momee Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 His school-house was a low building of one large room, rudely constructed of logs; the windows partly glazed, and partly patched with leaves of old copy-books. It was most ingeniously secured at vacant hours, by a withe twisted in the handle of the door, and stakes set against the window shutters; so that, though a thief might get in with perfect ease, he would find some embarrassment in getting out; an idea most probably borrowed by the architect, Yost Van Houton, from the mystery of an eel-pot. The school-house stood in a rather lonely but pleasant situation just at the foot of a woody hill, with a brook running close by, and a formidable birch tree growing at one end of it. From hence the low murmur of his pupils’ voices, conning over their lessons, might be heard in a drowsy summer’s day, like the hum of a bee-hive; interrupted now and then by the authoritative voice of the master, in the tone of menace or command; or, peradventure, by the appalling sound of the birch, as he urged some tardy loiterer along the flowery path of knowledge. Truth to say, he was a conscientious man, and ever bore in mind the golden maxim, “Spare the rod and spoil the child.â€â€”Ichabod Crane’s scholars certainly were not spoiled. 10 I would not have it imagined, however, that he was one of those cruel potentates of the school, who joy in the smart of their subjects; on the contrary, he administered justice with discrimination rather than severity; taking the burthen off the backs of the weak, and laying it on those of the strong. Your mere puny stripling, that winced at the least flourish of the rod, was passed by with indulgence; but the claims of justice were satisfied by inflicting a double portion on some little, tough, wrong-headed, broad-skirted Dutch urchin, who sulked and swelled and grew dogged and sullen beneath the birch. All this he called “doing his duty by their parents;†and he never inflicted a chastisement without following it by the assurance, so consolatory to the smarting urchin, that “he would remember it, and thank him for it the longest day he had to live.†As I school my own teenaged "urchins" :) who can be a bit "sulky", "dogged", and "swollen" (and who potentially should be experiencing the rod), I appreciate reading Mr. Crane's experience. I can only imagine adding more than three to my schoolhouse. Sigh. Off to corral the madness on week two of a 36 week long year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momee Posted September 4, 2014 Author Share Posted September 4, 2014 Just to keep it real some days are hard. Kids want to play, mom wants to quit and outside it is beautiful. So worth it but so difficult sometimes. Anyway, this quote helped me gain perspective, education is work for everyone. Didn't post because I feel like spanking everyone, lol. Just to commiserate that some days - grrrrrr! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momee Posted September 5, 2014 Author Share Posted September 5, 2014 Especially as a mom. I hate that critical part. I guess that's why being a grandmother is so wonderful. Leave the correcting to the parents, grandmas just get to praise like crazy! One day... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catherine Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 "...as he urged some tardy loiterer along the flowery path to knowledge." LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 That's my school - so easy to get in, much more difficult to squirm out ... :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.