Helping the Maladjusted Child
The Effective School
Othmar Wurth, FSC
Reprinted from
John Baptist De La Salle and Special Education:
A Study of Saint Yon
by Br. Othmar Wurth, F.S.C.
Translated by Br. Augustine Loes, F.S.C.
Adapted by Br. Francis Huether, F.S.C.
Edited by Br. Bonaventure Miner, F.S.C
Part Two
The Effective School Maintains a Well-defined and Appropriate Discipline
For De La Salle, the effective school was itself
a discipline, in the very best sense of the word. Its purposeful, individualized program,
its attention to detail, its competent and dedicated teachers all provided the direction,
order, sense of value and achievement which children need, the environment which is
particularly important in the special education required by maladjusted children. (CL 13:
104-105; CL 24: 138-140)
But De La Salle and the Brothers were well aware that there were times and circumstances
in which a more specific and active disciplinary approach was required. Discipline in the
sense of correction and punishment was also needed. Because of the harsh way in which
discipline was administered in the schools of seventeenth-century France and particularly
the severity with which maladjusted children were treated, De La Salle's provisions for
discipline deserve our special attention. It must be conceded that by current norms some
of what the Conduite prescribes for dealing with troubled children seems rigid and even
severe, but the Conduite qualifies this severity with precise limits, with positive
action, and with love and affection for the disturbed. (CL 24: 151-153) Drawing upon the Meditations
and the Conduite, we see that for De La Salle, what we might call discipline per
se, comprises primarily and fundamentally vigilance on the part of the teacher, correction
and punishment administered for various kinds of inappropriate behavior, and expulsion in
extreme cases.
Vigilance
Vigilance, De La Salle believed, was essential for the good teacher. Discipline was to be
rooted in the teacher's vigilance, that is, in the total presence of the teacher as a
person whose authority was established by competence and dedication, who was prepared to
anticipate and forestall disruption in the class, and who acted as a model of firmness and
consistency. (CL 13: 13)
The vigilant teacher, De La Salle said, "will watch over his students, will
observe them to learn their characters and dispositions." He urged the teacher to
cultivate the affection of his pupils, supplementing the firm affection of the father
without becoming, however, a competitor in the family's responsibilities. Vigilance, De La
Salle believed, would be the major influence in properly disciplining the maladjusted
child. (CL 13: 48-52; CL 24: 19)
De La Salle saw bad companions, whether in school or out, as the great cause of the
destruction of youth, often leading them into serious misconduct, from which, he said, it
could be almost impossible to free them. The good teacher will promote good discipline by
exercising vigilance over the companionships and friendships developed among his pupils,
even to the point, as we have seen, of assigning students to travel together to and from
school. (CL 13: 11-12; CL 24: 121-122)
Because the presence of the vigilant teacher reduced the likelihood of disturbances, it
also reduced the frequency of corrections and punishment. This itself contributed to
discipline. "Frequent correction," De La Salle said, "is a great
disorder in the school, . . . and to reduce the need for [correction] is one of the best
ways to maintain good order." (CL 24: 149)
Correction and Punishment
As used in the Conduite, the word "correction" includes various forms of
punishment from reprimands and simple written assignments (sometimes called
"penances") to corporal punishment. Whatever the form of punishment or
correction, it was always to be administered within carefully defined limits, and the
teacher administering it had to take care to control his attitude and personal reaction.
(CL 13: 53-63)
To achieve its purpose, all correction was to conform to a number of conditions. De La
Salle reminded the teacher that he must at all costs avoid demeaning the student, for this
embittered him and provoked a dislike for school. He pointed out that a child's feelings
of revenge and ill-will following a punishment administered in anger sometimes continued a
long time and aggravated an already disturbed student. In such circumstances the
correction did not accomplish its immediate purpose, which was the improvement of the
student, nor the long-range purpose, which was to awaken in him the desire to resemble his
teacher. This was why De La Salle prescribed moderation in punishment. Proper motivation
when administering punishment, he said in one of the meditations, is "one of the
best means of touching and winning the hearts of those who have committed some fault and
of helping them to improve themselves." (CL 12: 115)
In some instances, De La Salle recommended reproving students privately rather than in
class. In all cases, he wished that the correction be individualized, that is, be
appropriate to the personality of the student in view of the offense. (CL 24: 157-160)
Corporal punishment was an accepted school practice in the seventeenth century and led to
great abuse. De La Salle accepted the reality, but moderated its use with very precise
conditions to prevent the teacher from acting in anger or physically abusing the student.
(CL 24: 153-154)
*Note: De La Salle uses the word "correction" to include five kinds of
punishment: reprimands, penances, use of a strap (ferule), use of a rod, and expulsion
from the school. "As one of the principal rules of the Brothers is to speak rarely in
the schools, the use of reprimands ought to be very rare." Penances included the
following: standing or kneeling for a period of time, as much as half an hour; memorizing
a part of a lesson; reading aloud; writing a page or two at home; and being among the
first to arrive at school for a week (a penance for coming late). The use of the strap and
the rod was very strictly legislated (CL 24: 146 and 148). For example, the strap, which
was padded leather 10 to 12 inches long and two inches wide, was to be administered on the
palm of the left hand and with no more than two strokes. The rod, for more serious
delinquencies, was limited to three strokes on the student's buttocks. Many other details
governing the use of these instruments were given. These restrictions concern the
importance of good judgment, self-control, and moderation on the part of the teacher, and
humble submission and acceptance on the part of the student. The authority to expel a
student from the school was reserved to the Director, and it was stipulated that it should
be an "extraordinary occurrence." (Br. Augustine Loes)
From these general principles, we can infer that the specific directives De La Salle
proposed for administering correction included that it be beneficial, just, proportionate,
and timely. (CL 24: 151-153) When correction was needed, De La Salle prescribed that it
was first necessary for the teacher to determine that it would be beneficial, that is
"useful and helpful . . . either for the student who is to be corrected, or the
others who witness it." It was important for the teacher to examine himself to
see that he was not correcting the student out of a feeling of dislike for the child or
because he had been annoyed by him or by his parents.
The teacher had also to determine whether the correction was just and proportionate to the
fault, whether the student was really disposed to receive it, and whether he recognized
the fault for which he was being corrected. If such was not the case, the punishment had
to be postponed. Punishment was to be administered with dignity, without "striking
the student, pulling his ears or hair, or using insulting words."
If despite all these precautions, the student became angry over the correction or seemed
otherwise unlikely to profit by it or understand the reason for it, the teacher was to
wait until he judged that he could "gently help [the student] get control of
himself and admit his mistake." In short, correction was to be timely. (CL 13:
60)
Rather than punishments, De La Salle was in favor of using for correction written
assignments he called "penances," for he saw that these were less disagreeable
to the students, lent themselves to more flexible timing, and caused fewer complaints from
the parents. Thus, they were more likely to be beneficial.
The teachers will make use of penances to keep the students humble and to put them in a
disposition of heart to correct themselves of their faults. These penances will be
remedial and proportioned to the faults that the students have committed, so that the
students can be helped to make satisfaction before God, and there will even be a
preventive remedy to keep them from falling in the future. (CL 24: 174-179)
Since De La Salle saw frequent punishment as a very great disorder in a school, he urged
that the teacher act with skill and diligence to maintain the students in good order
"almost without using any correction at all." He added, "It is
silence, vigilance, and the self- control of the teacher that establish good order in a
school, not severity or beatings." (CL 24: 151- 152)
Though De La Salle stressed the remedial and preventive, as well as the restorative and
formative roles of correction, he did not ignore the positive effect of rewards. He
recommended that the teacher from time to time give rewards to those who are most faithful
in their school duties, in order to encourage them to maintain their enthusiasm and to
stimulate others to act in similar ways. (CL 24: 138-141)
Certain maladjusted students did not benefit from the orderly environment of the school or
were unresponsive to the usual motivations, such as job assignments and rewards. These
students needed special attention, and De La Salle addressed that need in several ways,
with specific directions for incentives, action, and punishment, as the following passages
show. (CL 24: 157-167).
It is necessary to punish students for . . . all lies,
even the smallest; the students must know . . . that sometimes they will be pardoned when
they honestly admit their guilt; they will be encouraged to ask pardon humbly for their
faults . . . and will even be urged to impose a penance on themselves.
De La Salle proposed to correct in the same way "all
those who have been fighting" and those who "have robbed someone or
stolen something." If children have a naturally bold and arrogant spirit, they
must be won over but also corrected for their bad attitude.
If they have a bold and arrogant spirit, it is necessary
to give them some assignment in school, such as inspector, if they are judged capable, or
collector of papers; or to promote them in some subjects as in writing, arithmetic, and so
forth, in order to give them a liking for the school. It is necessary, also, to correct
them and maintain control of them, not letting them do whatever they want to do. If these
students are young, fewer steps need to be taken. It is necessary to speak little to
disrespectful children . . . and always seriously when they have committed some fault. It
is necessary to keep them humble, to correct them, when the correction is able to be
helpful to them . . . It will be good sometimes to warn them and reprove them gently and
specifically for their faults.
Since the faults of the thoughtless and flighty were
considered to be the result of a lack of reflection, De La Salle proposed that the teacher
take steps to prevent their faults by assigning these students to seats between thoughtful
students and near the teacher. He also wanted them to be shown affection and from time to
time be given some reward, "in order to encourage them to be diligent and have a
liking for school," because, as he said, they are the ones who are most inclined
to be truant. And while they are present, De La Salle continued, "these children
will be helped if involved in ways that will keep them busy, so that they will be calm and
silent."
It is necessary to correct the stubborn for their
stubbornness, especially those who are stubborn when they are being corrected . . . It
will be necessary, however, that the teachers act in such a way as to prevent the student
who is corrected from grumbling, murmuring, crying, or disrupting the school in some other
way, which often happens when the child is small or because he does not understand . . .
It will ordinarily be better not to correct this type of student at all and to pretend not
to notice when he is not studying or when he does neglect his duty in some other way.
It is generally better not to correct spoiled children, but to prevent their faults in
other ways: . . . by giving them only those penances easy to do, or by managing the
situation to forestall their mistakes by pretending not to see them, or by warning them
gently in private . . . (CL 24: 183-184)
De La Salle placed great emphasis upon school attendance and
urged that everything be done to determine the causes of absences so as to prevent them.
Children who are truant, he felt, "are usually already inclined to evil, and bad
behavior follows waywardness." De La Salle believed that interesting the child in
school was the best remedy for absences, and even proposed rewarding with responsibilities
those inclined to truancy, in the hope of giving them a liking for school and perhaps
making them a source of good example.
The teacher will take care from time to time to stimulate [those inclined to be truant],
encouraging them with rewards, and making them diligent in school by some assignment of
work that occupies them and engages them, according to their ability. It is especially
necessary never to threaten them with correction.
It is necessary . . . to have firmness in their regard and
correct them when they do wrong and when they are truant. But it is also necessary to show
them much affection for the good they do, rewarding them for every little thing ‹
something to be done only with this kind of student and with the flighty. (CL 24:
183-184)
Expulsion
It would be naive to believe that De La Salle and the Brothers always managed to win over
a maladjusted student. On the contrary, there were students who were actually impossible
to deal with, since they presented serious problems by their misbehavior and did not
benefit from the instruction and the correction. (CL 24: 148-149)
Feeling as he did about the importance of the Christian school as a way of escaping the
oppression and degradation of the poverty and the moral dangers in which many of the
pupils lived, De La Salle was very reluctant to dismiss any of them. We have already seen
his concern that the parents themselves understand their responsibility for the Christian
education of their children and be aided in meeting it.
Nonetheless, he and the Brothers quickly learned that they would have failures at times no
matter how organized, how highly motivated, or how devoted they were. There would always
be students whose conduct posed serious problems and created an environment in the school
damaging to others, students who simply would not or could not benefit from an education.
The only recourse even in those days was expulsion.
De La Salle insisted; "It must be an extraordinary thing to dismiss a student from
school," and this was to be done only after consultation with the Director and
only upon his order, after consultation with the parents. "If the means taken to
prevent or remedy their faults accomplish nothing, it may be better to dismiss them than
to correct them, unless after speaking with the parents, it is found to be good to correct
them."
The examples given in the Conduite of cases requiring expulsion as the only remedy
are similar to those which would lead to dismissal from school even today. The school was
not to tolerate the licentious or those capable of corrupting others. Students troublesome
to others or interfering with the lessons, the retarded who were uncontrollable, students
who persistently disturbed good order, thieves, those who repeated serious faults and
refused correction ‹ all of these were obviously destructive of the good discipline
of the school, and if they remained incorrigible, they had to be expelled. Nor could those
children remain in school whose parents refused to see that they attended Mass and the
catechism lesson. (CL 24: 160)
In the matter of discipline and the enforcement of punishments, De La Salle began by
moderating and regulating some of the practices which he saw were harmful and
counterproductive. There remained, of course, vestiges of old ways and of old attitudes
toward maladjusted children or slow learners, like the "bench for the ignorant"
described in L'Escole Paroissiale (1654), but gradually De La Salle introduced into
the schools the better, more productive means of discipline and correction developed by
the Brothers.
The methods, guidelines, and restraints De La Salle presented for dealing with troubled
children in the seventeenth century are considered fundamental in teaching maladjusted
children today.
Summary
The principal effects of the establishment of Christian schools, according to De La Salle,
were to prevent the disorders which arise when the child was left to himself, and to put a
stop to the consequences of this neglect. But as has been shown, the school was also
called upon to remedy these disorders.
De La Salle believed that prevention consisted in keeping the students from acquiring bad
habits and becoming dissolute. To achieve this, the Brother was to maintain a constant
vigilance over the students and instill in their minds in a firm manner the truths of the
faith.
Frequent instruction and the use of the sacraments were to be the remedies against bad
habits contracted by children. (CL 12: 79-80).
But it was the creation of a healthy environment that constituted the best means to
prevent delinquency and the best remedy for the inadequacies of the family and of society.
This healthy environment was the sum total of personal relations between teacher and
student that were profoundly authentic and conformable to the most fundamental aspirations
of human nature. The key figure in the educational environment was the person of the
teacher, who in all his actions promoted the full development of the student, and by his
demands and his efforts strove to improve the milieu of the child's family and at the same
time elicit its support. Thus, the Brother became a personal model for both the student
and the family. (CL 25: 17)
De La Salle began by reforming those pedagogical practices of his time which he judged
most harmful. He introduced only gradually the better methods discovered by some of the
Brothers. As has been said, there are vestiges of old practices, but the greater part of
the guidelines De La Salle proposed can still be considered fundamental to a sound
psychology of learning.
The theories and practices of De La Salle in the education of the maladjusted and
educationally handicapped were developed in his practice in the parish or town schools.
His experiences found a new application in the apostolate at Saint Yon. Here, in an
establishment which was in fact one of the first of their tuition schools and which had
been set up to support work other than a parish school, De La Salle and his Brothers
expanded and adapted their early programs for discipline and correction and eventually
came to work with troubled boys of many different types.
 
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