PRIVATE SCHOOLS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 712, 11 January 1910, Page 3

PRIVATE SCHOOLS.

; Sir,—ln your . issue of- January 5 there is. a report -of the Teachers'. Congress, and •in • connection therewith' ' I ; should like. to..say_ a few words on. Macdon'ald's critioism,of priavte and denomina-' tionSl, schools. He states; that-headmas-ters receive a ; shock lvhen examining for classification pupils who have 'been attending private . schools. I' think :>'they would .receive .a greater shock, if .'they, examined 'some -of the' pupils'-attending' the.country State,schools.''.,ln' the State schools the pupils are,'examined- by their: teachers;, in privato ' schools of any standing an. outsider .• is ' asked to- conduct the. examination..', In- many: of the State school -examinations' the children are allowed . out of school : while: doing - an ' arithmetic or other paper,'"and a' great deal of cribbing, is also done. I could show Mr. Macdonald some exercise hooks from, the Stat© school that - would give him a shock. I may say that' 1 have had experience in,both private and State schools, being, partly: educated 'in each;', -and private schools in those days we're not.nearly as good- as' now. 1 ' I cannot see why the teaching in a ; , private school is not. as good as in a State school. In a private;'school-.'the classes are not as large,:so the. pupil gets inoro of the ■ teacher's time 'and - individual: teaching. Most 'of the ■ teachers in private schools are; highly- qualified. I know -.of. a-.girls* school where three of the teachers have; taken' their - M.A. 1 degree : andtwo their B;A. - Where';-is -there a ;pi:imar,y school with higher qualified teachers? About 50 children attend this.; school, flo. why should they;not- receive .'as 1 good: tuition as . where,. one: teacher is ' expected ' to teach as many; as 70 or Mr. Mac; donald says .State'school •'■' teachers are oftenexpfected to teach this- number ' 1 ' I have, .unfortunately, to seed my children to the State school, as'l . have not ' the money to. send. them- 'elsewhere', •; Before the State.-, inspectors! exiinine privateschools lot them , properly,! examine their own, and .not leave it. to the' teachers to judge work. .-^Denominational schools . J _ know' -little -') about; except Catholic, schools, ./Which, I thinV; co i. pare ;?ery'.favourably.with the v State schools.. ln - conclusion,' I; would 'point out that State school - teachers i have to get very,' very, poor ".results before anv achonis. taken by the Education Boanf ' and then they are simply transferred to some other unfortunate school. In the case of a. private school ■ a teacher would very soon-be dismissed if not-satisfa'ctoir. —I am, etc., .. • MATER.