The Dominion. MONDAY, MARCH 15, 1909. THE SCHOOLTEACHERS' PROTEST.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 456, 15 March 1909, Page 4

The Dominion. MONDAY, MARCH 15, 1909. THE SCHOOLTEACHERS' PROTEST.

The protest mado by tho Wellington Headmasters' Association against the growing practice of thrusting upon school teachcrs responsibilities quite outside their legitimate round of duty cannot bo regarded as having been mado with any undue haste. The particular form of imposition to which objection is raised is the constant dragging out of school cadets for the purposes of public display and the consequent compulsory attendance at these displays of school teachers who have charge of the cadet corps. We have referred to this matter on previous occasions and have no hesitation in giving endorsement to the stand taken by the headmasters, and supported, we feel sure, by the great majority of school teachers. There are no doubt enthusiasts of an extreme kind who derive some satisfaction j from these outings and the opportunity which they afford for displaying the admirable state of discipline attained in their respective corps; but they are the exception. The majority begrudge the call upon their leisure time, which, as is pointed out, is already encroached upon in a variety of ways, affecting the interests of pupils outside the school routine. The resentment of the headmasters appears to be in part prompted by the fact that the school teachers are not consulted prior to being callcd on to assist at these public demonstrations: that it is taken for granted that they should be willing to sacrifice their leisure and sink their dislikes—if they have any—for the delectation of the general public. While resentment on this score is quite proper, the attitude of the public on the subject is I not altogether surprising. The tendency ! has been, and is, to impose more and more responsibility upon school teachers the matter, of the training . of the children under their chargc. There is an inclination on tho part of many parents to shift their burdens in respect of the up-bringing of their children on to the teachers—they expect far more from the school work than school discipline and the teaching of the children in the subjects of tho school curriculum. They regard the school tcacher in the light of a person paid by the State to relieve them of certain parental responsibilities, Und they do not trouble very much to think where those responsibilities begin and end. The fact that the school teacher, in carrying out these added duties, may bo making a personal sacrifice seldom occurs to them. Wo do not suggest that this is tho universal attitude of parents, but there i is undoubtedly evidence of a failure to. ■ properly appreciate the limitations of our free State education) and to cxpcct far

too groat a return from the modestly- I paid State school teacher. The protest now made, although it docs not bca,r di-' rectly on this point, may serve to remind the public that the teachers' side of the question deserves consideration. Reverting to tho immediate subject-of the protest, there can be no room for doubt that occasional public parades of school cadct corps must havo a very beneficial cffect in stimulating the interest of tho boys and their oflicers in their drill and in maintaining a proper standard of efficiency. But the thing can be overdone—it has been overdone—and the protest mado is reasonable. As to the proposals of the Headmasters' Association, there should be no objection to falling in with these conditionally on some definite understanding being arrived at as to the particular occasions upon which parades should he held.