Country Schools.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 158, 6 July 1877, Page 5

Country Schools.

18. Glifton Terraee i; Mrs" Harrington. — (21.) — The rate of attendance here during the past year, 72 par cent, is quite good enough to warrant the expecta--tion of a higher standard of attainment than has yet been reached. : The children read and wrote fairly, but cut a sorry figure in other especially, in geography au(|: arithmetic. ,Tli% Were very orderly. ' J -19tf HilMife : MistFolokmann:— (17.)— Although almost all the older scholars had left before my last examination, the youngsters who remained did remarkably well in every respect. The arithmetic Avas uniformly correct, not one scholar failing to pass, with several^aums^o snare. Very fewjmistakes wer^ma^eify dictatipn.j TOe l%t of gootif writers is.ilso f&j larger, nYprajpottion t£!the numbers on the roil aid tliig age of GhildWyfcnan can be £hown by t anyJothJsL of our public schools. The exercise books are mode's of neatness. The discipline is perfect. 20. Happy Valley : Miss Gill. — (2\.) — The improvement in this school that I noticed last year _is being steadily carried on. The ireading! is now very: fair, the writing neat, and the dictation almost faultless. In arithmetic a moderate standard is attempted, and is fully attained, none failing to pass 111 the several grades taken up. The children can now give a rational account of what they -had been reading, the '"first/class answering;' >,el£ la ;' geograpny. : '"' Excellent order is (63.) — The present master had been appointed only three months^ when^ I examined his scfrooi,^iring a, llTge^ortib^o'f ' sehool-wofk hadp)eeS: iriterrujjiteji by his ;pWn -ilhias&^attd Sy, the;absence r of %W sch'olatrat Kop' -picking.' "JTsaw enough of his method of working, however, to satisfy me that Stoke, under his management, was not likely to lose the good position that his predecessor, Mr. Barnett, had gained for it. I was particularly- struck-"with- the "good quality of the reading, which was formerly notoriously bad. Unusual attention is paid to organization and to class-drill, the discipline being very good, though no ..QorporaLpunishment whatever-^ pow4nflicted.r . --. ,-■ , 22fc&ichkond : Mr. Mpbso^ \Miss Saywell\ Assis? fo?z#.-f-:(57,)r— 1 was pleased to '-sM [l that the drildren; in fhelower classes, of whQset|idl9tinct reading 'l had! to. complain in my'la^fc: rep^it, sjpoke out audibly .enough at this yearts exainpi^tion. }■ The weafe point :1a i;lie scMool was, Where -I least' expected to find it; in" the handwriting. The copy-books of the juniors were almost? Uniformly slovenly, Jhe" Vntfn'g Exhibited by even the old&jfi sisijp&Js ,b'ei^g|by.! noi means" equal v to:the standarii'of^rmer yea l^* -lirevWy thing else thTe v upper classes did well. The first class, which formed an unusually large proportion of the school (more than a fourth), did very fairly in ari L thmet|c t a.nd remarkably well in reading, dictation, and geographyV On the whole the junior classes are by no means so well taught as those under the immediate charge of the master. 23. Richmond, Girls: Miss Spencer; Miss O'LougJilan, Assistant. —^53.) — The' girls passed an excellent examination in every subject this,. year, .the ..strong points being reading, writing, and, dictation, the latter of which was, as usual, nearly^ fjiuLfcless^throughout.' The upper classes also, didi wfell['- iii arithmetic, geo^ graphyy ari'd4rstory, JtMs being" o*rie ; of "th^'fewVchools '" in which the latter subject has not been abandoned. The order-is perfect. : *■■ ■ -«-._,->---,.-.-- - 24. Bdnzaut Mr. Vawles,— (43.)—The jaaaifer has striven' hard, and by' no means uusuccessfiiliyj to take away the reproach of backwardness from Ranzau. His scholars certainly acquitted themselves better, in almost every respect, than they did last year. I observed that the older scholars were occasionally required to give, in their^'sum-books, iff: 'tißfeir'-owh " language, the reason for each step in the process. The valuable mental training thus given has doubtless told favorably on the arithmetic, which has improved very perceptibly. -- %5: Hope-. Mr.^Thorbtmi—^p^—Th&'Tch^reh ;h(sre write neatly, are fairly ! iii geography, jand make few mista^ps in dic,tatujhj They aje deficient Un the./|s6weF of explaining -w^W t&ey have-read, and, in reading, have a tendency to drawl. The arithmetic is of more than average merit. The discipline falls somewhat below ■ the standard now generally attained in our schools. 26. River Terrace. Mrs. Bryant and Miss Bryant. — (50.) — In dictation the upper classes acquit themselves welL . The handwriting is also generally neat, and the? arithmetic of at least average merit. The lower classes, however, read very indistinctly, a fault from which &w t evea in ih& first; class, are quite free,

27. Spring Grove: Mr Edvmnds; assistant, Mm Knapp.~(s7.)~hi several respects the upper classes of this school did fairly. They read distinctly, could neatly, and, The &.'jft clas:s, ho%<## did bally in? diction, and worse jn toithmetic. :^yo-thirdab| t|osejpresent failed to . psssj' 'pi "\ proportion and grae,tiee, /none succeeding Kitli frictions. ! !J?he arithmaticV of the second IraSi dlikd- classes was a&o very ißcorreret. The readtag and spelling of the children in the lower classes, some of whom were eleven years old, was of very poor quality. Little, if any, attempt seemed to have been made to teach them the multiplication table. I 8 a f 3 Ist and 2nd Divisions .- ■M&(M±l^'igifciffickP^.y-- The result of this year's examination afforded another striking instance oi the good effect of strictures that may have seemed somewhat harsh at the time of their appearance. No fault can now be reasonably found with the reading. -< u ctatio^,and,^r^trmai^f^%^.o4der children, ;who last y^rfapeJ-rlaMMtal^mWtn^e subjects. r^»^™|li(feste^ :andsie reading ■ot were. Ine writing is as gboHareverlt wasT" 80. 88 Valley: Mr Hill.— (2l.)— l found here, what is somewhat unusual, that the younger children were better taught than their seniors. Indeed, the attainments of those in the lower classes were considerably in advance of w6at|Thave been, accustomef £6p meet with in children oiffiie same ageV/\ The upper glasses read with a bad donation,. aM failed i 3 and grammar. cß|Cheir ponmarißhip was\ nbelow, their arithnt^-^iilve, thd^^veKsl^. The' organisation of the school was good. 81. Upper Wakefield: Mr Combes; assistant, Miss Hoult.— (s4.)— Although there had been no increase in the total number of scholars as compared with last year, I was able to record twice as many good readers. Tlie Hipper classes dfd well? in. ; grammar and dictation, and fairly in arithmetic, the handwriting being .yery neat. The school was orderly and well organised. >.-\ ..---'"•'' ••■' 32. Fox Hill: Mr H. Ladley.— (42:)— Many more children -were present at my last visit than I had ever found- before at Fox Hill; The result of the examination was also more satisfactory in every branch.; Arithmetic^ writing, and dictation were the subjeoti- in : ::whick: most '-progress ■ha^been"maie. The discipline had also improved. The children still leave school at a very early age, not more than five of the forty-two present being twelve years old. r .-83. Motupiko : Mr Franklyn. — (34.) — No school in '. Jhj Nelson district has improved so much during the past year as Motupiko. The number of good readers and writers has doubled, the arithmetic is both quick and accurate, and the discipline excellent. The weak j>oint is dictation. , 34. Waimea We^t i: Nor{h School : MrW.Ladtey.— ,'(29.) — This school continues to deserve the reputa- ; tion for sound teaching, that it has obtained under -the present master. TJie children read well throughout,* understand what they read, write very neatly, at&d spell well. Their exßrcise-bopks are al3o credible^ :performances. The arithmetic is/scarcely equal to; "t&eiest of the work, good. 35. Waimea West Village: Mr Robson, ju)i.—(3i.) The interruption of school work caused by the hoppicking has doubtless told unfavorably on the progressof the but_after_maJ4ng fuULallomtnce., Mth^dr^vM^, I felt disappointed wiih tfifc resuMs p! this ; ylarls rfexaminatloft; / \^he ilbwerr) cjgses witi th^le cf'the, • same'age mSi^ighboring schools in everyrespect ; the' writing, with two or three exceptions, was of poor quality throughout, and the dictation faulty. Tho two first classes read fairly, and acquitted themselves,. pi'Bfc|y^eU^^ffi^lfetic, but did badly in T3otli geography and grammar. The school was orderly. 36. Upper Moutere : Mr. and Miss Cook.— (GO.) — The excessive sub-division of classes, of which no lesfjthan nine were presented for examination^ hs,s injured,thisvsch6oT^ The yfoulger 'scholaff feff^t a tieciilia^ whinulg-*tone that niakes it, yerypimcilt totMlow-tbe^mdfttfing of whaftnly (are reading can give a clear account of the subject'' matter of the day's lesson. The uppefi classed 'did fairly in •^itoeti^and welPih Ration. l'^Th^wrflngJ |articu!4rly;vwda-shape^ is ! aea|l We sdis^lme^f as heretiofof e^excellent." '^ w 37. Ncudorf: Mr. and Mrs. Desaunais.~(ii.)— Neudorf passed a more creditable examination this year than on auy former occasion. The reading of ..t^fL::uppeii^^ssesrOTas--distHrct and-^well emphasised. The arithmetic and dictation were also very correct. Many of the children displayed a fair acquaintance with geography, and the outlines of history The J u^i 0 -^ cl * ss^ s >^o are nearly_,alL. r Cffirmans J!r though "evident^ caßefelly''. taught, leaW 1 Tery'.slQWy/; arid backv^aVcl for: "tli^ii |ge, b)it ■as jtHey- becom^-familiar with; the English i l^rtguage ■thfs.iinfe^prit^graaually disappears. ' } ! ;.'. ;[■ i ■ 3Q.fJLbwe!r?i Md&tire : Mr. Deck;! assistan-fc 'Mss .Ju'each^—^lSj-^Mm state of this ; seaoot coiatinites^o be most satisfactory. The children throughout read very niistinctly, sShd. understand wl^at they "ase /;TheTfntm'gJig well^^aped^la^ n^Ot", tlieah£; kcc^ral©^-' -Th^iippei?-' ofas^es^ did well in geography and dictation. Excellent order is kept. 39 and 40. Motueka, Ist and 2nd Divisions : Mr. -Bisley-; -{tss^tan^--Miss- Uiiy.— (loo.)— The handwriting here is better than it was last year. The upper classes are also well grounded in grammar and geography. The reading, in both divisions, is, on the whole, of good quality, although some of the children in the upper classes read rather^indistiilctly. The arithmetic, with, the\ exception, of /a.: fqikjeonspicuous failures in the first class, due entirely to . careless hasted is excellent. "It. would be, difficult to improve on* the discipline an^ organisation. :of $itlied "division. present rate ' of a third teacher will again be requiredT . . .41. N(iatiinoj,i^^4£i\ ..SiUdifc—(26*)—Shicbr t jhQ January floods more thaa a fqiirth .of tlie 'and tliose ainbng-tlie best. Mve not fetumedTo school, being wanted at home. This school, therefore, as might have been expected, now falls far short of the respectable standard attained last year, especially in arithmetic, dictation, and grammar. -Jkli© copy. baokS}--.doW:P; -.to -those of the youngest scholar, are stillfemarliably neat. No fault can be found with the discipline. 42. Dovedale: Mr. Bcitt.— (3.)— Although the flooded state of the roads prevented all but a very few-£i.;om bcing ? preaent s afr-my last visit, i. saw emmgh in Seltember/^^ii thf school was fully represented, to satisfy me thp jgoo^ wo& had b^en |bne duSig tliejifevious six.iibntßa^^Latterly ithe-t|!d&d.iias-been carried on under most disheartening circumstances, the average attendance during the March quarter having fallen to 15, or only 40 per cent, of the number on the roll. 43. Pangatotara : Mr. Hale.— (l9.)— This school was at a disadvantage when I last examined it, the floods having djspersed the, population, .sothat many of : the i! bfesti 'scholars "■ wereabsenfc^'Ttios^ who were present, however, acquitted themselves fairly, the dictation being better, than it was last

year, and the writing excellent. The children did well in arithmetic. ~ • 44. Eiwaka; Mr. Ponsonhy ; assistant, MissGaskelL ,^p^l.)— The reafc^gp^ especially that of ih.Q yupp.|r classes, i^^Mh^nproved ; the dictation is fv(Q#free from i|st|j|esj§ and the handwriting fair. ::l|.6tter than it was. phe arithmetic of the first class 'is f^r ; that of the rest of the school being hardly ej.iip.to the our Country schools. All *wt**tho first miserably in geography. The master continues to maintain good discipline, without resorting to corporal punishment. 45. Brooklyn: Miss Bobb.~ (18.)— On the whole, this school is carefully and efficiently taught, although there are several faults to be corrected. The scholars' * read fluently, but with a peculiar sing-song. Good answers are given in geography and arithmetic. The handwriting is also neat. Too much chattering is allowed. 46. Takaha: Mr. Hume.—- (36.)— 0n the whole, the scholars did not acquit themselves so well this year as they did at last year's examination. The reading was of barely average merit, the arithmetic generally very inaccurate, the geography a total failure. On the other hand, the writing was neat, the dictation tolerably correct, and the discipline excellent. 47. Long Plain : Mrs. Symes.— (23.)— The children here continue to lag behind those of the sama - ft^ja- otheft^oun|^gehoolß?»Ml bj^fethose in thafirsfc cllpl read mjUffidfplly, and Bpj^M)rse. No|l|rald th|||give an^^pDlgent ac< ojpjlf of what tlSffiael be|m readni^^a could rec(|4^ 01 W one^mlppas arithmetic. The dictation was unique. All this is - sufficiently explained by the bare statement that the daily attendance is no better than it was formerly, the percentage for the first three quarters being only' 57. Good discipline is maintained by me teacher, who can hardly be held responsible, under the , circumstances, for the backwardness of her scholars. 48. Motupipi : Mrs. llobinson. — (7.) — The few children present at my last examination, which took place in bad weather, did [fairly in every and remarkably well in reading, history, and geography. The arithmetic had also improved. I also saw enough at my previous inspection in December, when 28 were present, to satisfy me that neither the teaching nor the discipline had fallen off. I regret to see, however, that the children are now removed from school at a much earlier age than formerly. 49. Collimjwood : Mr. Oanavan. — (38.) — The upper classes here are equal in every respect to children of the same age in most of our country schools. The juniors fall considerably short of that standard, especially in reading and arithmetic. The late period at which many in these classes began their school life, and their subsequent irregularity of attendance, Will go,iar .to^xplain this backwardnes&;^- ?^he <<r r6a4*^ nig ami arithmetic o£the first c^ass^ere'go^fS^dictation excellent Th&y also didlwclf in gd&grappy and^istoryj The school is orderly^. '£■ -J |T % ; 50> Ferntpwi: Mv&ghy.— (^.^Ktho-Mholill jon the roljk were pi&jseiit'iat my |iam&,tioKJ| Iss extraordinary, and|is mayibe s^id^excpsiye ilsdjttil -energy afetom^sler^^w^ope^ c§6^ielio«^pS3 about sixteen months ago, have certaialy produced remarkable results, so far as the attainments of the children go. From the beginners to those in the highest class the children far surpassed those of like age and standing in other schools. The exceptionally liigh average of attendance (91 percent) has, doubtless, largely contributed to produce this state of things. The reading and writing were particularly •-good. The arithmetic and geography were of more than average merit. 51. Westport, Boys: Mr Lcvchin.—(33).—Whatever advantages may hereafter be derived from the splitting of the upper portion of this school into two distinct establishments, attended by boys and girls respectively, it is obvious tliat the organisation of a school cannot be thus disturbed without causing considerable inconvenience and loss of time at the -outset, r^heir^examined in March neither teachgr^ 3^ nqif > s^Mjars .Jiek becomer^e\steitfg|? IgpV^il^i> • that made |jnljf agra™ si\Jfee|§f|l!|ie % iibalys^h'diwers^till undef£tMffl.*fcta mWter,Skfemw*^ to have suffered least from the alteration. The readiiig..«n f d geography of the first class were except4c^% gopd, the handwriting throughout the school b&ffij^'datnand showiug marks of careful supervision. who had not long been promoted, read stumblingly, and acquitted themselves baldly in arithmetic. Very few mistakes were made in dictation. 52. Westport, Girls: Mrs ■ Lnrchin.— (33).— The girls in tke first class read distinctly and with good inflection. They also gave a clear account of what they had been reading. Then- geography was ready, ancl their_dictation correct^ The other classes didV not aKuiStfie^selves nej&jyv-^cgfl^ll, aspl the firaf ~' fclgsjst'-.i The aollbniitfp! jgene|a]ly was Mfh very xadderp^j^xerit. pj^jt'jf^j B fpl 53. Jfj^t^fy i %ul Divimh (||fa» ool) : Mm 4 M Blax(ril>4%M^ii&<; E. BlommL-^B|f|-p^.oiigh ,boi|lff| teacheifj^lgi&livision a^pver^fofe^they, halliii the advantage of the occasional supervision of the master. Their work, on the whole, will bear comparison with what I have been accustomed to find in junior divisions of schools. The average age of the children in the highest class is only eight years. 54. Addison's Flat (Subsidised School) : Miss Mills. — (33.) — Although I was sorry to find that all the children who composed the first class last year had left school, their successors acquitted themselves well in almost every respect. The reading and dictation were good throughout the school-. In arithmetic there was not a spgi^e, failure among the 23 pkalars wh^^ijfcen|pted^lfo?j§|veral psg^sl^viPEe^i^^^rMng w\e^ g^eher|lly l in(3U ; |elent. iS^lf^nl ; a^lerjv^ij^t. W Cohden : Mr. Bay.— (4o.)— The results of this year's examination were of a somewhat mixed character. The discipline of the school was as good las ever ; the reading bciug decidedly better than it was last year. But although each of the four boys" -iQ£phom the first class oorisisted worked coiareeiiy the '^tfole of my ari|M'o^|";.plper, ther^lwereM^^rous failures in the second and lower classes. The dictation of the upper classes was also very faulty ; the geography being, as hitherto, weak, ibid yet the only wonder is that Mr, Kay should have succeeded m doing so much, for so long, with fifty children divided into six classes, and crowded into a small and inconvenient room. With the completion of the addition to the building, and the appointment of an assistant, the defects that I have pointed out will doubtless speedily disappear. A.56. "Ejffimfifan : Mr. Young.— (sß.)— The large afflux of|.sclplars that has taken place since the ;|bpeWg|^tl^present building must have told un- • "faYoraMy%otnSipon the discipline and the teaching hero. Additional room and more teaching power are about to be provided, and are urgently required in order to do j ustice to the numbers that now attend. Arithmetic has apparently suffered the most, not a single scholar present being able to work the higher rules correctly ,_foj.ir^ only _6f the _juniors-secnring-a — pass, in ( the, sijnpjgrjru^es. Equal helplessness was ' sTiewii iii'inent'ararithmetic. The children were very talkative, ami had but little notion of punctuality, many dropping in more, ikm iiall an hms ftS^.mv v l~

examination had begun. Tiie older eckto, however, did well in geography, and had improved *M penmanship. . ■^ 57. CJiarlestcn, St. Patrick's (Subsidised): Jfn M'Carthy; assistant, Miss Quin.— (B7.)— The present master, who had been at work only three months when I examined his school, had ably earned forward the work so well begun by his predecessor, Mr O'Donoghue. The improvement in penmanship and reading was particularly noticeable. The arithmetic was still inaccurate, and even the most forward scholars knew but little of the general outlines of geography. Great attention had evidently been paid to discipline and class drill. The organisation was excellent. 58. Charleston, DarMe's Terrace (Subsidised) : Mrs West; assistant, Miss Green.-—(&l.)-—l found the work at this school still quite elementary, the children being all very young. The average age of those present in the first class was only ten. The reading was generally fluent enough, but, in the lower classes, almost inaudible. The arithmetic did not appear to be mneh better than it was last year, four only of the 18 who attempted the simpler questions succeeding in getting a pass. The children were very orderly. 59. Beef ton, Mr Brown's (Subsidised): Mr Brown ; assistant, Miss Crumpton.—(72.)^-Thb appointment of a competent assistant, though made quits recently, has already produced a marked improvement in this school, which is now taught in a sufficiently roomy and commodious building. The scholars throughout showed to great advantage in reading, and in theexplanation of their lesson— points to which unusual attention had evidently been paid. The arithmetic, though at present carefully limited to the elementary rules, is very correct, none failing to pass in the standards taken up. The whole tone of the school is, as heretofore, excellent. : 60. Beef ton, St. Joseph's (Subsidised) : Mr Delanyassistant, Mrs M'Kenna.—(7Q.)—Mx Belany hk striven hard, and not unsuccessfully, to put an end to the disorderliness of which I complained last year. The scholars also knew much more than they then did, the improvement being chiefly noticeable in their reading and arithmetic. The dictation is still very faulty, the writing, though better than it was, falling far short of the standard now attained in most of our schools. The reading-books are, almost without exception, too difficult for the scholars into whose hands they are put. 61. Brighton (Subsidised): Mrs Murphy.— (27.)— : This school retains its old pre-eminence in reading. The first class answered very readily in geography! Very few passed in arithmetic, which is hardly to ba wondered at, when it is considered that the average age of the scholars in the first class is only 9 £. ° 62. Ahaura, St Mary's (Subsidised): Mr Fitzpatrick. —(9.)— The numbers attending this school have dwindled down to 9 on the roll, all of whom were present at my examination. The children read and spelt fairly, but wrote indifferently, and could do very little in arithmetic. 63. Ahaura, St Andrews (Subsidised) : Mr Hasivell. —(28.)— This school has by no means fulfilled the favorable anticipations that I formed about it last year. The children wrote and spelt indifferently, and could do hardly anything in geography, grammar, or mental arithmetic. None of those who tried the simple rules of arithmetic succeeded in passing.. Seven, however, passed in the compound rules. The reading was of fair quality. The master has resigned ' since my visit. 64. South S2)it (Subsidised) : Miss Craddock. (18.)— It is to be regretted that no one has yet been found to replace the late mistress, who resigned in January. Primitive as her style of teaching undoubtedly was, she treated the children kindly, and kept them in good jrder. It is to be feared that the majority of them are now running at large, without getting any education whatever. 65. Granville (Subsidised) : Miss Melody. —(l 9.)—.' On the whole the progress made here during the past twelve months has fallen somewhat short of my expectations. The first class read fairly, and answered well in geography, but the other classes seemed to know very little. Yet the proportion of scholars over twelve years of age was unusually large. Excellent order is kept. - 66. Waipuna (Subsidised): Miss Brunetti.~(7.)— The few children who were present at my last visit were well taught, then* reading being particularly good. Since then the school, after a hard struggle with pecuniary and other difficulties, has been closed, . ' 67..- Nelson Creek (Subsidised): Miss O'Keeffe.— (20.)— As yet it has been found impossible to retain teacher long enough to make any: permanent impression on the scholars, no less than two masters and three mistresses having successively tried this school since it was opened little more than two years ago. The present mistress had been at work about three months when I examined, the school in February. Though quite inexperienced, she had heir pupils in good order, and seemed fairly competent to teach a school composed, at present, of very young and backwark children. 68. Totara Flat (Subsidised) : Mrs Thurogood.— (14.) — Sound elementary teaching is being given here. The children do well whatever they attempt. I know of few schools where so much progress has ' been made in so short a time. . 69. Karamea (Subsidised) : Mrs Naylor,—-Th& mistress, who was doing excellent work here, left at the end of December, before I had an opportunity of again inspecting her school. No successor has yet been found, but a schoolroom is being built. 70. East Takaku : Miss Manson.— (23.)— The children here read fairly, and wrote much better than they did last year. In other respqets they were very backward, especially in arithmetic, which was a total failure, not one scholar working correctly more than two sums out of some five or six attempted. Excellent order was kept. 71. Upper Motuelca (Subsidised) : Miss Stanley. — (11.)— As I have had no opportunity of inspecting this little school more than once since its opening about nine months previously, I cannot yet judge what progress has been made. The children are all beginners. 72. No Town (Subsidised) : Mr. Robb.— (l9.)— No- ; thing but elementary work is undertaken in this school, but the teaching seemed to be sound, and the discipline good. The reading was distinct, and the arithmetic, so far as it went, accurate, none failing to pass in the grade attempted. 73. Waiau (Subsidised) : Mr. Crockett.— Only eleven children, and those beginners, as yet attend this school, which was opened about three months ago. It wild be more convenient if this little school, which is at such a distance as to render inspection from Nelson almost impossible, were included in the Canterbury district. .--.•.. I have the honor to be, Sir, Your obedient servant, W. G. HODGSON, Inspector.