TEACHERS AND SCHOOL COMMITTEES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 813, 10 May 1910, Page 5

TEACHERS AND SCHOOL COMMITTEES.

Sir,—The teaching profession is to be congratulated upon having in its ranks at least one.teacher who has a fitting appreciation of the responsibilities of his position, and tlie independence necessary to maintain them. Were I a teacher now, I should like to shake hands with the headmaster of the Clyde Quay School, for his manly vindication of the principle that tho teacher cannot recognise the right of the School Committee to interfere in ' tho management of his school. It has . always been a serious blot on th» educational system of this country that the framers of the Education Act allowed the foolish clause to be inserted which provides that, subject to certain conditions, "the school committees shall have control of educational matters within their districts." Icannot suppose it was' ever contemplated that this would be interpreted as it has been interpreted in many parts of tho Dominion—especially in the- country districts. There,. the . committees may be found freely criticising the teachers' methods, discussing his, or h'er, treatment of the syllabus, and . freely giving; their opinion of the progress made by tho children, quite irrespective of the inspectors' reports. When, 'one'calls to wind the fuel that, in the country districts, the average. men ■ available for school committees would probably bo unnblo to pass tho third standard, the absurdity of the position ; that has come about is very striking. I have often wondered how men of. the stamp referred to cau' venture to- take" upon themselves the duties of a member of a School Committee. Yet they cheerfully do sp, and assume tho right to criticise tho work of the teachers. Even the city committees often exceed their legitimate functions. In a certain school in a southern city, some years since, the : ' coramitteo informed a newly-appointed teacher that it. had decided to rearrange tlie distribution of. tho staff. This the teacher refused to allow, claiming that it was his business. If I -emember aright, the board upheld the teacher, and the chairman of tho committee resigned. This state of things can come to pass at any timo under the idiotic clause in tho Education Act abovo, referred to, when a weak or timid teacher has the misfortune to have to work with an aggressive and arrogant committee. That it does not happen often is due to the good sense of the majority of tho committees' rather thf.ii *o the Education Act that we make such a fuss about. In this country democracy has run mad, a condition of 'things that has created, among other evils, that to which I have referred. And_it has been submitted to for so long that there is little hope how that it can be remedied. But if all our teachers' were as conscientious and courageous as the headmaster of the Clyde Quay School, the boards would he compelled to support, them. If not, .public opinion would. Apologising for the length of this letter,—l am, etc., EX-TEACHER.