Probably the greatest factor in establishing and maintaining a spirit
of coöperation between teacher and class is a deep-seated and
sympathetic desire on the part of the teacher to be helpful. If his
attitude is that of a friend and co-worker, and his criticisms and
corrections are all made in the spirit of helping to a better
understanding rather than in the spirit of fault-finding, this will go
far toward establishing a spirit of coöperation in the class.

This does not mean that the teacher shall be weak, and let mistakes or
failures go by unnoticed. Weak teachers are never liked or respected.
It only means that the teacher, in making corrections or calling
attention to failures, shall manifest the spirit of a helper and not
of a faultfinder. It means that no matter how many times a teacher may
have to correct or even punish a pupil, his attitude toward the pupil
will still be cordial and friendly. There are many persons who cannot
correct a fault without having some enmity arise toward the one
corrected. But what the teacher needs is to be able to correct, rebuke
or punish, and at the same time keep the heart warm toward the
wrongdoer. This will not only secure better results from the
corrections, but will also foster the spirit of helpfulness and
coöperation between teacher and school.

Finally, the class should be brought to see that the school is _their_
school, and not the teacher's school or the board's school. They
should realize that failure or low achievement is their loss, and not
the teacher's loss. They should feel that their interests and those of
the teacher, the board, and the taxpayers who support the school are
all _common interests_, and that only as the pupils do their part will
the interests of all be conserved.