APPOINTMENTS OF TEACHERS.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17470, 2 June 1922, Page 9

APPOINTMENTS OF TEACHERS.

TO THE EDITOR or "THE TRESS." Sir, jicit teachers wiJ] heartily endorse au "x'cuagogue's" criticisms, but mucn more be aaued. Can inspectors reasonably estimate a teacher's uork and personality m about tiie thirty mmuics per year mey hpeml with eacn tescner m town schools.' I'ben again, an li.spector has to base his judgments partiy 011 tnc tcacner s work book. I'lieio are Jialr a uvzen wavs m wmcii a teaciicr, 01 equai intelligence as an inspector, but umortunateiy not very scrupulous, can deceive the latter, and it any inspector wisnes to know these ways any intelligent teacher will eniignten nim.

Is it lair that a teacher controlling about 210 pupils can bs graued higuer than one v.itu K'JO, and a staff of twenty? Yet such is possible, and the former thus becomes eligible for tlie nigbest positions. Canterbury is indeed unfortunate in raising the- no of the secretary of the N.Z.1i.1., who is of course an active propagandist for the grading scheme, if he is unaware of the dissatisfaction that exists, he is obviously not keeping in touch with the teachers throughout the Dominion. However, it is left to poor unfortunate Christchurch to bell the cat! lam afraid that teachers are losing both interest and faith in an executive that carries on business in watertight compartments, and allows one man to voice his own opinions as being representative of oil Mew Zealand teachers. Let our rep r eser.tatives get more into touch with teachers' troubles and endeavour to remedy them. The exteacher and the ex-inspector, who could draw up such a fine report are to bo congratulated,' for their judgment is just as mature as, and far more worthy of consideration than, the rapid criticisms of a AVeliington ex-teacher, who, being so strong an advocate for centralisation, cannot be expected to take a broad national view of the matter. Many of our committees consist of men of ripe judgment; professional meni business meti, working men, and even ex-teachers: —Men who have a strong local pride in their schools and teachers, and who can tell the best type of teacher for their ."choc-Is. Destroy this local control and you have a distant (except for fortunate Wellington) uninspired departmental control. Let us keep our ■Boards and Committees, for they are the ones to keep alive any interest in our educational system. Teachers known to be thoroughly incompetent are able to gain from five to ten marks increase, while the efficient ones often have to be satisfied with one or two. A hard fact to explain! Are your readers aware that a senior inspector can recommend for a position a candidate lower on the list, if the latter is considered more suited for the position. Good old democratic New Zealand! An inspector grading His own teachers, and then condemning his own deliberative judgments by recommending lower ones on the list! There has to be a lot of "squaring ot holes" before the pegs can fit. In conclusion, I would say that we shall never have satisfactory progress while there is so much discontent in every direction; therefore let us retrench by cutting o«t -n expensive Appeal Board, whose deliberations are regarded as farcical; let us not strain our inspectors too much by asking them to estimate by fo many marks per year the evanesr-ent personality of a mediocre teacher, let the grading list be consigned to the Wellington museum for the delectation of posterity and above all let the work-book be relegated to the rubbish heap.—Yours, etc., KILLED INITIATIVE. p,S.—N.Z. is the land of fads, and the education ones are the latest. The railways may be the next.