NOTES ON EDUCATION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 577, 4 August 1909, Page 9

NOTES ON EDUCATION.

(By Socuates.) . ■ TEACHERS'. APPOINTMENTS. Twice within the last twelve' months has i tho branch of'tlio Now Zealand Educational' Institute had. an opportunity of u jusEitying its 'existMicft .as a ,l>jdy. charged <; Ayith the > duties and reiapoiitibiiit-iea or pic-' 0 ■guarding^the; professional ■■■ interests ot- its. memboio. wicG has it .signally Jailed to. £ 'act;, , 'i>o iirst .occurred prior to ttio, general election of last:' year, wncn .tho tcacncra _ throughput iNcw Zealand were threatened witiT a 'vefy grave, iiijust-ice■ • m .connection p with their increase ot salaries. On that oc- c casioh. ,0116., looked. in, rain = for some official 0 expression 'of 'opinion, -from/, the. .-Wellington, „ brajich; The eecond occasion was on July. g 23•'last,• before.'the date of the Ju y. meet- s ing of -tho Education' Beard, when tho insti- j tuib was asked by one!-of;its mcmueu-(Mr;• T D..Al.:Yeats, of -lower Hutt) toendorse t tho following resolutionv • "That this' meeting : is heartily in ac- s -cord with tho' resolution, -notice "of -mo-p ! 'taon'of ; which :;, has been giveu by Mr. A. • ii '■ H. A'ilo ; for tho iiext bdira "ineeting, I that, one Jiiamo only be sent ill future l to ; t school committees when-;appointments -s are to bo made." • 1 j; ■ . •' ■' ' ,; S This repbliition, to havo been of any,',value. 9 at all, -, should' have been adopted at -that g meeting, aii, the board ,uiet tiicf'.wcek after, . pad/altnough it might bo too .much to say ■ : .that I ,the adoption of . the resolution 'would . have • materially, influenced tho . .voting' at thi / teafd'-meeting,'' there' can be no'doubt' that' , as ;an expression of disap- J proval, would, havo carried weight. Tiie . writer, was present at the, institute meeting, ' aiid frordj his 'personal 'knowledge of the his- . tory of'.school appointments; before and after. " tho' passing.of■rue 'Education 'Act of' 1908, t was ;in- a' position'to know. fairly how . .mueh'niost.of'tiiose'prcsDiit'had suffered by ■ the-anomalies of the ( presoht' and previous', i 'systems.of. appbiiitment3 and promotions: .Alltne:, circumstances •, .pointed-to a .unanimous' , discuDsioii.'ori', the , Subject;; and the .ultimate adoption'of the potioh.v'''What . 'happened?' ,•{ It; was. seconded pro forma, strongly opposed ' by "Air. Lytic- (Lower Mutt; ana udr. yoysey... (Shannon)", ;; and ! sliblv'ed for future.discussiPn. Mr. Lyne thought that "it waa very desir- } ablo ; that the -jtawer should'bo given" to tho committees;for ! the. reason that any ;ejrrora of . judgment ion- the part of tho.board might bo counterbalanced'by. the •committee." Quite, . bo./ The committee,-with, no. expert knowledge "of 'education, and" ; a ;very superficial. j knowledge.of otir education system ,and the, . principles.l'gdyeriliiig.,the ■ classification of--teaeiors, lOan/be..relied upon,., thinks ;; ;Mr.. , Ljue,- to counterbalance errors, of judgment , ■ on'-the part', ofa board.'which, has at its. ! ; ybow',: so: ' speak,, its- staff of inspectors as j advisors in . such in otters.:' JJr. > Lyne is lab--curing: uiidef : ?a',delusion, Mr... Voysey's statement that the courseproposed. of; send-' ing'•oflisVv';naine : vpnly,'''.to.' i the committees • Would be-'a deliberate-breach, of the provi- ( .sious' of';the ']statiite : offered c]ear enough: evi- ' denco-'that ,that; speaker': had' not/carefully J studied' the' Act. . Those .'members present ; who'; cb'uld''havoj'spoken'; with 'some emphasis ,■ and weight on the jsubject/chose; for. reasons .best tof■ silcntV • $o ' thp'.(opportunity slipped away, and. so, : ( for. the second;.time,' did the- institute cul-; ; pably neglcct to fulfil its obligation to' : the ( prbfessioßi.- Contrast'this policy with that, of; the 1 Southland, branch, of tno Institute, .. the, ;annual ' reports ef which distinctly / 'states' i;;' ';' '] ;• "Tho method of,, appointing. teachers .; , ■.;'Ahad''not'.'bMri : imprpvcU''in any important '■ '<res|pect:''-by;' tho, ;medifications .made iii ■' ; '.l^tho.'.Act'last'session. 1 On this matter of: ' eccuring a moio equable and satisfactory 1 systemv s 6f;''malung'-promotiolis the in- V, :Btitute'', should" concentrate, its forces'.".',. ; I; 'Mr., .George London, a ! caiididatß for. the .; 'Ta'ca"ntj'seat : ;:ori .tho AVelliiigtoii Education lcttbr" to 'tho-":school ;'committees 'of 'tho Hutt and . :Maiiawatuy.i : , ! in.; Hvhich'Vthe following,, senti;nierits arc'Expressed'.'.r'/. i •"Rega'rding o: th6' of school com-. J 'mittees,V;l . am' ;of ' the ;' opinion : tKat'-' it ' 'will ■ 'Cbiiiluce; best ;;t'o;:';thp' : . cause^'' of': educational; 'rfift'tecsS rather' : *thfln'-.^-te'/festricV'the^;;'and' j appiicaiits..for,vacant' ! :temersKigs| : j',Mmwifteeß''.. should 'I'sliaro.'tlid; irtspbusibilities'of,'the board,' and not; merely, ; i chbicp;'of ;thp board; ; .':As''. the direct .bf'':.pMohts, \'*»inmittcbm6tt;' ;(it : : seems.' : tp m.e) ;are moro' sensible of 'tlieir i duties than can be any-body of men who are but '. indirectly concerned about any' particular group of children. When it is realised, as IViia. surb.'it; must ,be .by. 'most.'intelligent :men, :how far short our standard of education is in imparting"! •practical, khowledgo, of .things /as' the,v v 'exist; : to- our children,. and 1 whelping their . character, the !clusioi};'becomes. 'evidentthat the/interests;. ' in 'education :ihotild be,so'diffused amongst : school manafjoinenta as to sccuro tho Highest ' Iresiilts : by ;'pnlistihg, the' -help, of those, most;, affected by.the results.-'. . -.. : ' s ..'He.'.does'.npt, iShoWhow "it-would;conduce best to tho eauso of .educational''advancement .to extend tho : powers of. committees' rather than to - restrict tliem," or in what.Way ; a '/diffusion;; of school-!ni'ahagcmeht.-.wbuld' supply "practical know-.' 'ledge ;of "as .tliey exist., to our child-\ rcn . . i j : The ; 'headmastership of the, Petone' Main;Schbol jJ'"one :pf tho most desirable "plums"., in . the Wellington' Education pistnct. The . position will; be'coiiio-; vacant., at: tho' 'end of- ; the'year,'-but the"appointmeht ,will be made' .this^month.':';,lt, is. stated .tliat "tho. local is ' being 'diligently ; canvassed-by various'candidates just now.' One .member ■ of tho'committee, it is reporte'd, has., been ; canvass'ed ;by : no fower than' throe , of the. ; 'candidates,;: ;whilb,his. ; fellow-memberß have, not,been entirely neglected m this respcct., Thd Wangaiiui 'Education Board his iiitroi: duce'd a classificatibn. scheme for . its teachers, marivs h«ing awarded aa follow.; , ' • .: •' ._ ,• Professional.Skill. ;. (a) Sen-ice ... ■ ... ... .... : ...i 10 (b) Teaching : 30 ' ' (c) Organising. ,- ■. ;'•: ' ... 10 ; (d) Discipline ;; ... ... 10 i. (e) Attention -to environment :10 •: (f);.Educatibnal, standing ... -V , ;...i~2O ■ (g) Personality ... ..... ... ... 10 L - !. Totai , ... -... '..i' 100 ■; If/The! teachers,:are then' ranked—Ranks " i i .(Highest), , to>. 10 (lowest)—-according to " the' ) totals obtairipd. Under-the. heading '"Educa- > tional - standing,'.' E certificate equals 2, D s equals 5, O equals 10, B equals IS, A equals ! 20. There, is also another column for; "Grade j of the Echool"—or for assistants—"Grado of salary.",- , ' , One of the administrative duties .which devolvo upon Education Boards is the provij' sion from time to time of relieving teachers.' 3 It is a duty which , should not be performed , in a casual, spirit, for the responsibilities of f' reliPnng teaeh-ers, are very much greater than k local 'educational authorities are,.ssposed-,.tb > believe..,;Ono.may easily imagine what would happen ;were. a- medical -practitioner.'to leave y his - pHarge of; an (inexperienced t, /looum' tenensVfor. a month. His, practice' 4 would go to. pieces. \et that is precisely what is happening in the Wellington Education District at the/present time. A teacher 6 iii .a responsible position, obtains a; , month's ■j leave: for private ■ reasons; and his, or her,' n place is filled very often by a teacher of in■e ferior calibre, a""casual employee.V The/re!t suit very' frequontly -is that- the discipline, r. tone, methods, and;general work of the class it —it may .' be' a whole disorganiGed •s to such ari' oxtcnt that tho: regular teacher it on returning-td duty frequently finds that t instead of picking up the reins and • going forward general revision of every departlt ment of the -work is necessary: ' Tho month, J. in fact, has been lost out of the'year's activr " t _ ity, to tho detriment,of the children's interB " est-.' It is not an easy undertaking to drop a into a school, "take,holt," as "the Americans m say,'and, nuf the institution as a going contd corn for : a'limited time, while at the same rs time disturbing, as little as possible , the ii.- standard,, methods,' and •.general'-system" ."of 10 the regular teacher. : Relieving work should a bo regarded as -specialised work/ calling for )X exceptional ability and. speoial salary. : Tha , position at present is that relieving teachers; having merely a casual interest in the school, • and very, often "casual" salary,'aro content to allow matters to drift along, without anj to attempt at real progress; in tho work- of thoii ■; temporary appointments.