WOMEN TEACHERS.

Putaruru Press, Volume IV, Issue 134, 27 May 1926, Page 2

WOMEN TEACHERS.

AN ENGLISH PROTEST. " The Leeds schoolmaster who protested at a teachers’ conference against the teaching of boys by women, on the 'ground that they were capable of seeing only the boy’s devilment and not his divinity, paid a poor compliment to womanly intuition. iH'e was undoubtedly right in his assertion that a boy would rather be cuffed by a man teacher than cuddled by a woman; but in making it he did not plunge :n----fto very deep psychological waters. Assuming that both cuffing and cuddling are to be performed in public, the ordinary full-blooded toy could have only one choice. A cuff would not hurt much, and would make him something between a hero and a martyr; an embrace from a female teacher would brand him for the rest qf his school life as “teachers little darling” and a score of successful school fights would not wipe out the infamy. So the Leeds schoolmaster’s

assertion does not go very far. In his main contention he does not do justice to women teachers. A womanly woman can detect the gold in the boyish nature among the dross of mischievousness and too ebullient spirits. Moreover, she is better fitted to bring out the innate chivalry that is 'the heritage of most boys. Not only does a woman see the divinity in the boy, but he in a dim, uncertain fashion “senses” it in his teacher. It is not until he grows older that he realises its glorious beauty and value. Then he frankly acknowledges the charm of the sex—lto another woman.