Low standards.—­The acceptance of low standards of preparation and response in the recitation is fatal to high-grade work and results.  If it comes to be expected and taken as a matter of course both by teacher and pupils that children shall come to the class from week to week with no previous study on the lesson, then this is precisely what they will do.  The standards of the class should make it impossible that continual failure to prepare or recite shall be accepted as the natural and expected thing, or treated with a spirit of levity.  The lesson hour is the very heart and center of the school work, and failure here means a breakdown of the whole system.  The standards of teacher and class should be such that probable failure to do one’s part in the recitation shall be looked forward to by the child with some apprehension and looked back upon with some regret if not humiliation.  In order to maintain high standards of preparation the cooperation of the home must be secured, at least for the younger children, and parents must help the child wisely and sympathetically in the study of the lesson.

1.  To what extent are you able to hold the attention of your pupils in the recitation?  Is their attention ready, or do you have to work hard to get it?  Are there any particular ones who are less attentive than the rest?  If so, can you discover the reason?  The remedy?

     2.  To what extent do you find it necessary to appeal to involuntary
     attention?  If you have to make such an appeal do you seek at once
     to make interest take hold to retain the attention?

     3.  What measures are you using to train your pupils in the giving
     of voluntary attention when this type is required?  When is
     voluntary attention required?

4.  How completely are your pupils usually interested in the lessons?  As the interest varies from time to time, are you studying the matter to discover the secret of interest on their part.  In so far as interest fails, which of the factors discussed in the section on interest in this chapter are related to the failure?  Are there still other causes not mentioned in this chapter?

5.  What distractions are most common in your class?  Can you discover the cause?  The remedy?  Do you have any unruly pupils?  If so, have you done your best to win to attention and interest?  Have you the force and decision necessary to bring the class well under control?

6.  What do you consider your chief danger points in teaching?  Would it be worth while for you to have some sympathetic teacher friend visit your class while you teach, and then later talk over with you the points in which you could improve?

FOR FURTHER READING

Bagley, Class Room Management.

Betts, The Recitation.

Maxwell, The Observation of Teaching.