The Lazy Child, 1937- Ursula Wise does not believe in this term for a child's behaviour.

January 27^th, 1937 in Nursery World.

The “Lazy” Child

“I do not believe in the term ‘laziness’ as an explanation of a child’s behaviour”

"Pauline” writes: “I should value your advice. My elder girl, of seven and a-half years, has worried me for at least  a year, and although I was hoping she would outgrow this fault, it hasn’t lessened at all. Although obviously a child of ordinary intelligence, she always deliberately does things wrong, especially in her school work. For instance, she will spell quite simple word like ‘cat’ or ‘dog’ which she knows quite well, as ‘cabt’ and ‘dod,’ and will often say, ‘Does A, P, Q, D, Z spell “world”?’ or some such silly combination of letters . when doing a simple page of homework, I give her a little help sometimes, especially in spelling. Last week after telling her in a quiet, deliberate tone three times how to spell ‘chiefly’ she put down ‘jejle’. There were at least six bad mistakes on the one page, and it was marked ‘Your work is untidy and lazy.’ She had to copy out two pages set for her and did it nicely, though she grumbled all the time. I give her a seat at Daddy’s desk, and a good light to work by in a quiet room, and I fear she is naturally lazy, but how to treat it I really don’t know. Her sums are even worse, there she doesn’t try, and can’t say her three times table yet. Her health is perfect, so are her teeth. She goes to a private school, the Headmaster’s wife taking the juniors (twenty) up to nine. There may be little slackness there. Do you think the sharper discipline of a Council School would be better for this type of child? She started the present school at five and a half. She has a near relation who was of this type and was pampered as a child, consequently even a Public school failed to correct the misapplied early years. I have one other child, a girl of four years. She doesn’t seem very jealous, but there are the usual squabbles and making up. The elder girl has a very pretty bedroom to herself. I read to her at bedtime, and leave a night-light. Don’t you think if children don’t get the rhythm of learning properly by at least eight years, they lose a lot. I feel that as she will have to earn her living, and we want her to go to a very excellent Secondary School at eleven years, she should be getting the groundwork in now. I think our home life is quite good; everything is orderly and regular, a lovely garden, and the sea nearby. She cycles a mile to school, but is not over tired, and he Daddy treats us all with kindness and consideration. If you could tell me what to say when she deliberately asks stupid things I should be so grateful. The younger child is quite different and can write quite a lot of self-taught letters and pictures.”

From what you say about your little girl’s behaviour over her school work, when she deliberately does things wrongly that she knows quite well, it seems quite likely that this is chiefly due to unwise methods in the school. If her school work is treated as a task it is her duty to perform, and if she is called “lazy” by her school teachers when she does not conform to this standard, she will be contrary all the more. I do not believe in the term “laziness” as an explanation of a child’s behaviour. If a healthy child is “lazy”, this is either s sign of emotional difficulties, or a means that the natural interests and activities of the child are not being adequately provided for.

It sounds as if the things which your little girl does at school are not sufficiently linked up with her natural interests and pursuits and with the practical needs of everyday life. For instance, on the occasion when you were helping her with her spelling, if you were quite sure that she was mis-spelling deliberately, could you not have made a laughing comment, “How do you think I am going to know what you want to say to me when you write me a letter if you put ‘jejle’ for ‘chiefly’? (But are you quite sure that she had grasped the spelling of this word? It is sometimes quite difficult to follow the spelling if a word is spelt aloud, and the child might find it much easier to grasp and to remember if you printed the word for her, so that she could visualize it.) Then you might have suggested to her that she wrote you a real letter or post card; let her buy the stamp and post it to you at the Post Office. Actually, for a child of this age there is quite a large amount of “work” involved I writing a post card or a letter, but she would probably be thrilled by doing it for this purpose. Let her also write post cards or invitations to her little friends. Spelling is not an end in itself, but only a means to certain ends in life, and it is best to make it real uses clear to the child form the start. I would also let her spend her own pocket money as she likes, buying what she wants and counting the change. This will give her a real knowledge of counting and money, and will show her the practical advantages of learning how to do “sums.” The most important thing is your own attitude and that of her teachers towards her learning. Link up the child’s learning of writing, sums, etc., with the real purposes of such subjects and with her own particular interests and activities, and do not make it a dull task for which she sees no practical use. After all, a child of seven and a-half is still a child. Another activity which would probably interest her and which would make a practical use of writing and counting would be for her to make a “shop.” She could cut out tickets , print on them the name and price of the commodities and then she could be the shopkeeper and you and her little sister the customers. You could use counters or cardboard money and she could give the change. Let her go shopping with you in reality and allow her to take an active interest in what you are buying and what you pay for it. You seem to have arranged things very comfortably for her, but one detail occurs to me. I wonder if probably she feels rather too solemn working at Daddy’s big desk? Perhaps she feels that you are expecting her to be too grown-up and that she cannot live up to it. she might feel more comfortable if you gave her a brightly painted wooden table at just the right height for her, in her nursery or wherever she is to be occupied.

            Is there not a better school near you? It would make the little girl much happier if you could find one where the children’s natural interests are provided for and made use of. If the Secondary School which you have in mind has a good Junior Department, could you not send her there now? It would be worth a good deal of effort on your part, for it would make an enormous difference to your little girl’s happiness and future all-round development, if you could find a really good school. I would certainly inquire about the Council Schools, because these are sometimes (but, of course, not always) better than some private preparatory schools. It is not a “sharper discipline” your daughter needs but better teaching methods as I have suggested above. If, however, you cannot find a better school, it will help her a great deal if you do what you can at home to give her an understanding of the practical value of what she learns.