There seems to be no more frequent blunder in a teacher’s management of
an insubordinate child than that of acting without foresight.
What diagnosis is, in medicine, analysis of a child’s thoughts and
feelings is for the teacher.
This injunction can not be too often repeated since each instance of
disobedience or other wrong action has unique features that require
unique treatment.
Miss Rhodes gave not one moment to seeking a cause for Olive’s
misbehavior; her attention was devoted wholly to getting the girl to
“obey.”
By this neglect Miss Rhodes lost a good opportunity, and delayed a much
needed reform. In this instance Olive showed a rebellious spirit. Her
classmates had been carefully drilled so that nearly all of them
pleasantly accepted the orderly methods of their teacher. They enjoyed
having their desks in good order and liked the class exercises that
involved rhythmic movements and team-work. There was left little
opportunity for inattention or tendency toward it.
Having decided that the child is sulking there is nothing to be
permanently gained for Olive by _forcing_ her to obey. A rebellious mood
is not dissipated by coercion; one must wait until the wave of
resentment has passed. Unless physical danger or great disaster
threatens, because of a retarded obedience, it is better to let the
child alone until the rebellious feeling has passed away.
[Sidenote: Novelty Cures Moodiness]
The only alternative is to distract the mind by presenting objects of
interest. No one, child or adult, is able to maintain moods of
resentment, rebellion, or injured pride very long if he can be induced
to attend closely to some neutral object.
One of the richest sources of information on the control of children is
observation of children as they associate together. For example,
children do not often parley long with a moody playmate. They leave her
out of their plans; she soon begins drinking of the bitter dregs of
isolation and abandons her unsocial attitudes.
The teacher has no need to fear that her control of other children who
witness a stubborn child’s behavior will be threatened if she does not
at the moment enforce obedience. They will understand that this child is
simply being “left out of the game” until she gets ready to “play”
again. If the teacher has not yet established confidence between herself
and her pupils by use of methods of coöperation and feels forced to
compel obedience at the moment, she must be absolutely sure that the
child is given no cause for suspecting any antagonism whatever in the
teacher’s attitude. The use of the ruler was wrong because it brought in
the element of vengeance or reciprocal antagonism. If the stubborn child
is constrained to fall into line with commands the forcing should be
done in a happy, helpful spirit, so that the child may say to herself,
“Miss Rhodes is helping me to do what I know I really should do.”
A word as to the interval that may elapse between an offense and the
interview between teacher and pupil. As a rule it is best to confer with
a pupil as soon after the misdeed as his mind is free from the peculiar
feelings generated in the wrong act and when his thought is closely
associated with it.
A delay of several days makes a review of the incident out-of-date,
disagreeable and unduly antagonizes the pupil. He tends to forget the
incident; its revival even under the best circumstances is an occasion
of strain between pupil and teacher.
It is therefore an economy to settle the whole matter while it is of
necessity fresh in the pupil’s mind and yet when his passions have
cooled down. This will relieve the dread of all persons involved and
will restore speedily the usual flow of personal relations.
The basis of Olive’s trouble was the oft-repeated word of her mother,
“When Olive looks like that you can’t do anything with her.”
This has possessed her mind until, by prolonging her negative mood she
has been able to create a considerable stir in the family life and to
make a record to which no one else in the family has attained.
The school has a duty in killing this sort of impulse to win attention.
The method of starvation will work the best cure. That is, if Olive
receives no “credit” at school for her “excellence” in pouting, the
desire to try for honors in this matter will finally vanish.
The teacher must find out this small fact and conduct her treatment as
suggested, omitting allusions to “sulkiness,” “rebellion,”
“stubbornness” so as to make room for positive and constructive
suggestions.
A huge wave of good feeling and sympathetic interest from Miss Rhodes
with suitable coöperative action will have the desired effect.