Approve the child’s lessons and efforts. Whether it be numbers, or reading, busy work, or drawing, the teacher must notice the effort and progress, and by a pleased countenance and well chosen words encourage the pupil. Whenever the teacher has a favor to bestow, she should see that the unfriendly pupil gets his share of the favor. If she is having a little play or song or game, she may appoint him as the main character. She should frequently walk with him part or all of the way home. Such treatment will win the child in a very short time, and what is better, it will usually win the parents. In case a disaffected child is unusually stubborn and absolutely refuses to obey you, avoid the use of any commands to him until after you have entirely gained his confidence. You may continue to command and request other pupils around the stubborn child, but simply refrain from asking that one to do anything. Make up your mind that you are going to cater to this stubborn pupil for two or three days in order to win his absolute confidence and thus lay a foundation for more satisfactory conduct in the future. By cater, we do not mean to allow the pupil to get ahead of you—not at all. But it may be necessary to be a little forbearing. Present absolutely nothing to him in a personal way except what you know will be intensely interesting. As we said before, find out what the pupil likes to do at home, on the playground, what he likes best to talk about, and then make it a point to converse about those things frequently when alone with him. Show great enthusiasm in talking along the line of his interests. If he refuses to recite, get his confidence and then ask questions, beginning with such as you are sure he can answer in just a word or two. (10) _Neighborhood conditions._ Sometimes a teacher’s work is greatly hampered because of an unkindly spirit existing between the parents of her pupils. Mothers often “get even” with their neighbors by influencing their children against a neighbor’s son or daughter who happens to be in school. Or a teacher may have used some unwise methods on a child, or punished in a manner not satisfactory to the parents. The parents retaliate by influencing their children against the teacher. Both situations will respond to the same treatment. By no means must the teacher appear to resent this opposition. It is every teacher’s duty to treat such pupils just as kindly as circumstances permit. If the teacher is determined to win such parents he will succeed, and in time they will become the best of friends. In all cases where such a difficulty continues to exist and is annoying, it is the teacher’s fault. To gain the mother’s love, is to gain the child’s love also.