Of all the areas of learning the most important is the development of attitudes. Emotional reactions as well as logical thought processes affect the behavior of most people. “The burnt child fears the fire” is one example. Another is the rise of despots(独裁者) like Hitler. Both these examples also point out the fact that attitudes come from experiences. In the one case the experience was direct and impressive; in the other it was indirect and cumulative(累积的). The Nazis got certain ideas largely by the speeches they heard and the books they read. The classroom teacher in the elementary school is in a key position to influence(影响) attitudes. This is true partly because children obtain attitudes from those adults who they respect. Another reason is that pupils are often curious about a subject in school that has only been touched upon at home or has possibly never occurred to them before. To a child who has previously got little knowledge of Mexico, his teacher’s method of dealing with such a unit will greatly affect his attitude toward Mexicans. However, when children go to school with undesirable attitudes, it is unwise for the teacher to change their feelings by praising or scolding them. She can achieve the proper effect by helping them obtain good experiences. For example, first-grade pupils afraid of policemen will probably change their attitudes after a classroom  chat with the neighborhood officer in which he explains how he protects them. In the same way a class of older children can develop attitudes through discussio n, research outside reading and all-day trips. Finally a teacher must not constantly show her own attitudes because her influence can be no good if she has personal prejudices(偏见). This is especially true in respect to controversial(引起争议的) questions on which children should be encouraged to reach their own decision as a result of objective analysis(分析) of all the facts.小题1:. The passage mainly tells us _____.
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ing children’s attitudes