COMPETITIONS AT WINTER SHOW

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 123, 30 June 1941, Page 4

COMPETITIONS AT WINTER SHOW

Sir, —I wonder with whose authority "Teacher" was permitted to criticise the "School Competitions'* in your columns under date 27th instant. As a past secretary to the Winter Show Association, a member of ita present Executive and a member of the present School Committee' I feel I am obliged to voice a contradiction to the contentions of "Teacher" and to support all those "otlier teachers," members of t&£ ; Winter Show Ladies' Committee and ing helper who have so hard to make the annual school competitions a success in the inter* ests of the children themselves. Unfortunately I am not in a position to form an opinion as to whe* tlier "Teacher" is qualified to voica an opinion as he or she chose not to sign his or her letter fully but in the meantime an underhand effort is apparently being made to influ- ! ence public opinion and parents par. ticularly. Your columns are no place for ''Teacher" to voice any opinion whether with or without authority in a matter such as this where so much good has been done in . the past, where admittedly so many difficulties have to be surmounted each year and where co-operation from all is so earnestly sought. "■Teacher" must indeed be very qualified to voice an opinion when he or she makes such statements that "the competitions do not fit in with the local Winter Show" —"they have never been a success from any point of view"—"the talent of the children have been exploited long enough.'* This last statement is not a very pleasant one and unless I am very much mistaken will be: taken up and contradicted, as it should be, by the Winter Show Association and by tha Whakatane School Committee. I am inclined to believe "Teacher" does nota ppreciate the full significance of the word "exploited" and that he or she, is not fully aware ofjhe expense to which the Winter Show Association is put each year to organise and carry the school competitions through to success. From an educational point of view these competitions are of paramount importance and yet "Teacher" implies that we should postpone the education ot our children until the war is over. Docs "Teacher" know how long this war will last and has he or she the appreciation every teacher should have of what education means to children to-day who will be required to put our social and economic life and structure upon a more sound and reasonable basis to-morrow ? The responsibilities and obligation* that will rest upon the shoulders of the children of to-day in days to come will determine the fate of mankind and goodness only knows the prospects do not appear very I.right to-day. 1 am quite convinced, I am sur» that you and your readers will agrea that "Teacher" made a mistake in writing to you as he or she did and it is probably just as well for "Teacher" that the lertter was not fulls signed. Yours etc., L. R. SPRINGWhakatane, 28/6/41.