Restlessness.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume V, Issue 3, 1 September 1914, Page 33

Restlessness.

One of the greatest difficulties that has to be faced by all who have to deal with : children, is their excessive restlessness/ They seem to find it impossible to sit still. Hands, legs, heads, eyes, bodiesall'seem to exemplify that. myth of the ancient philosophers— perpetual motion. . -..'.. , How is this annoying trait to be combated? The scientific -remedy is; not to forcibly drive m the symptoms, but to diagnose the complaint, and deal with the cause. Why are young people restless ? This tendency of theirs is Nature's method of encouraging, exercise, and thus ensuring development. It is a mistake to run counter to Nature and restrain the healthy activity of children. The wise teacher relies upon it to ensure the effort necessary to acquire knowledge. .... If a child's body is restless .it is because no one has found him sufficient employment for his mind. A' child cannot sit still for five minutes while an adult pours forth a stream of words. God has made the young active, and they cannot remain passive without running counter tp their natural instincts, and violating-. God's law. The best way. of utilising the energies of children is to set them to work answering questions. These should be difficult enough to require hard thinking; and yet sufficiently easy to reward the pupil's efforts with success. \. Restlessness .is energy running to waste: It. is a. fa Hilt, riot m the child, but m him who ought to be' eiriploying the pupil's energy usefully. AYhen being artistically questioned m school^ or when poring ;6yer- a puzzle m their play tithe; children are absolutely still physically. They have no superfluous .energy to wastie m .fidgeting,; The'

most active cliiic[< lias ; no*suppirflu-. ous ' vitality, I all; 'its powers are concentrated upo^tnfe: tri'eiital effort m which it is engrossed. When a Sunday School class is. inclined to let off steam— so to speak-^ih unlawful ways, the remedy is (not to sit upon the safety valve, . but) to turn ..the steam on to the mental machinery, which turns out ideas. In other words, a restless class is one. that is more than ready to do justice to the questioning exercise. All teaching necessitates the cowbfk of the . pupil, . because there can be no teaching where there is no learning ; learning is an absorbing and health y exercise; which uses up all the child's energies. If it does not do so, the fault lies with the teacher, who is allowing force to run w&ste. Thus to blame the unfortunate pupil for fidg-etirig, is to add insult to injury. The same applies to all bad behaviour of the noisy and mischiev-. pus kind. v Satan finds some mischief still for idle hands; to do." Or as someone else expresses it.: "The devil tempts a busy person—but an idle person tempts the devil." TJseful employment, rather than unjust punishment; is the scientific remedy for misapplied activity. — C. It. Drawbridge^ M.A;