Children Not Doing Lessons May Be Reclassied

Chronicle (Levin), 19 February 1948, Page 2

Children Not Doing Lessons May Be Reclassied

Several of the home assignment papers corrected by the teachers had shown that some of the chiljdren were not taking their work 'seriously, said the headmaster of the Otaki primary school when speaking at a meeting of the Home ,and School Association. He urged the parents to encourage their children to carry out the assignments carefully. The parents had a duty to their children and while the mother's work would be made rnuch heavier, the assignments had been designed so that they could be done by the children with a minimum amount of help from their parents. The difficulties of a mother in the present circumstances was fully appreciateed by the teachers and also that the giv'ing of assistance wras in some cases imp-ossible. There was a large attendance at the meeting whieh. was presided over by Mr. R. Bills. The matter of children not sending in work was dealt with. These children would find themselves at a loss to coveer the work when school took up again, and a reclassification of the pupils so offending would have to be considered. Some suggestions for working the schqme were made, and several questions were asked, each one being answered by the teachers present. Miss M. Lochore, infant mistress, described the methods being used to help the primers, rnost of the children concerned having been personally contacted by the infant. teachers. Miss Lochore urged parents to see that the children worked in well lighted rooms and given a reasonable amount of help on the methods she had explained. It was decided to hold the usual monthly meeting on March 4, when some other aspects pf the present lessons would be discussed. Since the meeting, the headmaster has received word tliat teachers are not to visit children in their ihomes, and usks that parents conftact the school immediately for instructions regardihg infant work. I Assignments for Standards 1 and ' 3 had not yet come to hand, but j" all other classes were receiving the ; department's booklets of work into which there had been a great amount of thought and effort.