this man’s
face and I want you to draw his eyes.” Let it take you about a minute to
draw the outline of the man’s face, talking all the time about how well
you like to draw pictures, then say, “Now let’s see if you can draw his
eyes. Make a mark right there” (point to a spot). “Good! Now draw his
other eye. Good! Now his ear. Make a mark right here” (point to a spot).
“My, that’s fine. See, what a fine man you drew.” Start to leave the
blackboard and say, “I’m going to have you draw for me again.”
Repeat this process every day until you feel sure that the child will go
to the blackboard and work in the presence of yourself and the class.