Scouting, Volume 62, Number 8, November-December 1974 Page: 49
50 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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A CHILD IS NOT A MINIATURE ADULT
BY HAROLD GLUCK
After one week of teaching in the
f\ lower grades, I was ready to call
it quits. I had given up a good paying
job to enter the teaching profession.
What went wrong? The children were
taking over and nothing the profs had
taught me worked. The principal, Dr.
A., was most understanding and
spoke to me in his office.
"Unless you can understand how a
child thinks and then think the same
way in a given situation, you just can't
handle children. A child is not a minia-
ture adult. Get that through your head.
And in his own way there are times he
can really out-think you. And he
doesn't see things the way you do. I
need you in this school because you
are the only multi-lingual teacher we
have. We will help you in everything."
So with "blood, sweat and tears," I
stuck it out and remained a teacher
until I retired. And what were some of
the things that I learned from chil-
dren?
• The normal child has a lot of ener-
gy and wants to do many things. Often
a child will not even stop until he is
very tired. Sit in a chair and look
ahead. Put a watch on the table. See
how long it is before you become rest-
less. Our so-called rest period after
the children had a milk break was a
failure. But with music and songs, it
was a success.
• If you make a promise to a child,
keep it! A child will remember a
broken promise with bitterness. If the
promise is conditional on a certain
event taking place, make it very clear:
"We will have a picnic this Saturday if
we get a report about the weather on
Friday that it won't rain on Saturday."
"If we can make arrangements with
the bus company, then we can go to
the lake next week." It took me more
than a month to learn why Jimmy
hated me. I had promised to make him
monitor of the board erasers and for-
got all about it.
• Children hate to see you have a
favorite. I know this is a tough one to
handle. But they can sense at once
when you show favoritism. And the re-
verse is true. So you have to be alert
so that you don't "pick" on any one
child. A favor for one means everyone
else is entitled to the same favor. Yet,
in the case of rewards for attaining a
goal, this is OK. We presented a class
play. Who was the best actor? We let
the rest of the children decide by their
applause. But everyone in the cast did
get a suitable present from me.
• Of course children make mis-
takes. And you can be greatly upset by
them. If you scold a child in front of his
companions, you may unleash a hor-
net's nest. Even a child doesn't want
to "lose face." Wait until you two are
alone to point out what went wrong.
And with the passing of time you may
conclude that it really wasn't as bad
as you first thought it was. If you turn
him into a defiant child, you are
headed for trouble. One technique I
found very successful was when alone
with the child — to do the unexpected.
Praise him for something he had previ-
ously done. Then carefully point out
the error he had recently made.
• Children like best the activities in
which they can participate. Rather
than be spectators they want to be ac-
tive. I had a story telling club that
wasn't too successful. The assistant
principal, Mr. K., explained things to
me very clearly.
"Take a break in a situation. Then
ask for some solution. You Vvill learn
how fertile a child's mind can be."
So when little Mary was trapped in
the quicksand, how to rescue her?
The children came up with a variety of
solutions. And when the Martians
were going to attack the village, what
could our hero do to warn the people?
Those children knew how to save
Mary and the village.
• Always be ready to listen to a
child's complaint. Though the matter
may seem very trivial to you, it may
have top billing with that child. And do
your best to see if you can find a fair
solution to the situation.
My one complaint — and a big one
— is that there are a lot of adults who
seem to forget that they once were
children. They forget that for some
children, the childhood years are not
easy. ■
'No, you may not have one of my home-made biscuits for
a hockey puck."
49
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 62, Number 8, November-December 1974, periodical, November 1974; New Brunswick, New Jersey. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth353626/m1/49/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.