The morning after the report cards were given out in the Whittier School
in Hanover, Massachusetts, Miss Jamieson was met at the door of her room
by Anderson Wheeler, one of the smartest yet most mischievous boys in
her room.
“Miss Jamieson, why didn’t I get more than ‘Fair’ in geography? Harold
Stetson got ‘Excellent’ and I know as much as he does.”
“Come into the room, Anderson, and we’ll talk the matter over.”
“Bring your geography up to my desk.”
“Now do you remember the day I asked you to name the mountain ranges in
the eastern part of North America?”
“Yes.”
“Do you remember that you said you had not studied your lesson?”
“Yes.”
“Do you remember the week we studied the industries of New England?”
Anderson nodded his head in assent.
“There was not one day that you could give me a correct answer to a
question.”
“Just how much time do you spend in studying geography, Anderson?”
“Not very much.”
“No, Anderson, you could get as high a mark as any boy in this room if
you wanted to. You really like geography, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do. My father is always talking about things that are in our
book.”
“Well, now, Anderson, why don’t you try to learn more about them? You
could be of so much help to us in our geography class if you would talk
over these subjects with your father.”
“Try this month to work up to an excellent grade. Will you?”
“Yes, Miss Jamieson. I believe I’ve fooled my time away this month.”
Thus, one teacher stimulated the worst laggard in her room.
(2) _Fidgets._ Teachers very often speak of certain pupils being
nervous, fidgety, or impatient. All these faults will respond to the
same treatment. As a rule they are due to the same cause. It is
necessary to discover the cause first. Generally, some physical defect
of the child causes him to be nervous or impatient. The teacher can not
remove this, hence, she must be patient with the child. Patience will
not remove the trouble but will go a great way in keeping the child
under control. The parents should be consulted and an attempt made to
have the child examined by a physician. Most parents will be glad to
coöperate with the teacher and soon the child will be happy and
contented. Whenever the teacher can not enlist the coöperation of the
parents she must do the next best thing. If the trouble can not be
entirely removed, it can be allayed. Care must be exercised not to keep
the pupil too long at any one occupation. It may be necessary to have
some extra busy work or interesting pictures or picture books, so that
frequent changes can be made in his work. A nervous child, too, needs
more exercise. Have him do some work for the school, e. g., collect
pencils or paper. Gradually the teacher should accustom the child to be
satisfied with what will interest and keep the other pupils quiet. This
can be done by withdrawing his extra attractions and indulgences until
he is under the same regime as the other pupils. If the child is nervous
and impatient, not as a result of some physical condition, then the
difficulty can be handled more easily, but by the same method as
described above. Children may be nervous and impatient because of home
conditions or simply as a habit. In either instance treat as above. A
nervous or impatient child should never be scolded for annoyances due to
nervousness. He can not help himself. He needs encouragement and kind
treatment.
(3) _Noise._ There are teachers who are constantly annoyed by a
ceaseless clatter of pencils, pencil-boxes, rulers, books and other
school paraphernalia. This constant din of noise is usually due to the
teacher’s bad management. The following was told the author by a teacher
who lived through her ignorance and arrived at the place where she saw
that she was the cause of the endless noise that pervaded her room. This
teacher had “little punishments” attached to various annoyances. One of
the most absurd was the requirement that if a pupil dropped a pencil or
other desk property, he had to pick up the object and then stand by the
side of the desk, as a punishment, until the teacher permitted him to be
seated. The most surprising thing about the method was that it did not
abate the number of so-called offenses. Little did this teacher remember
that she herself sometimes let something fall to the floor, and that the
same thing might happen in the case of the pupils. This teacher finally
discovered that the dropping of a pencil or book was but an accidental
occurrence; and was not at all to be termed an annoyance; and that if
she did not notice it no one else would. The teacher who thinks that an
occasional dropping of a pencil or other object to the floor is an
offense is to be pitied.
There is no such a thing as a schoolroom in which nothing ever falls to
the floor. It is true, it may become an intentional annoyance on the
part of the pupils. But it will not become such until the teacher makes
it such by her constant faultfinding about the annoyance. The teacher
must assume that pupils do not let things fall to the floor
intentionally. Whenever she has that attitude about it she will not be
annoyed by the trivial occurrence, and furthermore, her pupils will
never let things fall intentionally.
[Sidenote: Noiseless Movements]
Teachers often experience a great deal of trouble in having pupils
handle their books and other desk property quietly. Little wonder! What
boy or girl does not recall the following expression? “Oh my! Children
how much noise you make! Can’t you put your books away more quietly?”
Sometimes the expression is further emphasized by saying, “I will not
let you have any recess, if you can’t put your books away with less
noise.” The teacher who resorts to such expressions will not be able to
abate the noise attendant upon putting books away so long as she uses
this method. To pay attention to an annoyance of this nature is only to
aggravate it. But this is a very common schoolroom annoyance and must be
remedied. It can be remedied, but not by a foolish plan. The first grade
teacher on the first day must take occasion to suggest how she wants the
books, pencils and rulers put away. Her pupils will do as she has
commanded. Though they may have made more noise than she expected, she
will win her point if she says, “Thank you, children. I like to have you
put your books away like that.” The next time she must say, “Now,
children, let us put away our books, and let us see if we can do it as
nicely as we did this morning.” Such expressions of suggestive control
will work upon the children like a charm. They will put their books away
much more quietly than before. The teacher must always approve the
action of the preceding occasion. To make the method more effective, the
teacher may tell the pupils, when a visitor comes in, “Now, children,
show Mrs. B. how nicely you can put your books away.” The children will
try hard. It is only natural that they should. However, if they make
more noise than necessary, the teacher will strengthen her influence by
telling the visitor that she is trying to have the pupils put their
books away quietly and by approval she wishes to gain her point. There
is no doubt she will establish the habit among the pupils. She needs
only to keep at it for several weeks, until the putting away of books
and pencils will be done quietly as a habit.
[Sidenote: Passing Quietly]
Some teachers wonder why their pupils walk so noisily in the schoolroom.
There are few exceptions where it is not the teacher’s fault. Whenever
such an annoyance exists, it is necessary that the teacher have a
systematic method for passing about the room and in and out of the room.
To call a class and allow it to use its own pleasure in getting to the
recitation seat or the recitation room is a prolific source of confusion
and noise, and the most tactful methods to abate noise can not prevent
it. Pupils should be instructed to slip out of their seats to the right
or left, as the teacher desires, and then stand at the side of their
desks. At a signal of the teacher they should pass forward. If there are
several rows of pupils, and if they are required to come forward during
the recitation, one row should lead, the others following in order. They
should all approach the recitation seats from one side and seat
themselves in the same order as that observed in marching forward. In
passing from one room to another and in and out of the schoolroom,
system will aid materially in abating noise. The wise teacher will
remember that there must be some noise, but let it be “orderly noise.”
The following little incident explains a tactful teacher’s method of
dealing with unnecessary noise. A certain class had passed to the
recitation room quite noisily. The teacher kindly asked the class to
return to their seats. When they were seated, she said, with a smile on
her face, “Children, let us try to come to the recitation more quietly.”
Quite naturally, the class responded; not as the teacher wanted them to
do, but better than the first time. With a kindly look on her face, and
a smile indicating approval, she said, “Thank you; that was better.” For
the next recitation she intimated how pleased she was with their attempt
and asked them to repeat it. The teacher had pleased them by her kindly
manner, and the pupils responded by complying with her desire. Tactfully
she kept this up until it became a habit with the class. Never did she
scold or reprimand the class for noisily passing about the room. What
this teacher did can be done by every other teacher.
Sometimes a single pupil has the habit of dragging himself noisily about
the schoolroom. This, too, is easily remedied. The pupil should not be
reprimanded for it. The teacher should call him aside after school and
in a friendly way tell him about it. It will win the pupil to
carefulness if the teacher can say, “I know you never thought about it,
and of course I shall appreciate it if you will be more careful.” Now,
the pupil may not always be more careful, or may even forget. However,
the teacher should take the first occasion to say truthfully, “Thank
you; I knew you could get about more quietly.” It may be necessary to
use this method for several days, but the teacher should not despair. It
will effect a cure.
Every teacher recalls that when a visitor or visitors came in, pupils
were far more noisy than usual. It seemed as though they dropped every
article they had in their possession, walked as disorderly as they
could, and left the room without restraint. And nearly every teacher can
recall how she told the pupils, after the visitors were gone, that she
was ashamed of them. Telling them that their behavior caused the teacher
to feel ashamed did not lead them to act better upon another occasion.
It is a far better way kindly to inform the pupils of their mistake and
suggest what the teacher expects. Then when the visitor comes expect the
behavior desired, as well as see that the pupils are busy. When the
visitor is gone, approve whatever efforts the pupils made to do better.
It will encourage them to do their best on future occasions. The method
of approval will succeed, not the first or second time perhaps, but by
patient application.
Too much emphasis can not be placed upon the method of dealing with
general schoolroom noise. As a rule, not any single annoyance is marked
enough to be picked out and dealt with as an offense. General schoolroom
noise will always be aggravated by the teacher who treats it as an
offense and finds fault with it. The only method to use in dealing with
it is to propose a better way and then approve whatever the pupils do.
Keep on suggesting the better way and approving, and the desired results
will be obtained. The method properly applied can not fail. There is
much, too, in the very attitude of the teacher. A teacher who can make
her pupils feel that she expects nothing but their best efforts in
passing about the schoolroom or handling their schoolroom belongings,
will get the pupil’s very best efforts.
(4) _Clumsiness._ The human race wastes an incalculable amount of energy
and nervous force because of the unnecessary noise which it makes in its
thoughtless habit of doing things in the first way which presents
itself, rather than in a way which has been carefully devised to save
noise and confusion and needless expenditure of energy. One of the
finest things a good school aims to do is to teach its pupils how to
work quietly and to overcome clumsiness.