Occasionally, a student overworks in the effort to secure the highest
place in the teacher’s appreciation. In a certain high school the
history teacher had two boys in her class in modern history who were
rivals for first place.
[Sidenote: Jealous of Scholarship]
One belonged to a wealthy family and had every help and encouragement;
the other was away from home and working his way through school. It was
the latter boy who worried his teacher. He was up early in the morning
and late at night attending to furnaces in winter, gardening and
cleaning in the spring; and after these exertions he read carefully all
the references given, lest Charles Schofield should do better work than
he. Of course this soon told on his health, but he kept doggedly at his
heavy tasks. When he grew so listless that he had to rouse himself with
a visible effort to recite, Miss Van Leer kept him one day after class
for a talk.
“You mustn’t think of trying to keep up with Charles Schofield,” she
said firmly. “Why, he has nothing to do but eat and sleep and take a
little exercise and study.”
“I know that. But you said last term that he did the best work in the
class, and I resolved that he shouldn’t do the best this term, just
because he has a big library at home and all the time in the world. You
know I want to show you what I can do, Miss Van Leer.”
“I want you now, Ben, to show me how much common sense you have. You are
simply allowing a foolish pride to run away with your good judgment.
Promise me you’ll merely read through the text assignment for a
fortnight.”
“And hear him rattle off reams from Adams and all the rest of them? Not
I! You would think me a piker, for all you say.”
“Will you do it for me—as a personal favor?” Miss Van Leer was forced
finally to put her wish on a personal basis. This succeeded where all
appeal to self-interest had failed.
(3) _Cliques and snobbishness._ One phase of this subject, that of the
ringleader, will be treated under the heading “Regulative Instincts.” At
the present time the gregarious aspect, or the tendency of young people
to join together in little bands, will be noticed chiefly. Such a
tendency is, of course, only indirectly harmful. It is both social and
anti-social—social because of the impulse toward companionship,
anti-social because of the selfishness that excludes from the social
group all except a few chosen favorites.