The Southern Cross. PUBLISHED WEEKLY. Invercargill, Saturday, July 8. THE TEACHERS’ CONFERENCE

Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 15, 8 July 1893, Page 8

The Southern Cross. PUBLISHED WEEKLY. Invercargill, Saturday, July 8. THE TEACHERS’ CONFERENCE

Educational affairs for the past week or ten days have made very considerable claims upon the attention of newspaper readers in Southland, and not the least noteworthy circumstance therewith connected was the gathering of the teachers of the Southland district for the discussion of matters of prime importance to themselves as a class and also to the advancement of the interests of education. These conferences are hy no means so frequent as the importance of the Education question warrants, hut “When they come, they wished-for come,” and are consequently all the more welcome. Some years have elapsed since the last conference was held, and it is gratifying to find that the teachers of Southland have this year again risen to something like an understanding of the responsibilities of their calling and have met together to gain those intangible, but still real, advantages which the interchange of thought and opinion bring in their train. Among matters of first importance discussed at the Conference rank the questions of “ The Remuneration of Teachers ” (male and female) and “ The Outlook of the Secondary Schools.” In the first case, Miss Bain ably and eloquently claimed for her sisters equality of salary with that of her brother man, the male teacher, who like his fellows in other walks of life has in respect of salary long possessed advantage over the “ w r eaker sex.” We live in a progressive age, and no one can prognosticate what. may result when Female Franchise becomes, as it will, tin fait accompli. The space at our disposal precludes our dealing as its importance deserves with the question raised by Mr MchTab. Our secondary schools have for years been a serious difficulty, for no one has the temerity to deny the statement that the work produced by them is far from being commensurate with the lavish expenditure of public money which they have entailed. Mr MclSTab speaks from a full acquaintance with the subject, and his utterances may be accepted as authoritative, and we feel convinced that reforms on the lines he suggests (or at least on similar lines) must be effected before our High Schools become what they were designed to be—the natural stepping stone from the Primary School to the University. Mr Denniston’s paper, though worthy of all praise for the beauty of the language and eloquence of diction, need not detain ns long-. His proposals in some respects are backward in their tendency. To fit our young for the battle of life, the fullest education consistent w r ith our means as a community must be given them. Though the cost of education is an onerous burden, our shoulders are still strongenough to bear it, and the striking out of Standard VI. from the primary school curriculum would be a serious error and one detrimental to the best interests of the colony. , The papers of the Eev. Mr White and the Rev. Mr Thornton were interesting productions, but being addressed chiefly to teachers, do not call for lengthy comment here. Mr Selby’s paper

dealt with, that sore evil, “ irregular attendance.” The paper was well tl’.ought out, and bristled with facts and figures, all too conclusive of the serious injury sustained by boards, committees, and teachers, financially, and by pupils intellectually, through the evil produced by parental neglect or worse. The remedy is, as was ably pointed out, “ effective compulsion,” butthequestionis, “ Will Parliament do its plain duty: in passing an Act sufficiently stringent to cope with this great and growing evil?” Mr Webber dealt with a pleasing part of infant school-teaching —the application of Kindergarten methods to the duller routine of the lower standard work. It was suggested by some that practical illustration should be given, and we believe that much good would result to the infant-teaching of the district were Mr Webber to make such work more widely known among the teachers by practically exemplifying his methods. The paper by Miss Jamieson advocated increased attention to the physical training of “ Our Girls,” and was characterised by sound sense and close reasoning. The young lady pointed out what is clearly a serious defect in the training of our gills. It is, perhaps, advisable that the coming women of the colony should know something of grammar, history, and the ihtricacies of vulgar* fractions, but surely it is not less important that they should know the elements of cookery and housewifery, and that first of all requirements—a sound mind in a sound body. . The paper by Mr Highton was of scientific interest, as was to be expected from a man in his position, while Mr Von Tunzelmann discussed “ Some Points ” of importance to teachers. Mr Mehaffey’s paper was of great importance. He dealt with the question of “ University Extension as suitable to the requirements of New Zealand,” and advocated, in the interests of teachers and others, the sweeping away of those effete regulations as to keeping terms, etc., clung to so tenaciously by the professorial boards of the Universities. The secretary’s paper on “ The Kational Union of Teachers of England ” was a strong and forcible object lesson to the teachers of Southland and New Zealand. He advocated the claims of the Hew Zealand Education Institute upon the claims of teachers, pointing out the weakness of standing alone, and the advantages, both to the teachers themselves, and the welfare of the education system, that would be secured by combined action on their part. The immediate result of the paper should be a considerable increase in the membership. Little space now remains to generalise. Suffice it to say that the Executive of the Institute would contribute in no small measure to the improving of the educational work of the district by rendering such gatherings as that of last week annual occurrences.