Too tall, or too short.
Stems not straight.
Careless work.
Paper wasted.
Almost well enough to pa.s.s.
Bring your book to the teacher.
Former fault not corrected.
A catalogue of these marks, with an explanation, was made out and placed where it was accessible to all, and by means of them the books could be very easily and rapidly, but thoroughly criticised.
After the plan had gone on for some time, and its operation was fully understood, the teacher gave up the business of examining the books into the hands of a Committee, appointed by him from among the older and more advanced pupils. That the Committee might be unbiased in their judgment, they were required to examine and decide upon the books, without knowing the names of the writers. Each scholar was indeed required to place her name on the right hand upper corner of every page of her writing-book, for the convenience of the distributors; but this corner was turned down, when the book was brought in, that it might not be seen by the Committee.
This Committee were entrusted with plenary powers, and there was no appeal from their decision. In case they exercised their authority in an improper way, or failed on any account to give satisfaction, they were liable to impeachment, but while they continued in office, they were to be strictly obeyed.
This plan went on successfully for three months, and with very little diminution of interest. The whole school went regularly through the lessons in coa.r.s.e hand, and afterwards through a similar series in fine hand, and improvement in this branch was thought to be greater than at any former period in the same length of time.
The same principle of arranging the several steps of an art or a study into a series of lessons, and requiring the pupil to pa.s.s regularly from one to the other, might easily be applied to other studies, and would afford a pleasant variety.
12. THE CORRESPONDENCE. A master of a district school was walking through the room, with a large rule in his hands, and as he came up behind two small boys, he observed that they were playing with some papers. He struck them once or twice, though not very severely on the head, with the rule which he had in his hand. Tears started from the eyes of one. They were called forth by a mingled feeling of grief, mortification, and pain. The other who was of "sterner stuff," looked steadily into the master"s face, and when his back was turned, shook his fist at him and laughed in defiance.
Another teacher seeing a similar case, did nothing. The boys when they saw him; hastily gathered up their playthings and put them away. An hour or two after, a little boy who sat near the master, brought them a note addressed to them both. They opened it and read as follows.
To Edward and John,
I observed, when I pa.s.sed you to-day, from your concerned looks, and your hurried manner of putting something into your desk, that you were doing something that you knew was wrong. When you attempt to do any thing whatever, which conscience tells you is wrong, you only make yourself uneasy and anxious while you do it, and then you are forced to resort to concealment and deception, when you see me coming. You would be a great deal happier, if you would always be doing your duty, and then you would never be afraid.
Your affectionate teacher, ---- ----.
As the teacher was arranging his papers in his desk, at the close of school, he found a small piece of paper neatly folded up in the form of a note, and addressed to him. He read as follows,
Dear teacher,
We are very much obliged to you for writing us a note. We were making a paper box. We know it was wrong, and are determined not to do so any more. We hope you will forgive us.
Your pupils, Edward, John.
Which of these teachers understood human nature best?
13. WEEKLY REPORTS. The plan described by the following article, which was furnished by a teacher for insertion here, was originally adopted, so far as I know, in a school on the Kennebec. I have adopted it with great advantage.
c. A teacher had one day been speaking to her scholars of certain cases of slight disorder in the school, which, she remarked, had been gradually creeping in, and which, she thought, it devolved upon the scholars, by systematic efforts, to repress. She enumerated instances of disorder in the arrangement of the rooms, leaving the benches out of their places, throwing waste papers upon the floor, having the desk in disorder, inside, spilling water upon the entry floor, disorderly deportment, such as too loud talking or laughing in recess, or in the intermission at noon, or when coming to school, and making unnecessary noise in going to, or returning from recitations.
"I have a plan to propose," said the teacher, "which I think may be the pleasantest way of promoting a reform, in things of this kind. It is this. Let several of your number be chosen a Committee to prepare, statedly--perhaps as often as once a week,--a written report of the state of the school. The report might be read before the school at the close of each week. The Committee might consist in the whole, of seven or eight, or even of eleven or twelve individuals who should take the whole business into their hands. This Committee might appoint individuals of their number, to write, in turn, each week. By this arrangement, it would not be known to the school generally, who are the writers of any particular report, if the individuals wish to be anonymous. Two individuals might be appointed at the beginning of the week, who should feel it their business to observe particularly the course of things from day to day, with reference to the report.
Individuals not members of the Committee, can render a.s.sistance by any suggestions they may present to this Committee. These should however generally be made in writing."
"Subjects for such a report will be found to suggest themselves very abundantly, though you may not perhaps think so at first. The Committee may be empowered, not only to state the particulars in which things are going wrong, but the methods by which they may be made right. Let them present us with any suggestions they please. If we do not like them, we are not obliged to adopt them. For instance, it is generally the case whenever a recitation is attended in the corner yonder, that an end of one of the benches is put against the door, so as to occasion a serious interruption to the exercises when a person wishes to come in or go out.
It would come within the province of the Committee to attend to such a case as this, that is, to bring it up in the report. The remedy in such a case is a very simple one. Suppose however, that instead of the _simple_ remedy, our Committee should propose that the cla.s.ses reciting in the said corner should be dissolved and the studies abolished. We should know the proposal was an absurd one; but then it would do no hurt;--we should have only to reject it."
"Again, besides our faults, let our Committee notice the respects in which we are doing particularly well, that we may be encouraged to go on doing well, or even to do better. If they think for example, that we are deserving of credit for the neatness with which books are kept,--for their freedom from blots or scribblings, or dog"s-ears, by which school-books are so commonly defaced, let them tell us so. And the same of any other excellence."
With the plan as thus presented, the scholars were very much pleased. It was proposed by one individual that such a Committee should be appointed immediately, and a report prepared for the ensuing week. This was done.
The Committee were chosen by ballot. The following may be taken as a specimen of their reports.
WEEKLY REPORT.
"The Committee appointed to write the weekly report have noticed several things which they think wrong. In the first place there have been a greater number of tardy scholars, during the past week than usual. Much of this tardiness we suppose is owing to the interest felt in building the bower; but we think this business ought to be attended to only in play hours: If only one or two come in late when we are reading in the morning, or after we have composed ourselves to study at the close of the recess, every scholar must look up from her book,--we do not say they ought to do so, but only that they will do so. However, we antic.i.p.ate an improvement in this respect, as we know "a word to the wise is sufficient."
"In the two back rows we are sorry to say that we have noticed whispering. We know that this fact will very much distress our Teacher, as she expects a.s.sistance, and not trouble from our older scholars. It is not our business to reprove any one"s misconduct, but it is our duty to mention it, however disagreeable it may be.
We think the younger scholars during the past week have much improved in this respect. Only three cases of whispering among them have occurred to our knowledge.
"We remember some remarks made a few weeks ago, by our Teacher, on the practice of prompting each other in the cla.s.ses. We wish she would repeat them, for we fear that by some they are forgotten. In the cla.s.s in Geography, particularly in the questions on the map, we have noticed sly whispers, which we suppose were the hints of some kind friend designed to refresh the memory of her less attentive companion. We propose that the following question be now put to vote. Shall the practice of prompting in the cla.s.ses be any longer continued?
"We would propose that we have a composition exercise _this_ week similar to the one on Thursday last. It was very interesting, and we think all would be willing to try their thinking powers once more. We would propose also that the readers of the compositions should sit near the centre of the room, as last week many fine sentences escaped the ears of those seated in the remote corners.
"We were requested by a very public-spirited individual to mention once more the want of three nails, for bonnets in the entry. Also, to say that the air from the broken pane of gla.s.s on the east side of the room, is very unpleasant to these who sit near.
"Proposed that the girls who exhibited so much taste and ingenuity in the arrangement of the festoons of evergreen, and tumblers of flowers around the Teacher"s desk, be now requested to remove the faded roses and drooping violets. We have gazed on these sad emblems long enough.
"Finally, proposed that greater care be taken by those who stay at noon, to place their dinner baskets in proper places. The contents of more than one, were partly strewed upon the entry floor this morning."
If such a measure as this is adopted, it should not be continued uninterrupted for a very long time. Every thing of this sort should be occasionally changed, or it sooner or later becomes only a form.
14. THE SHOPPING EXERCISE. c. I have often when going a shopping found difficulty and trouble in making change. I could never calculate very readily and in the hurry and perplexity of the moment, I was always making mistakes. I have heard others often make the same complaint, and I resolved to try the experiment of regularly teaching children to make change. I had a bright little cla.s.s in Arithmetic, who were always ready to engage with interest in any thing new, and to them I proposed my plan. It was to be called the Shopping Exercise. I first requested each individual to write something upon her slate, which she would like to buy, if she was going a shopping, stating the quant.i.ty she wished and the price of it. To make the first lesson as simple as possible, I requested no one to go above ten, either in the quant.i.ty or price. When all were ready, I called upon some one to read what she had written. Her next neighbor was then requested to tell us how much the purchase would amount to; then the first one named a bill, which she supposed to be offered in payment, and the second showed what change was needed. A short specimen of the exercise will probably make it clearer than mere description.
_Mary._ Eight ounces of candy at seven cents.
_Susan._ Fifty-six cents.
_Mary._ One dollar.
_Susan._ Forty-four cents.
_Susan._ Nine yards of lace at eight cents.
_Anna._ Seventy-two cents.
_Susan._ Two dollars.
_Anna._ One dollar and twenty-eight cents.
_Anna._ Three pieces of tape at five cents.
_Jane._ Fifteen cents.
_Anna._ Three dollars.
_Jane_. Eighty-five cents.
_Several voices._ Wrong.
_Jane._ Two dollars and eighty-five cents.
_Jane._ Six pictures at eight cents.
_Sarah._ Forty-two cents.
_Several voices._ Wrong.
_Sarah._ Forty-eight cents.