How does Ichabod's behavior in the scenes with the school children differ from his other behavior?"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving

Irving's narrator describes Ichabod Crane in The
Legend of Sleepy Hollow as a "conscientious man, [who] ever bore in mind the
golden maxim, 'Spare the road and spoil the child.'"  However, Crane has his own way of
distributing the discipline:  he takes the "burthen off the backs of the weak, and lays
it on those of the strong."  That Ichabod passes by the thin who wince at the flourish
of a rod, but gives full justice to those who a tough and "wrong-headed."  All of this
Crane calls doing "his duty by their parents."  Yet, when school hours are over, Ichabod
is the playmate of the larger boys, and on holidays he sometimes takes the little ones
home, especially if they have pretty sisters or good homemakers for mothers; in this way
he gets to eat a good supper. For, though lank, Ichabod Crane is a voracious
eater.

With the adults, Crane is ingratiating and
obsequious--not at all as he is with the children.  When around the mothers, he pets the
young children, even bouncing them on his knee; sometimes he rocks a cradle with his
foot.  All these things Ichabod Crane does so that he can have an "easy life of it." 
Because he gets fed and invited into the comfort of their homes, Ichabod is affectionate
with the children and most respectful of the matriarchs.  When they grow to like him,
the parents have their children take lessons in singing from him.  Clearly, it
is profitable for Ichabod Crane to act very politely and be cheerful with the children
in this lightly sadistic tale.