| Like others, I had believed that it was necessary to encourage a child by means of some exterior reward that would flatter his baser sentiments such as gluttony, vanity or self-love, in order to foster in him a spirit of work and peace. And I was astonished when I learned that a child who is permitted to educate himself really gives up these lower instincts. I then urged the teachers to cease handing out the ordinary prizes and punishments, which were no longer suited to our children, and to confine themselves to directing them gently in their work. |
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