Conference of Teachers.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 303, 29 September 1888, Page 3

Conference of Teachers.

}/i',-,Y, n \r> r P >¥/ ft{£dL±.* M! $> b&- {&*%%• ' :fi" ■■&-* >'''('' H%;?^,H^Au 6Klan#Septerft%^ 25: >?? Ta&kSii al^rifl^Mof jfc t^Bh^coVß uecteduwitli'-tbe^pubho^schoolssin-fche'Pro-' vincial'^Disb]rl6buof^ocklaiKlvppohM^HiB' mprfi in'g't'ajb'^fc'he 7^Wellesley;-'sb^eeti" 'School/ There '■vVltt ' dlß^'TpVeM'b ": jMes'srs"- jM6sB^ ' Pj)ton f ; (Chairman' ;6£ Ifche "ISostnT. of ", Educdibion);;bho*heaH^t'esacHer^fr'oitf"mosb of 'tliq city^- and subUrbWi^ Iscli6pls,' 1 scli6pls,'' J 'fi'om ! bhe' Thames and'^Waikat'o '^'and ' other coun^, try; _disbricts l ,' : '' > beside f BV 'large nuth; ber ,of assistant 3 and," lady ' teaclierp. The , president, , Mr : D. l Siewarfc,', in t opening , ' bh'o Hi , .proceedings,, * said;:,—, Ladies andGenblemen,—^The > subject I have chosen for 'my "address" tofday is " The Teacher and the State." "It is a widc'one— so wide^ indeed, that;! cannot' hope to' do more" than /indicate". the' nibst important,' points of ; the .relationship which I ' subsists between, them, I J do-not propose' to attempt to justify the righ'b'of bhe State, to 'support and control education. I take it for granted. I assume 1 that, in oiir case at any rate, the State hdving talten 1 upbh itself the direction of education,' has hereby acknowledged ' its responsibilities in the matter. ' This' is' my starting point," and as I wish,' if possible, to five this address a local basis and colouiing, bhink ib besb to commence here. ' It seems almost trite to say that the" teacher exists for the State, and not the State for the teacher. Were ib nob that a comparatively large number of peoplo argue as if the teachers thought the contrary were the case, it would hardly be worth our notice. The teacher is the product of the State's need. The conditions of life may, and certainly will, vary as time goes on; but' just as long as human life has a gradual'develop-menb-7-and I suppose that will be for ever — so long will the public need in education call for the work ,bf the teacher. As the public need varies, so of "necessity must the teacher. Thus the r march of- human progress and education are bound up together, and as we may hope that this progress will be sound and true, we may assume that education will be ever attaining a wider basis and a greater usefulness. I use bhe word "educabion" here and elsewhere in its widest sense. In all departments of life the traditions of the past are apt to retard the needs of bhe present. Ib is, and has' been, so in education. England's ideal has been so long classical that we find it difficult to believe that the conditions'- of modern life call urgently for a new de^arI ture. Ib seems" almosb in- vain for us teachers to assert that it is not so much what the child learns as how, he loams ; that education is nob bhe acquirement' of a mass of fact, but is a mental training — a sequence of wellchosen exercises whichodevelop the growing mind, balance^ the judgment, and give the individual that self-reliance, that inherent capacity for action which each and all should possess. In short, that the school is a " mental gymnasium," in which, by constant use, bhe menbal powers are made strong.

STANDARD EXAMINATIONS; There is a disposition on the part of public opinion to ignpre or overlook this j first;, by the undue' value set pn^ the. results of standard examinations,^ which' 'are, after all, but an. approximate test of a school's progress ; and secondly, by asking impossibilities from our primary schools. With regard to" the first, people, generally seeni incapableof grasping the tiruth'that methodj as an educative agent, is very superior ' to any mass of fact ; that one school may have a higher standard pass than second,, but yet the latter.may be doing infinitely more valuable work ; that ib is impossible to steadily persevere with good methods from year to year arid fail in giving a true education. As a ruleV of course, I admitth'at the best methods will produce the best average results. I am pleased that now' our School Committees see the inspection 'as well as the examination report. It was a natural thing for men who had had no special training as educationists to think that the standard results " were the be all and end all," when these results were the only evidence'of the state of' the schools which was submitted to % thorn. I think we all have been somewhat to blame for this false estimate. 1^ hope we shall set our faces against it for the future.

'WHAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO TEACH IN SCHOOLS. The tendency to expect from oui r schools' what we cannot give may, by a parity of reasoning, be illustrated by physical training. How absurd it would Bound if men generally condemned the use of dumb-bells, Indian clubs, parallel bars, etc., on. the ground that a boy could not earn a living by swinging clubs, or vaulting the bars; that he ought rather to dig, 01 hammer, fell trees, or the like. It is clearlj seen that the exercise in the gymnasium does help him afterwards ; in digging j noi because he has learned to dig, but because there has been, gained the physical development which will enable him to do so. There are many things taught in our public schools which a boj will never do, perchance, in after life, bui which will have prepared him efficiently foi doing much more. Vfo hear it said, for in , stance, "Of what use is the grammar taughl in the schools?? It is entirely overlooked 1 that the systematic, study of language cul 1 tivates a nicety of discrimination and an ac curacy of ..expression; so necessary, in scien 1 tific matters;- that by \ this , study certair 1 'faculties are .better, cultivated than by.anj other. It is only a dumbbell, it may ,be 1 but it' prepares, the way for something else the utility of ,which ,is not questioned. W< ; cannot specialise, in> our, elementary schools but we can and must give , the genera ' groundwork necessary to all, which is thi i , basis of specialisation. , On this point I pan > not do better than quote Sir Robert Stout r who as; Minister of^ Education * said in . tin r House in, 1885—," Our schools . cannot bi r "utilised— neither our primary nor secondary I schools — for, direct ,. training . for specia J* .trades.^ The i;W^rk^hop^aiter n all, must b< I the school of the"; mechanic. ' All that w< i . ean 1 hope,to]dq;in',(ou? primary. or -secondary •' schools is* to soteach' a boy -the theory' ( ap » plicable.tq anytrad^tha^the^practice ma; ; an J d ; alsb H to so trail himthat 'tie mayjhayefa'.b'ias.^towards ;in > ,dustry4;l;ithink* ( thab|Kmtic^Vof f the^'timi ) given .to 1 classics in four ; secondary, school i\ -mighttbe, grvefiJto/y;he|,stsdy,upf /English i ' aiidof the diflFerenb branches of^soience. rt0 Wi ■ rmemory work m^ourjpnmary^schoolsr an< ti ''subBtituteJ 3^experimentali %';;&pd4»P. natura f isciencein^itsplac^^^^ f * as" a^safe'rule that%tb>^ibe;,t\^orcouM ;'! sfcudyrof i^|O l^^«^h«sB|J« : ! mraot'ical'utmty^sfqto !^^^^^

#eVbMelhWs?6f^^^^^^^ ,ttm adyicelof^ W&ersme\stp^;WBf&% by.fclie'Deparfctnenlandißoardsof ,Ed ucatipnß 0 nj£u cli]qu estioin g, 3 tqr,- exam jnel^aijth^i.c^ci 616 1 -lfcsel^or^fche Byllaßu|^OqsbsP^ti^n*j[qr|pjupil'i i^acliers,*- whb^oqufcl !T[bet H ,^otfcei^ ¥ guaJified|tp^ 'speaUVt^han^ : ?^wlio^, haVfj^tp* 'give the^instructiqntT-'^lfcV is - Ifcrue1 fcruec 4 tnafc i i < 'i!jhe / j . Boards' have thfir^ ijispecbors ,tq 'guide'jtHerQ^j bu|ri b ; iB ; ec3[ually l truef th^alUßoafda^dqrnpt,: take such,asyice even XwKen jtheyj ask,f or >ifc.j* .Thejnspectorial, positionj^top, r /ii,as^itis.diB-f adyan ibages^rj^there^is* avliyin^rtsympathy.; ; between Jthe 'teacher 'and tno taughb.^anjl this feeling cannob r long^ exisb^outside of the, actual work., The inspector almost; invariably views' matters from his dwn'staridpointy' ,and I'am' iriclined'.'to ' btiink"'that' in '-some' cdfes, at least/ this standpoint is sWtionary/ 1 maintain" that it is 'the^functiqn^of the teacher to a'dvie'e the State,'o'n purely professional matters, and' if- the State were wiseit. would nob' only ask for advice, bub accept ib. Has it ever'sbruckyou ijhatmosb men seem' bo think thabbhey are'qualified to speak on' educational matters ? < The teacher, like the doctor, is periodically,yisited'by a" Golden Chariot," bub, unfortunately for the former, the public do not- readily • distinguish the educational quack. It has only of recent' years been recognised that education is ascience, and thab bhere are — a<s in medical pcience- quesbions which only a special braining fits a' man bo speak on. • One of 'the greatest' benefits which has flowed from the State assuming control of education is> the improved classof teachers which wenowhave. It was, in the past, a reproach to the profession that any man who had failed in his own walk life might become a of and her Jt was thought that as long as man teach the knowledge, ho possesseda the onlneccssary qualilicabion. Now ib isrecogy nised bhab a teacher must nob only be educabed himself, bub bhat he musb know how' to educabe those placed under his charge; that he must/ be able to" assimilate ' what be knows, and place himself on bhe level of , his pupil. How many a child life has been dwarfed ? How much ab lity has been wasted ? Simply "because ib Has been improperly developed.' The State has .a right to demand that those whom it employs as teachers should be specially ( qualified for the work ; it has a direct interest in the improvement of the status of itp teachers. I do nob think the day is far distant when every man who offers his services to the ' public as a teacher^ whether under Government or not, will be' required to satisfy the State tliat he is a competent educationist. The importance of intellectual and moral qualifications in the education of the young cannot well be over-rated.' Surely if the Government' makes ib compulsory bhab lawyers ahd doctors shall give evidence of having boen properly prepared for their work, it is also necessary that teachers should give the same. The first two professions only come in con tact with the people for limited times and for special purpose?, but" the whole population passes bhrough bho hands of bhe teacher, and bhat, boo, at a time -when the character is mosb plasbic. I am not contending that the 'Government should set up a moral qualification -as ib does an intellectual ; but Ido say thatit has no right to keep> in its- employ men -whose character will not bear inspection. One of the arguments by which State nterference is justified is that -

EDUCATION MAKES PEOPLE MORE MORAL, lessons crime, and thus relieves the State of heavy expenditure in the Department ot Justice. I believe this to be true, for all history teache3 and justifies us in saying that you cannot raise the intellectual- standard of a people without increasing its respect for morality, and, making it at least outwardly more upright and just. But I believe the improvement lies far. deeper s and is far more extensive, and that mental and moral improvement go together to a greater extent than is generally believed. We are told every now and then . that education does not do away with crime, it only changes, its direction ; that instead of the common thief we have the accomplished swindler and forger. But will the statistics of the civilised world bear this out? I think not. Of the one bad shilling taken at the grocer's the whole neighbourhood will hear, but of the hundred gopd ones nothing will be said. The cause of education is only just now lifting its head above water. It has to contend with all the prejudice^ of class, and a hundred other hostile influences ; you cannot expect it to work a social miracle. Tha education of the masses has only just begun ; it is at present too often confined within narrow bounds, the influences of the home dwarf and curtail those of the school. Our hope is in the' children, and that hope will not be disappointed. You cannot cut off a child from the past ; heredity plays too important a part in the life history of man, and up to the present heredity has been .mainly against us ; but it cannot be for long. Give , education time, let heredity become its ally rather than its foe, and nothing can possibly bar its waj or stop the social revolution which must inevitably follow. The teachers owe it to themselves and to the State to maintain the moral and intellectual status of the profession. I think our University Colleges are doing a great work in this direction, and that the combined influences of the training afforded in our schools and the higher and scientificeduca-: tion given in those institutions will certainly do much to raise the work of theteacher to its proper rank in the professions. -I do hot think we, as teachers, have quite risen to a sense of our- responsibilities j we are so accustomed to talk about' the greatness of our work, that the' force of such a statement is half lost. The anxieties, cares and worries inseparable from school life, at times at any rate, 1 crush out the ideal and leave only the humdrum and mechanical.

HAS THE TEACHER " A FINE TIME . " , OF IT." I know the public think the teacher has a fine time of it — "short hours," it says, "and ! plenty" of holidays/ but -I 'should like to ask -! the ' people who .talk ,; like i that, > how is it there are so many; break-downs .among ■us? How is ib we hear of, this, and that | teacher .being compelled^ to ,rest ? . Theyj idrgeb howf necessary- the holidays are to their , own children, and' l am '< afraid they will not;remeinber it until theysare • forced , to by experience, r The i teachers. work is 'whatihe^makes it, v and what^he^makes it "depends 1 v,ery/flargely\on the\p'eople:themt selves. I Ivfeel 'constrained - -frorn^ my^place to-day to plead tliaii.thie public should* hav|' imorrsympa'thy wJltKjour'work/.u 5 - How many; |a,,iteacher. ihiia- small f country dtetricb;Ms> ibeent harassed ra,nd>, ultimately ? driven j'from 1 f his position by^local jeßtlousies ?-. Such' things 'impossible:' the/ {State r make;Jther feoriditidns |bflentry^|ntp r Jthe^^pr^essipn^as ;difficulb'>aff j - flet'iitjinßi^^ imamtaihedtiian'd*th6rougKlyieffipi^^^ idone—^n6L § trjflelteachYr;WU^6bje^6Atb-itbese] limpossibl^fo^^y^ocal^^gn^teCtoisS^use

iyc)u'onlvfdnve.ouc;one;^qoa'.manatMiB#]ydKft 4boufc^enterinef.T,vr hdy,e;«oV^bhoi'-sli&lite|b|j ?par,,bliafc is tor the sebtlej^eyond^ ■hi' thectiien who eriter/ariy'^trade, clepenjlaj'i la^ky\Bn?bhe P :in i d u'ceVei)t';te^d in%dniyf !and J >'ecuaty> Ji P/tfibhef* State :a;(Iot-a^<^a#. .trusVthe edtfcakbri-qfjits'fufcUreJcitizeVs^fca^ an, -inferior" I ' class + "of teachers^?*f Jjhe're^tfiVi ,que6bi<3n'l of ] pay Begins' an"d;':ends:K ! « I i\s\'_i \ls : say this, bh'aVhavirig ua/d' its resources^bQ^-j.' brusti / buVall'pppositionj^theiSbate'rhasvnof^ moraU '• right -"* bo use wjtne^ advancages V Wn' gained to the "dotrinienb^df ibs employees: s^

*'\ "THeHvORK OF 1 INSPECTION^ -^ * • ,Then' comes the question' of:,* inspection^ 1;'1 ;' The" State must exercise a: direct, con^ol^ on the money it expends, i The inspection- ' is an, important link, between .schools 1 r andthe Government. In New , Zealand, it j , is a debated question as,, to whether^the*" ] control of educational matters' -isa s closely '. connected with the central, authori y as it', ought to t be. There is much to be said oiy both sides, but Ib'elieye the principle already/, affirmed by, this Institute, that' the, I'n^ speotors should 'be under the jjontroj^of bhe^ Department, is sound^ . The questio.n^of ' standard examinations' will.be introduced' to you presently. I, shall not therefore , touch' on, it, but pass' on 'to . the personal; qualifications of an ideal inspector.' I need hardly say that my remarks, have not the slightest personal bearing. lam trying- to deal with principles, not with individuals; The perfect inspector has, not yet been appointed, and in the nature of things I don'fc think he ever will. Great care ought to be taken in selecting .men to fill such positions^ * They ought to be men who have * had an extensive experience in * the, work they are , asked to ' .examine." Primary and secondary school work differ^ and consequently, it, is a reasonable, thing to say that only men who" thoroughly under-, stand primary work should be ' entrusted. , with the task, of examining 'it, ! anJ vice versa. There ,is v so much' in school work" that cannot be expressed by figuies that it takes more than an average man 'to make a good inspector. .Scholarship should be one' qualification, but scholarship without prac-'; tical experience, is as a ship, without a' rudder. Such positions ought to be the prizes of the profession — lbobed'up'on as the 1 ultima thule of a teacher's' ambition. ! You . must have prizes if you desire to, attract the best men to any calling.' The prizes 'are' the beacons which draw men's j attention]; the average pay may be comparatively small, but as long as there are' possibilities' of attaining great things, there" will' be found aspirants willing to run the risk. The inspection is a serious matter to r |a teacher. Upon it may depend his further employment ; consequently, it ought'tq be uniform. In justice to all concerned^ the test should not vary in degree. If examinations are not of a definite standard, they are not of thajb value to the State that they ought to be. Our code at present is indefinite ; all codes are unless they are accompanied by explanatory notes/ One inspector interprets the standards in one way, a second differs, both honestly believe they are right, and the teacher,-suffers. It is the practice of the Educational Department of Great Britain to issue"'" Instructions to Inspectors," and these help to make clear and define the code. A teacher ought to know what is expected from him. Until our Department does Something in the direction 1 ! have indicated, our> primary teachers will have great cause for complaint. I submit that such instructions and periodical- conferences would solve the question. ,

THE MAINTENANCE OF DISCIPLINE Passingfromthiswe come to the relation in which the State places teachers' and pupils as to control. No one, who is not engaged in the work can appreciate the 'difficulties involved in maintaining discipline Yet we had general parental co-operation. Wo should seldom have to resort to corporal punishment, and then only in special cases, if it were not for the fact that many children are under control nowhere but in school. When a boy has his own way at home, he naturally thinks he ought to have it everywhere else. It is the* parent too, who-allows this, who is the first to lodge a complaint or rush into print. I think our newspapers ought to be very careful how they allow their columns to be used to attack teachers. These attacks add ,to the difficulties of a difficult position, and in the long run it is the public who suffer. Again I say, you cannot injure the teacher without injuring the State ; and when we remember on what trivial grounds these complaints generally rest we wonder that the press is not more careful. The press can do and has done muoh to help, us. We are thankful for its help; we recognise,, the powerful influence it exerts in modern society, and can only hope that no considerable section of it will allow a craving for nasty sensationalism to vitiate its sense of justice or consideration for teachers in their every-day work.

THE VALUE OF CONFERENCES. And now, having outlined some of the relations which exist between the teacher and the State, permit me to say that I consider such conferences as this are very useful to the cause, of education, and benefit nob only ourselves, but the public generally. We are enabled to compare our opinions on' great questions; unanimous we snail probably not be on' all. .Unanimity, to be of any value, can only be arrived at after long consideration and discussion. Human knowledge has not ad- ! vanced By' the" suppression of individual opinion, but by careful investigation and reflection. * A great deal of the good which will flow from this meeting will probably, not be seen, or even traced ,to^ it. The 1 comparison of our methods and ideas privately will niosb, likely be of more service even than our public debates.;. We,are ladies and gentlemen helping, toforma young' nation, and, I believe, one that is destined to play,, if not a great, at least a useful part. ■ I am ■ convinced that with all its faults our system is doing sound work ; that it is perfect, I; am- far from saying.,' J[ hope thatone result i_ of our deliberations will be tojin-, drease the.public interest and remove from its- mind, many misconceptions about our work. '?' i,,i, _ * . t -.--- > t _' „" , On'th'ej motion of Mr Phillips (Thames)^ 'seconded by MrNeild,a vote of thanks was; passed^by acclamation to the Chairman for, his address.** '<• *- > ""/;,•-" '\\ff%

&, CRANWEi<L 'are; selling ,and, Carpets^very ; cheap. CjfJlrcpi! , B^odSceads and Spring, Mattresses afcgreatfyi ,;;r^ducfed .prices. „$ Bedding of all-iinds reaidyS : |qr?delivery.< OiHClobhs;'fr6m f Is4squar«l kyarH.) Linoleum ,froni;^2s u ,3d. „. J^larik^ts, a | ,guiltsi s curiiains; and^alllfurnis^itf^ Value. than-]tl\eyi;usedl't(^beS tf or. 55s pash.', /^Simple! Iron^Bed^* (itead^rid^WireAVo'veMattresi'foftSS^ CRra^Ourtgo.ods . areifjcaref ully^pSclclai f,transit.,g 'Bjay 'alrvoui; hovsehold/gQcfdl?ffoml