SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2874, 12 September 1916, Page 6

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

Sir, —Would you be good enough to inform. a lot of wondering parents whore the provocation lies for the proson t school holidays? In those lator days the educationists liavo evolved a lot of fanciful ideas in regard to mothods of instruction, the great hulk of which scorn aimed at relieving both scholar- and teacher from that good old hard work of former years. It cannot be claimed that a hotter class of primary education is being instilled, as any person having to do with'hoys recently from school will testify. Now the holiday crazo scorns to be the rage. When this writer was in the fourth standard, some 34 years ago, a common task for ono night's homowork would consist of a problem in arithmetic, the drawing of a map equal in size and contour to the North Island of New Zealand, memorising a bit of verse like Longfellow's "The Bridge." parsing a few sentences, and probably nn essay on somo subject chosen by the teacher during the day. No homework at all seems to bo tho rule nowadays in some schools, even up to the sixth standard, with the result, all the educational theorists to the contrary, that tho child becomes mentally indolent,.

The Hon. Mr. Hanaii, who promised us a return to common-sense methods in regard to primary instruction, seems very slow finding his feet, as the sport' ing scribes say, but it would ho some relief to many parents if ho would promiso us no more weeks off for our youngsters this side of the Christmas vacation.—l am, etc., SPARTAN. AVellington, September 11, 1916. P.S.—Since writing tho .foregoing I have learned that tho children at one school are to undergo an interim examination immediately on their return, when the knowledge formerly imparted, has becomo stale, or is it expected that the parents aro to undertake a teacher's duties during the vacation?