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Pearson, Francis B., 1853-

"The Reconstructed School"

We say she would not be good for
the patients in the hospital but nevertheless accept her as the teacher of
our children.
In Ephesians we read, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance," and
such an array of excellent spiritual qualities should attract the
attention of all the agencies that have to do with the preparation of
teachers. We need only to make a list of the opposites of these qualities
to be convinced that the teacher who possesses these opposites would not
be good for the children. Now serenity embodies all the foregoing
excellent qualities and, therefore, the teacher who has serenity has a
host of qualities that will make for the success and well-being of her
pupils. Again, quoting from Henderson: "My whole point is that these
spiritual qualities in a boy are infinitely more important to his present
charm and future achievement than any amount of academic training, than
the most complete knowledge of reading, writing, arithmetic, history,
geography, grammar, spelling, classics, and natural science. For charm and
achievement are of the Spirit. It is very clear, then, that we ought to
make these spiritual qualities the major end of all our endeavor during
those wonderful years of grace; and that we ought to allow the
intellectual development, up to fourteen years at least, to be a
by-product, valuable and welcome certainly, but not primarily sought
after.


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