do the things. Many a leader of boys thinks out a plan, gives it to a
group of boys and then thinks that the boys are themselves doing it,
whereas he is only trying to use the boys as his instrument. The most
effectual way of getting boys to do things themselves is to let them do
as much as they can and will do under adequate supervision. Lead by
suggestion, so that unconsciously the boys follow your advice and
dictation, giving them the benefit of their decisions and impulses. Pure
self-government in which the boys are entirely the dictators of their
policies and activities cannot be thought of, because such a course is
so generally fatal to successful development. But self-government
fostered and dealt with through suggestion by the adult mind is just
what is needed, and should always be encouraged.
Fourth, in letting the boys run their own affairs in this way the
Teacher must become a real leader. A real leader never stalks in front,
nor gives orders openly. The generals of today fight their battles and
win them twenty-five miles in the rear of the firing line. So it is with
the Teacher. He must be the power behind the throne, rather than the
throne itself. He must be as a conscience--to hold the boys back just a
little when they go too fast and to push just a little when they are
going too slow. The Teacher must recognize himself to be the impetus,
not the goal. The solution of each problem that comes before the class
should not only be considered by the whole group, but should be solved
by the boys. The important thing for the Teacher to remember in these
matters is that the method of practical American citizenship is the
majority rule. But this boy majority rule should, of course, be tempered
by governing leadership. Thus the Teacher will not do anything that the
boy can do himself, and he will be continually placing responsibility on
the lad. Responsibility is the great maker of men.
Fifth, there will be of course noticeable differences among the boys of
any class. The most serious differences arise even among men. The boys
will "scrap" at times, and there will sometimes be a tension and
rigidity about their discussions that will approach the breaking point.
Through it all it will be difficult for the Teacher to keep himself
patiently aloof and allow the thing to work out its own way. Sometimes
an appeal will be made to him to settle the dispute, and he will be
tempted to do so, but often such action will imperil the object for
which he is working. It is best to allow the boys to discuss, and try
out all of their logic before he begins to make suggestions and, if he
can get the boys to settle the matter themselves, it is to his interest
to do so. If a deadlock threatens to exist, then by wise counsel and
judicious suggestions he may be able to lead the boys out of a quandary
in such a way that it will look as if the boys had gotten out of the
difficulty themselves. This will certainly add strength to their
organization, and they will settle their own quarrels with peace and
dignity. Sometimes the break between the boys will be so bitter as to
cause the formation of intensely hostile factions, and then the best
thing the Teacher can do is not to try any new patching or drawing
together of the opposing forces. There is no use trying to make boys who
are bitterly antagonistic agreeable to each other. Let them make new
alignments if necessary and in combinations of their own choosing, even
if the result should be the formation of new classes.
Sixth, the boys should make their own rules for their own government,
and they should also deal as a group with the infringement of their
rules. This will solve the discipline problem of the Teacher.
Responsibility should be the keynote of government, and the awakening of
such a feeling in the boys should be the goal.
=The Adolescent Change=
Until about the age of twelve the boy is distinctly individualistic and
selfish. At about twelve years of age his whole nature begins to change
because of the change in his bodily functions. This change occurs
anywhere from the twelfth to the sixteenth year and is really determined
by his physical development rather than by his chronological age. The
change of bodily functions gives him a new outlook upon life. He begins
to see and understand that he is a part of the community in which he is
living and begins to understand that the community life is made possible
by a disposition on the part of his neighbors to help each other. He
also begins to understand the institutional life about him and the
family and sex tie on which it is based. He sees also the need of the
school, the church and other public institutions. He also begins to
appreciate the wider range of things. Nature has greater appeal to him
now than ever. The woods and streams and outdoor life get a new
significance, and the question of livelihood, whether rural and
agricultural, or in the line of the various industries, takes a firm
hold upon his imagination, and gives him a life-compelling purpose. He
begins to feel the mating call and at its first impression is attracted
to the other sex, with the result that by and by he also becomes a
husband and father and a full-fledged citizen among his fellows. Up to
the age of adolescence, however, none of these emotions stir the boy.
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ADOLESCENT AGE
The interests of the adolescent boy are general and not specialized
between the twelfth and eighteenth years. The boy gets his impressions
of the community objectively, in addition to increasing his
knowledge of the external world through his acquaintanceship with
its phenomena. The Universe and the Community are extensive and many
sided. The step also between twelve and eighteen years is short. The
boy's contact with these, then, must be rapid and general.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY ADOLESCENT AGE
The early adolescent age from twelve to fifteen years is characterized
by a rapid and uneven growth during which vitality and energy alternate
with languorousness, and the boy is awkward and lazy, with bones greatly
outgrowing muscle. The boy also begins to take a new interest in sex and
sex relations, his features and voice change, and the inherited
tendencies begin to assert themselves. His health is usually at its
best, and during his active moments he is boisterous and vigorously
energetic. He is selfish, but shows signs of altruism; his regard for
law increases; the spirit of gang leadership begins to show itself; his
longing for friendship is noticeable; his sense of secretiveness is
apparent; and his self-assertiveness first begins to be manifested. He
is creative in imagination, shows marvelous powers of inference, becomes
strongly intellectual, begins to manifest analytic reasoning, imitates
the ideal, is uncertain in making decisions, is influenced by
suggestion, and possesses generally a strong but not a logical memory.
He develops natural religious notions, has strong impulses to do big
things, has definite convictions as to his belief in God and Heaven and
the understanding of traditional religious terms, shows a noticeable
lack of interest in the forms of worship, but a keen appreciation of the
spiritual, and is passing through a period when great resolves are most
often made.
CHARACTERISTICS OF LATER ADOLESCENCE
During the period of later adolescence from fifteen to eighteen years of
age, the body nearly attains its maximum growth, the mind begins to show
its dominance over the body, and all the bodily impulses grow stronger
and more vigorous. Altruism steadily increases; the consciousness of
society grows; an appreciation of individual worth and thought develops;
the call of sex and the love emotion grows in strength; sentiment is
inclined to become strong; boundless enthusiasm manifests itself; and
organization and cooperation begin to appeal and be appreciated more and
more. There is a growth in logic, independent thought, alertness in
thinking, and quickness of receptive powers. The boy at this age is in
the period of highest resolves and greatest endeavor, is apt to show
religious skepticism, and reason often takes the place of his faith.
=Classes of Boys or Boy Types=
In talking about boys either in the aggregate or as individuals it is
best to consider them as representative of certain definite types. Boy
life can be more easily considered in this way by making special study
of particular boy types. In the first place there are the psychological
types--the choleric, the sanguine, the phlegmatic, and the hybrid.
There are also the types of real life with which we are most
familiar--the masterful, the weak, the mischievous, the backward, the
shy, the bully, the joker, the "smartie," the echo or shadow, the quiet
or reticent, the girl-struck, the self-conscious, the unconscious, and
the forgetful. Lastly, we should also consider the different types of
the unfortunate boys, including the deficient, the delinquent, the
criminal, the dependent, the neglected, the foreign born, the
wage-earner, the poverty-stricken, boys of very wealthy parents,
overambitious boys who have overambitious parents, and street boys who
are either loafers or engaged in street trades, or are compelled to use
the street as a playground.
THE CHOLERIC BOY
The choleric fellow who is always off at "half-cock," running his head
into danger whenever he can, and who is extremely hectic in his make-up,
is always a problem. He needs a strong hand. Sometimes he will need
even physical repression, but he always demands great care and patience.
The Teacher should deal with each class of boys largely by suggestion,
but in the case of the choleric fellow he will often need to use orders
and demonstrate that he himself is in the saddle.
THE SANGUINE BOY
The sanguine fellow is the normal boy who, having a good digestion, a
good home and no cause for worry, sees things as they are and is apt to
take them as they come. He will be the easiest kind of a boy to get
along with, and the only thing that the Teacher will have to do may be
to provide for stimulation of his interest and ambition.
THE PHLEGMATIC TYPE
The phlegmatic chap requires patience more than anything else; generally
slow of body, he is usually slow of speech and thought. If the Teacher
is not careful he will be apt to call him "dense," and speak to him
sharply and at times rather crossly. He cannot do this if he expects to
win the fellow. Temperamentally, nature has made him what he is, and the
Teacher will have to work harder, make things more concrete that he
wants to teach, and hold his impatience in check. Phlegmatic though he
is, he will prove solid in everything he does, and he will be either a
rock of strength or of weakness to the Teacher. If he likes the Teacher
nothing will shake his love, but if he has a dislike for him, then the
Teacher is at the end of his endeavor as far as he is concerned.
THE HYBRID BOY IS A PROBLEM
The hybrid boy always furnishes a guessing contest--impulsive today, he
has to be repressed; phlegmatic tomorrow, he has to be stimulated; and
he may be sanguine the next day. There never was a pleasanter boy to
work with, but like the chameleon you are never sure of his color.
"Breath of balm and snow,
June and March together,
In an hour or so."
Just because he is so changeable the Teacher should show him his best
thought and work. It is just such fellows who are inclined to be
shiftless and who are generally crowded out in the fight for life.
Somewhere in the boy's nature, if the Teacher is patient, he will find
the rock bottom upon which to build manhood and citizenship. Such
achievement, however, comes only by great patience and hard work.
THE MASTERFUL BOY AND THE WEAK BOY
The masterful and weak boys represent the antipodes of boyhood. The
masterful boy will see things quickly, will be the leader of his gang,
will instinctively dominate and run the class unless the Teacher is on
his job. The weak boy will follow anywhere, be the cause good or bad,
and become either a devil or a saint. The masterful boy may be handled
by appealing to his sense of leadership. Responsibility should be placed
upon him. The Teacher should make him feel that he is leaning heavily on
him. The weak boy on the other hand should be tied up to some steady
phlegmatic fellow, the phlegmatic fellow being given the vision of how
he can be an older brother to the boy not as strong as himself. The
result will be that the weak boy will catch some of the spirit of the
phlegmatic chap, and gradually get some depth for himself.
THE MISCHIEVOUS BOY
Of all the boy types, the mischievous boy furnishes the real pleasure
for the worker with boys. The fellow whose eyes can twinkle and who will
play a practical trick on the friend he most respects is always a
delight. It is he that keeps the crowd in good humor, who is generally
deepest and most abiding in his affection, and who at the drop of the
hat would fight to the last ditch for his friend. To handle him rightly
does not require a six-foot rod, or a half-inch rule. But the Teacher
must keep him so busy doing the things that he likes that he will have
no dull moments in which to vent his inborn sense of humor.
THE BACKWARD BOY
The backward boy will need to be led out of himself. Give him things to
do which will make him forget himself and, by careful utilization of his
time, gradually he will develop into a normal boy.
THE SHY BOY
The shy boy has merely become shy because of lack of association.
Usually he has been brought up with his mother and sisters and merely
lacks the touch of a man and a man's viewpoint. After he comes in
contact with other boys, this will wear away. The problem of the Teacher
is to get the other boys in his class to pilot the boy into the deeper
waters.
"SMARTIE" AND JOKER TYPES
The "smartie" and the joker types are thorns in the flesh. Just as
thorns when pressed in too deeply require a surgical operation to remove
them, so it may be necessary for the Teacher to "sit on" both the
"smartie" and the joker. If the other boys of the class make up their
minds to unite in the task, both the "smartie" and joker will become
normal boys in less than one season's activities, and the Teacher will
show his generalship to be of the real sort by enlisting the other boys
to do the job.
THE ECHO OR SHADOW TYPE
The echo or shadow type is a serious problem. He it is who generally
hinders the good things in life and helps the bad. He can swear by the
ward boss in party politics, or he can prove himself an obstacle in the
way of civic and national righteousness. The Teacher's task in his case
is to somehow or other strike the cord of independence, teach him to do
things by himself, think for himself and stand on his own feet. Along
the coasts of the North Sea, they teach boys to swim by throwing them
out beyond their depth. It may be necessary to awaken manhood and
independence in the echo by swamping him when he is alone.
THE BULLY
The bully will be the worst type for the Teacher until the right boy
comes along; there is no use in the Teacher worrying himself until he
does, because of the bully's bluster and bluff. Usually the normal boy
will accept him at his face value, and it is only when a lad with
self-assertion comes along that the sparks will fly. Then the bully will
have to back down or take his medicine. A fight between boys is usually
not a good thing, but when it comes to putting the bully in his place it
is one of the greatest institutions that the savage man has invented.
Once a bully has lost his place, he may bluster, but his bluff is over.
THE QUIET OR RETICENT BOY
The quiet or reticent fellow is like the mighty sweeping river. He has
depths which have been unsounded, and his life has promise of great
possibilities. Just the opposite of the bully, he never blusters but
thinks out everything as it comes to him. Every impression is stored
away and out of the countless impressions which are made upon him there
emerges a man of real and wide interests. The task of the Teacher in his
case will be to discover his interests and help him to discover himself.
THE GIRL-STRUCK BOY
The girl-struck fellow somewhat discourages the worker with boys, and
yet it is natural that the boy should look with favorable eyes upon the
girl, just as the robin hears and answers to the call of his mate. Let
no Teacher or any worker with boys of any organization that has ever
been founded dream for one moment that either he or his institutions can
ever block out the lure of the girl. The girl-struck boy will have
numerous cases of puppy love, and it will be the task of the Teacher to
lead the boy into the kind of social relations that will enable him to
be a real value to those of the opposite sex whom he may meet. The boy
will prove a much better husband and father because of his experience.
THE SELF-CONSCIOUS AND THE UNCONSCIOUS BOY
The self-conscious and the unconscious boys are merely victims of their
surroundings. The self-conscious fellow has no confidence in himself. He
is continuously measuring himself by others and is possibly the victim
of parental teaching. The constant injunction to act like "Little
Willie" next door may have gotten on the boy's nerves, and if the lad
has a chance without undue embarrassment he will soon reach the normal
stage, and be always a little more courteous and respectful and
thoughtful than the fellow without this experience. The unconscious
fellow on the other hand will plug along doing all sorts of absurd
things, because of his lack of knowledge of the fitness of things. He is
generally the boy who grows up without any sense of consistency, and who
has had very much his own way of doing things. He will need to be helped
to adjust himself to his environment and to the way that other fellows
live. He also will develop as a good man if the Teacher is a good
worker.
THE FORGETFUL BOY
The same may be said about the forgetful boy and, in fact, about all
boys. The forgetful boy has merely not been interested enough to give
his attention to the things that the Teacher wants him to do. Once a boy
has his interest aroused, the Teacher will have no need of complaint of
forgetfulness or of any lack of interest in the boy.
THE UNFORTUNATE BOYS
The types which have been discussed will generally work out all right
and find their places in the various social strata in the community in
which they live. The unfortunate boys, however, are handicapped
tremendously by their environment and surroundings, and it will often
become a part of the Teacher's work to help secure a change in these
environments. Boys of very wealthy parents and boys from homes of
poverty are usually sinned against by their parents. The parents of
both are either so busy making money and spending it in the social
whirl, or so pushed by the pangs of hunger and the fight for life, that
the children who are brought into the world are left either very much to
themselves or to underlings who have very little interest in the boy's
welfare. It is these neglected boys that oftenest produce our great
criminals. All boys of this type somehow or other are tied together. The
neglected boy generally becomes the delinquent and the delinquent boy
the criminal, so that what might be said about one might also be said
about all. This class constitutes our national deficit when we come to
consider our assets in manhood, and the Teacher can do a tremendous
thing here by helping to form the undeveloped wills of these unfortunate
fellows.
THE DEFICIENT AND THE DEPENDENT
The deficient boy and the dependent are really out of the scope of the
Teacher. The dependent class will have to be taken care of by the
charitable institutions of the State, and the deficient boy because of
his lack of mental development will always be a ward of the community.
THE WAGE-EARNER AND THE OVERAMBITIOUS BOYS
The wage-earning boys and the boys of overambitious parents or those who
are overambitious themselves need all the help and sympathy that they
can get from a Teacher. The father who is pushing his boy because of his
own ambition will very often need to be talked to by the Teacher or his
friends, and given an understanding of the crime he is committing
against his own child. The overambitious fellow who is pushing
everything aside for a definite thing in life will often have to be
talked to in the plainest language by the Teacher to get him to see his
other responsibilities and duties in life. The wage-earning boy who
works from early in the morning until late at night to keep bread in his
mouth and breath in his body will compel the Teacher, if he is really
thoughtful, to give up some of the things which he has already held
dearest and possibly lead his wage-earning boy into outdoor activities,
even on the half holidays which he would naturally spend in the circle
of his own family.
THE STREET, FOREIGN-BORN AND NEGRO BOYS
The street, foreign-born and negro boys will furnish very much the same
kind of problem; because of a general rule, they may be all grouped
under the wage-earning class. Some may be more shiftless than others and
may need more attention, while others may be merely awaiting the touch
of sympathy and the helping hand to make strong men out of them. A
goodly percentage of our greatest Americans have been foreign-born boys,
and, if there is any class that the Teacher should be more patient with
than others, it is the immigrant and the son of the immigrant.
=Grouping Standards=
The Teacher will find it greatly to his advantage to group his boys
according to some standard. Unfortunately, all standards, so far, are
more or less artificial, but approximate success may be secured by using
the experience of boy workers in various parts of the country. The
standard which is most generally used is that of age. It is also the
most unsatisfactory. Boys mature physically rather than chronologically.
This makes the age standard a poor guess, because a boy may be
physically fourteen when he is chronologically eleven, and vice versa.
If the age standard be used, it would be preferable to group all the
boys of twelve years together, then the thirteen-year-old boys in
another group, and the same with the fourteen, the fifteen, the sixteen,
and the seventeen-year-old boys. This would be rather hard to do in
small places, although perfectly feasible in a larger town or city.
Because of its impossibility, as far as the rural districts are
concerned, it might be well to divide the years from twelve to eighteen
into three standards--twelve to fourteen, fourteen to sixteen, and
sixteen to eighteen. The age grouping, however, will never be reliable
in achieving results, as the individual physical development varies so
much.
The height and weight standard is more scientifically correct than the
age standard, although it has not been tested out enough to warrant any
authoritative declaration in its favor. If this method is used for
grouping, the standards for athletic competition among the boys might be
used; that is, all the boys of ninety pounds and under might be put
together, the same being true for those under one hundred and ten, one
hundred and twenty-five, and one hundred and forty pounds. If height is
used, boys of fifty-six and a half inches in height and classifying
under ninety pounds in weight might be grouped together. Also boys of
sixty-three inches in height and coming within the one hundred and ten
pound weight. This standard will doubtless become the real basis of all
groupings in the future, but as yet it needs more demonstration in order
that the various classifications may be made accurately.
A simple and rather satisfactory way of grouping is by the school boy
or wage-earning boy standard. If the boy happens to be in the grammar
school he may be grouped with boys of his own educational advancement;
so with the boys who are in the secondary or high schools, and the same
may be said of working boys who are forced to earn their own livelihood.