Miss Pendleton (Update to C.222 END) - Chapter 73

But as she returned to the manor for lunch, she gradually recalled her duties.After the meal, she asked the butler to summon the children to the study room.Soon, Daniel and George, who had been rolling on the lawn with the shepherd puppies their father had given them, were called inside.The three gathered and sat in the study room.

George and Daniel, visibly tense, looked at the teacher sitting across from them.A kind-looking teacher with clear gray eyes and reddish-blonde hair neatly tied up.There was nothing fearsome about her appearance, yet they were terribly intimidated.This was because of their uncle, who, a few days ago, had sternly warned that if they misbehaved with the new governess, he would come and punish them immediately.

But Laura, unaware of the boys’ fears, simply thought they were nervous about meeting a governess for the first time.Laura decided to approach the children cautiously to ease their tension.

Laura hadn’t brought any books, notebooks, or writing tools to begin with.She deliberately turned the prepared blackboard away.Opening a book right away would surely overwhelm them.Instead, she avoided any mention of studies and only asked about how they usually spent their time, what they liked, and what they disliked.

The boys answered hesitantly.But as time passed and the teacher, whom they expected to torment them with Latin grammar, didn’t mention studies, their tension seemed to gradually ease.

Above all, the teacher before them was looking at them with a very gentle smile.What boy could keep his heart firmly closed when a lovely woman smiled and showed interest in him?They began to answer her questions fluently.

She listened attentively to the children’s stories.The boys liked fishing, swimming, gathering berries in the forest, making slingshots, and setting rabbit traps, spending most of their time on these activities.When at home, they only filled their hungry stomachs, teased the horses in the stables, or played with their father’s hunting dogs.

She asked if they had any favorite books, and they eagerly listed titles of detective and adventure novels.She requested they tell her about the stories.When they started to argue over who would speak first, she had them decide the order through a small game.

Though somewhat distracted, the children could narrate a story with a clear beginning, middle, climax, and end.This was proof their intelligence wasn’t lacking.Though they grumbled at losing, they accepted defeat, showing their character wasn’t entirely unruly.Of course, they were somewhat hot-headed, but that seemed due to the lack of someone patiently guiding them.

She played a few simple games with the boys—number calculation games, word matching, and naming the kings of England in order.The children, unaware of the teacher’s intentions, were thrilled to immerse themselves in the games, simply enjoying the play.

Through the games, Miss Pendleton could specifically assess her students.The children’s intelligence was not deficient.With no issues in memory or reasoning, it seemed possible to teach them something if lessons were conducted properly.The challenge, however, was how to teach them.

They couldn’t focus properly on anything except games.They couldn’t stand sitting still, constantly twisting their bodies or burying their faces in the desk.Having never been trained to sit patiently and do something, this was expected.How could she instill knowledge in children who couldn’t even endure sitting still?

Having assessed the children’s basic condition, Laura decided her task for the day was done and sent them back to their play.The children rushed out of the study room like escaped prisoners.

Laura sat in the study room chair, resting her chin in her hand.She began to ponder how to teach these children.Laura was now facing a common challenge for teachers: she had been entrusted with children completely opposite to her in disposition.Children whose personalities and upbringings were entirely different from her own.

When faced with students so different from oneself, a teacher stands at a crossroads with two choices.Should she make the children conform to her teaching methods, or adapt herself to their temperaments?After much thought, Laura resolved to choose the latter—not because she lacked confidence in molding them to her methods, but because she believed it would be better for the children.

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