”NERVOUSNESS AND FATIGUE IN THE SCHOOLROOM.
IN ONE of the leading magazines, not long ago, was an article in regard to overworking children in the public school and of the nervousness resulting from such overwork. It was said that the investigations made by the Bureau of Education in Washington last year showed that the average child of twelve years was not capable of more than thirty-five minutes of continuous study without becoming fatigued.
After eighteen years in the schoolroom, with the constant desire always with me to avoid all causes of nervousness, and with continual experiments to test this matter of fatigue, I am convinced that, when the average child of twelve is unable to give more than thirty five minutes to continuous study, his training has been wholly at fault and only such as should be given to weaklings.
That there are many cases of nervousness in the schools to-day no one can deny, and it will certainly pay the investigators of educational bureaus to look carefully into the subject from all sides.
Ten years ago I was given a third-grade room of sixty pupils, ranging from eight to thirteen years of age. I found that these children had had excellent training in numbers, but were deficient in reading, writing and spelling. I found that, with very few exceptions, there was no nervousness manifested in any recitation in numbers, but only about 15 percent were able to read without showing signs of nervousness, and that a spelling-lesson, either written or oral, produced the same result. I found, too, that a reading-lesson held so little interest for them that they would show signs of fatigue long before the recitation would be finished.
I began a series of experiments to see how long I could hold the children upon a subject which they enjoyed and in which they had been well trained. Numbers, of course, under the circumstances, was the only subject I could take. I began with abstract work upon the slate in the four processes of addition, multiplication, subtraction and division. Each day I gave the same sort of work, making it a little more difficult and adding a little to it, finally adding fractions and so on. I worked constantly with them, so that I might be better able to judge of their rapidity, alternating this with mental work which should keep every child on the quivive.
At the first symptoms of fatigue I stopped the work. This I found, at first, to come in about ten or fifteen minutes. I continued these experiments for four months and found at the end of this time every child could work willingly and joyfully and without showing any signs of fatigue for one hour. The strain upon me was great, for I was working them to the limit of their speed, which in some cases was equal to mine; besides, I was watching each individual in a class of thirty, intently, to see that no harm should come from such continuous mental and physical work, taken at high pressure. Every child looked upon the work ‘as good as play,’ and we all throve.
I became convinced in my own mind, from this experience, that nervousness over school work comes to a child not because he his worked too hard, but because of his consciousness that he is not able mentally to meet the requirements, and that fatigue or lack of endurance comes wholly from a lack of training or from poor training.
The next year I used the same method, with the same results, and the year following I was made principal of six departments with a second-grade room to teach. I then could make observations in other rooms and continue experiments in my own.
I found at the end of the year that these second-grade children, whose ages ranged about two years younger, were just as capable of continuous work for one hour as those of
the older grade had been. The next year I took advanced first grade and found at the end of the year that these children, young as they were,-were capable of holding themselves continuously for three-fourths of an hour in number work upon the slate. So far all these experiments had been made with rapid number work.
At the end of this year I became convinced that the earlier this drill in continuous work began the better for the child, for it acted like a tonic in every case. Believing also that this same work might be done to advantage in reading and spelling, if children could be properly trained in first grade, I decided to take the ‘ beginners.’
I divided my school of fifty into five sections, placing, as nearly as I could judge from their appearance, those of the same mental ability together, knowing that I now had a much harder task before me and that the smaller the class the more accurate I could be in my experiments and judgments.
I began my work upon a chart, because I could, by its use, watch more closely the mental and physical condition of each child than if I were using the blackboard. I found that fatigue was evident in about six minutes, the first day, and I let at all times the first indication of fatigue in any child be my signal to stop. I found I could hold every member eight or ten minutes the second day. At the end of the week, and of each succeeding week, I rearranged the classes so that those with the same ability and power of endurance should be in the same division. At the end of four months the first division, or those most capable, numbered about twelve, and these were able to concentrate their minds on the work of the chart before them for three-fourths of an hour; the second division for one half hour, and so on to the members of the fifth division, numbering about eight, who were still unable to concentrate for more than ten minutes. There were no signs of nervousness and all were thriving.
The first division was then ready for the book and I devoted myself for one half hour each morning to showing them how to get the thought from the printed page, using several devices for this, and also how to study a lesson so that they could be able to reproduce it upon the slate or paper, or, in other words, how to spell. At the end of six months the five classes had consolidated into three, and the first division, or class, was ready for second reader. These were now able to concentrate their minds upon reading from any first reader, or upon spelling for three-fourths of an hour, without showing any signs whatever of fatigue.
The second division was ready for this same work in about nine months and the third in about twelve months. In addition to this test I began the number work upon the slate as soon as they were able to write to ioo, keeping them at rapid work for the sake of training the mind and hand to work together, adding a little each day, until at the end of six months they could work without fatigue for threefourths of an hour. Many of these could work as rapidly as I could, and these were children only six years of age.
No cases of nervousness developed from this method of training, and two children, who were quite nervous before they began their school-life, steadily improved.
Each succeeding year I gave the same drill, modifying it to suit the needs of each particular class, and always with the same results, and for six consecutive years I have, with the A division, done two years’ work of the course of study in one, and the children were allowed to ‘jump’ an entire grade.
The report from each succeeding teacher of these children has been most gratifying—’ no nervousness and great powers of endurance.’
I also made experiments in other grades, with more or less success, and the cases of nervousness were almost eliminated—nearly every case that was left being due to nervous parents who wished their children to be kept with their mates regardless of ability or the consequences. I have never seen a child nervous about his school work who felt sure of himself in his work. No business man grows nervous over his work so long as he feels that he is master of the situation; it is only when he feels unequal to the demand, either in the way of bills to be met or successful management. So also with the housekeeper, the public speaker— with any line of work that may be taken up. Nervousness comes only with the consciousness of inability, either real or supposed. Make the child master of the situation by giving him a good understanding of what he is doing and his nervousness will disappear.
Neither does his fatigue come from an overcrowded course of study—that fatigue belongs to the teacher—but from the lack of disciplinary work that will harden him for endurance. The mental calibre of many children has been weakened by teachers who have done the work for them, and the result is that at the age of twelve they are capable of but thirty-five minutes of consecutive work.
Mrs. S. E. Ware.
Former Principal Primary Grades.
Owatonna, Minn.”
Reference Data:
The Review of Education: An Educational Review of Reviews, Vol. 4, by Illinois Society for Child Safety, 1899, pages 517-521
God Bless ALL teachers for they earn every penny they don’t make. By that, I mean they all should be paid more for their diligent efforts to make our children better educated citizens of tomorrow.
Great artcle Vicki and a model example for all teachers to follow.
Wayne