“My plan,” continues the teacher, “is this:  to allow you all, besides the recess, a short time, two or three minutes perhaps, every hour” (or every half hour, according to the character of the school, the age of the pupils, or other circumstances, to be judged of by the teacher), “during which you may all whisper or leave your seats without asking permission.”

Instead of deciding the question of the frequency of this general permission, the teacher may, if he pleases, leave it to the pupils to decide.  It is often useful to leave the decision of such a question to them.  On this subject, however, I shall speak in another place.  It is only necessary here to say that this point may be safely left to them, since the time is so small which is to be thus appropriated.  Even if they vote to have the general permission to whisper every half hour, it will make but eight minutes in the forenoon.  There being six half hours in the forenoon, and one of them ending at the close of school, and another at the recess, only four of these rests, as a military man would call them, would be necessary; and four, of two minutes each, would make eight minutes.  If the teacher thinks that evil would result from the interruption of the studies so often, he may offer the pupils three minutes rest every hour instead of two minutes every half hour, and let them take their choice; or he may decide the case altogether himself.

Such a change, from particular permission on individual requests to general permission at stated times, would unquestionably be popular in every school, if the teacher managed the business properly.  And by presenting it as an object of common interest, an arrangement proposed for the common convenience of teacher and pupils, the latter may be much interested in carrying the plan into effect.  We must not rely, however, entirely upon their interest in it.  All that we can expect from such an effort to interest them, as I have described and recommended, is to get a majority on our side, so that we may have only a small minority to deal with by other measures.  Still, we must calculate on having this minority, and form our plans accordingly, or we shall be greatly disappointed.  I shall, however, in another place, speak of this principle of interesting the pupils in our plans for the purpose of securing a majority in our favor, and explain the methods by which the minority is then to be governed.  I only mean here to say that, by such means, the teacher may easily interest a large proportion of the scholars in carrying his plans into effect, and that he must expect to be prepared with other measures for those who will not be governed by these.

You can not reasonably expect, however, that, immediately after having explained your plan, it will at once go into full and complete operation.  Even those who are firmly determined to keep the rule will, from inadvertence, for a day or two, make communication with each other.  They must be trained, not by threatening and punishment, but by your good-humored assistance, to their new duties.  When I first adopted this plan in my school, something like the following proceedings took place.