Dear Sir,

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 8, 19 December 1947, Page 4

Dear Sir,

Letters to the Editor must be clearly written oil one side of the paper only and where a nom-de-plume is used the name •... of the writer must be included / for reference purposes. The 1 Editor reserves the right to t abridge, amend or withhold any letter or letters.

“PLAY WAY” (To the Editor) Sir, —There seems to be something the matter with our education system today. Some very disturbing things have been said by employers who have had the good fortune to be able to hire juniors. Now the retiring headmistress of the Epsom Girls 5 Grammar School, Miss A. L. Loudon, and Professor J. Rutherford of Auckland University College, have come to light with statements that the “new education” is definitely not turning out a firstclass product. As educationalists with long experience and high qualifications they should be capable of well-informed criticism. Both are convinced that less “play” and more sheer work with rigid intellectual discipline in the fundamental subjects would correct present deficiencies. There has been a tendency of late years both in homes and schools to relax discipline. In fact, there seems to be wide adherence to the school of child psychology that believes any sort of restraint causes “inhibi-_ tions”, “complexes” and other fancy names for sheer cussedness. The old style school-teacher or parent believed there were few inhibitions and complexes that judicious application of corporal punishment wouldn’t fix.

It appears the modern idea, as expounded by the child psychologists in the more treacly women’s magazines and very Advanced exponents of the “new education”, is to let the little life open gently as a flower, in its own time and at its own sweet will. That theory ignores the -hard fact that the will of the very young is usually not too sweet. Consequence is that a spoiled child steps into a school where he is given a set of blocks to play with and told to develop himself some more. This gentle unfolding process goes on until about age 17, when the finished product applies for a job, hires himself to a desperate employer at something like twice his possible value and gets hurt when the boss tries to teach him grammar. Would it do any good for employers’ organisations, Chambers of Commerce and other such bodies to get together and demand a return to common sense and efficiency in our education system? Ymirc otp «* ANXIOUS PARENT.