The legend of sleepy hollow

by washington irving (excerpt)

"spare the rod and spoil the child."—ichabod crane’s scholars certainly were not spoiled.
i would not have it imagined, however, that he was one of those cruel potentates of the school, who joy in the smart of their subjects; on the contrary, he administered justice with discrimination rather than severity; taking the burden off the backs of the weak, and laying it on those of the strong. your mere puny stripling, that winced at the least flourish of the rod, was passed by with indulgence; but the claims of justice were satisfied by inflicting a double portion on some little, tough, wrong-headed, broad-skirted dutch urchin, who sulked and swelled and grew dogged and sullen beneath the birch. all this he called "doing his duty by their parents; " and he never inflicted a chastisement without following it by the assurance, so consolatory to the smarting urchin, that "he would remember it, and him for it the longest day he had to live."

what important fact about ichabod crane comes to light in the passage?

a. ichabod was a just teacher who treated his students impartially.
b. ichabod was a good teacher who tried to do right by his students.
c. ichabod was a fair teacher who was misunderstood by his students.
d. ichabod was an unjust teacher who punished his students with prejudice.

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