Instead of helping James’ mind to develop, this teacher actually
inhibited its progress.
She might better have said, “James, let’s see if we can’t have every one
of those spelling words right this time, so that a nice fat 100 will go
down in my book opposite your name. Just think hard every minute of the
study period, and I know you can do it.”
And when James spelled the first word rightly, a wise teacher—one who
understood and loved children—would have nodded approvingly, or smiled a
little in recognition of the fact that James had done well, thus
encouraging him to go on and do his best the next time. With this
treatment he probably would not have failed the second time.
Always give the child a fair chance to state his case. When Eugene said
he didn’t scatter the paper, the teacher should have taken him at his
word even at the risk of being deceived, for not trusting a child’s word
when he is speaking the truth does more harm than believing several
liars.
“All right, Eugene, even if it isn’t your paper, don’t you think our
schoolroom would look better if it were picked up?”
And Eugene would pick up the paper—grudgingly perhaps, but much more
willingly and with much better results to himself than after he had
received a whipping.