S t o r y    B o o k m a r k s
Locke begins his second teaching job Locke decides to get parents involved Unexpected competition	A condemnation of uninvolved parents Parents and pupils improve

	E x c e r p t   3

   With regard to the general character and condition of the school of which he had taken charge, Amsden found matters much as his employer had represented. In the government of his school -- so far, at least, as respected a disposition to acknowledge and obey his authority generally -- he experienced, it is true, no difficulty with his pupils. For it having not been any part of their ambition to bully their masters, and having, been accustomed to the discipline of those whose chief object seemed to have been to govern rather than to instruct, they appeared to expect, with all their trifling and restlessness, that order would be enforced, and they must yield to its requisitions. But with this negative virtue ended all that was promising or commendable in the appearance of the school. The scholars, though they had been kept at school, perhaps two thirds of the time, for years, were yet extremely deficient -- in any correct knowledge, at least -- of the most common rudiments of learning. They had, many of them, gone over much ground, indeed; but they had acquired but little correctly, and less understandingly. And it was still with the utmost difficulty that they were restrained from running over whole pages for a lesson, when perhaps as many sentences would be more than they would have thoroughly mastered. Besides this, the common vice of our schools, especially village schools, the scholars seemed to have little or no relish for their studies, and as little ambition to excel in them.
   Although this unpromising condition of the school was, as before intimated, directly attributable to the mismanagement of unqualified or unfaithful teachers, there was yet another circumstance, which had not only, in a great measure, probably, remotely caused the whole evil, by leading to the employing of such teachers in the first place, but which continued to operate with the most unfavorable effect on the advancement of the pupils. This was the total neglect with which the whole subject was treated by the inhabitants of the district, who, as is too often the case, rarely troubled their heads even to inquire about the school, much less to visit it.15
   With all these obstacles before him, it was some time before Amsden, with all his tact and perseverance, could succeed in confining his pupils to methods of study which promised any real improvement. And if he succeeded in doing that, he found it no less difficult to excite in them an interest in their studies sufficient to insure an application productive of any important results.
   At length, however, by extraordinary exertions, he so far overcame the difficulties with which he had to contend, as to command the attention of his pupils, and to raise, in most of them, some little ambition to press forward in the path of improvement. But, aware that much remained to be done, and being sensible at the same time that but few scholars will long persevere attempts which the exertions of a teacher, only, have induced them to make, unless they expect their labors will be rewarded by the encouragement and approbation of those to whom they are in the habit of looking for every thing else in life, his next step was to enlist the interest of the parents in his school, and thus secure their cooperation in bringing about the desired object. With this end in view, he at first made an effort to induce the parents and guardians of the district to make individual visits to his school. But, meeting with no other success in this attempt than what consisted of promises, reluctantly given and invariably broken, he next determined to appoint a particular day for the reception of visiters, and to prepare his scholars for going through such interesting exercises on the occasion, as should furnish an additional inducement for the invited, at least, to attend. In pursuance of this plan, he fixed on a future day for what he concluded to call a public examination of his school. And, having caused information of the appointment to be spread through the neighborhood, he began to make arrangements for the purpose among his pupils, and to exhort them to the use of such diligence in their studies as should enable them to acquit themselves creditably before the expected assemblage. Incited afresh by the thought of displaying their acquisitions before their parents and others, or fearful of exposing their deficiences, the scholars, with almost one accord, betook themselves eagerly to their respective studies. And, in the two weeks that intervened before the day of the proposed examination, they had made such progress that their teacher began really to feel very proud of his school.
   As the appointed day drew near, Amsden, to make doubly sure of a general attendance, was at the pains of calling on most of the parents and guardians of his pupils, to remind them of the time when the contemplated performances were to take place, and to urge them to be present. And so well did he prosper in obtaining individual promises of attendance, that he supposed there could be, this time, scarcely a possibility of a failure. His scholars, in the mean time, were full of ambition. He seemed to have succeeded, at last, in infusing into them a portion of his own spirit and enthusiasm for learning. Every thing went swimmingly on; and he felt himself justified in looking forward with certainty to the brightest results from the operation of his plan. But, alas! alas for the blindness and guilty neglect of the public, on a point so important to interests which we should hold, above all things, dear! We will not, however, anticipate.
   The eventful day at length arrived; and our hero, having risen and breakfasted, left his lodgings for the scene of his daily labors, that morning, in high spirits. Every thing, thus far. seemed auspicious to his undertaking. On his way to his school-house, however, his attention was attracted by numerous hand-bills, posted on the doors, corners, and all other conspicuous places in the streets, announcing in staring capitals, for that evening, the wonderful exhibitions of the far-famed Potter, a professed juggler of those times, who proposed, in the present instance, as usual, to display the astonishing feats of swallowing swords and jack-knives, hatching chickens, flying eggs in his hat, together with an endless variety of other feats never before exhibited, but all equally miraculous. Performances to commence, in order to do full justice to the public, at the early hour of three o'clock, P. M.
   As Amsden's examination was to begin only an hour before the time fixed on for opening these shows, and be resumed in the evening, for which the most interesting exercises, such as the reading of original compositions, declamations, and the speaking of a few select dialogues, were reserved, -- it barely occurred to him that the coincidence might possibly be perhaps a little unlucky, as a very few unthinking persons, who otherwise might come to swell his audience, would, likely enough, be led away to witness the trumpery tricks of the juggler. But, supposing that no people of sense and character would do this, and especially that no parents would think of putting such pitiful shows in competition with the praiseworthy performances of their own children, when connected with a subject of such vital interest to them, he felt no uneasiness from the circumstance. And, very philosophically consoling himself with the thought that the presence of the few who would thus desert him would be no object, and that, after all, the poor mountebank, who would doubtless be the greatest loser in the rivalry for spectators, would have the most reason to complain, he dismissed the subject from his mind, and passed on unconcernedly to his school-house. But, on opening his school, some doubts of a different character soon began to rise in his mind. Though he had no fears that the attendance of his audience would be materially endangered by the presence of these shows, yet he knew not but the excitement they would occasion among the boys of the village might distract the minds of his pupils, and cause them to acquit themselves less honorably than they would otherwise. For he was not long in discovering in them an unusual lack of interest respecting the performances in which they were in the afternoon to engage. A portion of them appeared too much excited to confine their minds to their tasks; others appeared absent, and yet others seemed wholly indifferent about preparing themselves for their allotted parts. Some other object of interest, in short, was obviously getting uppermost in their minds. And so great, indeed, was their listlessness, that their instructor at length began to entertain serious apprehensions that many of them, even those who had all along given the most evidence of improvement, would appear to great disadvantage in the approaching exercises. Nor did these unfavorable appearances at all improve as the morning wore away. At the recess of the boys, parts of exclamatory sentences, such as "real live chickens" -- "great sharp swords, handle and all!" frequently reached Amsden's ear from excited groups that were eagerly discussing the subject near the door; and on passing round among the seats just vacated, he saw the word Potter written on this slate, Potter on that copybook, and Potter, with his hat full of chickens, pictured out on the wall.
   On returning to his school, after the usual intermission at noon, he found matters even worse than he had left them. The first boy he called up to read, after being shown his place, which he had forgotten, commenced, " B-a -- yes, a -- k-e-r," and stopped short.
   "And what does that spell?" said his master, giving him an impatient jog, to recall his wandering ideas to the subject, "what does that spell, sir?"
   "Potter!"
   "What?"
   "Potter -- baker, I mean, but I was thinking" --
   And so it was with most of them: their eyes might be upon their books, but their heads were full of Potter and his kickshaws.
   All this looked rather ominous, to be sure; and Locke began to tremble for the credit of his pupils: but, believing they would be brought to their senses by the presence of the company, now shortly to assemble, he restrained his anxieties, and awaited, as patiently as he could, the hour set for commencing the exercises, and the arrival of the spectators.
   Two o'clock at length came, but with it no company. At half-past two it was still the same; and the anxious teacher, now becoming really alarmed on a point on which before he had not suffered himself to entertain a single doubt, began to glance uneasily through the windows, and keep an eager ear listening for the approach of footsteps at the door. But he looked and listened in vain. Another hour came and passed, and yet not a single individual of all the expected audience made his appearance!
   By this time, most of the scholars began to be restless, and show sundry other symptoms of impatience. The hour for opening the shows had come and gone. They were evidently thinking of this, and as evidently longing to be gone themselves. Locke, at the time previously set for the purpose, had commenced his examination, and thus far continued on with it, in the most unimportant parts of the exercises; but the business dragged every moment more and more heavily, and it now became obvious that the school could not much longer be kept together. First, one would ask to be dismissed; then, another; then, a third and fourth. And if refused, or put off, they would not sit five minutes without repeating their request; alleging, in many instances, that they had leave of their parents for so doing. Finding he might as well argue to the winds, as to a school in such a state -- seeing, indeed, that it was wholly useless to attempt to proceed with the exercises, and having now no hope of any company, if he should, he reluctantly concluded to yield to the necessity of the case; and, calling up his scholars, he dismissed them till the next morning, without saying a word in comment. And no sooner was the welcome word pronounced, than the whole tribe, bursting out into an exulting whorah! hastily seized their caps, hats, &c., and rushed into the street, on their way for Potter's, where their more childish parents had gone before them -- leaving their unregarded teacher to return home, more vexed, more chagrined, and more truly discouraged, than he had ever felt in the whole course of his life.16
   The next morning, on his way to his school, Locke encountered his friend and employer, Dr. Lincoln, and related to him the mortifying occurrences of the day previous.
   "Your story, Mr. Amsden," said the doctor, "involves a satire upon us, which should well make us blush. Sensible of the importance of your most praiseworthy attempt, I was not only intending to go myself, but rally others; and an unexpected summons to a distant patient only prevented me from so doing. But, as provoking and truly discouraging as this affair must have been to you, do not allow yourself to despair."
   "I shall not, of bettering my school in some measure; but what hope can I have of making it what it should be, while parents so plainly tell their children that they hold their improvement in science of less importance than the tricks of a juggler? Did they not so tell them yesterday? For, as somebody most truly says,

"Words speak in a whisper, actions through a trumpet."

   "True, true to the letter; and the sarcasm is richly deserved, though those to whom it applies are less conscious of their fault, I presume, than you imagine. Are you not expecting too much from poor human nature, especially here, where so many circumstances have long combined to blind people to the importance of popular education, and the best methods of promoting it? Men are generally more inclined to go where Folly leads than where Wisdom points. And here they have so long trod in the path of the former, that their blindness, on the point in question, has become chronic, and cannot be cured in a day. Your exertions will not have been lost on your school. Something has been gained in acquirement, something towards fixing good habits of study -- all help. You must still persevere; and though it may not be expedient to renew your yesterday's attempt at present, you yet shall have my aid in trying to get parents and pupils mutually interested, as well by my occasional visits, as by my influence to procure the visits and enlist the interest of others. Yes, persevere; and, while you do so, remember that our village is not the only one guilty of the same faults. Our country schools are before those of our villages, in regard to the interest taken in them by both parents and children. In our country schools, a good degree of interest in learning is felt, and the pupils do learn; though, through the incompetency of their teachers, they too often learn error. But our village pupils do not even learn that. How important, then, that our schools, both in town and country, be, for different reasons, wholly revolutionized? And you, sir, are the man to begin the revolution."
   "But what can I do towards such a work, supported as I am, and shall be, by the public, in the undertaking?"
   "A good deal. While your persevering labors will eventually reform one school, you will be setting an example that will be surely, if slowly, operating upon others. And while doing this, you may enjoy the proud consciousness that you are doing more to perpetuate the liberties of your country, than the arrogating congress-man, who is spouting wind to the tune of eight dollars per day."17
   The judicious and spirited remarks of Lincoln were not without their effect on the kindred mind of young Amsden. He had long entertained similar views himself, and had laid out his course with reference to them. But he was by no means prepared for the obstacles and discouragements by which he found his path beset; and he was beginning to look on the prospect before him with a cold and doubtful eye. The wise and timely counsels of his employer, however, encouraged and reassured him, and he again returned with patient determination to his task. He now found, indeed, that patience and determination were alike needed by him, while trying to revive, in his pupils, the interest and ambition which he had succeeded in raising in them, previous to the failure of the little plan we have described. For although the juggler and his shows, now they had seen them, had lost their charms, yet the course taken by their parents seemed to have removed all inducement to any future exertion. Instead of the pride which they had been told by their instructor those parents would feel, on seeing them acquit themselves well -- instead of the praises they would get, they had seen their exertions pass unrewarded by either the praise or the presence of a single individual. And they were not slow in drawing the disheartening inference. For all this, the untiring efforts of our schoolmaster, directly applied, and the many pleasant little devices and amusing exercises that he contrived to get up, illustrative of the different branches he was teaching, and at the same time instructive in themselves, at length began to produce their effects in awakening some degree of the spirit desired. Dr. Lincoln and his lady several times visited the school, and their example was soon followed by some others, who seemed to think, that, under the sanction of so respectable a precedent, it would now possibly do to be seen in a common school. These visits much contributed also to encourage the instructor, and give efficiency to his exertions. And he finally had the happiness of seeing his school, if not all that he could have wished it, at least in a highly prosperous condition.

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