THE SCHOOL YEAR

Hokitika Guardian, 21 December 1928, Page 2

THE SCHOOL YEAR

(Auckland ”6tar.”)

Lowell once said that Lite best tes. of anility to speak in public wouh be to place a speaker standing at oih mid ot a bench on who!: were seate( s. haul buys waiting to get away lor tin holiday.-, so lli.il it the buy.- -got u, the bench would be up-s 1 and tin speaker thrown to the ground. IK thought that i! anybody could boh tiie atu ntion of the buys for ten minutes under these conditions wit bon. their getting up be might fairly ( lain some skill as a maker ot speeches. L is feared that lew of those who de liver addresses at. prize-givings am break in -up functions would ionic sue i-e.ssf .ill,- through this test. Gue !l t. puzzles ol school liie lor Lnc average small boy is why it should be no ee.-sary for him to listen to keg speeches Ik fort tiie prize- are di.stri billed and be e:.it get away, tln-ug! it is (»uly fair to say that <d ret cm years speeches in Auckland have beei reduced considerably. I radtlion ha (•(iiisecrated these fund mu- to the tie ! 1 very of set orations on education: 1 , topics which sekl 'iu touch matters ilia are considered by the pupils to he o: vital interest to themselves.

The average boy in the lower form noloriunately too olteii looks on tin winner of a prize with some contempt |]e is regarded as one who lias (boot ted to mental effort the time Mia. might so much more worthily hav been given to sport. Methods ol edit cation change, and each new ex peri niont is bailed as being the latest am best in training the young idea. Bo’ nature, however, renin ins the same and it mostly regards all methods a equally futile. Yet there is a ebara about tlie New Zealand boy that i ali his own. He is frank, adventurous, easily iiiliuriired and guided, am jmssesesd ol much resource and indm •Jve. lie is entirely free from tba. spirit of exclusiveness which so oit.e. marks the boys I loin the older Lug iisii pulilie schools. lie is also roalK anxious to learn, if only lie cat! sc< the practical bearing of what be i: being taught. What \\ really v-f • t breaking up functions is not platitude or essay on education. We can ggt these i kings in the heavier kinds e-! reviews. We want some light thrown on the different', kind of education needed ii our DmiYin'ioii, and 1,111 tiie' best meannf drawing out the latent, .aljilii ics ni our young 'people and adapting them to tiie 'rpiidit ions they are liuely to meet wild in'after iiie in their own land. One pie;e of advise given h\ |)r .lowott. tlie Master »f BalliM. might be rememht red by some tenr.u-

cis. In writing to two lady teachers wl'-i were going ior a uoliuay. In snil that be hoped they would make it a real holiday and not try to improve their minds. There is probably little need to give this advice to the children of the schools,