A New Discovery of the Old Art of Teaching School, Chapter 4
CHAP. IV.
Of Admiſſion of Scholars; of Election of Forms and of Scholars orderly ſitting, and demeanour in their ſeats, when they are at Schoole.
1. NO children ſhould (as I have formerly ſaid) be admitted into a Grammar Schoole, but ſuch as can readily read Engliſh, and write a legible hand or at leaſt be willing to learn to write, and to proceed in learning Latine. And it is therefore beſt to try, in the preſence of their Parents or friends that bring them, what they can do, by cauſing them to read or write if they can) before them, that themſelves may be Judges of their preſent ſtrength or weakneſſe, expect proficiencie from them according as they ſee their capacity, not haſtening them on too faſt, and rating at them daily, becauſe (perhaps) in their judgements they do not learn ſo well as their neigbours children
The beſt is to admit of young beginners onelyonly once every year, and then to take in all that can be gotten from the Petty-Schooles; for company will encourage children to adventure upon an uncouth courſe of learning, ſeeing the more the merrier; and any diſcreet Parent will be eaſily perſwaded to forbear his ſon a while, when he conſidereth it will be more for his profiting to have company along with him, as he learneth, and he may be daily bettered in reading Engliſh, and forwarded by learning to write, before he come from the Petty-Schoole.
The fitteſt ſeaſon of the year for ſuch a general admiſſion of little ones into the Grammar-Schoole, doth ſeem to be about Eaſter; partly becauſe the higher boyes are uſually then diſpoſed of to Trades, or the Univerſities, and partly, becauſe moſt children are then removed from one Schoole to another, as having the Summer coming on for their encounagement.
When you have thus admitted a company of boyes together, you may let thoſe that can read beſt, obtain the higher places, till they come to get the Rudiments of Latine without book, and then you may ranke them into a Form. Becauſe,
2. It is a main help to the Maſter, and a furtherance to all the Scholars, that the whole Schoole be reduced into Formes, and thoſe alſo as few as may be, reſpecting the different years, and capacity of each Scholar. And if there were ſix hundred Scholars or more in a Schoole, they might all ſitly be ranked into ſix Forms, by putting thoſe of equal age and abilities together, and the toyle in hearing Parts, or Leſſons, and peruſing Exerciſes, (as I will ſhew anon) would not be much more with an hundred orderly placed, and well behaved in a room to themſelves apart, then with three or foure ſingle boyes in ſeveral employments. Not onelyonly becauſe the Maſter or Uſhers do thus at once impart themſelves to all alike, and may beſtow more time amongſt them in examining any Task; but alſo becauſe by this means Aemulation (as a main quickner of diligence) will be wrought amongſt them, inſomuch as the weakeſt Scholar amongſt them will be loth to lagge alway behinde the reſt; and there is none ſo ſtupidly blockiſh, but by help of company will learn that which he would not obtain being alone, and I have ſeen the very hindmoſt oftentimes to help all his fellowes at a dead lift. The Teachers conſtant care ſhould be in every Form, as to direct and examine every particular boy, ſo to help forward the weakeſt, that in every thing he doth, he may underſtand himſelf, and it is not to be ſaid, with what alacrity they will all ſtrive to out-doe one another, ſo that ſometimes he that cometh behinde all the reſt, will be as fit to make a leader of the Forme, as thoſe that are the foremoſt in it.
To provoke them all therefore to emulation, and that none may complain, or think himſelf injured by being left behinde; uſe conſtantly once at the end of a monethmonth, and when all your Scholars are together to ma…e a free new choyce in every Forme, after this manner.
1. Let every Scholar in the Forme give his own voyce, concerning which boy he thinketh to be the beſt proficient, and ableſt for the preſent to lead the company; and having ſet him aſide, let them all paſſe their voyces again, concerning whom they judge fitteſt to ſtand the next to him.
2. Then ſet theſe two oppoſite one to another, ſo as the better Scholar may take the leading of the upper ſide, on your right hand, and the other, the leading of the lower ſide, on your left hand.
3. And that there may not be much inequality in the ſides, let the lower leader have the firſt call, and liberty to take what boy he thinketh the ſtrongeſt, out of all the reſt, and then let the higher leader have the next call, and liberty to take whom he liketh; and ſo let them proceed to call by courſe, till they have (like ball players) ranked all their fellowes to their ſides, and ſo ſtrongly and evenly ſet themſelves in a poſture one ſide againſt another, that it may be hard for any one to judge, whether is the ſtronger.
By thus chooſing amongſt themſelves, they will be all ſo well pleaſed, that the Maſter ſhall never be blamed for endeavouring to preferre one boy before another, or keeping of any back, that would ſeem to go faſter then his fellowes at his Book. And indeed I have ſometimes admired to obſerve the impartiality and judgement of children in placing one another according to their abilities and parts, waving all other by-reſpects by which men would be inclined to ſet one higher, and another lower. Yet if ſometimes they ſeem to miſtake in their judgement concerning a boy, that is but newly come amongſt them; or to be too partial againſt any other upon ſome general ſplene, which is but very rare; The diſcreet Maſter may after the election, correct the error by giving ſuch a one a place to his own liking, which he may keep till the next choyce, except ſome of his inferiours have a liſt to diſpute with him for his place, and then he muſt put it to the hazard, having a lawful time given him to provide before-hand for the conteſt.
3. Let all the Scholars take their places in the Schoole, according to their ſeveral Formes, and let every one ſit in his Form in that order in which he was elected. It were good that the ſeates were ſo equally ſet on both ſides the Schoole, as that the higher ſide of each Form, might keep the higher ſide of the School, I mean, that on the Maſters right hand; and the lower ſide of the Form, the lower ſide of the Schoole, which is that on the Maſters left hand. However, let the upper ſide take alwayes the upper, and the lower, the lower ſeats.
This placing of Scholars in an oppoſite manner, ſide againſt ſide, is good in many reſpects, as,
1. To know on a ſuddain who is unruly in, or abſent out of his place.
2. To have them ready paired at all times for Examinations, Diſputations, or Orations, or the like.
3. To keep order in going in and out of their ſeats to ſay, or in going home from Schoole, or the like.
4. To increaſe courage in the Scholars, who are delighted to let their friends ſee, what place they keep amongſt the reſt, when they come to viſit them.
As they ſit in their ſeats, be ſure to keep them continually imployed, by proportionating every taske to the time and their ſtrength, with reſpect to the capacity of the weakeſt; for by this means, the ſtrongeſt boyes will have more leiſure to help, and ſee the weakeſt can do their work, for which purpoſe they ſhould be appointed ſometimes to ſit in the middle amongſt the reſt, that they may more readily be conſulted with, & heard of all. Theſe ſhould ſometimes conſtrue, and ſometimes examine over their Leſſons, having their Grammars, and Dictionaries, and other Subſidiary books to help them, out of which they ſhould appoint others to find what they enquire after; and this will be ſo far from hindering their own progreſſe, that it will-encourage them to go faſter onward, when they ſee how readily they can lead the way, and incite their fellowes to follow after them.
When in getting Leſſons, the whole Form ſhall be at a Non-plus, let one of the leaders have recourſe to the Maſter or Uſhers, or to whom they ſhall appoint him to go for reſolution. But I have found it a continual provoking of Scholars, to ſtrive who ſhould learn the faſteſt, to let both the ſides of one Form, as they ſit a part, ſo to look to provide their Leſſons apart; and when they come to ſay Parts or Leſſons, or to perform Exerciſes, to bicker one with another, and propound thoſe things to be reſolved in by their oppoſites, which they obſerve the Maſter to have omitted, and they think they cannot tell. And let it be conſtantly noted which ſide hath the better all the week, that when afterwards▪ they come to a general diſpute at the weeks end, for places or ſides, it may be conſidered.