Part 2 — DIVISION V

Adaptation may serve either of two ends. It may fix the child in a life of indifference, of inefficiency, of crime, or it may fit him into a world of noble acts and lofty endeavor.

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CASES ARISING OUT OF THE ADAPTIVE INSTINCTS

What are the adaptive instincts? By the adaptive instincts is meant the power that an individual possesses of fitting himself, more or less easily, into the situation in which he finds himself. Such power of adaptability is of the greatest possible value to the human infant, coming as he does into an extremely complex environment, physical and social, and with the further certainty before him of extremely complex activities in adult life.

Fortunately the long period of plastic infancy offers constant opportunity for readjusting one’s habits, tastes, accomplishments, etc. Three chief means for making such readjustments are found in the child’s tendencies, (1) to imitate, (2) to play, (3) to satisfy his curiosity.

“Example is usually far better than rule and imitation more effective than explanation....”

—Thorndike.

1. Imitation—of Acts; of Habits; of Social Ideals

Betts^[1] defines imitation as “the instinct to respond to a suggestion from another by repeating his act.” This is simple and entirely covers the ground. He goes on to say that the instinct is one of the earliest to 362appear, being very plainly discernible before the normal child has reached the age of one year. It often reaches its height by the time the baby is two or three years old, but is never lost and sometimes persists strongly into old age. When a child imitates the same thing several times his imitation becomes a habit, and so two powerful factors unite to form a customary type of behavior.

Appealing to the Imitative Instinct

One might think that imitation, being strongest in young children, would appear almost exclusively in the lower grades of school; but in fact it plays an important part all the way through the high school. The things imitated change, but the instinct remains. In treating cases which are caused or influenced by this powerful instinct, which the great French sociologist Tarde considers the greatest factor in human conduct, there are four methods which can be used:

1.

The expression of strong disapproval of the acts and their results.

2.

Forceful repression—punishment.

3.

Changing the nature of the example imitated.

4.

The substitution of another and better example for the one imitated.

The first and second of these four methods are two degrees and modes of the general means of opposition. They are sometimes effective, and they are sometimes necessary and wise. If a very great evil is going on, for instance, it is fully justifiable to use any means to stop it, before its harmful effects cause too great suffering and injustice. If a teacher finds a bully imposing on a small child, even although he may know that a good 363example to the bully is the means for his ultimate conversion to kindness and justice, he should stop the bullying first by the best means at hand, and afterward set about the character conversion of the bully.

Moreover, with very young children, in whom habitforming is largely a matter of pleasure and pain in the reactions of their deeds, punishment that is swift, sure and wise should follow the imitation of a bad act after its evil nature has been made clear. With older children, however, who have passed this early stage, the third and fourth means are usually more effective. Common sense, supplemented by a fair knowledge of child nature and the rudiments of psychology, will dictate where one set of methods ends and the higher set, which trusts more to the child’s developing judgment, begins.

Imitation begins, as has been said, in infancy. Its forms will be found to belong to one or another of the following types:

Types of Imitation

1.

Imitation of commonly observed acts, such as shaking hands, eating with a spoon, making faces.

2.

Imitation of a strong personality, or of strong mannerisms in any personality, which catch attention and command admiration or disapproval.

3.

Imitation of an imaged ideal, brought to the imitator through fiction, vivid history instruction, seeing a play, etc.

4.

Imitation which is unconscious, usually under stress of high emotion—mob action.

364Of course the most common of these types of imitation is that of the common customs of the people who surround the young child. Otherwise it would mean little to a child to be born into a family in which gentle manners and kind deeds set a daily example fit to be followed closely. The manners of most children are those of their homes; only with a certain degree of maturity will they see the manners of other homes and elect to imitate them instead. Next in importance to this imitation of the social example, is that of some strong personality.

This imitation usually comes through admiration, although most people will also recall the disgust with which they have realized that they have unconsciously imitated some mannerism of an acquaintance, of which they heartily disapproved. This shows that it is not necessary to admire an act in order to repeat it. It is necessary only that the act make a vivid impression on one, an impression which may be received by some persons just as readily through strong repugnance as through strong liking. Twists in pronunciation are thus imitated in spite of one’s dislike of them, as an involuntary tribute to the strength of the impression made upon the hearer.

Another strong stimulus to imitation is the desire for the praise of others. John wins father’s enthusiastic praise for the thorough way in which he cleaned the motor-car, and his brother Carl cleans it the next time it is muddy, not because he likes the work but because he wants to be praised also. Winnie makes a face at the teacher and wins the praise of her schoolmates in the shape of an approving laugh, and Jennie 365imitates her at the first opportunity in the hope of winning a laugh also. That is one reason why successful people are so much imitated; in addition to what comes to them through the admiration of the crowd, there are many who hope to win similar rewards through similar efforts.

And then there are those who imitate others because they want to surpass them at their own game. This is emulation, usually classed as a distinct instinct by psychologists, and yet so closely related to imitation that the same general principles of treatment apply to both.

Faults which have been learned by imitation can rarely if ever be cured by didactic instruction. They have been learned in a far more vivid way, and their unlearning is best accomplished through the substitution of other habits, imitated from some attractive and vivid model. If the process of substitution can be made a pleasant one, the work goes faster. In general, the dramatizing of the proposed new order of things is the surest and quickest way of teaching it, with children who are young enough for this method. Merely to condemn old habits, without suggesting a new and better way, is usually pure waste of time.

(1) Mimicry. “The young child imitates mainly the simpler bodily attitudes and vocal and facial expressions of those with whom he is in vital contact. As he develops he imitates ever more complex activities of a social, political, ethical, æsthetic and industrial character. In the beginning it is the doing of an act, not the results thereof, that interests the individual; 366the reverse is usually true in maturity.”^[2] Not infrequently, however, does the child fail to distinguish between the act that is suitable to imitate and that which is not. Like every other instinct, although of great value to the individual when properly directed, yet if not guided into legitimate channels, it becomes often a source of great annoyance.

CASE 62 (SIXTH GRADE)

Mimicry of Speech

Miss Burch was from Massachusetts, and had an exquisitely soft voice and unimpeachable pronunciation. She came to Peoria, Illinois, to teach in the public schools, and found these two assets very much in the way. Mabel Gulliver, a little girl whose cleverness was largely the product of much running of streets, turned both to account in a series of imitations that “delighted crowded houses” whenever she chose to hold forth. As she did this frequently, poor Miss Burch soon found herself helpless and ridiculous in her own school-room.

“Authah, will you ausk the janitah to give us a little moah heat?” Mabel would flute, with inimitable saccharinity. “And I want you all to cease lawfing at once, foah this is the clauss in correct pronunciation, and if youah to be cleavah like me you’ll learn how to do it properly.” Miss Burch’s manner was the perfection of simplicity, but in Mabel’s imitation it appeared with a simpering ingenuousness both funny and untrue.

Miss Burch realized the situation and wept over it. She did not know what to do. Realizing she was the 367subject of ridicule, she became self-conscious and timid, and her discipline grew worse and worse.

CONSTRUCTIVE TREATMENT

Things were in this bad shape when Mr. Nearing, the superintendent, came to visit her one day. He was so kind and sympathetic that after school Miss Burch told him the whole story, and asked his advice.

“The trouble with you is,” he said, “that your most prominent characteristic is one which lends itself to ridicule here in the Middle West, where we don’t know an Italian “a” from a mud-pie. Now, don’t think of changing your pronunciation; to do so consciously would be to be affected. But make the children forget it in something more exciting. If you’d start a museum for your nature study, or get up a little play for Christmas, and make Mabel its chief factotum, she’d have an outlet for her energies, she would still lead her crowd and have their admiration, and your pronunciation would fade into the background of the Things That Are. It’s all a matter of relative emphasis.”

Miss Burch did try this plan. She had her room dramatize and then play The Birds’ Christmas Carol, and in the intense interest of this project the teacher-mocking was forgotten. When Mabel remembered it again, she and Miss Burch were such good friends that it was out of the question.

COMMENTS

When the imitation takes place in the school-room the matter is much more under the teacher’s control, for there is no end of ways in which the child can be kept 368too busy to indulge in histrionic performances. But whatever is done, the teacher should not appear to notice that a pupil is disrespectful to her.

ILLUSTRATION (SEVENTH GRADE)

George Henderson was dubbed by his classmates “the clown” because he was always doing something laughable. Usually his fun was of a harmless type, but occasionally his pranks overstepped the bounds of propriety.

Mimicry of Gesture

His teacher, Miss Stanton, had unconsciously fallen into the habit of making nervous little gestures when she was explaining lessons to the pupils, and, indeed, when she was talking with the pupils outside of school. Several times during recitations she had noticed George entertaining the pupils near him by imitating, under the shelter of the desk, of course, all the little movements of her nervous, energetic hands. She resolved to overcome the habit of emphasizing her words by gesture, but the more absorbed she became in her teaching, the less could she think about her hands. If she concentrated attention upon her hands, her teaching suffered and the whole class became listless. Resolved not to sacrifice the class for the sake of one fun-loving boy, Miss Stanton next tried another plan.

“Mary, you may name all the capitals of the countries of Europe,” she said.

When Mary was about half through with her list of capitals, Miss Stanton interrupted her with,

“That is far enough, Mary; George may finish.”

Now George knew the capitals perfectly, but he had 369been busy behind the desk with a particularly successful imitation of Miss Stanton’s movements, and suddenly surprised, could not recall where Mary had left off.

Miss Stanton waited just a moment, then said, gravely, but without any indication of resentment,

“I am sorry to have you fail on anything so important as this, George. Jack may go on.”

George sat quite demurely for several minutes, for he was a little disappointed at losing a chance to recite a lesson which he had really prepared with considerable care. However, he comforted himself by thinking: “Well, she called on me once. She won’t do so again,” and after a short time he went serenely on with his dramatics.

Miss Stanton also went on apparently oblivious to what was taking place behind the desk. After a few minutes she said,

“Stephen, beginning with the northern countries, tell us what the farmers raise in each of these countries.”

Again she stopped the recital in the midst of it, with

“That will do. George, go on.”

Again George lost his chance to recite, not because he did not know the lesson, but because he had not been listening to Stephen. In his confusion his face flushed, especially when Miss Stanton said, in a low tone:

“How is this, George? Two failures in one day? I shall expect a better lesson than this tomorrow. Wilbur, will you finish the recitation?”

George sat quietly for the remainder of the recitation, thinking to himself:

370“Well, if she has called on me twice, she may get around again. Gee! I knew all that.”

Miss Stanton did not call upon him again, however, that day. On the following day George decided that it would be well to give enough attention to the recitation, at least to “keep tab” on what the others were reciting, and gradually he learned that he was likely to be called up at any time that he allowed his attention to wander far away from the work of the hour. Not a word had been said about his pranks, but they ceased to be troublesome to teacher or class.

Some children are natural actors. They mimic grown-ups in a ludicrous way. This may be done unconsciously, but sometimes pupils purposely imitate a teacher’s walk, attitude, voice or phraseology, just out of a desire to raise a laugh at the teacher’s expense.

CASE 63 (FOURTH GRADE)

Mimicry of Walk

George had an unusual gift of ability to mimic others. Even at the age of nine years he could easily entertain his classmates by imitating various men of the town. His teacher, Miss Giles, was a stout little woman whose arms seemed not to hang closely enough to her body, and as she walked she swung them as if they propelled her through the air. Her voice was fretful whenever she repeated a command, which was often, or whenever she expected disobedience. One day as he followed Miss Giles across the room, the impulse seized him to mimic her gait. This he did, with marked success. When he returned to his seat he began to study her mannerisms with a view to entertaining others. At recess he showed the boys how she 371held her hands and nodded her head while she talked. The next step was to imitate her voice. This he did successfully.

One day, about ten minutes before the afternoon session began, Miss Giles was sitting at her desk, grading penmanship papers, when Marie Allbaugh rushed in and said: “Miss Giles, come out here and listen to George. He’s playin’ like he was you.”

Miss Giles hardly understood what Marie wished to tell her, but she followed the child to the front yard where a crowd of children were around George. Unnoticed by most of them, she joined in the circle in time to hear George say in a very good imitation of her voice, “Children, quietly take your books,” then in a fretful tone with a frown, “I said quietly.” “Whoo-ee,” shouted one of the listeners, and all joined in a laugh when suddenly they noticed Miss Giles standing there.

“George, march right into the house,” said she in her harshest tones. “You shall not have another recess until you have apologized to me for this.”

Soon the bell sounded for the afternoon session. When the recess period came, George started to walk out with the other children.

Miss Giles saw him, and said, “George, take your seat.”

After the other children had all left the room, she went to George’s seat and said, “Are you ready to apologize?” Just then a shout came through the window from the children at play. George wanted badly to join them. He said, “I don’t know how.”

“Say, ‘Miss Giles, I’m sorry I mocked you at 372noon,’” said she. George considered. If he said he was sorry he would be telling a falsehood. He would try to be excused without that so he said:

“Mother lets me play like I was other people. She don’t care, so I thought you wouldn’t.”

“But, George, you must always show respect for your teacher.”

George meditated again. The shouts of the children at play gave him an idea. Wasn’t he sorry he did it? Wasn’t that just what was keeping him indoors while others were at play? Of course, he didn’t want to stay in, so of course he was sorry he had done the thing that kept him in. With a bright, smiling look at Miss Giles, he said: “I am sorry, Miss Giles, that I mocked you at noon.” It looked like a sincere apology and it passed for such.

“You may go,” said she. She considered the case well handled.

CONSTRUCTIVE TREATMENT

Miss Giles would do well to join in the laugh at her own expense. She should supervise every moment of the children’s play period. George will not then have an opportunity to use his imitative powers. He will be swept into active games and be only one of a crowd.

An apology should not be demanded of a pupil for any mark of disrespect toward the teacher. Respect can not be developed by force.

If, in spite of these precautions, you sometimes find yourself the butt of the children’s sport, quietly drop into the play school, take a seat as one of the play 373pupils and carry off your part as a naughty child. “Take off” the troublesome child so well—(not any particular one, however)—that the children will laugh with you and the whole thing will pass off as play, nothing more.

COMMENTS

Miss Giles had a rare opportunity of showing her pupils how to take a joke. She would have gained friends and lost no more prestige than she did by trying to force an apology. A wholesome laugh with the pupils is one of the best things to help overcome disrespect on the part of the pupils. It would be better, of course, not to be obliged to laugh at one’s own expense, too often. Supervised play solves many problems like this one.

An apology unwillingly given is a lie or at best only a subterfuge. No teacher can command respect by demanding it in so many words. The teacher can compel respect only by showing her pupils that she deserves it.

ILLUSTRATION (RURAL SCHOOL)

Mimicry of Mannerisms

It was a rainy day at Mount Pleasant Rural School. After the noon lunches had been eaten the children were at a loss to decide what to play. Finally Alice Mitchell said, “Let’s play school. Who’ll be the teacher? Who’ll be the teacher?”

“Let me!” “Let me!” several of them almost yelled. Maud Jameson, an overgrown girl, nine years old, was accustomed to having her way. She was one of those positive children who win leadership by right 374of having good opinions tersely expressed. Her older sister even followed her lead.

Without more ado, she commanded the children to take their seats and began a mock school day.

Miss Baldwin was at first scarcely interested in the children. Soon, however, she was struck by Maud’s imitation of her own expressions. Was it conscious or unconscious? She could scarcely tell. Would Maud dare to mock her in her presence? She was not sure as to that. At any rate she decided to study the situation, realizing that after this noon time she need not again say:

“O wad some Power the giftie gie us

To see oursels as ithers see us.”

Maud passed along the seats making faultfinding comments as she went.

“Laura, turn round,” she said, with exactly the touch of impatience which Miss Baldwin herself would display.

“No indeed!” she answered to one who asked permission to speak, with exactly the amount of sarcasm Miss Baldwin herself used on similar occasions.

Maud rapped on her desk, and looked around frowning and shaking her head as a signal to be more quiet—Miss Baldwin, unmistakably. She tapped the bell for the children to stand together, and stamped her foot as she told them to sit because some lagged.

“Whoever fails to get up this time may stay in at recess,” she announced, with Miss Baldwin’s own expression of irritation.

For half an hour this went on. Maud scolded and 375sneered, stamped her foot and found fault while Miss Baldwin listened with varying feelings.

At first she decided to stop Maud and punish her. Yet she considered that her explanation of the reason for her punishment might be hard to make satisfactory. Her second thought was to study the situation in order to ascertain whether the other children considered it merely a joke on their teacher. They seemed not to do so. Her next thought was of shame as she realized the atmosphere created by her attitude toward the pupils as shown by Maud. She therefore resolved to let the matter pass without criticism, but meanwhile to profit by the picture given her of herself as teacher. This resolve she kept, and as she learned to be patient, she saw less and less need for impatience.

(2) Leaving the room. The first grade teacher should allow her pupils to leave the room whenever they ask her. In case it becomes an annoyance then is the time to study the matter carefully and apply consistent methods. The things to be gained relative to pupils leaving the school-room, are that they should leave and enter quietly and as much unnoticed as possible; that they should not remain absent from the room too long, and finally, that they do not abuse the privilege by leaving oftener than necessary. The teacher must be very judicious in withholding the privilege of leaving the room. The physical condition of the child may be such as to require him to do so often. If anywhere in school management the teacher needs to practice common sense, it is in controlling pupils who leave the school-room. Right habits should be established in the first grade. It is 376difficult to keep children from abusing the privilege, and in their anxiety to prevent abuses, teachers often use methods which arouse the antagonism of the parents. With the first grade child the best plan is to have a private talk with the child, explaining the necessity of going quietly, of going as infrequently as possible, and of returning as soon as possible. Be careful to express approval if the child heeds your admonitions and repeat them when he forgets.

In the case of older pupils, who consciously take advantage of the extended privilege, we suggest that you first attempt to gain the confidence of the offending pupil. To do this, talk to him about his own interests, show that you are interested in the very same activities, sports, etc.

It is also a good plan to give some definite errand for the pupil to do for you—something that he can easily do and will enjoy doing—and after the child does it, show your appreciation by saying something like this: “You are so kind. Thank you ever so much.” This will help you in gaining the pupil’s confidence.

After securing this basis of confidence, make it a point to talk to the pupil individually at some suitable time. Speak first about something in which the child is interested, then say, “There is another thing I wanted to speak to you about. Whenever you go out at recess, be sure to get your drink and do all other errands before the bell rings so that you will not need to leave during study hours unless absolutely necessary. Try to remember this, will you?”

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CASE 64 (THIRD GRADE)

Miss McLean, after a few days of exasperation over excessive requests for permission to leave the room, finally decided to correct this. She found in one day that every pupil left the room at least twice during the session of school and this was a total of fifty requests.

Frequent Absences

“This will never do!” she said, the next morning. “You must learn not to interrupt the school work this way. Now, I want you to see how well you can keep to your work this morning. We will not give any permissions to leave the room between now and recess and between recess and noon time.” In the afternoon she relaxed somewhat. The next day more permissions were granted, and finally the situation became as bad as ever.

CONSTRUCTIVE TREATMENT

This effort at reform needs system. Adopt the simple rule that only one person at a time will be given permission to leave the room. Ask that each request be presented by first raising the hand. If your pupils respond readily to your management you may sometimes trust them to write the name on the board near the door instead of asking permission vocally. This plan, however, is more suitable to the high school, and even then supervision of the privilege must not be relaxed.

If you do have pupils write their names on the blackboard, upon their return, require them to note after their names the number of minutes they were absent and let them make up this “lost time” at intermission.

378In case any pupil insistently leaves the room more often than you would expect, institute an inquiry as to his physical health. Ask the family physician or the mother for this information. In order to cut off the bad effects of his example before the other pupils, you can pass the word about, privately, that the doctor has asked you to give Tom or Mary several interruptions of study during the day.

COMMENTS

It is easy to catalog the causes that lead to excessive attempts to leave the classroom, study hall, or grade room—restlessness, indolence, mischief-making, desire to play, conspiracy to meet another pupil, carelessness in habits of nature, physical ill-health.

Trouble arises over this matter by careless management on the part of teachers. Caution is necessary at two points: (1) Do not allow too many interruptions of the work; (2) Do not injure the health of pupils by refusing necessary privileges.

ILLUSTRATION (SIXTH GRADE)

Simultaneous Absences

In the Normal (Ill.) public schools there were twelve rooms. Miss Haybarger had the sixth room. Soon after the opening of school in the fall, a most obnoxious situation arose because from three to twelve pupils were released continually. There were enough pupils out of the rooms to meet on the grounds and indulge in games. Miss Haybarger decided to save her pupils from this misdemeanor by insisting that only one pupil leave the room at a time and that all “time lost” should be made up. She reported that some days 379passed in which there was not a single request for permission to leave the room.

This result can be further explained by the fact that every minute of school time was filled with carefully planned and interesting work. Her general manner made work and diligence the only possible order of the day.

Epidemics of leaving the room are especially trying whenever a substitute has charge of a room. If a regular teacher has good control of his room he should send a note to the pupils, to be read to them by the substitute, in which he says something like the following:

“I am sorry not to be with you today. Be even more considerate of the substitute teacher than you have been toward me. I am expecting a fine report from him as to your behavior today.”

This message will do much to stop irregularities. In case the children are inclined to take advantage of the regular teacher, the following case will be a helpful study.

ILLUSTRATION (EIGHTH GRADE)

A teacher who found that one of her brightest boys was setting a bad example in this respect, dealt with it in a tactful way which proved entirely successful. She was an excellent teacher, who trusted her pupils very fully. They responded to this trust on the whole admirably, but in one particular case her usual methods did not work. She said nothing to the boy whose restlessness was causing the trouble, but assuming that his frequent absences from the room were caused by 380ill-health, she called on his mother and asked her to have Robert’s health looked after. The mother promptly sent Robert to the family physician, who made a careful examination but found nothing wrong. All this to-do over his health, together with the trustful anxiety of his mother and teacher, embarrassed Robert exceedingly. He finally went to his teacher and told her that he was “now quite well,” and that she would not be annoyed any more by his frequently leaving the room. He was better than his word, for he stopped leaving the room during the sessions altogether, and when he stopped the other boys almost ceased also. Without having said a word to any boy, without having shown them that she knew they were indulging in a foolish and childish trick, the teacher had cured the evil by dealing with the ringleader in a way that made him ashamed of the quality of his leadership.

(3) Coughing epidemics. Often pupils indulge in epidemics of coughing. One pupil begins, and by suggestion other pupils join in the annoyance. The usual method of prevention is a scolding which may arrest the outbreak but does not remove the tendency to repeat itself. The very fact that the teacher notices the coughing intensifies the suggestion.

It is to be understood that children often suffer from colds and must cough. It would be cruelty to attempt to stop them. A better way would be for the teacher to ask all the pupils to stand and take several deep breaths and make some arm movements. The windows must be opened to admit fresh air for the breathing and exercises. The teacher can do this without the 381pupils having the slightest idea that it was for the benefit of the pupil who coughed. In extreme cases of coughing the teacher can go quietly to the pupil and ask him to leave the room and take a drink. In most cases this will stop the coughing. When coughing in the school-room is unavoidable, every pupil should be taught how to cough into the handkerchief. The article serves as a muffler for the sound and as a protection of one’s neighbors against contagion.

It is quite worth while for the teacher to remember that the more attention she pays to an outbreak of this kind, the more troublesome it will prove to be, the oftener it will recur. One teacher who came into a school in the middle of the term found that the pupils used coughing outbreaks to annoy and worry their former teacher. They tried the same on her. But much to their surprise she went right on with her work and pretended that nothing unusual was going on. The youngsters carried their outbreak to the limit of their capacities, still the teacher went on unheedful of their efforts at annoying her. When noon came she dismissed a band of worn-out youngsters. She had won. They felt themselves outwitted. They did not try to annoy her again.

Sometimes a pupil hiccoughs in a way to be annoying. While at times hiccoughing can not be helped, still indiscreet teachers have scolded pupils for it and thereby caused every pupil that could hiccough to do it in a most annoying manner. Whenever a pupil hiccoughs, a teacher may quietly ask the pupil to leave the room or she can have the entire school stand and take several deep breaths. This will usually cure hiccoughing. 382At the same time the windows should be opened to admit fresh air.

(4) Giggling. Some pupils are addicted to “giggling.” In such cases the teacher will find that to notice the annoyance will tend to exaggerate it. If she can ignore it, the possibilities are that the misdemeanor will cease. However, if it is so marked that it requires her attention, the method applied must be indirect. It is quite certain that if a teacher will persist in having a pupil that “giggles” do something every time he indulges in the annoyance, he will be cured of his trivial habit after a month or two.

Laughing in a proper way will hurt no one, and is by no means a misdemeanor. It does children good to laugh and would sweeten the lives of many soured teachers if they would laugh more. Often all the pupils seem to want to laugh. The discreet teacher will let them have their laugh; he will join with them. When the fun is over, he will say, “Now let us all get busy.” If there is a tendency for the laughing to become too boisterous, he may say pleasantly, “I like to see people have fun, but if you will remember to laugh quietly when anything funny happens, I shall appreciate it very much.”

CASE 65 (FIFTH GRADE)

Giggling at Nothing

Miss Mayne’s room was as still as a busy school-room can be, when a little crackling giggle broke the stillness. Such a noise always stirred Miss Mayne, who prided herself upon her discipline, as a fly stirs a light sleeper. It affected her as a personal affront.

“Marian, what are you giggling about?”

383“Nothing,” says Marian in a stifled voice.

“Don’t tell me that. What were you giggling about?”

“I don’t know. The other girls were, and I giggled, too.”

“Mattie, were you giggling?”

“Yes, ma’am, I s’pose I was. But I don’t know what I was giggling about, either.”

“Well, then, I think I’d stop. I can’t see the sense in laughing about nothing. Let’s have no more of it.”

Silence for a little while. Then a perfect gale of chirping, gurgling, little-girl laughter—as cheerful a human sound as exists for the child-lover, perhaps because of its very meaninglessness, its spontaneity, its birth in healthy animal spirits. But Miss Mayne must uphold her reputation as a disciplinarian. And this time she knows who started the epidemic.

“Lulu, you began that giggling, didn’t you?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“What is so funny?”

“I don’t know, Miss Mayne, truly I don’t. I just have the giggles.”

“I never heard of anything as senseless as this thing you call ‘the giggles.’ You may come up here and stand in the corner until you get over ‘the giggles.’”

Up to this time Lulu had been simply a lively little girl with impulses under poor control; but at this punishment she became a resentful one. At first she was inclined to turn around and make faces at the other girls, but, as they were afraid to smile in appreciation, this grew monotonous, and soon Lulu began to think of herself as badly abused. She had never been taught at 384home that giggling is a sin; she had an idea that she was very unjustly treated, and her sense of fairness was outraged.

The next day Lulu, who was a prime favorite and a leader of the girls, began systematic teasing of Miss Mayne. She persuaded the other girls to annoy the teacher with a constant irritating succession of coughs whenever she started to explain anything. Mattie was to say that the room was too close, and when the windows had been opened Muriel was to complain of the cold, and the rest were to join in a storm of coughing. This program was carried out, and with great success. Miss Mayne finally saw that she was being hectored, and took revenge by standing three girls and one boy, who had joined in the fun of his own accord, on the platform. Here they had great fun, standing with grave faces, pretending to study, until a good chance came to make a face at Miss Mayne. Lulu capped the climax by asking Miss Mayne to put a cold compress upon her throat, as she said this always relieved a cough for her. She folded a handkerchief and dipped it into cold water, and Miss Mayne, looking into her upturned pitiful face, did not know whether to forgive and pity her or to shake her. She finally decided to shake her, which made Lulu really sober for once and temporarily restored the peace.

Lulu was a good girl for several days after this, but when her high spirits demanded another good time in school, she found similar means of leading the other girls and boys into mischief. There was an intermittent feud between her and Miss Mayne, in which the teacher usually came out second best. Miss Mayne had 385to admit to herself that although her school was sometimes as good as could be desired, when Lulu wanted to she could lead the whole room into a maddening course of annoyance that spoiled the order and spirit of the day.

CONSTRUCTIVE TREATMENT

Natural leadership, a rare and valuable gift, is usually combined with unusual ability of some kind or other, and is always carefully to be reckoned with. When Miss Mayne found the girl who started the giggling, she might have said to her:

“Lulu, have you found out something that is too funny to keep? No? You are just giggling because you are giggling? That is too bad; suppose you step out into the hall until you are over the attack; perhaps it is too warm for you here.”

Assume that your pupil knows that people look with a certain contempt upon causeless giggling, and explain why. Make clear how important it is for people to be able to control their facial muscles, their expression, their laughter; how absolutely necessary it often becomes to be able to forego laughter. Then suggest some simple exercises for the gaining of this control; and above all, show an appreciation of the trouble a lively little girl has to control her risibilities. Give her permission, if necessary, to step out of the room when she feels an uncontrollable desire to giggle; usually being alone helps to control the spasm. If possible, interest this leader, with her wealth of spontaneity and high spirits, in some enterprise in which she may use all her surplus energy.

386Step out into the hall and ask Lulu solicitously if she has recovered from her fit of giggling; probably she will be ready to step to her seat and go on with her work quietly. If she is not, make her comfortable in the hall, and tell her to wait after school for a little talk. You are not punishing her in doing this; you are trying to cure her of a disease, to help her gain a control which she has not so far accomplished.

COMMENTS

By treating the meaningless giggling as a disease, for which kind words and a remedy are appropriate, it becomes less desirable in the eyes of the girls; it is like a headache or a cold. With the leader removed and no irritating opposition on the part of the teacher, the giggling will soon die down.

This attitude is not a pretense on the teacher’s part. The truth is that spontaneous giggling is sometimes a sign of serious nervous trouble, and suggests the need of a specialist’s care. Oftener, however, it is simply the sign of poor nervous control, and can be overcome by a little wise and kind guidance.

An epidemic of giggling becomes as irresistible to a group of little girls, and often to big ones as well, as an epidemic of measles. They do not know how to control it, and if they think it is going to tease the teacher, they probably do not want to. The suggestion of the need of control, the friendly helpfulness in proposing means of gaining this control, and the readiness to allow legitimate laughter when it occurs, all remove the idea of wrongdoing, blame, and antagonism. There is no longer any fun in giggling to annoy the teacher; 387she is not annoyed, she becomes sympathetic, and the teaser becomes conscious that something is wrong with herself.

When the laughing first breaks out, however, and everything seems funny to the pupils for the time being, then is a good time for the teacher to say something funny too and thereby associate herself with the pleasure the children are having. The fact of having indulged them in their merriment for a moment will give her greater power to stop them when the laugh is over.

Sometimes, too, an epidemic of laughing comes merely as a reaction from a long continued period of study. It should not be treated as an offense in such a case, but rather as a symptom of fatigue.

ILLUSTRATION (SECOND GRADE)

Laughing Permitted

Unusual silence reigned in Miss Grey’s room one Friday afternoon, for she had allowed the children as a special treat for Friday to have a period of their favorite pastime, paper-weaving. With absorbed attention they had worked out their own designs and little Teddie Hendricks, in his eagerness to show his teacher what a wonderful figure he had made, could not persuade himself to wait until she could come to him; he must go to her. His older sister had carelessly left her geography on Teddie’s desk and he had been using it as a sort of framework for his design. A pile of unused strips of paper lay on one side of the geography. He picked up the geography upon which both the paper mat and the strips of paper lay and started for his teacher. When about half way across 388the floor a sudden gust of wind from the open window caught his papers and sent them flying in all directions. With a puzzled look Teddy stared first at the bare geography which he held in his hands, then at his teacher, and then burst out laughing.

“Well, Teddie, Mr. Wind is having some fun as well as you, isn’t he?” asked Miss Grey. “Never mind, we’ll pick them up.”

But the charm which held the room in silence was broken. One giggle after another was heard from time to time and presently Miss Grey said:

“Children, you have worked so beautifully this afternoon, we’ll all have a little fun together. Teddie may get the bean bags and we’ll have a little game of catch. Girls in this row! Boys in that one! Let’s see how many can catch without once dropping!”

Ten minutes of substitution of one activity for another cured the giggles and the rested children went quietly back to work with no further attacks for the remainder of the afternoon.

(5) Chewing gum. Frequently some teacher is heard to say that his pupils annoy him by chewing gum. They even go so far as to chew rubber or even paper and when told by the teacher to throw away their gum innocently remark, “I have no gum, it’s only paper.” Whenever such an annoyance exists it is largely due to the indiscretion of the teacher. The trouble with too many teachers is that they denounce the chewing of gum as an evil, making it out as a sin, when in truth, it may be beneficial to many and often such teachers use it themselves when their pupils do not see them. Is it any wonder pupils worry them 389by chewing gum during school and finish up by sticking it to the under sides of their desks?

How much better it would be for the teacher consistently to explain to pupils that there really are benefits to be derived sometimes from chewing gum, and that when at play or out-of-doors there is no harm in it, but that in company, in school or in church, it is not a neat thing to do. Such a teacher has told the truth and her pupils, large and small, will respect and appreciate her for it and they will do more; they will not annoy her by chewing gum during school sessions. The habit is largely a matter of suggestion and imitation. One pupil introduces the custom, the others follow out the suggestion. By relegating the custom to the school ground, when the pupils are busy with physical activities of other sorts, the practice will be reduced to a minimum.

CASE 66 (EIGHTH GRADE)

Miss Smith came from the State Normal School to have charge of the two upper grades after forming some very definite ideas on how to maintain order among adolescent boys.

Gum Chewing

The second morning she was conducting an arithmetic lesson when she found that Susie Hall was enjoying her chewing gum more than she did the assignment.

“What is your name?” said Miss Smith, pointing somewhat definitely toward the offending pupil.

“I am Susie Hall.”

“Well, Susie, are you interested at all in this work in arithmetic? I could hardly believe it since I see 390your jaws going” (mocking Susie in a very exaggerated fashion).

Susie was just a little surprised to have her manners noted so keenly and commented on so quickly, and replied, “Yes’m. I guess I like arithmetic.”

“Well, we can’t have this gum chewing, and you can just step away from the blackboard and find some place to throw out your chewing gum. When that is done, come back and we will see what we can do with this arithmetic.”

Now Susie was only one of a dozen who in former days had more or less privilege in the matter of gum chewing, so that there was a sympathetic wave of resentment quickly resounding throughout the room.

Nevertheless, there was no immediate outbreak of anger from Susie or anyone else in the room.

CONSTRUCTIVE TREATMENT

Instead of immediately attempting to suppress the gum chewing in a child almost totally a stranger, go across the room, and, after asking Susie’s name, summon her to you, and very quietly ask her to put away her gum. After doing that, request Susie to help you in keeping good order. The chances are that a girl like her would be more or less bold and dominating among her associates, so that if a feeling of goodwill toward her teacher could be developed, it would be a valuable asset in maintaining the order of the room subsequently.

COMMENTS

Miss Smith transgressed seriously in making so bold an attack upon the existing situation. She did not yet 391know the past habits of her pupils, so that discretion should have restrained her from being so brusque and outspoken in her attitude.

ILLUSTRATION (SEVENTH GRADE)

Helping to Keep Good Order

Mr. Franklin took charge of the Ellsworth grammar room and found that his predecessor had been extremely indifferent in the matter of eating sweetmeats and gum chewing during school hours. This knowledge came to him by reason of the remains that he found in the teacher’s desk from the year preceding. This disclosure led him to expect several of the pupils’ desks to show the same state of affairs; indeed, he found additional proofs that eating and chewing gum in the school-room were entirely customary among the pupils. Subsequently, the first instance which came to his notice received definite attention.

Ellison Perkins chanced to be the offending pupil. Mr. Franklin waited until recess, called Ellison to his desk, and made some inquiry based upon his suspicions as to the custom of the pupils and teacher during the past year. Ellison slowly made admissions that gave the teacher thorough knowledge of the situation.

“Now,” said Mr. Franklin, “I suppose that you and the rest of the pupils in our room do not believe that chewing gum during the school hours is the proper thing for well-trained pupils.”

“No, I suppose not,” said Ellison; “leastwise in some places they say that we shouldn’t eat in school, and now and then teacher gave us a mighty talking to, but he didn’t stop us.”

392“Well,” said Mr. Franklin, “we can’t do that way this year. I want to be sure of what you think is right about the matter, and if you are willing to help me keep this room clean, and help the pupils to see what is right about matters of this sort, I shall be very much obliged to you. We can’t stand anything that interrupts our work unnecessarily. Of course, we don’t intend to work every minute, but if we lose a few minutes now and then for such things as gum chewing, it takes too much time.”

“Yes, I know,” said Ellison, with more intelligence than eagerness, since he recalled that during the morning he had himself revived the old habit; nevertheless, Mr. Franklin aroused the conviction that he was right. His appeal to do the right thing was successful and even though in a somewhat frail fashion, he linked up Ellison in the plan of reform.

(6) Eating in school. Many a first grade child has been caught by the teacher eating some morsel of food, a bit of candy, or an apple during school hours. Such a practice can scarcely be called a misdemeanor. It is only childish nature manifesting itself. Some teachers say that no child should be punished or even reprimanded in the slightest manner for eating something in school. The first thing a teacher should do when she discovers a little child trying to satisfy his hunger, is to give him a knowing smile and a negative nod of the head. He probably will put the tempting morsel away. Should he get it again, the teacher can walk to the offender’s desk and take the food away. Should this habit become troublesome, the teacher may require all the pupils to leave their eatables at a certain 393place in the school-room. A little tact and patience will keep in check the tendency to eat things in school. It is a breach of good manners; it is a childish trait and should be treated as such. Its chief harm lies in the fact that if the act is unchecked, other children through suggestion and imitation will soon be following the example.

CASE 67 (SECOND GRADE)

Eating Candy

Miss Shannon was in the middle of the forenoon’s work when she noted Alice surreptitiously munching candy. Her question, “What are you doing?” brought a useless “Nothing.” Stepping back to Alice’s desk she found a little girl with mouth crowded full of candy, hiding additional stores in her ill-concealed handkerchief.

“Where did this come from?”

“Eliza gave it to me,” was the response.

“Is it possible! Eliza, have you any more candy?”

“Yes, ma’am. I have more, but not much. I haven’t eaten any in school time.”

“Well, I want to see it. My, what a lot! I sometimes forget and take a bite of something to eat in school myself. I’ll tell you what let’s do. We all like candy. Eliza, won’t you pass the candy to all of us?”

“This won’t give a taste to us all. I’ve got so little,” was Eliza’s natural response.

“Well, let’s do it anyway. Then we’ll be through with it quickly.”

The plan was actually carried out. Pieces were passed from hand to hand and each child was supposed to break off a bit and pass on the lump. In about five 394minutes the eating was over and work was taken up again.

CONSTRUCTIVE TREATMENT

There seems to be a breakdown of discipline in this case where a surrender to appetite is unnecessary. Require Eliza and Alice to deposit their sweetmeats with you, on the ground that you will help them to be polite to other pupils who have no candy. After school is out in the afternoon, restore to them their property with a mild caution as to good manners. If the offense is repeated, keep the candy till the second night. Commend them for their self-control in waiting.

COMMENTS

Miss Shannon exceeded the bounds of propriety in proposing to eat in school hours contrary to her own rule. She should by no means confess that she could not control her own appetite; such admissions induce children to yield to their own impulses.

This habit of eating in school is natural and likely to appear, but excessive severity is not necessary to overcome it.

ILLUSTRATION

Sweetmeats

Not many weeks later Miss Shannon had occasion to treat the same situation again. Following better judgment, she said to the offender,

“Would you please let me have your sweetmeats to keep until you need them?” There was some hesitation, but her calm assurance of good will won.

“Now you can come to me after school is out and 395I’ll give you what you leave with me. But please don’t bring your sweet things into the room. Eat them up before school begins or save them for lunch.”

She took the occasion to say to all:

“Our papas and mammas keep plenty to eat at home, so that we need not eat food during school hours. I want you to help each pupil in the room to have a profitable time. We can’t do it if someone is eating. So we won’t bring anything to eat during study time. If anybody forgets, he is to leave his eatables with me until it seems best to give them back to him.”

CASE 68 (FIFTH GRADE)

Eating Oranges

Georgiana Luitivieder’s parents sent her occasional express packages of fruit from Florida during the mid-winter months. She was the only child in her grade whose parents spent the winter south; hence she could not resist the temptation to take fruit to school the next day after a case of lovely oranges came fresh from the trees.

A whole dozen was scattered among the members of her grade. The first signs were the yellow adornments that bedecked a few desks; one or two fell to the floor and rolled away. At the same time Abigail was seen eating an orange on the sly. Miss Galdsworthy was much annoyed by the troublesome oranges. Here are her orders:

“Abigail, bring your orange and lay it on my desk.”... “All in this row, who have oranges, bring them to me.”... “And in this row.”... “The one who brought these oranges to school may stand.” “Very well, Georgiana, I want to see you at recess. Now, 396Henry, you may call the janitor for me.” When the janitor came he received orders to take the oranges away and not to give them back to the children. He marched off with a basket full amid groans and protesting exclamations from all over the room. (After his departure), “I should think you would know better than to bring all those oranges into the school-room. I don’t want this ever to happen again.”

CONSTRUCTIVE TREATMENT

Having found out who had distributed the oranges by private inquiry, call Georgiana to you and say:

“I want you to collect all these oranges and keep them for a ‘spread’; they are lovely things, but they’ll be in our way if we keep them lying around. You are going to help me keep order, aren’t you? And I’ll help you to have a good time.”

Then announce to the school:

“We’ve decided to have our oranges in a delightful ‘spread’ to come off at the recess period. So we must gather up the oranges for that occasion.”

Promise some additions to their resources and program, and make a splendid thing out of it.

COMMENTS

Pupils are hopelessly alienated by a procedure that exceeds the bounds of propriety. Georgiana’s generous impulses were outraged by loss threatened or actual of the luscious fruit. A teacher on the ground before school opened would have found out what was about to happen, in all likelihood, and could have forestalled it entirely. But if the teacher directs these generous 397impulses, she will not only avoid school-room disturbances, but she will be taken yet more intimately into the confidence of her pupils.

ILLUSTRATION (SIXTH GRADE)

Peanuts

“‘You used to eat once in a while in school’! I can’t believe it,” said Miss Arbuthnot, the first time she caught one fifth-grader munching a peanut. “We don’t eat in school when I teach. I’ll tell you what we’ll do. Let’s make a rule that no one shall take a bite or chew a single chew when school is in session, but instead of that we will have our girls prepare us on Friday noon a light lunch, once a month. How many of you favor that? Hands up!”

All agreed, and each child brought a small contribution from home. The luncheon was daintily served in the domestic science room and constituted a fine safety valve for several strong impulses in the hearts of thirty-five sixth-grade children.

CASE 69 (HIGH SCHOOL)

Caramels in School

Murry Blane found three young women among his schoolmates in high school that he felt very warmly toward. Having an abundance of pocket money, he spent many dollars first and last in bringing tokens of his regard to his three friends. For the most part he managed to do this quietly, so that his devotion was not subject to discipline, but when Charles Wingate became principal, things took a slightly different turn.

Mr. Wingate knew very well that there were always pairings off of young folks in high school. He watched for these groupings of the boys and girls, and when 398he saw Emma Moore laying a row of caramels on her desk the first question that came to him was, “Who bought the candy for this girl?” He immediately went to her desk and quietly asked the question, “Emma, where did this candy come from?” Such a question had never been put to her before, although efforts had been made many times to eliminate lunching from the high school.

Her first answer was, “Why, friends of mine bought them for me. Isn’t that all right?”

Of course the neighboring pupils heard the answer and knew what the question was and consequently their interest was very deeply aroused.

“O, yes,” said Mr. Wingate, “it is all right for your friends to buy you candy, but it is unusual to see it displayed in this fashion as if it were for sale.”

“Yes, I wouldn’t offer that candy for sale. It is too precious for that.”

Following this witty speech, Mr. Wingate saw that the concern of other students was becoming too intense and gave up further remarks for the time being, but an hour later when the matter of having the candy had apparently been dismissed from his mind, he found the time to say to the girl, “We don’t want that candy display to continue, nor do we want any more of it brought into the assembly room. I want you to tell me who else shares with you this abominable habit of bringing stuff to eat to school.”

Emma hardly knew what to say, but managed to frame an answer: “Why, I don’t know who brings stuff to eat. Everyone brings what he wants, or doesn’t bring anything, just as he likes.”

399“Does Murry bring candy to the girls?”

“Maybe he does,” said Emma. “Why don’t you ask him?”

“I shall ask whom I find necessary to interview, but I am asking you whether he brought candy and gave it to you or not.”

“Well,” said Emma, “several of my friends bring candy, both boys and girls. Perhaps Murry brought some. I wouldn’t say that he didn’t.”

Evidently the interview was not going to be satisfactory, and so Mr. Wingate said, “Well, that will do for now.”

CONSTRUCTIVE TREATMENT

In high school it is necessary to steer a safe course between suppression of legitimate pleasures and attacks on ill-mannered customs made half-heartedly because of dread of colliding with school sentiment. Mr. Wingate should not have attempted so broad an inquiry in so public a manner. It would have been quite sufficient for the moment if he had said, “Emma, will you please conceal this candy until later? It is too attractive to be safe.”

If there were no grievous interruptions of school work, decisive action should have been deferred until profitable conversations had given Mr. Wingate an opportunity of developing definitely some sentiment upon the obnoxious habit. This could be begun the very same day on which he encountered the row of candy on Emma’s desk, but owing to the desire of high school girls very generally to make a good appearance in public, Mr. Wingate might readily attempt 400to cure the ills of his own school by a series of definite lessons on good manners.

Link this up with instruction in domestic science, so as to give it due emphasis and dignity. Make it evident that eating is to take place only at the table or under circumstances where the entire group enters without embarrassment into the pleasure of the occasion.

COMMENTS

Mr. Wingate ventured on uncertain ground. He was in a minority when attacking the custom in so public a manner. He pulled on a projecting beam and loosened the whole framework of a social custom without knowing what his next move would be if things came tumbling down.

What was needed was a larger program of action.

The plan of working out the dilemma from the standpoint of domestic science gives permanence and dignity to the reforms proposed. A disciplinarian must never intimate that his requirements are trivial or personal or disconnected with the general good of the school. As soon as one or a hundred pupils can feel that they are out of class by holding to an old custom the reforms proposed will make rapid headway.

ILLUSTRATION (HIGH SCHOOL)

Marshmallows

Mr. Pendleton was principal of the high school at Downs, Ohio.

Having been fully forewarned by past experience that high school pupils easily fall into the eating habit in school, he had provided a place in his course in 401domestic science for instruction on manners on the street and in public places with regard to eating.

But, in the first place, he discussed the matter briefly with his teachers and found that there was a satisfactory state of opinions there on this as well as on a dozen or twenty other small points which he decided to deal with early in the school year.

Miss Davis, instructor in domestic science, agreed to make this a preponderant point in her instruction. Even in class she strictly prohibited and prevented “lunching and munching,” insisting that those who received instruction must eat at the table and observe all the rules of good conduct.

With this example and instruction as a recognized fact, the girls of the high school were ready to yield very graciously to Mr. Pendleton’s request that no one bring articles of food to the high school. This request was made, by the way, only after Eloise Thomas, member of the first-year class, had walked into the room one morning with a generous sack of marshmallows in her hand. He made no allusion to her individually, but spoke as follows:

“I have been very much pleased so far this year to see that the usual customs of public assemblies have been observed on nearly every point. Sooner or later it may be that someone may be attempting to distribute sweetmeats among his friends and so occasion an interruption in our regular work. Of course such a thing could hardly be tolerated in a company of well-bred people. The standards that have been set in our domestic science department are entirely in accord with requirements of good society, so that I trust that every 402member of the school will be governed by them and cheerfully assist in maintaining the good conduct that has so far been observed during the school year.”

(7) Smoking on the school grounds. Sometimes it is impracticable to change the example except by changing the giver of the example. If a fine boy or girl can be made the leader where a weak or vicious one has been leader, wonderful changes may take place. Such a change was effected in the following instance.

CASE 70 (SEVENTH GRADE)

Cigarettes

The practice school of Bodeling College was so good that large numbers of boys and girls came out by streetcar from the neighboring large city to attend it. These boys and girls took the cars at a convenient station near the campus, where an enterprising business man had built a Station Store, which furnished textbooks, stationery and refreshments, and gave shelter in bad weather. This store was a great convenience, but the college authorities found it also much of a nuisance, for here a group of “smart” high school and town boys gathered, to loaf and smoke and set a bad example to the smaller boys in many ways.

The grammar grade teachers found the cigarette evil especially hard to deal with. The seventh and eighth grade boys, seeing their elders swaggering about with cigarettes, imitated them freely. There were a number of fine high school boys who did not smoke, but they rarely went home as soon as the smokers, and so the smaller boys saw most of the smoking set.

Miss Steele, the seventh grade teacher, went to Miss 403Hardy of the eighth and they had a conference. At its close, Miss Steele announced her program:

“I’m going to appeal to plain reason; I shall show them so clearly that they can’t fail to understand how cigarettes hurt them in every way, and then appeal to their sense of loyalty to themselves and their future. When they know how cigarettes rob them of health and ability, their good sense will dictate to them what to do.”

Miss Steele planned her campaign well. She was a large, plain, wholesome-looking woman, a good thinker and a notable figure in all movements for public welfare in her community. Her pupils all respected her, and her school-room management was above criticism. She planned and delivered now a series of talks on cigarettes, in which she explained clearly just why they are so especially harmful to the young and what a losing game the cigarette-smoker plays. Her pupils all listened closely, the smokers with the rest.

When she had exhausted the subject, she asked all those who were resolved never to smoke cigarettes to raise their hands; for she had had successful experience with the effectiveness of a public pledge. Every pupil in the room but one raised his hand. This one pupil was the son of a prominent attorney, a smoker and a leader among the boys. His father had instilled in him so keen a sense of honor that, because he did not intend to stop, he refused to make the promise.

But in spite of this well planned campaign the smoking in the seventh grade continued. Some of the boys, with the low ideals of honor which characterize youthful 404cigarette users, had had no intentions of stopping; others were sincere in their intentions, but yielded to example or habit when the effects of Miss Steele’s warning grew cold. As the stories of the failure of her efforts came to the teacher, she became more than ever convinced that the use of cigarettes causes unspeakable moral degradation. It did not occur to her that her method of attacking the evil could have been a mistaken one.

CONSTRUCTIVE TREATMENT

To combat successfully the smoking habit in the seventh and eighth grade boys, it is necessary to substitute for the sensory pleasure of smoking an equally intense or more intense stimulation of another sort.

Show the pupils that indulgence in habits of this sort will certainly rob them of keener delights of a more innocent type.

See to it that the innocent pleasures are within reach—not far distant and hazy in outline.

COMMENTS

Miss Steele failed by placing before her class a motive so remote in time that it could not be very intense as a stimulus to self-denial. Thirteen-year-old boys have not done a vast amount of thinking about the possibilities of the distant future. For them the present and the immediate future are the all-absorbing topics.

How could the three desirable conditions—nearness in time, innocent enjoyment, and intensity of stimulation—be combined so as to supplant the undesirable 405conditions which had led to the smoking habit? This was the problem over which Miss Hardy was pondering.

ILLUSTRATION (EIGHTH GRADE)

Athletics versus Smoking

Meantime Miss Hardy had been studying her psychology, and between times had been talking athletics with her old pupils who had passed on into the high school. The high school teams were well coached and in football had made a good record that gave promise of being equaled in basket ball. The best man on the teams was Raymond Johnston, who was one of those marvels of all-around excellence who happen once in a while to rejoice the hearts of teachers. He was a big, handsome boy, with a bluff charm of manner which won all hearts, and ready friendliness which made him the idol of the school. He was a star student, who had made a good record in debating as well as in athletics.

Raymond Johnston belonged, moreover, to a prominent family in the nearby city, a family in which high ideals of manners and morals were so intrinsic a part of living that the children grew up healthy, unconscious exponents of all that is best in character and living. It was this fine, talented boy whom Miss Hardy chose to do for her boys what she knew, able as she was, she could not herself do effectively.

At first Raymond Johnston declined with embarrassed modesty to give a series of talks on athletics to the eighth grade pupils. But when Miss Hardy had explained to him clearly the great need, and had shown him that he alone could do the thing that must be done, 406he finally consented. The two planned a campaign as carefully as Miss Steele had done; and when the plans were complete, Miss Hardy told her pupils of the treat she had secured for them.

In the first three talks there was no mention of cigarettes at all. The speaker gave a lively account of the four great ball games, with blackboard diagrams of positions and plays, and anecdotes from his own experience which added the personal touch needed. For a boy he was a ready speaker, and his enthusiasm knew no bounds. When he had given the three talks, Miss Hardy saw with satisfaction that the first step was gained; her boys and girls understood the games very well, and discussed them with the air of conscious experts. All day they talked of nothing but forward passes, and overhand serves, and left-twist curves, and the latest “dope” on basket ball prospects. This was in the winter term, when basket ball held the front of the stage. She knew they must be talking athletics at home, awake and asleep; she knew that, vivified by his virile example, Raymond Johnston had won that room to the athletic ideal of manhood in a healthy and natural way, and that with an ideal of conduct-controlling vividness gained, the rest of the campaign could be carried out with good hopes of success.

Then Raymond gave his fourth talk on “The Making of an Athlete.” He talked about fresh air, food, sleep, clothing, training and regularity of habits. He touched on the ethics of sportsmanship, and every boy in the room resolved to be “square” and conceived a vast contempt for the “yellow streak” that the high school hero treated with such scorn. Then Raymond 407took up the cigarette question, as the next step in his outline of the athlete-making process.

“Of course a man can’t smoke if he wants to make the team,” he said. “Some of the high school fellows do smoke, but they aren’t the ones who make good at athletics or anything else. You’ll see them hanging around the Station Store afternoons, when the fellows that make the team are out training. Why don’t you eighth graders come out and watch us sometimes, by the way, instead of going right home after school? You’d get lots of pointers that would help you. You have your own teams, don’t you? If not, why not organize some? You ought to have three or four in this grade, for you’ll be in the high school next year and you ought to be in training.

“But remember, you can’t eat piles of doughnuts and you can’t smoke if you ever want to do anything in athletics. Rich food puts your digestion out of commission, and smoking goes straight to your heart—and that’s what you can’t stand when you’re playing. They make you fall behind in your lessons, too, and then you’re not allowed to play on a team. I never smoke, and the other fellows that do anything in athletics or debating don’t either. We can’t; we know better.

“Now, I hope this spring you fellows will all get out and get some good training in baseball and track, because when we’re gone we want to hear that the high school is keeping up her old record; and it’ll depend on you fellows that are coming on. You can do as well as we have or better, if you just will.”

Miss Hardy’s plan did work. It worked because she 408substituted a good ideal for imitation instead of a poor one. The poor one had been presented to her boys without her consent; she had to make an intelligent effort to get the fine one vividly before them. She did not arouse opposition by making her cause too obvious, by forcing the didactic tone; it appeared as one part of an attractive program—but it was made clear that it was an indispensable part. She followed up the talks with suggestions that fostered the organization of baseball teams in the spring, the regular coach coöperating with suggestions and occasional instruction. Her boys seemed to have forgotten that they ever thought it smart to smoke. When she left at the end of the year, the coach told her that he was certain that not one of her boys was a user of cigarettes.

ILLUSTRATION 2

Remove Temptation

Miss Hardy was succeeded the next year by a young man fresh from the training department of a great university, who was enthusiastic and keenly analytical. The non-smoking eighth grade boys had now gone into the high school, and he was met by the same problem that had defeated Miss Steele. He realized that while Miss Hardy’s plan had worked with her boys, still the evil existed in the community as a constant menace, and he resolved to reach the root of the trouble if possible.

There seemed to be several roots: the smokers in the high school, the Station Store where the boys loafed, the indifferent parents, the shops where the boys were sold, contrary to law, the materials for their cigarettes. The story of how these elements in the problems were 409reached is too long to recount here; but it was done by arousing the interest of the parents, who were stirred into action by a rather lurid talk given by the new eighth grade teacher, and who organized for the definite purpose of removing the temptations to smoke.

The efforts of Miss Hardy and Mr. Sulzer, the eighth grade teachers, were successful because they attacked the force which set the example. Imitation grows into habit rapidly, and when both imitation and habit are allowed to become cumulative, it takes more than a logical protest to change conduct. In one case, the bad example was displaced by one which was made more attractive than the old model; in the other, public conscience was aroused and used as an agency for the elimination of the bad example. The worst kind of a bad example is that of older people who connive at an evil.

ILLUSTRATION 3 (HIGH SCHOOL)

The following letter from a correspondent of the I. A. D. Teachers’ Club also has a bearing upon the control of smoking on the school grounds:

Boy Is Caught Smoking

I was principal and high school teacher in a little school down South. One of my most interesting pupils was also the most difficult to manage—Herbert, a bashful, overgrown, intelligent, fourteen-year-old, the ringleader in all mischief and the idol of the playground.

One of the grade teachers caught one of her boys smoking cigarettes one day. Upon investigation three other culprits were discovered among her charges, but it seemed that Herbert was also guilty. The nature of the case and the custom in that state demanded that 410the younger boys be whipped, but I knew that Herbert was more truly responsible and my heart was heavy, for I had worked hard to gain his confidence and I was fond of the boy. A mistake on my part would make him sullen and unmanageable and the smoking would then go on in spite of me.

After school was out, I dispatched the younger boys as quickly as possible, asking Herbert to wait in another room for me. He was very sober when I came in and I was wondering how to begin the difficult task ahead of me, when a glance from him gave me a clue. It was defiant, appealing and apologetic, all at the same time. The boy and I had been somewhat like chums up to this time.

“Herbert, tell me all about it, won’t you?” I began. “I want to hear just how it happened and how much smoking there has been.”

“There hasn’t been very much,” he said, with his eyes down. “We’ve smoked dry leaves and corn shucks, but we’ve only smoked real tobacco twice.”

He was on the defensive at once, I saw, but his confidence was in a measure restored by my opening—giving him a chance to tell his side of it. I drew him out, not condemning him, but merely looking very grave, until I had a full account of just when and where the smoking had occurred. I did not insult him by doubting him and he gradually lost his defiant attitude and grew more and more shame-faced.

“Herbert,” I said, when the recital had come to an end, “what would your father say?”

“He would lick me until I couldn’t stand up.” This was literally true, for the boy’s father was a 411hard drinker and subject to violent fits of anger when his children displeased him.

“I shall not tell him, this time. But if it happens again, I think he should know about it,” I said. “Herbert, you know you can do what you please with these grade boys here in this school. They look up to you and follow your leadership. You can make them do what is right or you can lead them astray.”

He shook his head violently at this, but was too near to tears to speak.

“We may think we aren’t our brothers’ keepers, Herbert, but we are, just as the Bible tells us. It is really you who are responsible for this affair, because you are older and know better than the others the evils that come from the use of tobacco.” And I talked to him a little about the effects of tobacco upon growing boys. I thought he seemed impressed and penitent.

“I’m going to put you in charge of the whole matter. I want you to see to it that there is no more smoking after this. You can report to me once a week what sort of success you have, but we won’t say anything to the others about the arrangement.”

He protested that he couldn’t do it, but finally blurted out “I’ll try,” and I shook hands with him on the agreement.

The reports proved the success of my scheme and I found I had made a warm friend and ally of Herbert.

(8) Manners, good and bad. Nowhere, perhaps, is the influence of the imitative instinct more potent than in the shaping of one’s manners. “Manners make the man,” is a legend inscribed over the door of one of the buildings of Oxford University, and in order that 412the pupils shall go out from its doors possessed of the high claims to the respect of their fellow men which good manners affords, exquisite care is taken that those adults who are daily associated with the pupils are themselves possessed of such manners as are worthy of imitation. All unconsciously to themselves, these manners will soon be reproduced in the pupils with more or less exactness.

But if good manners are assimilated through association with those who possess them, bad manners are no less surely learned in the same way. The teacher who is confronted then with a room full of rude, noisy, untidy children, should never regard these bad manners as a personal affront to himself, but rather as a result of social “copy” unconsciously imitated by his pupils and requiring time and patience and a substitution of “copy” of the opposite sort before such manners can be eradicated.

Social Imitation

Persons outside of the school quite often show a lack of respect for those whom they meet on the public highways or on the streets. This lack of proper training is not very different from that of pupils who constantly disregard the rights of other pupils or who persist in mistreating other pupils whenever they can get a chance. Those pupils who persistently do these things are simply following “social copy.” The motive underlying each of these misdemeanors is the same, namely, selfishness, which is the basis of impoliteness. No polite child will jeer at strangers or even acquaintances or schoolmates, nor will he disregard the rights of schoolmates, expecting more for himself than for those with whom he associates. He 413will not mistreat his playmates “just for fun” or for the pleasure of tantalizing them. Much of such lack of kindness and politeness is due to neglect on the part of parents. Many parents never take the time to teach their children to be kind and thoughtful of others. When such pupils enter the first grade, their conduct can be changed greatly by the teacher who will make the effort.

It is presupposed that the teacher will himself practice every trait of politeness and kindness. He will not be guilty of any of the above misdemeanors. That means much to the pupil who disregards the rights of his associates. Still the teacher’s conduct along these lines will not wholly prevent a pupil from practicing one or all of these misdemeanors. Close supervision of all the school-room and playground activities will do much to prevent rudeness, but will not entirely abolish it. Naturally parents and patrons expect the teacher to be the mediator for better conduct on the part of some pupils.

Perhaps suggestive control will effect prevention in the first grade better than any other method. Just before school is dismissed the teacher may tell a story to all the pupils, the point of which is to teach kindness towards others. She may then suggest how fine it would be for all of the pupils to go home on this particular evening and be courteous to every one whom they meet. She can suggest the little courtesies of saying “Good evening,” etc. Her entire talk must be permeated by a spirit of kindness and she must expect that her pupils will do nothing less than she has told them. The chances are that they will obey 414her for the first evening, but on the second evening they will forget. In a few days she may need to repeat the talk. Each time she makes the suggestion she should follow it up by approving the children for good conduct while going home.

If the teacher wishes to deal with a pupil individually she can apply the same methods as for the pupil that quarrels or fights. (See treatment of quarreling and fighting.)

Often school children show impoliteness in a marked degree. It may be a result either of poor home training or because of the teacher’s bad manners. The teacher who is impolite can not expect her pupils to be polite.

Some teacher may ask, “Just what constitutes impoliteness on the part of the teacher?”

That teacher is impolite who meets her pupils outside of the school-room and does not speak to them; who does not beg pardon when she accidently bumps against a pupil; who does not say, “Thank you,” when a pupil bestows a favor; who does not greet her pupils with a cheery “Good morning” or a pleasant “Good night”; who is rude and rough; who speaks in a high-pitched tone of voice instead of a sweet, low, pleasing tone; who says gruffly, “What?” when she should say, “Repeat it again, please,” and who keeps her desk in disorder. There are other traits of impoliteness, but the above will enlighten the teacher who fails to know the marks of ill-breeding.

To prevent impoliteness on the part of pupils, the teacher needs but to practice the opposite of the above. She may give a few talks on politeness, but the best 415way to teach that subject is to be polite. The little ones are imitators. They like formal politeness and will imitate the teacher. Extremes of formality must be avoided. Overdoing the matter has a tendency to repel pupils.

Every trait of politeness can easily be taught if the teacher will watch for its occurrence, and then casually remark how she admires that particular characteristic in her pupils. A certain little boy tipped his hat to an elderly lady as she passed the school. The teacher saw it. When school convened she said, “I am proud of my pupils because I saw one lift his hat to a lady today.” She said no more, but every boy aspired thereafter to recognize women by lifting the hat. On another occasion a little girl picked up her glove. Her recognition of the act was, “Thank you, my dear.” Others heard it. Afterwards they sought to do the teacher favors. Again, she stood by the window when a farmer passed the schoolhouse with a large wagon. The wind blew off his hat. A little boy ran and picked up the hat and returned it to the farmer. When the bell rang and all were in their seats, the teacher told the pupils how proud she was of them because they were polite. She avoided singling the boy out. That would have caused envy in some of the pupils, but to be proud of all, made all feel that the act was a possession of the entire school and that which one boy could do, could be done by any pupil.

CASE 71 (SECOND GRADE)

Miss Wallis, teacher of the primary at the Wendell Phillips School, was picking her way carefully through 416the crowd one Monday, when her eye fell on Walter, one of her own pupils. He, too, was moving as fast as possible and just before attempting to cross Thirty-ninth street he overtook a lame man. The crutches sprawled out somewhat helplessly and annoyed many of the passers.

Street Manners

Walter halted scarcely a second, but as he dived past the unfortunate man, he brushed hard against another pedestrian and fell toward the man with the crutches. All in a second the one crutch was knocked out of his hand and down he fell with a heavy thud to the walk.

Walter did not look back until he was across the street and then he saw no sign of the lame man.

At school Miss Wallis took a firm hand in the matter, by having Walter stand before the pupils of his room, tell his story, and let Miss Wallis rush past him and knock him down. The fall, plus the injury to his feelings, made him take a good cry on the spot. His teacher concluded the incident by saying:

“Now, I guess you will not do that again soon, will you?”

CONSTRUCTIVE TREATMENT

Instead of the negative instruction, i. e., telling what not to do, teach a positive lesson; let one pupil impersonate a lame man; have several pupils or all of them rushing past him; let some one or two offer to pilot him across the “street,” which may be marked off on the floor. In discussing the matter, if discussion seems needful, assume that all of the pupils really want to be courteous and kind but forget it in their haste.

417

COMMENTS

The attempt to impress the lesson, by dramatic exhibition, may easily fail because the wrong theme is presented or the realistic feature is carried too far. Particularly when working with young children, the negative types of action should not be dwelt upon if it is avoidable.

Acquirement of polite manners can be attained only by gradual steps. Assisting a lame man on the street is a matter that every child in school can comprehend. For young children the lessons in politeness should bear on the obvious and most necessary points of contact between persons. Although many impulses to courteous treatment arise in a child, there is always need to teach him how to perform the acts which convention has fixed upon as necessary to good breeding. The greatest advances will be made by helping the child to take the other person’s point of view. This will be certain to elicit sympathetic responses.

ILLUSTRATION (THIRD GRADE)

Verna Gielow was a black-haired eight-year-old, who made progress in her school work none too easily. She had only brothers at home with whom she played out-of-doors nearly all of her spare time.

Dramatizing Effectively

At school came her first serious lessons in courtesy. Miss Johnson, the primary teacher, had her whole room organized as a family, father and mother, aunts and uncles and children. It was a birthday celebration for grandmother, there were songs, a “piece” to speak and a “dinner” to be eaten. Only thirty minutes were devoted to the whole thing, and no extra 418school time preparation was needed. The “dinner” was made up of dishes produced by the imagination. The necessary instructions as to good behavior were given as needed.

The event passed off with great satisfaction to pupils and teacher. All that was needed for Verna was special supervision and commendation, as she was given the place of mother, which she represented with hearty eagerness.

CASE 72 (SIXTH GRADE)

Picnic Manners

North Lord School celebrated the coming of summer with a picnic. Miss Bradford attended carefully to everything except the behavior of her pupils. Scarcely had the crowd gathered, before she began directing the boys and girls how to conduct themselves. Calling out from a distance, she said:

“Shame on you boys for taking the swings first. Let the girls have a good time, then you can have the swings if you want them.”

Several older girls made a dash for the bridge that led over to the other side of the railroad tracks. They were out of sight in a moment with the teacher on a hot chase. When she overtook them there was another scolding.

“You’re a pretty lot! There’ll be several girls sent home now if there is any more running off like this.”

On returning to the group of children she heard a confusion about the lunches:

“Here, let me. I’m going to get out the lunches.” “No, get out, you can’t manage this.” Meanwhile 419some one was ordering them all away from the lunch baskets.

Thus it continued to the end with noisy, and in large part, fruitless attempts on the part of Miss Bradford to keep some sort of order and decorum.

CONSTRUCTIVE TREATMENT

Arrange for details of conduct before the event comes off on occasions like this. As a basis for good order, organize the school into committees, assigning specific duties to each and develop a sense of dignity in each pupil, sufficient to sustain the part appointed to him. Give explicit instructions on certain urgent matters.

“If the girls gather around the swings, offer them an opportunity to use them; the chairman of the swing committee will see that this regulation is carried out.

“Paul will attend to the lunches. Any one may place a lunch in his care at any time, and receive a check for it. But no one can get his lunch out until 11:45. Paul will attend to this without fail.”

Do not attempt too many regulations; be content with a few clearly stated, necessary directions.

This method with slight modifications should be followed with children of all grades.

COMMENTS

System and reasonably good manners have an appeal for children because of the desire they have to imitate adults. Appointment to office gives a child authority and evokes a corresponding respect from other children. 420If each child is given a task, he quickly senses the situation when required to conform to the standards of courtesy which he wants others to follow in dealing with him.

It is always needful to plant at once, perhaps many times, seeds of new acts, sometime before the fruitage is expected. A little reflection will often permit a child to adjust himself, when, if required to act instantly, he would break out in rebellion.

ILLUSTRATION (SIXTH GRADE)

Superintendent Blair yielded to an urgent demand to hold a miniature barbecue in celebration of the series of victories in athletics. The Lecompton High School had not lost a game of basket ball during the season after meeting eight opposing teams.

Handling a Crowd

Miss McAuley, in charge of the sixth grade, was appointed custodian of the water supply and as head usher, with instructions to drill the boys and girls in her room to do the necessary work. She gave instructions and practiced her pupils on these two matters.

“The ushers will say, ‘Dinner is now served, come this way, please.’ ‘Men’s hats may be left here.’—‘May I show you to the drinking fountain?’—‘This way out, please.’”

At first the novelty of the situation created more or less of a titter, but in a few days the pupils mastered the set phrases and practiced on their own number with a real enthusiasm.

Every other room in the school had a small part in bringing the event off in a satisfactory manner. Of course the general conduct of the school was thoroughly 421modified by this intensive method of instruction.

CASE 73 (EIGHTH GRADE)

Rudeness

“John Mason! I saw you! You go to the office at once!” Miss Maile spoke partly as a form of apology to a gentleman who was brushing the dust from an expensive hat. The embarrassed teacher continued:

“I am very sorry that John treated you so rudely. I saw him rush by you, glance at your hat as it rolled away and dash on to where I stood. He’ll catch it from the principal.”