The Teacher | Page 8

few of
the boys seemed to think that the pencils were possibly within their
reach, and they made vigorous efforts to secure them; but the rest wrote
on as before. Thinking it certain that they should be surpassed by the
others, they gave up the contest at once in despair.

The obvious remedy was to multiply his prizes, so as to bring one of
them within the reach of all. He reflected, too, that the real prize, in
such a case, is not the value of the pencil, but the _honor of the
victory_; and as the honor of the victory might as well be coupled with
an object of less, as well as with one of greater value, the next week he
divided his two pencils into quarters, and offered to his pupils eight
prizes instead of two. He offered one to every five scholars, as they sat
on their benches, and every boy then saw that a reward would certainly
come within five of him. His chance, accordingly, instead of being one
in twenty, became one in five.
Now is it possible for a teacher, after having philosophized upon the
nature of the minds upon which he is operating, and surveyed the field,
and ingeniously formed a plan, which plan he hopes will, through his
own intrinsic power, produce certain effects--is it possible for him,
when he comes, for the first day, to witness its operations, to come
without feeling a strong interest in the result? It is not possible. After
having formed such a plan, and made such arrangements, he will look
forward almost with impatience to the next writing-hour. He wishes to
see whether he has estimated the mental capacities and tendencies of
his little community aright; and when the time comes, and he surveys
the scene, and observes the operation of his measure, and sees many
more are reached by it than were influenced before, he feels a strong
gratification, and it is a gratification which is founded upon the noblest
principles of our nature. He is tracing, on a most interesting field, the
operation of cause and effect. From being the mere drudge, who drives,
without intelligence or thought, a score or two of boys to their daily
tasks, he rises to the rank of an intellectual philosopher, exploring the
laws and successfully controlling the tendencies of mind.
It will be observed, too, that all the time this teacher was performing
these experiments, and watching with intense interest the results, his
pupils were going on undisturbed in their pursuits. The exercises in
writing were not interrupted or deranged. This is a point of fundamental
importance; for, if what I should say on the subject of exercising
ingenuity and contrivance in teaching should be the means, in any case,
of leading a teacher to break in upon the regular duties of his school,

and destroy the steady uniformity with which the great objects of such
an institution should be pursued, my remarks had better never have
been written. There may be variety in methods and plan, but, through
all this variety, the school, and every individual pupil of it, must go
steadily forward in the acquisition of that knowledge which is of
greatest importance in the business of future life. In other words, the
variations and changes admitted by the teacher ought to be mainly
confined to the modes of accomplishing those permanent objects to
which all the exercises and arrangements of the school ought steadily to
aim. More on this subject, however, in another chapter.
I will mention one other circumstance, which will help to explain the
difference in interest and pleasure with which teachers engage in their
work. I mean the different views they take _of the offenses of their
pupils_. One class of teachers seem never to make it a part of their
calculation that their pupils will do wrong, and when, any misconduct
occurs they are discontented and irritated, and look and act as if some
unexpected occurrence had broken in upon their plans. Others
understand and consider all this beforehand. They seem to think a little,
before they go into their school, what sort of beings boys and girls are,
and any ordinary case of youthful delinquency or dullness does not
surprise them. I do not mean that they treat such cases with indifference
or neglect, but that they expect them, and are prepared for them. Such a
teacher knows that boys and girls are the materials he has to work upon,
and he takes care to make himself acquainted with these materials, just
as they are. The other class, however, do not seem to know at all what
sort of beings they have to deal with, or, if they know, do not consider.
They expect from them what is not to