PLAYING SCHOOL.

Otago Witness, Issue 1324, 14 April 1877, Page 19

PLAYING SCHOOL.

Isn't it fun to play school ? The only trouble about it is that each one wants to be the teacher — but it wouldn't be much of a school if we all were teachers, and no scholars. So the best way is to take turns, and then you can see who are the best teachers, and — what is quite as important— who are the beat scholars. On rainy days, when you cannot go out, keeping school is a capital play for indoors, and lively youngsters can get a great deal of fun out of it. Only recollect when it comes your turn to be teacher, you must not be too severe. The best teachers among the real teachers are not those that scold the moat, and makebelieve teachers will find that they can get along with their scholars much better by being kind than by being cross. When you are the teacher, you may be troubled by scholars who will not keep order — who will whisper, or scuffle their feet on the floor as they come in or go out, or who in the school will not Bit quietly in their seats, but " fidget " around. Before you get out of patience with your scholars, just stop and think how it is with real scholars, and ask yourself if you haven't done in the real school these things which now vex you, and then may-be you will wonder how the real teacher was so kind and mild with all these things to vex her; and perhaps when you next go to school you will recollect how annoying these things are, and will not do them. There are some plays that children in all part 3of the world seem to like, and in almost every country children have dolls of some kind, make sand or mud-pies, and play at keeping school. The play-school is much like real school ; there are the quiet scholars, who come to school to study; there is that girl who never can keep still, her hand is up, showing that she wants somothing — that uneasy girl is in every school. Then there is the boy wearing the long ears for punishment, and no doubt deserves it ; and that other girl, who is always whispering on the sly — and always gets caught at it ; but the learned teacher is just now too busy to see her.