Mr. Rittenhouse, after getting the truth, should have followed the
matter out in a sympathetic fashion. Several of the boys will be likely
to forge the father’s name after composing the note. Some fathers will
not relish giving such a guarantee as is required. They will send word
to the teacher to keep the boys from gambling.
The better plan takes in the boys’ natural impulses to have novel fun
and makes the school a continuous influence in their lives. If we avoid
over-condemnation, the boys can be led out of a type of conduct which
otherwise will be established as a vicious habit.
Resistance to the teacher’s advice is usually due to a conviction,
warranted or unwarranted, that the child is being imposed upon. This
conviction must be met by a kindness which restores confidence, or an
explanation of conditions which shows the requirements to be reasonable.