Bourne High School - Canal Currents Yearbook (Bourne, MA)

Page 8 text:

6 CANAL CURRENTS The discourteous person preparing for this long grind called “Life” has a big handicap starting from the barrier. A person who is courteous makes friends and holds them. He is generally a cheerful individual. I know that with equal abilities, “more courteous” would outdistance his rival “less courteous.” If you really want to know how to be more courteous in your school life, follow these rules. You will be able to enumerate and, I trust, practice other ways. 1 — Refrain from running and crowding during lunch period. 2 — Refrain from allowing a swinging door to close until the person following has passed through. 3 — Refrain from being impudent, rude and insolent to your teachers. 4 — Respect pupils in less fortunate circumstances than your- self. They may be as good or better than you. 5 — Show the visiting athletic team as much courtesy as you would if they were visiting in your home. 6 — Treat the chaperon at school affairs as though you real- ize by her presence that she is conferring a real favor. 7 — Be attentive and quiet during assembly programs. Other acts of courtesy could be listed but the reading of these would be tedious. The point I am trying to make is that one does not have to atend an exclusive finishing school nor does a person have to be reared in cultured Boston. One can, right here, on the Sand Dunes of Old Cape Cod have this enviable virtue. Kempton J. Coady Principal The Staff of Caual Currents wishes to thank Miss MarVy our Commercial teacher, and the senior typewriting pu pils for their generous assistance with the typing of the magazine material.

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COURTESY You have heard about the fellow that very recently offered his seat to a lady in a street car and she fainted. The gentleman revived her after some little time and she thanked him, where- upon he fainted. The lesson to be gleaned from this is that common courtesy is a rarity. The business world appreciates the fact that courtesy is not only the lubricant that keeps the machine properly functioning but from a financial viewpoint pays big dividends. I have very recently read of a woman whose principal business is built upon teaching courtesy to the personnel of some of the large companies in our land. If cold and aloof heads of large concerns appreciate this trait in its employees, it is possible that we should be brought to a realization of the value of this common but now little prac- ticed virtue. Don’t any of you people think that when you are pushing and crowding each other down over the stairs in your mad scram- ble to get to the front in the “chow line’’ that you are practicing courtesy. All you are trying to do is to get a more advantageous position. When I see a courteous young person, I invariably say to myself “that person must have a wonderful mother.’’ Now if this deduction is correct and people are judging the kind of a mother that we have from our actions, it behooves us to place our best foot foremost.

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CANAL CURRENTS 7 THREE ESSENTIAE FACTORS IN THE EEARNING PROCESS During the years spent in the teaching profession we have seen a number of boys and girls who have made good in school. As we recall their learning habits, there seems to be three most important factors for success in learning: namely, attention, fav- orable attitude and pleasantness. What is attention. There are two types of attention: active and passive, or central and marginal: but learning is only acquired thiough active attention, or the focusing of the mind on the material to be learned. One may be reading the words in a book, or listening passively to a recitation, or to the presentation of a lesson by a teacher, without learning at all. To learn, one must attend and the attention must be focused. Distractios must be put aside or overcome in order that intelligent attention may be given to the problem at hand. Attitude is a very important factor in the learning process. If a pupil has a favorable disposition toward the subject, toward the teacher and toward the school, learning becomes more effective. Dislike of the school, the teacher or the task, definitely works against progress. When a student has a favorable attitude toward the teacher and the job, successful learning is assured. A student having an unfavorable attitude works under a great handicap. In- terest and satisfactory incentives help a pupil in acquiring a fav- orable attitude. These attitudes may be temporary or perman- ent. Temporary attitudes are apt to become life bents or per- manent dispositions and affect all future learning. Be aware and acquire a favorable attitude toward study. Pleasantness has a definite relation to learning. A great psychologist states that pleasantness stamps in the mind the ac- quired knowledge. Pleasure leads to practice and through fre- quent correct practice comes progress. Attention, as we have seen, is necessary to learning, and feeling is necessary to attention. If we get joy out of our work, the learning is not only better and most lasting, but we also make future learning much more easy. Pleasantness aids digestion, heart activity, and nerve activity; whereas, unpleasantness is unfavorable and retards these essential functions of the body. Pleasantness aids all life-going functions.