The child of gloomy disposition should if anything have more smiles and sunny words sent his way than the cheerful one, who is in no danger of losing his share.  The talkative child will need cautioning and careful directing, while the one who seldom speaks needs the frequent stimulus of a kind and encouraging look or word.  The child who is naturally docile and obedient will develop smoothly and without great need of special attention and direction, while the stubborn, the rebellious, the untractable child, the cause of continual worry and solicitude, is the one on whom special thought must be bestowed; for his soul is no less precious in the sight of God, and the wise teacher may be the means of making him a useful citizen, as well as directing him in the way of working out his eternal salvation.”

* * * * *

QUESTIONS AND SUGGESTIONS—­CHAPTER X

1.  Discuss the relative significance of race, sex, family, and environment as factors producing individual differences.

2.  Why is it essential that teachers know the parents of pupils?

3.  What are the advantages of having boys and girls together in class?  What are the arguments for separating them?

4.  How can a teacher be governed by the force of individual differences when he has to teach a group of forty pupils?

5.  Discuss the statement that teaching is both a social and an individual process.

6.  Choose a subject of general interest and illustrate how it might be presented to satisfy different types of pupils.

HELPFUL REFERENCES

Those listed in Chapter VII.

CHAPTER XI

ATTENTION

     OUTLINE—­CHAPTER XI

Attention the mother of learning.—­Gregory quoted.—­The fact of attention in the Army.—­What attention is.—­Illustrations.—­Attention and interest.—­The three types of attention:  Involuntary, nonvoluntary, voluntary.—­How to secure attention.—­Interest the great key to attention.

In that stimulating little book, The Seven Laws of Teaching, by Gregory, et al, the second law is stated in these words: 

   “A learner is one who attends with interest to the lesson.”

Expressed as a rule of teaching, the law is made to read: 

   “Gain and keep the attention and interest of the pupils upon the
   lesson.  Do not try to teach without attention.”

As a matter of fact, it is impossible to teach without attention.  A person may hold class—­go through the formality of a class exercise—­but he can really teach only him who attends.  The first big, outstanding thought with reference to attention is that we should secure it, not so much in the interest of order, important as it is in that connection, but because it is the sine qua non of learning.