PHYSICAL EDUCATION.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1959, 16 January 1914, Page 8

PHYSICAL EDUCATION.

THE NEW REGIME,

TEACHERS UNDER CANVAS,

About forty male teachers go under canvas at Day's liny to-morrow, for a ton days'' course of instruction. in tho Education Department's physical culture course. Speaking ■to a Dominion reporter yesterdiiy, Mr. Royd Garliclc, Director of the Physical 'Education Department, gave, an interesting outline, of tho work • already done, and to he done by his Department. The. teachors go into camp to-morrow morning, and a start will''bo mado in the afternoon to got under way with tho work. Theoretical, matter will first be taken, ami an outline of the whole work given. Then tho various Branches in the course will bo carried out in theory and practice. When tho- physioI logical value and technique of tho various exercises -have boon learned tho different tables of tho syllabus will be dealt with. When the toachers have mastered this important branch they take squad practice. This is for some days, till each teacher has a thorough knowledge of tho practical work of the syllabus. Spreading tho New Idea. In addition, to the men'a camp at Day's Bay, a camp for lady, teachers will be held during the samo period, at Pet-one, and some thirty, teachers are expected to. attend. A c.irop basb-;en arranged to open at Hastings on January 2(3; when about 200' teachers in tho Ha'wke's Bay district'witl attend for instruction, and a camp begins about February 7 at Hawera, when some 420 teachers will gather together.. Classes have- also been arranged'for Welling-' ion, to-commence about'the week'be-j fore Easter. "■ ■'•' ' • ■ ■' '

To date; teachers from most of the schools in the Auckland,'ilawke's Bay, and' Southland districts-hayo'received instruction-, and tho' system' has been firmly established. Teachers from.about 450 schools : hhve acquired , tho course, and in the Auckland ■-'district 30,000' children havo 'received the benefit from the instructor,■while!'some 2(],QQO children in , Hawko's Bay' and Southland have been benefited;" TJio Hawke.'s Bay'district has'•'not" yet: , been completed. The -Education Board there brought in tho -teachers from various, part's' of tho district, , 'enabling'a leavening process'to' bd' carried on.-' Mr.' Garliok state's th'at : the'various education, boards':'in .tho districts "■•■ named ■ h'ayd - givSJi ' tlio. riiost valuable assistance, arid "have ■■" shown .■very'. desiro to' 1 encourage'the .scheme, while the teachers takers ■ very, great interest in 'the training.. This is.shown by'the fact that a body of"-15.0. teachers from tho-Whangaroi district;.'after- 'going through the course, wrote- to tho" instructor'■ stating ■ that they realised that the work they had dbno had not been simply a matter of carrying out certain exercises, and memorising details, but had tfiven them an insight into the value of physical culture as a powerful aid to health and a potent factor in- discipline, giving the individual power of co-ordination of mind and musclo and self-control, and thus assisting iii the building up of a strong and virile character. Those Costumes. Referring to tho feelinc; , which existed against the scheme at the start, -Mr. Garlick pointed out that the teachers, oiico they got over their first disinclination to go into camp, lJecrimo very enthusiastic over tho courso of instruction. A good deal of resentment was evident at the start against tho costume emplo.yed. but this soon went. Ono instructor told tho teachers that tho costume was not.insisted upon, but that the teachers had sufiiciont good sense to realise- its importance, nnd, in fact, "doing -the- work in everyday clothes would be like navvying iif a dress suit'." Tho lady teachers soon realised the advantage of appearing in costume. "Wherever we go," concluded Mr. Garlick, "wo have found the teachers open to conviction." . ■ • . •