School Lessons

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 52, 17 March 1937, Page 6

School Lessons

■ O' I ' 11 SCHEME FOR PUPILS Publication of Work to be Done at Home PROPOSAL OUTLINED The inauguration of a system of tea&ung through the ' medium of the newspaper as a means of mitigating the loss suffered by the « children because of the closing of the schools was decided upon last evening by the headmasters of the various schools in Hastings and ihe sorrounding districts. The meeting of headmasters was eaHed by Mr, G. A. Maddison, chairman of the Hawke's Bay Education Board, and was hold in the Mayoral office. All the schools in the district aff-ected by the order closing down the schools in the defined area were represented, and the idea of using the services of the Press was enthusiastically aeceptecL Mri, Maddison said that he had called t&e headmasters together with' the idea that they should forcnulate some system of teaching the children during the period the schools were closed. He pointed out that though at present the schools had been closed until just after Easter, it was possible that the period might bo estended if the outbreak showed no signs of abatement. "Needless to say we all deplore the reason for closing the schools and what conoerns me-at the moment is.the e£fect that this latest break in the school year will have upon the education of the children," he said." "It will be readily appreciated that this break will further shorteh the school year and everything possible should be done to minimise the effect of'such a shortening." Mr, Maddison added that he understood that lessons 'were to be broadcast over the air, but there were obvious difSculties to this serviee. and he was of the opinion - that the headmasters could evolve a better system of having the children' do a- certain amount of elass - work- in- their own homes during the time the schools were closed. . Gratuitons Serviee. He added that he'had been successful in securing the co-operation of -the Herald-Tribune who 'had .agreed to' place. at the disposa! of the headmasters a column a day for.. the purpose of bringing' before : the ' notice ' of the children and the patents ' the lessons that the headmasters could set theih. "This very 1 gen'erous "serviee on the part of the Press is a gratuitous-one and I am sure that it will be greatly appreciated by the teachers, the parent's and the children," he said. "It. will serve as a link between -the 'teaching staffs and the children in their homes." The meeting appreciated the wisdom of keeping in toueh -witfa. tli© pupils, and it -was explained that jn' practically every instance some arrangements had been made whereby the children wero instructed before breaking-np- on Monday afternoon of the work they could do- during ihe extra holiday period. .CHECKING OF .WORK H was felt by the meeting that it was desirable that the work done by the children in their homes should be checked over by the teachers, and this aspeet, together with the drawing up of a system of tuition, was fully discussed by ihe headmaster lafer in'the evening when they met .together to formulate a scheme. At this latter meeting, presided over by Mr E. Bissell, it was decided that all the town schools, Pakipaki, Mangateretere, Havelock North, Clive, Twyford and Haumoana be included in the scheme which was to be put into operatlon immediately. Full details of the lessons set will he found on page '9 of this issue, but briefly it was agreed that the first lessons be as foliow: — Mechanical arithmetic, for Standards 1 to 6; reading and spelling, for Standards 1 to 6 ; geography, for Standards 3 to 6. In. the event of the schools not re-opening on Tuesday, March 30, a more comprehensive scheme is to he submitted for pupils to work. In the meantime it has been decided that headmasters meet every morning at nine o'elock at the Hastings Central School to prepare ,the lessons. The principal of the Hastings High School,. Mr W. A. G. Penlington, has also arranged with the Herald-Tribune for the use of a column for setting out the lessons to be done by the pupils in their own homes, and the first lessons will also be found on page 9 of this issue.