EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 211, 31 May 1919, Page 9

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE

» "IDEALS OF SCHOOL EFFICIENCY." The Wellington branch of the New Zealand Educational Institute met in the Education Board's rooms last evening Mr. C. N. Haslam presided. ■It was decided to forward to other branches certain motions carried at last meeting, when the training of junior teachers was discussed. Monday night.was fixed as the night for the holding of future meetings, Mr. ' J.' S. Tennnnt, M.A., read a paper upon "Ideals of School Efficiency.". Aft'. Tennnnt opened in ironical strain with a number of quotations that threw light upon former ideals of efficiency, eocalled. Ho urged that as the position of the leaolior lmd improved, the responsibility of tho teacher had increased correspondingly. The school of to-day was far ahead of the school of twenty years ago, but it was still possiblo that tho modern school was not adequate (o tho manifold demands of modern social life. Golden opportunities would bo missed if the communal instinct were not sufficiently exploited in the school. Thn purely individualistic programme was fai too narrow for to-day. It was strange that tho school had attempted so 1-ttle i'o mould public opiniou to what it ought to be. If the school was what it should bo it could teach perfectly the fundamentals of good citizenship. The training of the child for citizenship must br> eminently practical. How was the school to bo made tho instrument for the saving of civilisation? First, the lonelier must be better • educated and 'better trained. The study of tho child must replaco much of the "method"' at present required of tho teacher. The child had need of more eolf-discipline, and less ex. termil regulation. There should , bo morn doing and less preaching* Morality wns doing, not thinking, and tho school -should aim at creating opportunities for living morality. The aesthetic instincts of thtv child were to-dily killed early by drab unsightly environment. The "ox"liressivc arts," as they were called, could be of no use (o the child if. through the fault nf present conditions, the child had nothing to express. A short discussion followed tUo reading of. the paper,