(1) _Lower grades._ Even in the kindergarten certain children in every
class stand out as leaders. In classes above the kindergarten this
characteristic of leadership appears more and more strongly. If the
leader throws his influence alongside that of the teacher, well and
good. The teacher has thus a strong ally. If the leader arrays himself
against the teacher, then the teacher’s own influence is weakened and in
many cases seriously crippled. In the lower grades such an antagonistic
attitude on the part of a single pupil may not be a very serious matter,
but in the higher grades, and especially in high school, where the clan
spirit dominates, a single pupil may turn an otherwise successful term
into a failure. It is highly important then for the teacher to
understand how best to overcome an unwholesome leadership on the part of
the pupil.
There is but one basis upon which the teacher can operate such
principles of control as will secure the hearty coöperation of the
pupils. That basis is the possession of their confidence. The teacher
_must_ have the confidence of her pupils. It _must_ be a confidence that
is deep and sympathetic. It cannot be superficial. The pupil is a keen
judge and will detect a superficial attitude of the teacher. But the
teacher who feels in her heart a love for every boy and girl, a love
that desires to do the best for them, to build and strengthen their
characters, can not be superficial. It has been said elsewhere, that
whatever increases the confidence of pupils in the teacher lessens the
necessity of outer control, and whatever lessens the confidence
increases the necessity of outer control. This is an important fact and
the teacher cannot too thoroughly study it. It is the teacher who loses
patience with the boy, when he shows the first signs of waywardness, who
fails to attain the ideal in school-room control, who consequently loses
the boy’s confidence, thereby increasing the difficulty of control. Such
a boy, if he is a natural leader, will form a clique of his own and
place himself at its head. He and his clan will see to it that mischief
does not languish in that school. The teacher wonders why the boy
regards her good admonitions so lightly. He would regard and heed them,
if she had not lost his confidence. What, then, shall the teacher do to
regain and keep the faith and loyalty of every pupil?
No better plan can be given for the primary grades than to tell the
actual experience of one teacher of forty-five boys and girls. Among
these were bad boys, who quarreled, fought, used bad language and did
other things that could not be tolerated in a wellordered school. One
was an only child; she controlled her parents and insisted on similar
privileges in the school-room. By no means were the pupils well behaved.
The teacher studied her problem. In the first week of school, she bore
many annoyances, but she found out who were leaders and just how
annoying the pupils could be, and also what they were capable of doing.
She knew the actual condition of the room and had laid her plans to win.
On the second morning she entered her room bright and cheery. Before the
bell rang she copied a pleasing and easy little song on the blackboard.
As soon as the bell rang and her pupils were in their seats she told
them a very interesting story, standing as she did so. Her manner was
pleasing and she held the attention of her pupils throughout the story.
When it was finished she turned to the song and said, “Children, let us
read over this song together.” At once she started to read. Many of the
children did not read, but that did not deter her, she read on. When
through, she asked them to read it again with her. This time more read.
At the conclusion, she faced the school and said, “How fine that was! Do
read it again for me!” This time every pupil read because she had
approved their reading and showed pleasure and interest in what they
did. Then she asked them to help her sing. None sang with her, but that
did not daunt her. A second time she sang. A few of the pupils sang with
her, and when through, she exclaimed, “I really did not know you could
sing so well! Why, we must sing often!” She had won every boy and girl.
In fact, they did not know themselves that they could sing so well.
Again they sang. This time every voice helped. True there were a dozen
discords. But what did this teacher care for discords. They were not
evils. It was confidence she was planting and nurturing. From the song
she turned to the work of the day, but casually she dropped this remark:
“I know this will be a pleasant day. You all look just as though you
would do your best.”
Through the day the teacher kept up that spirit of cheerfulness. She
approved and complimented the crude efforts of each one. There was
noise. There were annoyances, but she overlooked them as best she could.
She was working for a larger end. Later, when she found her plans did
not win all of her pupils, she took up each case of the few remaining
wayward ones and disposed of it by individual treatment.
This teacher planned an autumn outing for her pupils. One bright
afternoon, when the sun silvered the country side, and softened the red,
yellow and golden tints in the forest, she took her flock to the woods.
There were nuts to gather, wild grapes to pick, asters and goldenrod to
gather and garlands of autumn tinted leaves to weave. Toward evening,
she assembled the children about her in a pretty spot in the woods, and
all ate together.
Often she allowed the children to have little play parties at which she
was the leader. She knew no end of “full-of-fun” games; her pupils never
failed to have a good time. She took them out skating. They had
snowballing bouts. Even when she wanted her room cleaned and
redecorated, she invited her pupils to join her in the task and as they
worked away, she wisely directed their efforts.
The teacher who is tactful can think of a hundred and one things to do
to please and win her pupils.
All such affairs must be given to the pupils as expressions of the
teacher’s good will. There must be that attitude toward the pupils that
indicates to them the teacher’s love for them and her interest and
consideration for them. Among such fortunate pupils there will be no
hostile ringleaders. All will readily accede to the teacher’s wishes,
because she lives with them and for them. Such a teacher keeps her
pupils busy with those things that they enjoy doing; they have no time
to think of other things, than what the teacher plans for them.
The teacher who follows this course will be the “ringleader.” She, too,
will be the one whom the pupils unconsciously will imitate and follow.