THE CONDUCT OF CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS
Saint Jean Baptist de La Salle

PART TWO: MEANS OF ESTABLISHING AND
MAINTAINING ORDER INTHE SCHOOLS

PART ONE: School Lessons and Conducting Them
PART THREE: Duties of School Inspectors

table of contentS PART TWO

There are nine principal things that can contribute to establishing and maintaining order in schools:

l) The vigilance of the teachers
2) The signals
3) The records or registers
4) The assiduity of the students and their exactitude in arriving on time
5) The regulation of holidays
6) The rewards
7) The punishments
8) The appointment of several class officers and their faithfulness in fulfilling their duties, and
9) The structure, quality, and uniformity of school buildings and suitable fur­niture

The Vigilance Teachers Must Show in School

The vigilance of teachers in school consists particularly of three things: 1) correcting all the words which are mispronounced by a stu­dent when reading; 2) making all the other students who have the same lesson follow along when any one of them is reciting; and 3) enforcing a very strict silence. Teachers should constantly pay atten­tion to these three things.

Article 1: Care in and the Proper Manner of Correcting Words

When a student makes a mistake in the lesson, the teacher must be exact in striking the signal at the very moment that the mistake is made. In this way, the student will not be obliged to look for the word that has been mispronounced. If, nevertheless, a student mis­pronounces a word and continues to read two or three words before being stopped by the signal, for instance, if in reading Seigneur Dieu Tout puissant et éternel, the student should make a mistake on the first syllable, care must be taken not to let the student continue with­out correction. On this occasion and on all other such occasions, the signal must be repeatedly struck twice in quick succession until the student finds the word that has been mispronounced. Or, the teacher will at first strike three times to indicate that the word at which the signal is struck is not the one that has been mispronounced. If a stu­dent who is reading by syllables fails to pronounce properly and can­not make the correction without assistance, a sign must be given to some other student to offer the correction. This latter student will not only say the syllable which the other has said incorrectly, but will re­peat the entire word, pronouncing each syllable one after another. For example, if the reader, instead of saying semblable, should say sem­blabe, the student who offers the correction will say semblable and not only the syllable ble.

The teacher will likewise take care that the students do not pro­nounce too rapidly and so clip their syllables, for example, saying qo, but will insist that they sound all of the letters distinctly: q, u, o. The teacher will also take care that they do not drawl or pronounce their syllables too slowly, which is very disagreeable. They should pro­nounce their syllables evenly. When they read too rapidly or heed­lessly, they are liable to reverse letters; for instance, they might say mo for om or su for us. Furthermore, those for whom the lesson is new and those who are backward, are unable to follow students who read too rapidly. Besides, students who read slowly and carefully learn much more readily.

Article 2: All in the Same Lesson Must Follow the Same Lesson

The teacher will take care that all of the students having the same lesson follow the one who is reading, syllable by syllable or word by word. Another student, when called upon to read, should continue without repeating any of the words that have been said by the pre­ceding one. This will show better than anything else whether the stu­dent has been following along exactly.

If one of the students should play with anything in school, the teacher will order another student from among the most reliable to take it and keep it until the end of the school day. At that time, all of the others having left, the student will return what was taken, unless the teacher considers that it would be harmful.

Teachers will be exact in receiving nothing from the students and in keeping nothing which the students have brought to school. They will keep nothing, under any pretext whatsoever, except bad books. These they will take to the Director who will burn them. This point is of great importance.

Teachers Must Enforce Silence in School

To effect this, teachers will make students understand that they must keep silent because God sees them and it is God’s holy will and not just because the teacher is present.

Teachers will always use a moderate tone when they give any instructions, as well as on all other occasions when they need to speak to all of the stu­dents together. They will never speak either to any student in partic­ular or to all in general until they have carefully thought about what they have to say and unless they consider it necessary.

Teachers will not permit students to speak or to leave their seats without permission during the time that they are receiving some correction. Teachers will make stu­dents understand that they are permitted to speak only three times during the school day: when reciting their lessons, during catechism, and during prayers.

To make it easy for the students to observe all of these things, the teacher will see that these rules which follow are kept. Students are always seated, facing forward and with their faces turned slightly in the direction of the teacher. Students must always hold their books with both hands and always look at them. They should keep their arms and their hands placed in such a manner that the teacher can al­ways see them well. They are not to touch each other either with their feet or with their hands, nor give anything to each other. They are not to look at each other or make signals to each other. They must always have their feet properly placed and not take off their shoes or sabots.And, finally, students of the writing class must not sprawl on the table or maintain any unseemly posture when reciting their lessons.

Signs That Are Used in the Christian Schools

It would be of little use for teachers to apply themselves to making the students keep silent if teachers did not do so themselves. Teachers will better teach students this practice by example than by words. A teacher’s own silence will do more than anything else to produce good order in school, giving teachers the means of watching more easily over both themselves and their students; however, because there are many occasions on which teachers are obliged to speak, a great many signs have been established in the Christian Schools. To make it easier for teachers to keep silence and to reduce these signs to some order, the signs have been classified according to those prac­tices and activities which most ordinarily occur in schools. An iron in­strument used by the teachers and called “the signal” is employed to give most of these signs.

Article 1: Signs Used During Meals

Article 2:
Signs Concerning Lessons

To make the sign to the students to prepare to begin a lesson, Teachers will tap their hand once on the closed book in which they are to begin reading.

To stop a student who is reading, teachers will strike the signal once. All students will immediately look at the teacher, who will then point with the signal to another student, thus giving that student the sign to begin.

The sign to speak louder is to point upward with the tip of the signal. The sign to speak lower is to point the tip of the signal down.

Teachers will make the same sign when they hear any noise in the school. If it is on their right that the noise is being made, they will raise their right hand. If it is on their left, they will raise their left hand.

To make the sign to spell a word which a beginning reader does not pronounce properly, teachers will place the tip of the signal once on the book which they have in their hands.

To signal that a reader has paused in the wrong place, or too long, the teacher will move the signal over the open book. The same sign will be given to one who drawls while spelling or reading by syl­lables.

Article 3:

Signs Used in the Writing Lesson

Article 4: Signs Used During Catechism and Prayers

Article 5: Signs Used in Reference to Corrections

All of the signs referring to corrections will be reduced to five. Teachers will make sure the students understand for which of these five things they are to be punished.

These five things will be expressed in written rules which will be hung in various places in each classroom. Each of these rules will be expressed in the following terms:

1.  students must never be absent from school or come late with­out permission;
2.  students must apply themselves in school to studying their lessons;
3.  students must always write without losing time;
4.  students must be attentive during catechism;
5.  students must pray to God with piety in church and in school.

When teachers wish to correct a particular student, they will call the student’s attention by a signal, and will then indicate with the signal the rule against which the student has offended, at the same time giv­ing the student a sign to approach. If it is to administer the ferule, the teacher will make the student a sign to extend the left hand. If it is to give a correction, the teacher will show the student with the signal the place where it is received.

Article 6: Signs Used Only on Special OccasioNS

Records or Registers

Article 1: Registers of Promotions in Lessons

The Inspectors of Schools will each have a record or register upon which the names of the students will be inscribed according to the lessons and levels in which they are. The name of each student will be entered upon this register according to the level of a lesson in which the student is. There will be a separate register for each school associated with the same House. Each register will begin with the first level of the lowest lesson and will continue in this manner to the last level of the highest lesson.³

In the middle column will be written the names and surnames of the students of the same level in a lesson, one after another in the order in which they have been admitted to the school or promoted to this lesson, as the case may be. In the first column and beside each name, the day of the month on which each of the students was put into this level of the lesson will be written. In the second column, the month will be written. In the third column, the name and the sur­name will be written. In the fourth column, the day of the month that each student of this level was transferred to another level will be writ­ten. In the fifth column, the month in which the student was trans­ferred will be written. All of this will be arranged according to the following model [See Figure "2.1"].

Article 2: Register of Levels in Lessons

Each teacher will have a register in the form of a book containing twenty-four leaves, two for each month, upon which will be inscribed the names of the students of the class, according to the level of each lesson in which they are. The names of all the students of the same level of a lesson will be written one after another under the name of the level of the lesson in which they are.

Toward the end of school, teachers will mark on these registers those who have come late or been absent and those who have not known their diocesan catechism when called to recite it [See Figure 2.2].

Figure 2.2: Model of Register of levels in lessons for the first class in the school at . . . for the month of March 1722 (CL 24:137).

Rewards

The things that may be given as rewards will be of three different degrees: 1) books. 2) pictures on vellum and plaster statuettes, such as crucifixes and images of the Blessed Virgin. and 3) pictures on paper, engraved texts, and also rosaries.

Rosaries, books, and other valuable objects of piety will be used only for extraordinary rewards. They will be given only by the Direc­tor after the Director has examined those whom the teacher considers worthy of receiving them.

Rewards for ability will be given only once every month after the Director has examined the students. There will be but one such re­ward for the most capable in each lesson. A reward may also be giv­en every month to the student of an entire class who has excelled in everything, that is, to the one who has shown the most piety and decorum in church and during prayers and also the greatest ability and assiduity.

Introductory Remarks on Corrections

The correction of the students is one of the most important things to be done in the schools. The greatest care must be taken in order that it may be timely and beneficial both for those who receive it and for those who witness it. For this reason, there are many things to be considered in regard to the use of the corrections which may be ad­ministered in the schools and which will be discussed in the follow­ing articles. This will be done after the necessity of joining gentleness to firmness in the guidance of children has been explained.

At the same time, if too much consideration is had for human weakness and if, under the pretext of showing compassion, children are allowed to do as they will, the result will be wayward, idle, and unruly students.

To throw some light on this matter, which appears to be of no lit­tle importance, it seems opportune to set forth in a few words some principal ways in which teachers express that severity and harshness in guiding and educating children which become unbearable. Then will be described how a contrary weakness by the teacher can lead to all laxness, disorder, and so forth among the students.

First, the teacher’s penances are too rigorous, and the yoke that the teacher imposes upon the students is too heavy. This state of af­fairs is frequently due to lack of discretion and judgment on the part of teachers. It often happens that students do not have enough strength of body or of mind to bear the burdens which many times overwhelm them.

Third, the teacher is too insistent in urging upon a child some performance which the child is not disposed to do, and the teacher does not permit the child the leisure or the time to reflect.

Fifth, the teacher immediately rejects the reasons and excuses of children and is not willing to listen to them at all.

At the other extreme, the following are examples of the teacher’s weakness that leads to negligent and lax conduct by the students.

Second, not enough insistence is placed upon the performance and observance of school practices and those things which constitute the duties of the children.

Fourth, to preserve the friendship of the children, a teacher shows too much affection and tenderness to them. This involves granting something special or giving too much liberty to the more in­timate. This does not edify the others, and it causes disorder.

Sixth and final, the teacher easily forgets a teacher’s own proper deportment, which consists principally in maintaining gravity, which encourages respect and restraint on the part of the children. This lack of deportment manifests itself either in speaking to the students too often and too familiarly or in doing some undignified act.

We must know that gentleness consists in never allowing any harshness or anything whatsoever that savors of anger or passion to appear in reprimands. Instead, being gentle means showing the gravity of a father, a compassion full of tenderness, and a certain ease, which is, however, lively and effective. The teacher who rebukes or punishes must make it very clear that such punishment arises from necessity and that it is out of zeal for the common good that it is administered.

Article 1: Different Kinds of Corrections

Section 1: Correction by Words

As one of the principal rules of the Brothers of the Christian Schools is to speak rarely in their schools, the use of corrections by word or reprimands ought to be very rare. It seems even much better not to make use of them at all. Threats, being a sort of reprimand, might be used, but only very rarely and with much circumspection. When a teacher has threatened the students with something, and one of them commits the fault on account of which they have been threatened, the student must invariably be punished and never pardoned.

A teacher may nevertheless sometimes speak to the students in a firm manner in order to intimidate them. This must be done without affectation, however, and without passion. If it is done with passion, the students will easily recognize this, and it would not receive God’s blessing.

Section 2: The Ferule: When and How to Use It

The ferule is an instrument consisting of two pieces of leather sewn together. It should be from ten to twelve inches in length, including the handle, and should end in an oval of two inches in diameter. The inside of this oval should be stuffed. In this way, it will not be com­pletely flat and will be somewhat rounded on the outside.

The ferule may be used for several offenses: l) for not following a lesson or for playing during a lesson, 2) for coming to school late, 3) for not obeying at the first sign given, and 4) for several other sim­ilar reasons. All of this is to say that the ferule is used for faults that are not very important.

The left hand should be struck, especially in the case of students in the writing class. This is done so as not to make the right hand heavy; such would be a great obstacle in writing.

The students should not be allowed to cry out when receiving a slap on the hand with the ferule or when receiving any other correc­tion. If they do so, they must be punished again without fail for hav­ing cried out. They must then be made to understand that it is for crying out that they are now being corrected.

Section 3: Correction with the Rod

According to the usage established in the Christian Schools, the rod may be used to correct the students 1) for not having been willing to obey, 2) when they make a practice of not following the lessons and of not studying, 3) for having scribbled on their paper instead of writ­ing, 4) for having fought in school or on the streets, 5) for not having prayed in church, 6) for not having behaved with decorum at holy Mass or during catechism, and 7) for having been absent through their own fault from school, from Mass, or from catechism on Sundays and holy days.

Section 4: Expulsion of Students from School

Article 2: Frequent Corrections and How to Avoid Them

If a school is to be well regulated and in very good order, correction must be rare.

Correction by use of the rod should be much rarer than that with the ferule. It should, at most, be inflicted only three or four times in a month.

To avoid frequent correction, which is a source of great disorder in a school, it is necessary to note well that it is silence, restraint, and watchfulness on the part of the teacher that establish and maintain good order in a class. It is not harshness and blows that establish and maintain good order. A constant effort must be made to act with skill and ingenuity to keep students in order while making almost no use of correction.

Teachers will not administer any extraordinary correction without having first consulted with the Director. For this reason, they will post­pone them, which is at the same time a very proper thing to do to have adequate time for some reflection beforehand, to give more weight to what they intend to do, and to leave a greater impression on the minds of the students.

Article 3: Qualities That Corrections Must Possess

Correction, to be beneficial to the students, should be accompanied by the following ten qualities.

econd, correction must be charitable. That is to say, correction must be administered out of a motive of true charity toward the stu­dent who receives it and for the salvation of the student’s soul.

Fourth, correction must be proper and suitable to the fault for which it is administered. That is to say, it must be proportionate to the fault both in nature and in degree. Just as there is a difference be­tween faults committed through malice and obstinacy and those com­mitted through weakness, there should also be a difference between the chastisements with which they are punished.

Sixth, correction must be peaceable. Those who administer it should not be moved to anger and should be totally self-controlled.

Seventh, it must be prudent on the part of the teacher, who should pay great attention to what is done, so as to do nothing that is inappropriate or that could have evil consequences.

Tenth, it must be silent. In the first place, the teacher must be si­lent and should not speak, at least not aloud, during this time. In the second place, the student must be silent and ought not to say a single word, cry out, or make any noise whatsoever.

Article 4: Faults That Must Be Avoided in Corrections

There are many faults that must be avoided in corrections, and it is important that teachers should pay very particular attention to them. The principal ones that must be avoided are described in what fol­lows.

When a correction is considered useful only to give an example to the others and not to the one who is to receive it, it should not be administered unless it is necessary to maintain order in a class. When delay is possible, the advice of the Director should be asked. If it is a case concerning a teacher of one of the lower classes, that teacher will ask advice of the Head Teacher. If it is the Head Teacher who has the problem and at the same time must resolve it, action will be tak­en only with much precaution and under an evident necessity.

No correction should be made that could cause any disorder in the class or in the school. Examples of this would be those that would only serve to make the child cry out, be repelled or embittered, or want to leave the school. Such action would lead the student to hold the school in aversion. The complaints that the child or the child’s parents would make would repel others and prevent children from coming to school. The teacher should endeavor to foresee these pos­sible consequences before administering any correction, for it is im­portant not to fall into them.

Nor should students be corrected because of some displeasure caused either by themselves or by their parents. Students who lack re­spect for their teachers or commit some fault against them should rather be urged by words to recognize this fault and to correct it themselves. This is preferable to punishing them for it. Even if it should be necessary to punish them on account of the bad example they have given, it would be well to assign some other motive for the correction, such as having caused disorder or having been obstinate.

It is also important never to use insulting words or words that are even in the slightest degree unseemly, for example, rascal, knave, or sniveler. None of these words should ever be in the mouth of a teacher in the Christian Schools.

The ferule must not be thrown at a student, who is then to bring it back. That is highly unbecoming behavior. A student must not be struck with the handle of the ferule on the head, on the back, or on the back of the hand, nor must two slaps in succession be given with it on the same hand.

In punishing students, teachers must be very careful not to strike them on any place where they may have any sore or injury, lest it worsen, and not to strike so hard that marks may appear.

Teachers will also be careful not to assume any improper posture when administering correction, such as stretching the arms or con­torting the body, or to make any other unseemly motions contrary to modesty.

Here is the practice to follow concerning who should or should not administer correction.

Article 5: Children Who Must or Must Not Be Corrected

There are five vices which must not ordinarily be excused: 1) lying, 2) fighting, 3) theft, 4) impurity, and 5) indecorum in church.

Those who have been fighting will be corrected in the same way. If two or more were involved, they will be punished together. If it was a student and another child who is not of the school, the teacher will ascertain exactly who was at fault. The student will not be corrected unless the teacher is very certain that the student was at fault. Teachers will act in exactly the same way with all other faults committed outside of the school. If students have been fighting in the school, they are to be punished as an example, and they must be made to understand that this fault is one of the gravest they can commit.

Those who have taken and concealed anything, however small its value be, even if it be only a pen, will be similarly punished. If they are found to be subject to this vice, they will be expelled from the school.

Those who have been playing with people of the opposite sex or who have been frequently in their company will be seriously warned the first time. If they persist in this fault, they will likewise be severe­ly punished. Teachers will often seek to instill into their students a great disinclination for the company of these people and will urge them never to mingle with them. Even if they are their relatives and even if they are sometimes obliged to converse with them, however young they may be, let it be very rarely and always in the presence of their parents or of some sensible elderly people.

For this last fault, teachers must not punish all kinds of students, large and small alike, in the same manner. Unless the little ones are very carefully watched while they are in church and unless the teacher has acquired great authority and control, it will be difficult for the young ones to observe the moderation and control required of them. It is necessary, however, to pay great attention to this matter. Nothing should be omitted to prevent any student from behaving in a disorderly way in church.

Section 1: Ill-bred, Self-willed, or Delinquent Children

There are some children to whose conduct their parents pay very lit­tle attention, sometimes none at all. From morning until evening, they do only what they please. They have no respect for their parents. They are disobedient. They grumble at the least thing. Sometimes these faults do not come from an evil disposition of heart or mind; they come from their having been left to themselves. Unless they are naturally of a bold and haughty temperament, they must be frequent­ly admonished. They must also be corrected for their bad dispositions. When they let some of their faults appear in school, they must be subdued and rendered submissive. If they are of a bold and haughty spirit, they should be given some charge or responsibility in the school, such as Monitor, if they are considered qualified, or Collector of Papers. They should be promoted in something such as writing, arithmetic, or spelling to inspire them with a liking for school. But along with this they must be corrected and brought into line, never al­lowed in anything whatsoever to act as they please. If such students are young, there are fewer measures to be taken. They must be cor­rected while they are young, so that they may not continue in their bad conduct.

Those who are heedless and frivolous must be corrected a little. Ordinarily, they do not reflect much, and a short time after having been corrected, they sometimes fall again into the same fault or into another fault that deserves the same punishment. Their faults do not come from pure malice but from thoughtlessness. They must be treat­ed in a way that may prevent them from misbehaving. They can be shown affection, but they should not be given any charge or respon­sibility. They should be seated as near to the teacher as possible, un­der the pretext of helping them, but in reality to watch over them. They should also be placed between two students of a sedate dispo­sition who do not ordinarily commit faults. They should also be given some rewards from time to time to make them assiduous and fond of school, for it is these who are absent most frequently, and to induce them while there to remain in order and silent.

The stubborn must always be corrected, especially those who resist and are not willing to accept correction; however, two precautions must always be taken in regard to this kind of children. 1) No attempt to correct them is to be made without having thoroughly examined the faults they have committed and unless it is clear that they deserve correction. 2) When such children resist, either because they do not want to submit to correction or because they do not want to leave their seats, it will often be much more to the purpose to let their bad attitude pass. In this case it is best not to let it appear that there is any intention of making the correction. Some time later, the teacher will call them and speak with them gently, making them realize and admit their fault, both originally and in resisting. The teacher will then cor­rect the student as an example. In case the student is not yet willing to accept the correction, the student must be forced to do so, for only a single example of resistance would be needed to produce several others afterward. Some time later, when it seems that the bad mood has passed, the teacher will gently make the student draw near to re­flect on the incident. The teacher will lead the student afterward to admit the fault and to ask pardon while kneeling.

There is another kind of stubborn children who mutter after they have been corrected. When they have returned to their seats, they lean their heads on their arms or maintain some other unseemly pos­ture. Such manners must never be permitted. These students should be obliged to study or to follow the lesson. If the teacher cannot pre­vent a student who has been corrected from grumbling, muttering, weeping, or disturbing the school in some other manner, because of youth, low intelligence, or some other reason, and if it has been ob­served that punishments not only do not bring a sense of duty but perhaps even render the student more stubborn, it would ordinarily be more to the purpose not to make the correction. It would be bet­ter to pretend not to notice it when such a student does not study or fails to do some other duty. It might be better even to send the stu­dent home.

Section 3: Gentle Children, Newcomers, Special Cases

There are some parents whose manner of bringing up their children is to give them all that they ask. They never contradict or oppose them in anything, and they almost never correct them for their faults.

Such children are almost always of a gentle and peaceable na­ture. For that reason, it is ordinarily better not to correct them. It is or­dinarily better to correct their faults by some other means, such as giving them some penance that is easy to perform, preventing their faults in some skillful manner, pretending not to see them, or admon­ishing them gently in private.

If the means that are used to prevent their faults or to correct them are of no avail, it is often better to send them away than to cor­rect them. An exception to this might be made after speaking with their parents and making them agree that it will be well to correct the child.

Much the same can be done in the case of slow-witted children who create a disturbance only when it becomes necessary to correct them. Ordinarily, this should not be done. If they are troublesome in school, it is better to send them away. If they cause no trouble and create no disturbance, they should be let alone.

With respect to those who are sickly, it is important that they should not be corrected. This is especially the case when the correc­tion might increase their ailment. Some other means of correction should be used with them or a penance be imposed on them.

Section 4: Accusers and Accused

Teachers must not readily listen to reports and accusations made against students; however, they will not rebuff those who make these reports but will be careful to examine the reports well and not correct hastily without due consideration for reports that have been made to them.

If it is parents who come to accuse their children and say that they should be corrected, this should not be done just for this reason. Parents often speak thus from anger, and they would not do so at any other time. If, however, the fault deserves correction, the parents must be given to understand that they should correct their children them­selves. If it happens that several students commit the same fault and each one knows that the others are guilty, if one is corrected, all of them must be; for instance, if several students have been fighting or if two or three have been talking or playing during holy Mass; however, if several have committed the same fault and are unaware of the guilt of the others, or if they believe that the teacher is ignorant of it, it will ordinarily be well to correct only one of them and to pretend to be unaware of the faults of the others.

Article 6:Procedures for All Corrections

When the teacher wishes to administer the ferule to a student, the usual signal will be given to attract the attention of the students. The teacher will then indicate with the point of the signal the rule which has been violated and immediately make a sign to the offender to draw near. The offender will go to the teacher, make the sign of the cross, and hold out the left hand. Care must be taken that the student holds the hand well extended and quite steady, and does not with­draw it. If the hand is not held properly, the teacher will personally demonstrate how this is to be done. If the refusal to comply contin­ues, the student must be forced to do so and given two strokes of the ferule instead of one.

When the ferule is being administered the students must neither put their thumb in the middle of their hand nor hold their hand half open. After the punishment the teacher will oblige them to cross their arms and kneel, or will have them go modestly to their seats, without permitting them to make any contortions with their arms or their bod­ies or to do any unseemly thing like grumbling or crying aloud. If any of these things is done the teacher will make the student come back and will again administer the ferule, unless the improper conduct ceases at once.

The student will at once go there and prepare to receive the cor­rection in such a manner as not to be appear indecently to anyone. This practice of having students prepare themselves to receive the punishment without any assistance from the teacher will be very rig­orously observed. If any student fails to do this, the punishment will be severe.

The teacher may say a few words to dispose the student to re­ceive the correction with humility, submission, and for the proper rea­son. After this, the teacher will give the usual three strokes.

All the students will be instructed that they must be ready to re­ceive punishment before the teacher comes and that if they are not ready then they will later receive five blows.

Article 7: The Place and the Time for Corrections

Corrections must not be administered during catechism or during the prayers. During these times the teacher can and should take par­ticular note of those who have committed some fault, and without saying anything to them, should name them in a low tone to a reli­able student, who will be instructed to remind the teacher at some other specified time. A teacher may, however, sometimes, but rarely and only if the teacher believes that it cannot be avoided, administer the ferule during catechism. Corrections must not be made on Sun­days and holy days.

Article 8: Penances: Their Use, Qualities, and Imposition

Penances will be much more ordinarily used in the schools than cor­rections. They repel the student less, cause less distress to parents, and are much more useful.

Penances should be remedial and proportioned to the faults com­mitted. They should be administered to help students give satisfaction for their faults in the sight of God, and in the hope that they may be a preserving remedy to prevent repetition of the faults.

No penance will be imposed that might be prejudicial to the si­lence and good order of the school. Nothing that causes loss of time and that is useless should ever be given as a penance.

When a teacher imposes a penance, this will be done while seat­ed at the teacher’s own place and with a very grave manner. This is done to inspire respect in the one who receives the penance and to make this student perform it with humility, with simplicity, and for the edification of the others.

After the penance has been imposed, the student will make a bow to thank the teacher, and will then remain some little time longer kneeling, facing the crucifix, to show God that the penance is accept­ed willingly and to ask of God the grace to perform the penance faithfully and for the love of God. Then, the student will be seated, if permission to do so has been given.

Section 1: Penances That Are in Use

When students come late for a second time and through their own fault, they may instead of receiving a punishment be required as a penance to be at school as soon as the door is opened, for a period of a week or two. The inspector of the class will be instructed to no­tice whether these students are there or not.

Students who make several mistakes in reading because they have not studied may be ordered to learn by heart something from the diocesan catechism or even a part of the lesson which has not yet been studied, which would be very appropriate. They may be or­dered to read one or two pages according to their ability after all of the others have read. At the same time, students will be threatened with correction if they do not know the lesson better in the future. The amount that such students will be required to read will depend on the level of the lesson in which they are.

Those who have not written all that they should write or who have not applied themselves to doing it well may be required as a penance to write one or two pages at home. What they write will consist of some particular letters, words, or phrases that have been indicated to them and which they must take pains to write well and bring the next time.

When students who are kneeling seat themselves back on their heels, they will be required to remain about a half hour kneeling in school, or they will be made to remain standing for some time with their hands joined and their eyes lowered or resting on the crucifix.

A student who has not remembered the catechism lesson of the preceding day will be obliged to learn it and repeat it at the end of school without making a mistake or omitting anything. The student might be obliged to listen to the lesson of the day standing and with hands joined. The student might also be made to learn the catechism in one day, or two, according to the student’s capacity.

Absences
Article 1: Regular Absences and Absences with Permission

Some may be allowed, for the same reason, to come to school in the afternoon every day; however, no student will be permitted to come to school only in the morning. It will also not be permitted any student to come only at 9:00 in the morning or at 3:00 in the after­noon. Besides the fact that this disturbs the order of a school, many other students would want to do the same.

Article 2: Irregular Absences; Permitted or Not Permitted

It sometimes happens that students ask permission to be absent on Sundays and holy days. Some wish to go on trips or to visit their rel­atives; others wish to go to some village celebration or to some con­fraternity. None will be permitted to absent themselves from the catechism on Sundays and holy days for any of these reasons except upon rare occasions and only when their parents ask it for them.

Article 3: Causes of Absences and Means of Preventing Them

Those who stay away through frivolity are those who follow the first idea that comes into their minds, who go to play with the first child they meet, and who ordinarily act without paying attention to what they do.

Such students should be corrected only a little for their absences. This is because they will again absent themselves on the next day or on the first occasion afterward. They will reflect neither upon what has been said to them nor upon the correction that they have re­ceived. They will be induced to come to school more by gentleness and by winning them than by correction and harshness.

The second reason why students absent themselves is lack of dis­cipline. This is either because they cannot be subjected to remaining a whole day in the same place, attentive and with their minds busy, or because they love to run about and play. Such children are ordinarily inclined to evil, and viciousness follows lack of discipline. For this reason, it is necessary to seek, with very great care, a remedy for their absence. Everything should be done to anticipate and to prevent it. It will be very useful to assign them some office in the class. This will give them a liking for school and will sometimes even cause them to become an example to the others. Much must be done to win them and to attract them, at times being firm with them and correcting them when they do wrong or absent themselves, but showing them much affection for the little good they do and rewarding them for little.

The remedy for absences of this sort is to leave a teacher neither alone in a classroom nor placed solely in charge until thoroughly trained by a teacher of great experience in the schools.

The remedy for teachers who are lax and who have no order in their classrooms will be for the Director or the Head Teacher to watch over them and require them to account for all that takes place in the classes. They will particularly be required to account for their actions when they have neglected to look after the absent or have been re­miss in any of their duties, however small and of however little con­sequence it may appear.

The remedies for this sort of absence will be for the teachers to endeavor to be very pleasant and to acquire a polite, affable, and frank appearance, without, however, assuming an undignified or fa­miliar manner. Let them do everything for all of their students to win them all to our Lord Jesus Christ. They should all be convinced that authority is acquired and maintained in a school more by firmness, gravity, and silence than by blows and harshness, and that the princi­pal cause of frequent absences is the frequency of the punishments.

The means of remedying the negligence of parents, especially of the poor, is to speak to them and make them understand their obliga­tion to have their children instructed. They should understand the wrong that they do to their children in not making them learn to read and write, and how much this can harm their children, since lack of this knowledge will leave the children incapable of any employment. Then they must be made to realize the harm that may be done their children by lack of instruction in those things which concern their sal­vation, with which the poor are often little concerned.

When parents withdraw their children from school to make them work while they are too young and not yet sufficiently instructed, they must be made to understand that they harm them a great deal. To have their children earn a little, they will make them lose a very much greater advantage. It should be explained to them how important it is for an artisan to know how to read and write well. It should be em­phasized that, however limited the child’s intelligence, the child that knows how to read and write will be capable of anything.

The sixth principal reason why students absent themselves fre­quently is either because the teachers are too complacent in bearing with those who are absent from school without permission or because they too readily give permission to be absent.

The reasons ordinarily are that their parents needed them, or that they have been ill. Others are absent because they are delinquents.

As for the delinquents, the Inspector or the teacher will observe what has been said above in the article on students who must or must not be corrected. They will not correct them themselves, but will oblige the parents to correct them at home before permitting them to return to school.

When a student asks permission to be absent, teachers must al­ways appear reluctant to grant permission. They are to investigate the reasons well, and when they find these good and necessary, they will always send the student to the Head Teacher to obtain the permis­sion. The Head Teacher will, however, grant the permission only after great difficulty. The Head Teacher will never listen to a student who asks for a permission that has already been refused.

Before sending students home for these or other reasons, how­ever, the teacher will speak with their parents several times, and ex­plain to them how important it is that their children come to school assiduously and how it is otherwise almost impossible for them to learn anything, since they forget in one day what they have learned in several. Students will not be sent away from school unless it appears that both they and their parents are not concerned about it and do not profit at all by all that it has been possible to say to them in this matter.

Finally, before sending away students on account of absences or for anything else, it is well to make use of the following means to remedy the situation: 1) deny the rewards for assiduity gained by a student who has been absent, even with permission; 2) do not pro­mote the student to another level or to another lesson the next month even though the student knows how to read perfectly or is capable of being promoted; 3) make the student stand for several days in school or make use of some other penance that will embarrass the student, be unpleasant for the parents, and will incite the student to come punctually and thus will oblige the parents to force the child to be as­siduous.

Article 4: Receiving and Excusing Absentees

The Director will appoint one teacher in each school to receive back to school the students who have been absent and to excuse their ab­sences.

2:00 in the afternoon. Teachers will notify students that all who have been absent must be at school before the teachers themselves arrive. Students must understand that if their absences have not been ex­cused before the bell begins to ring at 8:30 and at 2:00, no matter what reasons they allege, they will be punished or sent away.

If the absence is the fault of the parents, the student will first en­ter school. The teacher who has received them will then speak with the parents in private to make them realize their fault and the wrong that they are doing their children in seeking such permissions for them or allowing them to be absent. The teacher will urge them to be more exact in making their children come diligently to school, and in­form them that, if they fail to do so again for similar reasons, the chil­dren will not be taken back. This, in fact, must be done.

If the receiving teacher is not familiar with the conduct of the stu­dent and the reasons for the absence or is in doubt concerning them, this teacher will leave parent and student at the door and go to con­sult the classroom teacher. Then returning to speak with the parents and the student, the teacher will tell them what is considered appro­priate.

Holidays

Article 1: Ordinary Holidays

Ordinary holidays are those that are indicated below.

When there is a holy day of obligation in a week and if it falls on Monday, Tuesday, or Saturday, a half holiday will be given on Thurs­day afternoon. If it falls on Thursday or Friday, a half holiday will be given on Tuesday afternoon. If it falls on Wednesday, a half holiday will be given on Friday afternoon.

On the day of the feast of Saint Nicholas, who is the Patron Saint of school children and on Ash Wednesday, a whole holiday will be given on that day instead of on the Thursday of that week; however, on each of these days, the students will come to school in the morning.

If the feast of Saint Nicholas falls on a Sunday, the celebration for the students will be transferred to the following Thursday, which will be observed as indicated above.

Holiday will be given from Thursday in Holy Week inclusive to the following Wednesday, exclusive, on which day school will begin again; however, the students will be taken to the parish Mass on the two last-named feasts [Saint Joseph and Holy Thursday].

Extraordinary Holidays

No extraordinary holidays will be given without an evident and indis­pensable necessity. When the Director of a Community House thinks that it is necessary to give one, the Director will consult the Superior of the Institute before doing so, in case this necessity can be foreseen. If the necessity cannot be foreseen, the Director will inform the Supe­rior afterward and will make known the reasons that required the granting of this holiday.

The occasions on which extraordinary holidays will be given are the following.

Second, extraordinary holidays will be given on the day of the burial of a teacher who has died in the Community in the town. If it is not possible to celebrate the funeral office either the next day or in the same week, a whole holiday will be given on the day of the bur­ial instead of on Thursday. If it is possible to celebrate the office the next day, a whole holiday will also be given then. If the funeral office is celebrated in the same House on a day much later than that of the burial, or in another week, a whole holiday will be given on the day of the service.

Fourth, holiday will be given on the day of the feast of the Pa­tron Saint of each of the parishes in which the schools are situated. This is also the case on certain days which, while they are neither days upon which it is necessary to refrain from servile work nor holy days of obligation, are nevertheless kept in the town or in the parish in which the House of the Institute is situated.

First, holidays may not be given on the Monday and Tuesday im­mediately preceding the first day of Lent. Furthermore, students will even be required to be more exact in their attendance at school on these days than on any other day in the year.

Article 3: Vacation

This article comprises four items: 1) what concerns the vacation in it­self, 2) the counsel that the teachers should give their students so that they may spend the vacation time well, 3) what is to be done in school on the last day before vacation, and 4) what is to be done on the day of the return to school.

On the last day of school, nothing except the catechism will be taught from 1:30 until 3:00. The catechism lesson will be on the man­ner in which students should spend the time of their vacation. Among the counsels which teachers will give to students so that they may spend this vacation time well, the principal are 1) not to fail to say each day the morning and evening prayers that are recited in the schools; 2) to assist at holy Mass daily with devotion and to say throughout holy Mass the prayers which are in the Manual of Exer­cises of Piety; 3) to assist at the holy Mass and vespers in their parish churches on Sundays and holy days of obligation; 4) to go to Confes­sion and, for those who have already made their First Communion, to go to Holy Communion at least once during this time; 5) to go each day to some church to visit and adore the Blessed Sacrament for at least fifteen or thirty minutes; 6) to say the rosary every day, in order to acquire and preserve a devotion to the Blessed Virgin; 7) not to fre­quent bad company; 8) not to plunder gardens and vineyards, which would be thieving and a great sin; 9) not to go bathing,and 10) not to play cards or dice for money.

At the end of catechism, the teachers will notify all students to be in school after vacation on the appointed day as early as 7:30 in the morning. This is in order that they might assist at the Mass of the Holy Spirit, which will be celebrated for their intention. On the day of their return and while they are assembling in school, they will be taught catechism from 8:00 until 9:00 o’clock. This will be after the prayers which are said for the opening of school.

At 9:00 o’clock, they will be taken to holy Mass, which will be celebrated for their intention, to invoke the assistance of the Holy Spirit.

Article 4: Informing Teachers and Students of Holidays

On every Sunday at the end of the thanksgiving after Holy Commu­nion, the Director of each Community House will announce to Teachers the holy days of obligation that will occur during the coming week, the day on which there will be a holiday, and whether the hol­iday will be for the whole day or in the afternoon only.

Teachers will announce in their own classrooms, at the end of school and immediately after evening prayers, the holidays and any other special events, above all, the feasts of the Church, that occur during the week. Teachers will take care to state these things in few words, to forget nothing, and to express themselves in such a manner that they can be understood by all students.

SECTION EIGHT: School Officers

There will be several officers in the school. These officers will be charged with several different functions which teachers cannot or ought not do themselves. These officers will be appointed by the teachers of each class on one of the first three school days after the vacation.

Reciters of Prayers

There will be two officers in each school to whom will be assigned the duty of reciting the prayers. One of them will recite the prayers in the morning; the other will recite the prayers in the afternoon. They will alternate between reciting morning and evening prayers.

No students will be appointed to this office unless they know all of the prayers perfectly, recite them distinctly, and are reserved and well behaved, so as not to cause the distraction of the other students.

The Holy Water Bearer

There will be one student who will take an aspergillum>to holy Mass on every school day. On Sundays and holy days of obligation, this student will take the aspergillum to both Mass and vespers. In this way, students may take holy water on entering and on leaving the church. This officer and the Rosary Carrier will go first and will lead the others on the way to church. On entering the church, the Holy Water Bearer will stand near the holy water font and will remain there until all the students of all the classes have passed and have taken holy water. The Holy Water Bearer will do the same when the stu­dents leave the church. This student will be placed in such a manner that the students can easily take holy water from the aspergillum, which will be dipped from time to time in the font whenever the Bearer observes that there is no more holy water on it.

For as long as the students are passing, the Holy Water Bearer will remain standing in a modest posture, with eyes lowered, without looking at any one of them as they are passing, and without turning. When all of the students have left the church and are not to go back to school, the Holy Water Bearer will return to the school with the Ro­sary Carrier and replace the aspergillum where it is usually kept. This student should be very pious and very well behaved and will not be replaced by another unless it is necessary.

The Rosary Carrier and Assistants

When the students are all kneeling in their places, this officer will take one or more bundles of rosaries to give to the assistant or assis­tants. Each one of them will go down a row between two students from beginning to end. Each will distribute the rosaries to those who do not know how to read, that is, to those who read only the charts of the alphabet and of the syllables.

If the students do not return to the school after holy Mass, the Rosary Carrier will go with the Holy Water Bearer to take the rosaries back to the school and put them in their usual place.

This class officer will notify the students who say the rosary in turn in the order of the benches, and will see that those who say the rosary in school say it with deliberation, piety, and decorum and that they do not talk and play. If any students are guilty of any of these things, the officer will at once inform the teacher.

The Rosary Carrier and the assistants will ordinarily be chosen from the class in which the rosary is said. If, however, there are not any in it who are capable, these officers will be chosen from another class.

The Bell Ringer

Care must be taken to ring the bell exactly on time. About the time for a Miserere before the beginning of the prayers in the morn­ing and before catechism in the afternoon, the Bell Ringer will toll two or three strokes to notify the students to put their books away, the Collectors to gather up all papers, and all to prepare themselves and be ready to begin the prayers without a moment’s delay and as soon as the bell has ceased ringing. This officer should be very assiduous in attending school, careful, vigilant, exact, and very punctual in ring­ing the bell on time.

Monitors and Supervisors

There will be Monitors in all of the classes during the absences of the teachers but at no other times. The exception is in the classes of the writers. In those classes, there will be a Monitor during breakfast and the afternoon snack. The Monitor will supervise those who are re­peating the prayers, the catechism, and the responses of holy Mass.

The Monitor will not threaten any student either by signs or oth­erwise no matter what the fault committed and will never use the fer­ule or anything whatsoever to strike the students.

Teachers will examine carefully the things that the Monitor re­ports, in a low tone and privately, before determining whether or not to punish those who have been reported for having committed faults. In order to find out more easily whether the Monitor has told the truth, a teacher will ask privately the most trustworthy students who have witnessed the faults whether the matter took place in the man­ner and under the circumstances that the Monitor has declared. The teacher will punish the students who have committed the faults only in case the teacher finds that what the others say agrees with what the Monitor has reported.

Supervisors

There will be two students in each class appointed to watch the con­duct of the Monitor while the latter is exercising the functions of that office. Their responsibility is to see whether students who hold the of­fice of Monitor allow themselves to be corrupted by gifts; whether they demand anything from the others for not declaring their faults; whether they are always among the first to come to school; whether they speak when they should be silent; whether they leave their place; whether they see to it that no one else leaves their place; in short, whether they fulfill their duties with very great exactitude. It will be best if these Supervisors are not known to the Monitor. For this reason, they will not be appointed like the other class officers and will not even be called officers. These Supervisors will be among the most sensible, the most pious, and the most punctual students. They will be privately instructed to pay attention to the conduct of the Monitor, and will render an account of that conduct as soon as possi­ble whenever anything extraordinary happens.

Distributors and Collectors of Papers

There will be in the class of the writers one or two students to dis­tribute the papers to the writers at the beginning of the writing peri­od, to take them again at the end of it, and then to put them back in the proper place.

The Distributors and Collectors of Papers will be careful to place all the papers in the proper order, one upon another, in the same or­der as the students are seated to whom they belong. In this way, they can return all of the papers properly.

If the teacher finds it useful, these officers will go to each writer a short time before collecting the papers to see what each has written. They will note whether students have written as much as they should have, whether the paper is rumpled, and the like. If they find that anyone has been remiss in anything, they will at once inform the teacher.

Collectors will make sure that all of the students dry what they have written and fold their papers before returning them.

Sweepers

Before beginning to sweep, this student will put the benches near the wall, some on one side and some on the other. When there is need of it, the two Sweepers from the two adjoining classrooms will help one another to remove and replace the benches, but in nothing else.

The teachers will see that the Sweepers always keep the class­rooms of which they have charge very clean.

The Sweepers should not be slow, but very active, so that they do not take too much time in acquitting themselves of their duties.

The Doorkeeper

In each school, there will be only one entrance door. If there is more than one door, the others, which the Director will select, will be closed and always kept locked.

The Doorkeeper will allow no one to enter except teachers, stu­dents, and the priest of the parish in which the school is situated.

While the teacher is speaking with someone, the Doorkeeper will leave the door sufficiently open for it to be possible to see from with­in the classroom both the teacher and the person with whom the teacher is speaking.

The Doorkeeper will always keep silent and will never speak to any student who is entering the school or going out of it.

The Doorkeeper will be exact in reading in turn like the others, and as far as possible pay attention to and follow the lesson during all of the time when not busy at the door. Doorkeepers must be fre­quently changed, and care should be taken that they do not lose time for reading. This can be done by making the student read at the end of school or by having another act as Doorkeeper during the lesson.

The Keeper of the School Key

This student will also be responsible for everything in the school, and must take care that nothing is carried away. This class officer should be chosen from among those who are the most assiduous and who never miss school.

Construction and Uniformity of Schools and Furniture
ARTICLE i: Room and Furniture

When school is held in a room which opens upon the street or upon a common courtyard, the windows must be at least seven feet above the ground, so that people passing are not able to see into the school.

The classrooms must have good daylight and good air. For that reason, there must be, if possible, windows at both ends of each classroom for ventilation.

The small and medium-sized classrooms should be at least fifteen to eighteen feet square. The communicating door should be so situat­ed that the teacher’s chair can be placed against the wall opposite this door.

In each large classroom, there should be a number of tables, de­pending on the number of the students, for writing exercises: two of the highest for the largest students and the other tables lower for the medium-sized and the smaller students. All of the tables should have benches of the same length. The highest tables should be two feet three inches high at the back and two feet one inch high at the front. This is done in order to give a slope to the table. The benches for these tables should be sixteen inches high. The lowest tables should be two feet high at the back and one foot ten inches high at the front. The benches for these tables should be fourteen inches high. The tops of the tables should be fifteen inches wide and at least an inch and a half thick. They should be nine, twelve, or fifteen feet in length, in proportion to the size of the classroom. Each table should be sup­ported by three trestles or table supports. The top of each trestle should be as long as the table is wide, about three inches thick and five inches wide. The three uprights, which should be joined and fas­tened securely into the top, should each be two inches square and should open out toward the bottom. At the bottom, the spread should be of about fifteen inches. This will give solidity and balance to the trestle. Each support should be attached to the table with a large square-headed screw. The screw should be set in the table in such a manner that it is even with the surface, that it passes through the table and the trestle, and that it is fastened underneath with a bolt.

If some teacher should later on find another manner of con­structing these writing tables which would be easier and more solid, that teacher will propose this new manner to the Superior before making use of it.

Charts

The two charts of the alphabet and of the syllables will be arranged in the following manner. They will be the same in all the Community Houses of the Christian Schools.

The letters and syllables will be placed one above another in col­umns, as illustrated by the models of the two charts.

The chart of the alphabet will be divided into to parts, as shown on the model. The first part consists of the small letters; the second part consists of the capital letters. Each part will contain six lines. Each line will contain five letters, diphthongs, and letters joined to­gether and therefore counted as one letter, for example, ft, fi, fl. Sim­ilarly for other combinations.

The table of small letters and the table of capital letters will be separated by a space of about three inches, so that there will be a space of about three inches between the last letter in each line in the first column and the first letter on the corresponding line in the sec­ond column. For instance, there should be a distance of three inches between the small e, which is the last letter on the line in the first col­umn and the capital A, which is the first letter of the first line in the second column. The same should be true of all the other lines.

The second chart, which is of syllables of two and three letters, should contain seven lines. Each line should contain seven syllables. The first three, the fifth, and the sixth syllables of each line should be syllables of two letters. The fourth and seventh lines should consist of syllables of three letters, all as is shown on the model. There must be at least two and two-thirds inches after each syllable, that is, between the end of one syllable and the beginning of the next. The lines should be about three inches apart.

The chart of French and Roman numerals will be three feet eight inches in height and seven feet long. It will be divided into two panels.

In the first panel, a large sheet of paper will be pasted. On that pa­per, the French and Roman numerals will be printed. In the other panel, the chart of the vowels, the consonants, the punctuation marks, and the abbreviations will be pasted.

In each classroom in which connected sentences are written there will be a large board, five feet in length and three feet in height, consisting of two panels. On each panel, two examples in arithmetic can be written. For examples in division, an entire panel will be re­quired. This board should be attached to the wall in the most conve­nient place, the bottom about five feet above the floor and the top slanting forward. The two panels of this board are painted black with oil paint so that it will be possible to write examples upon them with chalk. The board should be made like this model [See Figure 2.8].

Other Materials

There will be a chest or cupboard in which to put away the pa­pers and other things used by the teachers and students.

In each classroom, there will also be a picture of the Crucifix, of the Blessed Virgin, of Saint Joseph, of the holy Guardian Angels, and of the five rules mentioned in Article 5 of Chapter 2, [on Signs Used in Reference to Corrections], of Part Two. All of these will be pasted upon heavy backs or framed. Finally, there will be in the classroom of the writers a little bell. This is the bell which will be rung for the school exercises.

The Twelve Virtues of a Good Teacher

• Seriousness
  
• Silence
  
• Humility
  
• Prudence
  
• Wisdom
  
• Patience
  
• Restraint
  
• Gentleness
  
• Zeal
  
• Watchfulness
  
• Piety
  
• Generosity

Electronic Format and Graphics Copyright © by The Kolbe Foundation August 14, 1999
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