School Discipline.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 1, Issue 32, 4 October 1912, Page 2

School Discipline.

To THE EdIToK. Sik, —As a paterfamilias I was pleased to note that a meed of praise wus 1 testowed on the school stall by Mr Perkins when he remarked on the improved behaviour of the pupils. In a large school such as this a limited amount of corporal punishment is absolutely necessary, and the boy who never requires correction will in ninetynine cases out of a hundred do little credit either to his parents or to the school. How many of the prosont generation of parents when punished at school ever dreamed of running home to give the information to theih parents ? In all probability it would have entailed a repetition of the punishment. But nowadays, apparently, the boy, assured of the mawkish sympathy of misguided parents (who in many cases have shirked the necessary correction of their off-spring) is anxious to impart the information. All this is lamentable onough but sad to relate membors of our school committee who are generally supposed to be aware of the necessity for discipline as a most important feature in school management, seem to have been infected with the " uanby-pamby " microbe. An incident bearing on this question happened to an assistant in ono of the largest schools in the Auckland ... province who, on boing about to punish a pupil, was informed that the . latter's father (a member of School Committee) forbade it. An interview was requested and the committeeman (a shoe-maker) somewhat shamefacedly admitted that he iiad thus instructed his boy. The assistant tactfully pointed out the detrimental interference with discipline that the father's action would have, and finally informed the parent that ho should never think of attempting to teach him to make boots. It is satisfactory to know that the boot maker saw the force of the argument and was willing to leave the discipline of the school in the hands of those specially trained for the purpose. Any staff unfit for this trust is certainly unfit to train "the young idea" and develop a "Mens sana in corpore sano ."—Yours, etc., RESIDENT.