No Whispering!

One School Rule Bound to be Broken
​Charts listing schoolhouse rules are a classic "artifact" in many 0f our living history classrooms, but we know what happens in a room full of rambunctious scholars. Rules like "no whispering" were generally mere suggestions and compliance a teacher's dream.  Whispering got the best children in trouble at some time or other. Was any teacher ever successful in eradicating this "pernicious habit?"

It's enlightening to find annual town reports from the common school era and read what the school superintendents wrote about classroom management. The subject of whispering came up often in one of my town's reports in the 1850's.

As you read below, let's assume the scholars knew the superintending committee was coming for examination day and the schoolmarm read them the riot act. No? Is the success below genuine? Did the teachers file reports candidly? Does it seem like a lot of effort was expended to catalogue the offense of whispering?

• "That most mischievous evil of evils, whispering, was not noticed at all, nor was the eye of the teacher necessary to secure obedience to good regulations." 
• "The efforts which have been made to prevent whispering have, in most schools, been very successful, as noticed in several reports---and we hope to see this pernicious habit banished entirely from the classroom. We believe it may be done, but only on the principle of “total abstinence.”
•  "The order and stillness of this room has been much improved. A very successful effort has been made to have the scholars study without noise, or motion of the lips, and also to prevent whispering, and all communication of scholars with each other." 
• "A record of all instances was kept and thirty-four names have been reported who have not whispered or otherwise communicated during the school hours of the term; and others who have not whispered, but have, in a few instances, communicated; and the records show that many have violated this regulation."
• "At the examination at the close of the winter term…The school appeared in excellent order, and though the room was filled with members of the school and their friends, not an instance of whispering among the scholars was noticed by the Committee during the day…"

​Frankly, it all seems like an exercise in futility since times haven't changed all that much.