WOMEN TEACHERS' MEETING

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2117, 7 April 1914, Page 2

WOMEN TEACHERS' MEETING

PROFESSION'S NEEDS. The annual meeting of the' Women's Teaolicra' Association was. Held at GotJbor's .Rooms, Cuba Street., last evening, and was presided over by Miss Helyer, Thero was a very good attendance, and several important matters" in coiuieetion with tho profession as it affects women were discussed. In her opening speech, Miss Helyer drew attention to tho aims of tho association, and recounted the work that bad been done so far by. their organisation. When tho first Royal Commission on Education was sot up in 1901, it was felt that questions affecting tho training of girls and. tho status of women teachers should bo placed before. tintCommission by women delegates. Miss Lorimer and Miss Craig had _ chosen to do so, and also Mrs. Francis, oil behalf of infant schools, In 1904 a suggestion was mado that, in placo of tho fortnight's holiday in June, a week should ho given in May aftd a week jn September, and also that an additional week should be granted at tho .midsummer holiday. Those suggestions wero taken up by the New Zealand ISducatis-nal Institute, a.nd tho conecs■siojis were ultimately granted by tho Education Board. Among other important matters which tho association had brought forward was getting tho local branch of tho New Zealand Educational Institute to agreo -that two women should bo members of the pre* posed Council of Education. .The association realised that, without the assistance of tho instituto, it would not have gained much of tho ground that, had already been won, and it "was, therefore, necessary that all worn-en teachers should not only suppo-rt tho Moiety, but also support tho local branch of the Now Zealand Instituto. The aims of tho association w-ero to pro» TOO to tie education of, girls. generally: to improve the status of women teachers ; to promote intercoursn between teachersto give women an opportunity of speaking in public; to help women' in conducting a- business meeting'. Women on an Atlsisofy Beard. Miss FinkySon wasnestcalted on. In a paper which she read, plans for the coming year were outlined, Th© proposed inauguratioa of. a-Council 0 f Education, with members on it whoj* oa account of their intimate knowledge' of education and educational methods, would bo well qualified to advise and direct education, was dwelt upon.' The fact that a large proportion of pupils in the primary arid secondary schools were . girls, and that there was an increasing : demand for tlio fej&cliing of domestic: science, pointed to the need for . a woman expert oa the controlling body , to deal with a phase which none but a | specially qualified woman could efficiently deal with. The fact that one-third of tho children in ths schools were in* fants was a convincing proof that none but a woman who had oil intimate knowledge of young children and their ways, i.u the school or in tho heme, was qualified to give advjeo regarding their educational needs. The resolution recently passed at tho conference of- tho W.C.T.ir. (to- the effect that there should bo scrtno women on the Advisory Cauncil of Education) . showed that the • women teachers were not alone _ia holding such an opinion. Their resolution did not go ■far enough, however<• Tlio women mtist be highly gifted, and highly educated. Miss ■ Fii-jlaysan then brought forward tho- following- resolution.while congratulating tho' W.G.T.U. on their resolution, the Association of Women Teachers wishes' to 1 poiilt out'that they must be tho right kind of women, i.e., must have ait intimate .knowledge of children and their educational needs, not theoretical but- practical." Tho resolution- was carried unanimously. Parent, Child, and Teacher. Miss Myers, who followed Miss Fiulayson, said that tlio wakening of in-' tercet ill educational matters was a jjood sign. It meant that people recognised their responsibility to the community. Miss Myers dealt very comprehensively with the relationship of child and parent and with tho relationship of both to tho teacher,' and expressed tho opinion that' there could be- no improvement in conditions till there was a proper adiifstroeiit of the relationship that csi-sted between parent and teaeher in phe «iueatiou of the child. Theto must bo cooperation. The difficulties in securing this, however, lay in.tho .large cla.sses, the changing every year, and the- teaching of older girls by men and'the absence of women responsible for them. Present conditions must bo modified, 1-nit the women to bring that about must havo first-hand knowledges of the conditions ,that prevailed in the schools, must take a comprehensive view of education, must have practical as well as theoretical knowledge of tho subject, and must bo in sympathy with the human element. Inequalities of Women and Men's Work. Miss Coad gave an interesting paper' on the status of women teachers. She ' pointed oi.it that, although theoretically the highest positions in tho land were ; open to women, in actual practice none were occupied by them. Few occupied high positions, at all. Thci'o were two ways in-which women's positions could bo improved-'-first, by increasing salaries all round, and second by giving teachers a classification and promotion scheme based on efficiency and service. No salary scheme, however, generous, could sj.ro general satisfaction unless accompanied by a classification and promotion- scheme; "The. same anomalies would exist under tho new scheme as under tho present- one, unless tho methods of appointment were changed. Tho majority «>.f women retired after 30 yeans' service, or on reaching tho ago of 55 or 60. not- having reached a salary higher than £180. Many never even reached that amount, though drill instructresses. could step ,in imd got. £300 a year. Such a classification might do away with, tho anomaly of placing very young men (with two voars' experience a-a pupil teachers and two years at a Training College) over tho heads of oxporieiiccd women with 15 to 20 years or more experience of teaching. Officers Elected. Tlio election of officers ■ was as follows Miss Helyer (retiring) was succeeded by Miss Myers as president; vice-presidents, Miss Helyer, Mrs, M'Kollar Smith, and .Miss Dowdswell; secretary, Miss Coad; treasurer, Miss Bright;" committee, Misses Williams, Finiaysen, Sinclair,.and Cooper. A very hearty vote of thanks to Miss Helyer, tho retiring president, for her valuable work for "the association' wan passed with much heartiness, Supper. then brought tho business of the evening to a close. A meeting of who intend working for'tho return of Mr. J. 11.I 1 . Luke as Mayor of Wellington was called by tho Mayoress yesterday afternoon and was held in Godbor's Rooms, in Courtney Place. There ins a very good attendance and much enthusiasm was shown in tho working out of details for tho coming campaign. A largo committec was formed, plana were discussed, and work assigned to tho different com-, mittee members, and about 4 o'clock i the Mayor arrived and addressed tho [ meeting*. Afterwards Mr. and Mrs. J. P. iLiike entertained «U present at afternoon tea. ; I