Preserving the Individuality of Pupils

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jan 9, 1908

Preserving the Individuality of Pupils

We should not destroy the individuality of our pupils. We should seek to preserve it by removing those elements which are unpleasant, and by developing those which are right and agreeable. The most effective means of removing the unlovely is to develop the pleasing—working upon positive lines. We should never flatter, but we should very often commend. A wise old teamster once said that he had learned that oats were the best whips for his horses. No two pupils are alike, and so all must be treated differently. Not that there should be different school regulations for different children, but there needs to be different means of dealing with each in the observance of these same regulations. No grander work is given to man than that of dealing wisely, kindly, and well with the developing mind of the child.