Miss Weber had the right idea when she said to herself that children
will meet their teacher’s expectation of them, but she applied a wrong
method to bring this about. It is not necessary to give a formal talk on
what you expect in the way of behavior. Your every movement in the room
should disclose your expectation and your confidence in the pupils.
Jimmie Knox should not have been made the target for Miss Weber’s talk
on Deceit. She further made the mistake of expressing utter hopelessness
for the child who deceives, as if his fault were an inherent wickedness,
and, therefore, not to be remedied.
Jimmie Knox was not altogether to blame for his cheating. Miss Weber had
challenged his act by saying that she could see what was going on even
though her back was turned. His natural inquisitiveness led him to test
her statement.
A teacher may never hope to have the confidence of her pupils if she
says to them, even in a joking way, as Miss Weber did, “You must not
believe everything I say.” Could she blame her pupils for doubting her
word after making statements to them which even she herself admitted to
be untrue?
Occasionally it is well to turn a class discussion in such a way as to
have a direct bearing on a local situation, if this can be done without
special allusion to any offender. The following story shows how this may
be done. It also illustrates the method of throwing emphasis upon the
positive virtue desired rather than upon the fault to be eliminated.