W. J.

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BOOK OF METHODS
Sarah Sidis, M.D.
18 page manuscript, early 1950's,
presumably unpublished. May have been in
collaboration with an editor. First five
pages not yet found, nor any after page
23.

Source: University of Miami Archives.

(p6)
Boris had started himself in the field
of education in the old country, Russia,
where he devoted himself to teaching
peasants how to read and write. For this
crime against the society of his time--
trying to educate those who wanted to
learn--he was sentenced to an indefinite
term in prison. He was offered the
opportunity for freedom at one time but
refused when he learned that there was a
condition which forbade him from having
anything more to do with learning of any
kind--the only life he knew. For being this
unreasonable, he was placed in solitary
confinement in a man-sized cell, one so
small that he could only get in a reclining
position by pulling up his knees. He spent
two months of this torture in his Russian
prison. He was unconscious for an extended
period, and was not expected to survive for
a long time. His father, a man of moderate
wealth, was finally able to secure his
release by assuring authorities that his
son would leave the country. Boris did
leave and made himself a success in
America.
At a dinner party a few years after his
becoming prominent at Harvard, Boris was
introduced to the director of education in
Russia who was visiting the United States.
He pleaded with Boris to return saying that
he would have a free hand in establishing a
solid educational system. My husband
indignantly reminded the Russian
representative of his days in prison said
that Czarist promises meant nothing. He was
unwilling, he said, to ever return to
Russia as long as a totalitarian government
existed.
By this time, he had received his
University degree from Harvard and was
later awarded his Ph.D. in psychology and
his M.D. from the Harvard Medical school.
My husband’s knowledge of psychology
was invaluable in the education of Billy.
He was never left alone without the company
of one of us. His early investigations into
the ability to learn were made a game
rather than a chore. He was made to feel
like an adult from the very beginning. At
one time, for example, I thought it about
time to teach William how to eat at the
table. Nothing was said to him about it
because he was only a few months old. Billy
was merely brought to the table whenever
the family ate. Food and a spoon were
placed in front of him. He watched the rest
of the family eat and although we included
him in any of our conversations, we didn't
try to teach him to eat in any way. After a
few weeks, we noticed him getting impatient
at every meal. Finally he picked up his
spoon and began playing with it. Later, he
attempted to place it in his mouth, but
because he was still uncoordinated, he
managed to hit every part of his face with
his food except his mouth. One day, he at
last managed to find it. He squealed with
delight. He had learned how to eat. No one
had taught him; he had reasoned it out.
The word, "reasoning," is the crux of
our system. In true education it is not the
amount of knowledge that counts but
originality and independence of thought
that are of importance. But our schools
today are based on a system of regulations
and office-like discipline. Individuality
is frequently discourages thereby
suppressing originality. The result is the
"average American," the clever businessman,
the good artisan, the resourceful
politician, but few scientists, artists,
philosophers, or statesmen.
My husband was no beginner in the field
of education He was known as one of the
more prominent psychologists of his period.
While at Harvard, he was a student of
William James, Josiah Royce and Herbert
Palmer. He wrote a book while he was a
student, "The Psychology of Suggestion,"
with an introduction by Professor James. He
was author of a score of other books and
pamphlets on similar subjects (be specific
here), and was a founder and for a time
editor of the Journal of Abnormal
Psychology. He later became an associate in
psychopathology at the Pathological
Institute of the New York State Hospitals.
An unusual aspect of this position was that
he did not have his doctor's degree at the
time even though his job called for him to
act as supervisor over a number of M.D.s.
While teaching at Harvard, along with
fellow-Professor James, Boris leveled a
blast at organized education which even
reached his own University and the
President of the renowned institution. His
villification of accepted methods of
teaching, "Phillistines and Genius," was
commented upon editorially by almost every
important paper in Europe and the United
States--from The New York Times and
Baltimore Sun to the Spokane (Washington)
_________.
Although my husband was essentially a
psychologist and psychopathologist, he
considered psychology to be very closely
allied with education. His attack on
education resulted mainly from the amazing
accomplishments we achieved with Billy.
Then, too, I received most of my early
education from Boris during the time that
he tutored me for my college entrance
examinations.
[The ability to learn languages stemmed
from a basic understanding of what every
language is based upon. Looking through the
Boston Library one day, my husband found a
book explaining the word forms of the early
Aryan language. Most modern tongues are
based on this archaic form, and it was easy
for Billy or my husband to enlarge their
vocabularies merely by referring to the
basic form. During the week that it would
take either of them to learn a language,
they would devote themselves entirely to
that subject alone. Learning was not a
matter of repetition to them, and it need
not be for anyone. Too often we have
regarded the child's mind as a vacant lot,
a place where we could unload certain facts
which would accumulate there. We labor
under the delusion that stories and fairy
tales, myths and deceptions about life and
man are good for the child's mind. On such
a foundation, it is difficult to erect a
proud monument. We forget the simple fact
that what is harmful for the adult is still
more harmful to the child. Surely what is
poisonous to the grown-up mind cannot be
useful food to the young. If credulity in
old wives tales, lack of individuality,
sheepish submissiveness, unquestioned
belief in authority, meaningless imitation
of jingles, memorization of mother-goose
wisdom, repetition of incomprehensible
prayers, uncritical aping of good manners,
silly games, prejudices and superstitions
and fears of the supernatural are censored
in adults, why should we approve their
cultivation in the young?]*
In public schools, education is nothing
but a series of repetitions so that a
number of facts can be dredged into a
child's unwilling brain. According to our
system, it is a matter of recreation.
Learning can be fun, and it is when treated
like a game.
A typical example arises when you teach
a child to spell. In school, the typical
process begins with rat, r-a-t, rat. Then
comes cat, c-a-t, cat, and so on ad
infinitum. The teacher is usually
underpaid; she is tired of endless
repetitions; and she probably can't help
instilling some basic fears and feelings of
insecurity on a child who is floundering--
not because he can't do anything else, but
because he isn't taught to think for
himself. Billie, on the other hand, learned
to spell before he ever went to school. He
did not memorize all of the words in the
English language even though he was a
proficient speller.
He didn't even memorize any of the
words in any language. What he did was to
learn the method of spelling so that he
could apply his techniques to any new word
that might come up. How did he do this at
so early an age? It was simple. He made a
game of it by using blocks. He learned that
three letters placed in a certain way
spelled cat. Then he learned that if the
"t" were doubled and an "le" added he would
have a new word with a different meaning.
This approach was so effective that he
never forgot to double a final consonant
when adding a suffix beginning with a
vowel. That’s a simple rule AFTER it has
been memorized. But Billie learned it
without memorizing.
The block technique was only one aspect
of a large pattern. Learning to Billie was
always a game, no matter what subject he
was working on. Education became a part of
every action he engaged in although it was
made such fun that he never realized it.
Bedtimes were perfect for putting this
scheme into effect.
All young children like to be fondled
and read to just before they go to sleep.
Billie was started off with some of the
most perfect fairy tales in existence--
Greek mythology. The myths were presented
to him in such a way that it was all fun.
But underneath, he was getting a classic
education, almost from the time he could
first learn. to talk and comprehend bedtime
stories.
From mythology, it was easy to explain
the system of the universe to the boy.
Planets could be explained in terms of'
their names, which were taken from the
Greek gods he had already learned about.
From there, it was a simple matter to go to
mathematics. Impossible for a child of
three or four? The theorists might say yes,
but the facts say no.
There are many ways to look at this
early development of the child's mental
capacities. How can it help the child? What
will be the effect on you? And will the
state benefit or lose out if children
become educated earlier in life?
Let's take the child first because the
purpose of the whole system is to help him.
If the principles of the system are used,
he gets the positive results o certain
techniques.
With emphasis on minimizing the amount
of time necessary for him to learn, the
youngster will get the benefit of more time
to devote to playing. This will give him a
better opportunity to strive for a healthy
body as well as a superior brain. His
thinking ability will not be dulled by
endless repetitions, and everything he
learns will be enjoyable as a game and a
delight because it is the result of his
learning, not your teaching. He will learn
to reason things out, and by so doing will
be able to apply a few principles to a
great many things.
You as a parent will also be happier.
With a happy child, you will have less on
your mind to frustrate you and give you
feelings of insecurity. Your child will
become independent of mind more rapidly,
and you can give him more responsibility at
an earlier age. By being fully capable when
he is younger, he will be able to become
financially secure in his own right sooner
than he ordinarily would have. He can start
to work earlier, and he can advance more
rapidly.
All of this will, of course, have a
positive effect on the whole social and
economic picture of the country. More
people will be better educated at an
earlier age. By avoiding long hours say of
schoolwork and finishing school in two
years rather than eight, the entire budget
for education can be cut to a fraction of
what it is now.
Teachers now laboring six and seven
hours a day to drum cold facts into
unwilling heads can relax on a four-hour
schedule and help more students develop a
happy harmony between a strong body and an
able mind. More students will have
additional help from the same number of
teachers. Because the training period will
not be as long, instructors can be better
paid without increasing their schedules.
There will be no need to decrease the
number of teachers, but they can be better
paid and have the benefit of their
endeavors spread for a greater amount of
good.

(P13)
CHAPTER 2
The early development of your child's
mental capacities is governed by your
actions. Too often, a youngster's thinking
power is stymied by an impatient parent, a
busy parent, or one who is thoughtless.
Let the experience of experts guide you
in your attitudes. Psychologists know that
the infant’s brain is an organ the same as
his heart or stomach. It must be treated in
accord with what it is. A child with an
inferior heart, for example, is limited in
his actions. He can't play football, climb
ladders, or play hop scotch. A youngster
with a brain that is defective for one
reason or another must also be developed
differently. His thought processes are
slower, and the ability to learn is
hampered.
A child with a healthy body on the
other hand requires a different type of
development. Without exercise, his muscles
and tissues will deteriorate. He must
continually fulfill the needs of his
energetic body to keep it in its good
condition.
The brain is no different. As an organ
of the body it must get its regular
exercise to keep it in good working order.
There can be lapses for short periods, but
any extended interruption in its function
will decrease its efficiency.
There is a common fallacy that the
brain in a young child should not be
exercised because it is a delicate organ
that will become distorted. But its
reasoning power in later life is derived
from the effectiveness of its earlier use.
Consequently, the brain is weakened by
lying dormant too long the same as the
human body is weakened by lying in bed too
long. A perfect example is the increasing
weakness of the convalescent, who must
learn to walk anew following an extended
period of muscular disuse.
The too, because the brain is the
superior organ, it helps develop the other
organs and increases the opportunity to
unleash tremendous physical and mental
energies. It is up to you whether the brain
will become the filter of the body,
dictating every action, or whether it wall
make the best use of its vast potential.
With the brain instigating reason in
all directions, such activities as sport
can be performed at a higher level and with
more dexterity. Reasoning helps motor
coordination and makes muscular activity
more efficient.
Adults in contact with children must
recognize the functions of the brain BC the
youngster may develop the idea; it must not
be instilled in him.
Older people believe that fame and
fortune go hand in hand with happiness in
our culture. This is unfortunate when it
remains the only ideal for many people who
cannot achieve the goal because of the
flighty hand of Dame Fortune.
Surely there are other goals of human
service--godliness, creative work, and
efficient behavior. A goal is something
that each person establishes for himself.
The unattainable must be modified or
changed to prevent a personality distortion
through frustration.
During the child’s years when he is
between one and six, the brain absorbs more
than at any other period in life. If
grammar schools accepted children of these
ages, it would take four years or less for
these children to acquire a complete
elementary education usually requiring
eight years. This is neither sensational
nor absurd. My son, for example, finished
the entire eight year course in five
months, working a maximum of two hours a
day during that period.
Four hours a day will cover all the
aspects of a normal day at the schoolhouse.
That reference to "all the aspects" should
be taken in a broad sense. Remember that
physical activity is as important as mental
activity in achieving a suitable balance of
the healthy mind and body. Two hours, then,
should be spent on sports and playing. The
remaining two hours can be devoted to a
formal pursuit of method and education.
Most people would now assume that the
task of learning is actually a function of
the home and that homework should therefore
be increased. But the opposite is actually
true. With this method, no home assignments
should be given.
"Go home," the pupil should be told,
"and think about what you have learned
today."
Next morning, a half hour of the study
time can be used in answering questions the
child on have thought about it in reference
to what they learned the day before. The
pupils will thereby accumulate a knowledge
of fact with the ability to reason.

With the child’s new found ability to

think for himself, his talents may
sometimes lead themselves into incorrect
conclusions. These will, of course, result
in actions that are unsatisfactory to the
adult. When the average parent or teacher
sees any undesirable behavior of this sort
in a child, his usual attitude is to stop
the action abruptly. This frequently takes
the form of a raised voice, a slap, a sound
shaking, or a spanking.

This punishment is no more than a short

cut for the adults. It is the lazy way of
solving a problem, and it is detrimental to
the health and mental development of the
child. Shock has been substituted for
reason by the adult.

A more satisfactory result can be

attained by explaining to the youngster why
his behavior is undesirable, dangerous to
himself or others, damaging, disturbing,
etc. Rather than condemn, substitute an
alternative or merely distract.

The result of any sort of punishment is

fear, which cripples the mind and body of
child and adult alike. Thinking is
inhibited and originality is killed.
Physical progress is also limited. A
perfect example is the increase of
psychoneurotic cases during wars.

Knowledge and understanding are fear’s

worst enemies. Awareness by the child
himself of his role in life and what is
worthwhile will aid him in developing his
powers of reason without being unduly
limited.

Most children develop physically

without a commensurate mental development
because parents are unable or unwilling to
devote the time to help teach. A burned
child will stay away from fire. But why
must he be hurt before he can acquire this
knowledge? There is no reason of course.

A little effort in the side of the

parents will give the child an
understanding and awareness of such pains
before they occur. In explaining something
like this, however, remember that a bit of
information such as that of heat burning
the human skin cannot be absorbed with any
meaning because it is an isolated fact.
What have you told the child about his
skin? how it breathes? and how it is fed by
what he eats? Does he know what a service
soap and water perform for his skin, or has
he learned to dislike it because the habit
has interfered with a game he is playing or
a new discovery? If you both have an
understanding of the workings of the body,
you will save much time and effort. A child
who understands that his skin must be clean
so it can breathe and stay healthy to avoid
rashes he knows are uncomfortable will find
new pleasure in a bath. He will have
discovered something new as the result of
his reasoning powers.
A good approach to an understanding of
the body easily is through the skin--
particularly if you are frightened about
the explanation. It is not a burden,
although it can be made into one. Make a
game of it instead. A child can learn about
his skin easily--by touching, looking and
feeling it.
Sensations originating at the surface
of the body can be explained almost as a
fairy tale to the child. The words must be
simple, and the teaching must be enjoyable.
Understanding brings precautions. Certain
of these precautions will keep the doctor
away.
Knowledge of the human body at any
early age is important because
understanding aids the fullest utilization
of powers and prowess. To me, one of the
mysteries of the ages is that educators do
not teach children a sufficient amount
about their own bodies.
For children to have a complete
approach to life, they should have a basic
understanding of the mechanism they
inhabit. Reasoning can be complete when a
child begins to learn what his body is
constructed of, why and how it happens to
be formed in this matter, and how he can
best learn to develop this body which must
serve him for his whole life.
Health habits of any kind should, of
course, be explained. Many adults of
encouraged unhealthy practices of eating,
sleeping, and other habitual forms of
existence. Many of these are not the result
of ignorance as much as the reluctance to
give up previously established habits that
have become a part of the personality.
The habits can be changed; but how much
better it would have been had they never
been developed at all! Likes and dislikes
are learned. Why not guide the youngster to
learn what is beneficial while rejecting
whatever is destructive.
Early understanding will lead to
reasoning which will serve as the child’s
guide. Soon, your duty in guiding will be
replaced by the child’s ability to reason
for himself. In expending a little more
energy at the beginning, you will be able
to more than compensate at the end. The
task of developing the child into a mature
human being will be more quickly turned
over to the child himself.
The method is not restricted to health
habits alone. The whole pattern of
education is based on the proposition that
the child must educate himself by
reasoning, using gems of knowledge that are
offered by the adult.
Of primary importance with this system
is that the parent must go to the child.
For the adult to sit on the floor is very
important because of what it represents. A
new child is more easily reached when he is
approached on his own level--figuratively
and literally. We cannot and must not
assume that all young children will be
amenable to our training immediately.
Behavior problems brought on through
previous years of insecurity and
inconsistencies result in the aggressive,
destructive, poorly-controlled behavior
often encountered in confused children.
Some children will require time to get
reoriented to a new environment of ease in
place of strain; love and kindness in place
of reprimands and impatience; consistency
for inconsistency; and guidance in place of
didactic statement of improperly explained
facts.
Here is an example of showing a new
path to a child. This incident actually
happened, and it demonstrates how you can
give a youngster a glimpse into a new
exciting land of knowledge and truth.
Even though I had met this little girl,
age 4, the other evening, I pretended to
forget her name.
"Hello. What’s your name?"
"Oh, you forgot," she replied. "I told
you last night."
I frowned unhappily. "I’m a dumbbell, I
guess. What do you think of that? Do YOU
know what a dumbbell is?"
"Yes," she laughed, delighted at having
an adult admit to such a thing.
"Ethel, what you been doing," I
continued.
"Oh, you didn’t forget at all," she
said.
"No? Maybe I was playing a joke. Do you
like jokes?" I asked.
"Oh, yes," she exclaimed. Ethel was now
an equal because of the simplicity of my
approach. I tried to make my eyes smile so
the little girl would feel welcomed by a
patience that puts children at ease with
adults.
The conversation took a turn as it so
often does with children.
"I’m very hot," she said.
"But you don’t mind, do you? Would you
like me to tell you a little story about
being hot?"
"Yes," she went on. "Tell me a story.
The sun makes me hot. Whenever it shines,
it makes me hot." The topic changed
abruptly. "You know I didn’t mean it when I
called you a dumbbell," she said. "I am
really the dumbbell because you didn’t
forget my name at all." Back we go to the
previous topic. "You know, when the clouds
are covering the sun I’m not hot."
"What are clouds made of; do you know?"
I asked.
"Oh yes, I know."
A man was standing nearby. "This man
and I would like to know what the clouds
are made of."
The little girl thought a minute.
"Well, I guess it must be something thick
and heavy. I know it must be thick and
heavy because it keeps out the heat. Oh, I
don’t know. You tell me what it is."
"How can I tell you when I’m a
dumbbell?" I asked seriously.
"Oh," she apologized. "I didn’t mean
that. Tell me what a cloud is made of.["]
"Would you like to know about the sun,
how it hides and all?"
"Oh yes," she replied.
"I’ll tell you a little story about the
sun." I decided to go into the planetary
system based on Greek mythology. "The sun
is the father and the earth is one of his
nine children. He lives thousands and
thousands of miles away from his children.
How far away do you think we are from the
sun?"
"Oh, a long way," she said.
"That’s right. And the father wants to
keep in touch with his children and find
out how they are and what they are doing.
So he sends out thousands of messengers."
"What are messengers?" The questions
begin.
"Have you ever seen a boy bring
groceries to your house or a telegram? That
is what a messenger is. These little
messengers make you hot because they get so
hot from running back and forth from the
earth to their father, the sun. When you
feel hot, it’s because these messengers are
kissing your skin. They are healthy, aren’t
they? But only when you don’t have too many
visiting you at one time and give you a
sunburn. Now, would you like to know what
clouds are really made of?"
"Yes."
"Well, I’ll tell you," I replied.
"They’re made of water."
"Water? Why doesn’t it fall down?"
"It does when it rains, doesn’t it?"
"Well," she persisted, "how does it get
up there?"
"Remember the messenger I tol[d] you
about who got so hot from traveling back
and forth?"
"Yes."
"They draw the water from the rivers,
lakes, and oceans."
"I don’t see it," she said.
"No, do you know why you don’t see it?
Because the water is turned into little
bits of wet that we call particles."
This last was too much for her. That’s
one reason I used a big word.
"What is a particle?" she asked. This
question was actually instigated by the use
of indirect suggestion.
"Have you ever seen steam?"
"Oh, yes," she replied. "My mother
cooks tea and there is steam."
"Well, that is what happens to the
water that gets kissed a lot by the
messengers. It turns into little particles
that have been heated by those hot
messengers and then it starts going up
because hot things always rise. And the
farther up it goes, the cooler it gets, and
as it gets cooler it begins to stick closer
to other particles, and together they make
big drops of water. And what do you think
happens when the drops get heavy enough?
The drops fall, and we have rain. What do
you think of that?"
"Oh, I never knew that before."
"Did you like that little story?" I
asked.
"Yes, I did. I like stories like that."
The little girl's mother came by then,
and the two of them were off. The whole
incident took only ten minutes or so and
illustrates how easily you can use your
surroundings to invent a story which will
enlighten as it amuses. Whenever a child
comments on anything natural, you can
always tell a little story. Get the child's
interest and give him an idea to seize upon
that will stick with him even if he forgets
the superficial material.
___________

* Manuscript indicates insertion of this paragraph here.

[Typed by Leon Hansen.]

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