It means that he may understand and
sympathize with the men in his employ without fraternizing with them. It
means that every boy may aspire to a place higher than his father has
attained with no loss of affection for him. It does not mean either
sycophancy or truculence, but freedom to every individual to make the
most of himself and so help others to make the most of themselves.
=The democratic teacher.=--Democracy is learned not from books but from
the democratic spirit that obtains in the school. If the teacher is
surcharged with democracy, her radiating spirit sends out currents into
the life of each pupil, and the spirit of democracy thus generated in
them fuses them into homogeneity. Thus they become democratic by living
in the atmosphere of democracy, as the boy grew into the likeness of the
Great Stone Face.
QUESTIONS AND EXERCISES
1. How may elementary teachers inculcate the principles of true
democracy?
2. By what means may public schools assist in the transformation of
illiterate foreigners into "intelligent American citizens"?
3. What are some of the weaknesses of democracy which the public school
may remedy? the press? public officials? the people?
4. Are such affairs as are described in the beginning of the chapter
peculiar to democracies? Why or why not?
5. How may school discipline recognize democratic principles, thereby
laying the foundation of respect for law and order by our future
citizens?
6.
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