The reader may smile at the quaint charm of some of the following

statements, but no understanding teacher could read them without see-

ing deep into the lives of children and young people. We believe these

revealing glimpses may tell us more of child psychology than volumes

written by learned adults.

Wz Weant ARwtim and Undm2andinWe need to feel wanted and loved. Weneed a chance to belong to and to repre-sent a group. We need to feel that othersare seeing beyond our grades, clothes,color of skin, and I.Q. and are respectingus as people.

Between the two schools I like thisone best because they treat you sofriendly and kind. (Fifth Grade)

There would be less trouble in ourclasses, if the students could feel thatthe teachers were trying to help insteadof criticize them. (High School)

The athletic program affords an op-portunity to represent one's school in amanner important both physically andmentally. (High School)

Don't make me read. I want to doshop work. (High School)

I would like a school with no oppor-

tunity classes, because there isn't any-body who is really dumb. (EighthGrade)

I would like for every girl or boyno matter if he or she came to school inthe same thing everyday, with clothesthat was tackless, he or she be treatedwith respect of that if he has of wealthor not. (High School)

The kind of school I'd like to go to isa school where the children doesn't makefun of what you wear and when youget up to make a speech they wont tolough at you. (Seventh Grade)

Classes should be conducted in a moredemocratic way like a Core class is.There ought to be more discussion aboutschool work and the marking of cards,also a better understanding betweenpupil and teacher is needed in the classes.(High School)

Wa XuML &xaef Wat Wz MeanWe struggle to express ourselves. Some- about I wish I didn't have to go to

times it is difficult to say what one means school I think about it wouldn't help

in adult language, but maybe some of me any if I stayed home all the time.

the words and phrases we employ are (Fifth Grade)more meaningful because we give them Arithmetic is sick on my head.

a twist all our own. (Fourth Grade)I don't like spelling because it comes

I like school because when I think hard to me. (Fourth Grade)

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I like history because it refers to theworld gone by and what's going by.(Fifth Grade)

I like our history book. It tell themost interestant things. (Fifth Grade)

I dislike History and Geography.Sometimes these studies don't makesense. The wars and about all of theseforeign countries is crazy. (SeventhGrade)

I like this book better than all theother books. We will be finished soon.I wish the book was thicker because wewill be finished too fast. (Fifth Grade)

I don't like school because of twosubjects. They are history and geog-raphy. I don't see why the past historyis doing any one any good. The same

way with geography. If we could talkabout the present affairs in war I wouldhave a different attitude toward it.Studying about old world affairs is liketasting and smelling something moldy.That's what I think about history andgeography. It's so old it's moldy.(Eighth Grade)

As for why I come to school its aquestion of if I wish to ever continuegetting more educated or to stop at thepresent level. So far I wish to continue.(Sixth Grade)

It's great to have a car and dig pastschool and listen to your pipes blubberand crack against the walls of old Wins-low Hi. I have lots of fun socing aroundthe campus. (Eleventh Grade)

We L--ike Jh" 3 eZ d g &webdlWe like the things we feel we can dowell and dislike those in which we donot feel adequate. Maybe we'd findmore enjoyment in school if we hadmore opportunity to realize a measureof success in our undertakings. Inci-dentally, we work harder at those thingswe like.

I don't like singing because I can'tsing. (Sixth Grade)

I can draw farily good and I like todraw pictures. (Sixth Grade)

Reading I don't like because I can'tpronounce the big words. (EighthGrade)

I don't like language because I don'tunderstand it. (Sixth Grade)

When I was small I got good in arith-metic so I go so I liked it and studiedon it and tried to get better. (SeventhGrade)

I like reading because I read pretty

May, 1944

good and I know quite big words soreading is easy. (Sixth Grade)

I don't like geography because Idon't seem to get on to it. (Fifth Grade)

I like arithmetic because I like to getthe right answer. (Fourth Grade)

I don't like history because it hasstories about wars that I can't under-stand about. (Fifth Grade)

I don't like arithmetic because some-times it has hard problems that I can'tfigure out. (Fifth Grade)

I like morning health inspection be-cause I always brush my teeth and liketo look clean. (Fourth Grade)

I like to write because each time Iwrite I learn to write better. (SixthGrade)

I don't like arithmetic because I can'tget it finished on time. (Fifth Grade)

I enjoy arithmetic because we havelearned how to work and prove ourdivision. (Fourth Grade)

453

I do not like some of my lessons some-times. Because I think I can not getthem. But then I get them done anyhow.(Third Grade)

I like writing my spelling words, be-cause I always get one hundred. (FourthGrade)

I dislike art because I can't drawgood. (Fifth Grade)

I like piano because I can play it.(Second Grade)

I like to write because some peoplesay I can write very good. (EighthGrade)

WZ Ui~e A Va"et4We get bored just as anyone else doeswhen the world seems humdrum andcommonplace. Even little things canhelp though-a new dish for lunch, newcurtains at the windows, new books,or just a chance to stretch more often.Of course, a change in routine or a newapproach to what we are studying is areal excitement and makes living andlearning in school more fun.

I dislike some of the foods we have forhot lunches because we have eat themtoo much. (Fifth Grade)

I don't like History because it isntinteresting. We study the same thingover and over from year to year.(Eighth Grade)

I don't like to sit all day. (FourthGrade)

If some of the pupils fail during theyear they become discouraged and oftenstop school. (Ninth Grade)

The students attitude toward schoolmay decide whether he passes or not.If the student doesn't like the subjecthe won't try to pass it. (Ninth Grade)

He (the student) likes math, there-fore he does more work, but in a re-quired subject he doesn't like that andputs nothing into his study. In this waya student that once disliked the subjectwould work more if he liked the sub-ject. (Twelfth Grade)

The most important thing in schoolis recess and noon because it is a chanceto strech and get out of your seat. (FifthGrade)

I don't like my reading book becausewe have had it for so long. (FifthGrade)

It is a good thing to have differentteachers for every subject. You lernmore that way because you get tired ofone teacher and don't try to study.(Eighth Grade)

It gets terribly dull looking at thesame old faces all the time. (EighthGrade)

We all realize that at a time like this itis hard to make up menus to satisfy theOPA regulations and also satisfy some4,2oo students, but we would like morevariety in food. (Eleventh Grade)

WZ (Ao4se XtAXeee &aOur logic may seem strange, sometimes, surprised to know the basis of some ofbut we are wise enough to make com- our "likes" and "dislikes."parisons and state preferences in termsof our evaluations. Teachers may be I like spelling the best of all the sub-

454 Educational Leadership

ject because we have it just once aweek. (Fifth Grade)

I don't like the cooking and eatingutensels because we haven't got any.(Fourth Grade)

I like the Christmas program because

it's a rest on studying. (Fifth Grade)·I don't like school because I am too

anxiousfor high school. (Seventh Grade)I like art because we don't have any

geography when we have art. (FourthGrade)

We flo icAh OA" omu4ndin.,We notice many little things that youmay not think are important but theyare-the way the teacher fixes her hair,the paint on the qwalls, the pictures onthe "bord." We like to live in cheerfulsurroundings, and sometimes a fewchanges can make a big difference.

I like the way the teacher dresses. Ilike the way the teacher fixes her hair.(Fifth Grade)

I'd like the floor scrubbed or varnish.I'd like the room painted. (Fifth Grade)

I don't like the walls of our schoolroom because of the dirt on the wallsand places where the plaster is break-ing out also the paint is faded. (EighthGrade)

I din't like the way the room looksit looks to bare. (Third Grade)

I like the school roome becase it

-9i'd& 2tm JIx AauWe like to do things with others-hav-ing the teacher play with us at recess,reading to the younger ones. Sometimeswhen we can't do the things others do,we can share by making a contributionin another way. IVc all want a chanceto share and make our contributions.

It is nice to know how so that youcan tell others about the games (ThirdGrade)

always looks so nice when Lois andRita decarate it with pictures on thebord. (Fourth Grade)

I like the looks of the room because ithas pictures and the chairs are varnishedand there's a library. We have a pianoto play. (Fifth Grade)

I don't like the color of the school be-cause its too dark. (Third Grade)

It is with pride that I point out thearchitecture and landscape of my highschool alma mater. (Twelfth Grade)

I love the school yard. There is a placeto play marbles, a good place to playball, to climb, and to play soccer. (FifthGrade)

When I went into the third gradeMiss Smith was my teacher. She hada habit. Everytime she wvould read astory she would fiddle with her pearls.(Sixth Grade)

I like school because sometimes atnoon Miss Brown comes out and playswith us in the snow (Second Grade)

I like to read to the w hole school(Fifth Grade)

I like to help others when I got allmy work done. I like to read stories tothe younger ones (Sixth Grade)

I believe the most important thing thathas happened to me this year in schoolwas when I was chosen as one of the

May, 1944 455

cheerleaders. Not being able to playbasketball, I thought that I would becompletely shut off from athletics, ex-cept to view them from the bleachers.Putting all one has into cheering, spur-ring the players on to victory, seems tome as inspiring as playing the game one-self. (Tenth Grade)

I'd like to go to a school where theywould learn you how to give a partyand how to do things for others and todo things for yourself. (Eighth Grade)

Wz vaue oHa neaxnYes, we have our reasons, and they aregood reasons-to us. Often the teachercould learn a lot if she'd listen to our"why's" and "because's." For examplethe teacher may think Betty doesn'tknow her lesson, but Betty says she'safraid to give the answer for if it's.L'rong she'll get teased. And the teachershould know that Johnny doesn't like"art" (coloring inside the lines) be-cause "you can't draw what you wantto."

I don't like arithmetic because you[the teacher] don't explane the thinggood enof. (Third Grade)

One of the reasons I don't like schoolis that I get some bad marks, and myfloks yells about it. (Fourth Grade)

The best thing about school this yearis the teacher. (Fifth Grade)

I don't like Walter because he whis-pers to much and he fights to much andhe pulls my hair in class sometimes andhe calls me names sometimes and hewont let me go with the children hegoes with. (Third Grade)

I like reading because it makes mesmart. (Second Grade)

Its a lot of fun making something forothers because you know that they willbe surprised and happy with it. (SeventhGrade)

The students throughout schoolshould have opportunities for discussionwith the faculty on various problemsthat may arise. In doing this, studentsare able to express their ideas and opin-ions and it gives them great satisfactionto know that they have helped to solvetheir school's problems. ( Twelf th Grade)

I am beginning to like spelling be-cause it is very simple if you study yourwords. (Sixth Grade)

I enjoy having our teacher read to usbecause she always stop in the most ex-citing part. (Fourth Grade)

I like to write stories but no one canread them. I don't care for English.(Eighth Grade)

I don't like spelling because there isto many words. (Third Grade)

I like my teacher because she showhow to work the work I can not do.(Fourth Grade)

If you cannot read you may getcheated from very much money. Or youmay get a telegram to come home, yourmother is dieing you would have to runover to your neighbors and never seeyour mother again. (Seventh Grade)

Reading is very good for you becausethe higher up you get the bigger andharder the words get. (Sixth Grade)

I always did like basketball and stillwill as long as I live until I get out ofschool. (Seventh Grade)

I have liked all my school teachers Ihave every had, Miss Smith included.They have all been quite young and we

Educational Leadership456

have liked them quite well evenif theyare strict. But they have to be strict ornot be a good school teacher, so I don'tmind. (Eighth Grade)

If it wasn't for sports in high schoolit wouldn't be a very happy place tohold a person's attention. (TwelfthGrade)

I get mad at my teacher sometimesbut when I think it over it changes mymind if she didn't tell us what to donone of us would work. (Sixth Grade)

I like you [the teacher] because youdo everything you could do to help mewith lots of things to get me out oftrouble. (Third Grade)

I like our teacher because she seamsto understand us. (Seventh Grade)

I don't like English because its todam complicated. (Sixth Grade)

In school I don't like using wordsbecause I have to study a long time andI don't like to sat so long wall [while?].I made writeing. (Second Grade)

I like health because it has good vita-mins. (Third Grade)

Wz Metruq gee (o4 Oui 9uzdPart of our growing up is a desire toassert ourselves-to test our own person-alities. This process takes many forms,from liking to make choices to defianceof authority. Wise teachers can directour need for independence into con-structive channels.

I enjoyed the cooking class becausesometimes we could choose what wewanted to cook that day. (EighthGrade)

We learn a certain amount of inde-pendence through selecting our ownproblems to work on and using freely

May, 1944

I don't like to answer a question be-cause if I answer and its wrong I getteased. (Fifth Grade)

I like school cause I meat more friendsand tells me a lot of things I don't no.(Fourth Grade)

I liake school because there is lot ofkids. (Third Grade)

Monday was the most important daybecause I got my teeth pulled. (FifthGrade)

I like arithmetic because it is easy ifI can get started at it. (Fifth Grade)

I like reading because I like to read.(Second Grade)

I don't like so much work becauseit takes to long. (Third Grade)

I don't like to stay in school till for30 at night. We got to study all day andif you don't get don then you can't gettime off for reading and playing.(Fourth Grade)

I don't like geography becaus its gotto many questions. (Fifth Grade)

I don't like art because you can'tdraw what you want to. (Sixth Grade)

all sources of information that we mayobtain. (Eleventh Grade)

Pupils feel more into things if theyare allowed to plan for themselves.(Eighth Grade)

I always did wear sweaters and skirtsto school but when I was told I had toI did not want to. (Eleventh Grade)

I have been given the opportunity toacquire the best education in the world,because it's an education I chose.(Twelfth Grade)

Things we do without the teacher'shelp is more fun. They (the teachers)offer too many suggestions. We want

457

to do it our way sometimes. (SixthGrade)

Our parents make the laws they obey.Why can't we make our own laws atschool? (Seventh Grade)

Some people say we go to school to

Just give us the chance and we'll showwe can carry responsibility-and likeit. Perhaps we could carry more re-sponsibilities if we were given the op-portunity.

I've enjoyed being Librarian for ourroom this year. (Seventh Grade)

I like are school room Because wedecorate it are selves. (Fourth Grade)

We have a citizenship club that I like.I am President of it and I enjoy my dutyvery much. (Eighth Grade)

We all have fun trying to make ourroom look nice. (Eighth Grade)

Everyone should have a duty inwhich they are depended on. (FifthGrade)

The most important thing that hashappened in school so far has been theorganization of the student council.This should, of course, be important to

better ourselves when thinking. My an-swer to that would be that if we wereable to be on our own for a while withno one to do our thinking for us, wewould certainly learn to think for our-selves. (Tenth Grade)

all students, including the little begin-ners and those up through the grades,for it is they who are concerned ....the whole purpose of this organizationis to give the students a share of re-sponsibility in which he is to set exam-ples for others, obeying school orders.I think most boys and girls in the gradeshave the feeling that school is just aplace where you go to be bossed aroundby teachers, but having a share in ex-pressing his opinions in "bossing" doesa lot to the children in knowing theybelong there.

Our school, with the initiative andencouragement on the part of bothteachers and students, will really be aproud place to all of us.... A studentcouncil is something every school shouldhave because it is a very good training.I'm truthfully for it with all I can offer.(High School)

W Don 't a 9 At uneSchool takes on an added glamour whenit offers experiences we don't have athome. Even being warm is a treat whenhome is cold. Sometimes teachers canlearn about us and our home living bylistening to what we have to say aboutschool.

I like the pictures on the wall becausethey are pretty. (Her home has news-

papers stuffed in the cracks.-FourthGrade)

I like listening to the radio so I cantell the news to my mother. (There isno radio at home.-Fourth Grade)

I like School because it has a furnaceto heat the School. It is warm. (Theshack where he lives has only a cookingstove.-Fifth Grade)

I like the grape fruit juice that they

Educational Leadership458

give us. (She had never tasted fruitjuice except at school.-Third Grade)

I like the stove. I like the color paper.I like the light. I like the radio. I like thebooks. I like the pickter. I like to eatdinner hear. I like everything. (He has

so little at home to like.-Fifth Grade)You need arithmetic so you can get

work and make some money so you caneat. (Sometimes there is not enoughfood to go around at home.-FifthGrade)

WUne ma42 • w f Unamz&"aAlthough we like variety in our every-day living, the totally new experiencemay be frightening. Teachers can helpby calming our fears or encouraging usto try our wings.

At home I was sort of afraid to tacklereceipts thinking they wouldn't turnout any too good. But now I've learnedeven if they don't, its good practice foryou. (Ninth Grade)

When I first came to this school Iliked it a very little bit because I wasn'tused to it. After I was here a little whileI was beginning to like it more thanever. (Fifth Grade)

I moved around three times while Iwas in the first grade. I was scared ever

time I went to a new school. (SixthGrade)

Well, to start with I did not like to goto school. I would miss my mother andcry. Then I started to have fun a little.(Sixth Grade)

When I first started to school I wasafraid of my teacher. I was afraid ofeverybody, but then I found out thateverybody was my friend. I was happybecause I found that if you know some-body likes you you can get along fine inschool. (Fifth Grade)

My first reaction to this high schoolwas one of utter terror. (High School)

I don't think that school as it is todayleaves a person unafraid to face theworld. (High School)

eofnime Wz W"LndeA WAsWe don't always understand the rea-sons for things. We don't like it when"just seems as if' or when things are"crazy" or when they "don't help inhardly anything I no of." It would befine if teachers could help us to see rea-sons, if there are good ones.

I don't like drawing it don't help inhardly anything that I no of. (FifthGrade)

English is not very important becauseyou say aint and everything anyhow.(Sixth Grade)

May. 1944

I don't think we need geography be-cause the world changes so every daywith the war. About what we are study-ing is not true. (Eighth Grade)

I like all our studies except civics. Itseems like I am never interested in civics.I trv hard to be interested but just seemsas if I can't. (Eighth Grade)

I don't think history is very impor-tant because what your ancestors andeverybody else's did is not going to helpyou now. (Eighth Grade)

I don't like Hygiene and English. Ican't tell you why I don't like Hygiene

459

and English but I just don't like it.(Seventh Grade)

I do not like English because I thinknouns and them things are crazy.(Eighth Grade)

It made little difference to me if ourwords came from Latin, Spanish, or ifsomebody just made them up, but it

evidently mattered to my teacher. Shegave me a C. I detested the woman aswell as the class. (High School)

The schooling which I obtained fromthe first to the fifth grade didn't domuch good for me, for I didn't knowwhat I was going to school for. (HighSchool)

Wa ulem (2u4 W4-ieA and Oua & aoOur worries are very real, althoughadults may have trouble understandingsome of them. A good teacher willknow our troubles and help us, but someteachers make things worse. There areexamples of both kinds of teachers inour statements which follow. Our pleas-ures are many and vivid.

In the first grade I had these worries.The first was that I couldn't say "get."I would say "git." Miss Brown and Iwent over that until I could say "get"as well as anybody. My second worrywas that I could not make a 5 or a 2.Every night I would go to bed cryingbecause I couldn't make a 5 or a 2. Everynight I studied and every day I wouldstudy until I had no worries at all. Myfun in the first grade was having a fishpond on a table. The children that arenow in my room are most of the sameones that I started to school with.

In the second grade I had many pleas-ures, but the main one was that every-day we danced to a victrola after lunch.I learned my favorite song in the firstgrade. It was "All Through the Night."I had no worry in the second grade. Myteacher was Miss Brown. (Fifth Grade)

When I started to school I was soscared I didn't even want to come. Iwas scared of all the people, racing and

460

having such fun at recess. I wonderedhow they could have so much fun whenI felt like I could run home and nevercome back again. One thing I did likewas the games we played. And I did lovefor Miss Butler to read to us.

Along in the second grade, I got usedto school and liked it. Miss Butler hada victrola and when she played it wealways danced and had plenty of fun.We made a wigwam and boys and girlsdressed like Indians and we gave a play.

In the third grade, I didn't have MissButler. I sure didn't want to lose her be-cause I was getting used to her andschool both. I had Miss Anderson andshe was nice, too. We went on a picnicover at City Park. We also played onthe playthings. We started learningdances. I had lots of fun. What helpedme learn was the teachers. EveryoneI've had took so much time and patiencewith me. (Fifth Grade)

The 1945 Yearbook

The 1945 yearbook of the Departmentof Supervision and Curriculum Develop-ment will deal with problems of groupplanning in the classroom. Paul J. Misner,Superintendent of Schools, Glencoe, Ill.,is chairman of the committee to preparethis volume.

Educational Leadership

Copyright © 1944 by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. All rights reserved.