A TEACHER'S TROUBLES

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 151, 5 October 1910, Page 7

A TEACHER'S TROUBLES

STANDI N<l A PITH- UN HIS IIKAI). KNI.U'IHV AT lIIUJSHIIIMU (111. Rix members of the Hillsborough School Committee mnil a few householders sat through the Inn;:, dreary empiiry nt. the school yesterday. to investigate the cnusc of tin* friction between the head teacher and the committc:. nisi particularly Hie complaints that oil '2(lth utimo the lieail teacher, .Mis-; Stephen, stood Willie Proud on his head, and that on the 2-nd she caused a fellow-pupil to stand Ivim on his 'head in the corner of the class-room. The boy I'roud told the story of this punishment, indicted because lie was (|iwt,c unprepared with hisgeography lesson. Hegigie I'isllop, who had performed the duty of trainer or prompter on t'he occasion, corroborated the story, ami both said the teacher and class treated the all'air as a laughing matter, altliought. you nig Bishop thought "it was si. funny joke to do twice." Proud considered he was on his head for "five or six moments," but Bishop fixed it as a minute or a minute and a-half. .Tames Smith, ono of the big boys, told his story unabashed, and reckoned that I'roud was heels uppermost for no more than six or seven seconds. Edward Barriball remembered the teacher twitting Proud with the words, "Is there anything you can do? ifan you stand on your head?" addine that when he by his silence acknowledged his inability to perform this piece of schoolboy gymnastics, Hiss Stephen sent Bishop to help him. and told him he would would have to practise for five minutes next time. In the afternoon Daisy 'Sampson told the Board that Proud rarely knew his

geography, and no one thought the boy was hurt. They all laughed. She admitted having been so beaten on the hands with a strap that they became swollen. Reverting to the Proud incident, she ?ail the boy was "just up and down." and not on his head for any lensrbh of time. Willie ISmellie, who "would soon be eleven," smiled as he told his tale, and seemed to think the whole thing was "only for fun," as he put it. In answer to Mr. Hill, 'Mr. Wade said there was no evidence yet of unduly

severe punishment. Miss Stephens commented on the fact that what was done by the comroittep was done immediately her back was finned. She had received no notice of ihcommittee's enquiry, or of the charge* to be brought against her. She was away on her holiday at the time. Mr. Hill said the committee learned of the incident on Friday, and met on the first opportunity (Monday night) to discuss the matter. Miss Stephen further replied to Mr. Hill that the committee had never approached her on any matter lately, although she had asked them to come to her, instead of listening to tales outside.

The committee then called evidence to prove that the punishment meted out to the pupils of the school was unduly severe. Rejroie .BarribaH, thirteen years of age, a third standard boy, said he had left the school because the teacher had given him a strapping of about twenty strokes (he depended on the other bovs for the count). The punishment brought blood- from the back of his hand, but Miss Stephen did not see it. He admitted that he was not a regular attendant. He suffered from sore hands, and was repeatedly sent out. by the teacher to wash them. He was punished before school opened ,and Miss Stephen had called him in specially for the purpose. He went home to lunch and brought back a letter from his mother. Miss Stephen

asked him to go into the porch so that she could talk to him, and he ran away. Mr. Hill: Why did you run away? The hoy: Well, I thought I was going to get another strapping, and mother told me I wasn't to wait for it. To Mr. Hill: He had b?en frequently punished here, but had not been punished at the Bell Block school in two months' attendance. Reggie Bishop complained that he had once been taken into the porch by the teacher, mho administered 18 or 10 strokes on the left with a strap for not being able to do his sums. His legs bore black marks for fully a month. His parents made a complaint to Miss Ste-

I phen at the time. Questioned by the teacher, he denied saving to her, "I'm not here to be strapped." whereupon Miss Stephen remarked, "It's mo use going any further, Mr. Trimble," 1 and the boy was relieved from further I evidence. Dorothy Hammond was called in regard to the Proud incident, but no new ground was broken. Rene Thomason answered "Yes" to a question by Mr. Hill: "Did you ever see Miss Stephen draw a girl along the room by her hair?" but explained subsequently that the teacher just took 'hold of one of the girl's curls, and led her to tin blackboard. This was corroborated fully by Ivan Hamblvn, and Mr. Hill explained that this girl, Myra Marsh. wa« nearly as big as the teacher herself. "In that case," remarked Mr. Trimble, "it wa- liar lly worth while to bring the matter up." Two or three of the ■childr.rn remembered Reggie Bishop and Reggie Barrihall being punished severely, although the teacher explained that Bishop was strapped in the porch. ■Mr. J. W. Bishop, father of Reggie Bishop, gave evidence that as a result of the thrashing at the school his boy had bruises on the thigh covering several inches square. That, was before April last. In answer to Miss Sttphen, Mr. Bishop said that she had told him the bov was thrashed for insubordination, and he ha 1 expressed his satisfaction with the explanation. He was surprised that the matter was being brought up now. Mr. Hill was bringing up the matter of the punishment of another of his children, but Mr. Bishop said hj? had made no formal complaint, and didn't consider it worth talkiira' about. Mr. Hill said he could have brought other witnesses, but he hadn't thought the committee would have examined as many as had been 'brought. Mr. Trimble: You have had the or>portunity of examining them, and the'y haven't said what you want them to say. 'Mr. Mills, the assistant teacher, said lie had seen Reirgie Bishop "up-ending another bov, and grinning." He hadn't taken much notice of the incident, and didn't, know what it was about till a few days later. In reference to children being late at home from school, Miss Stephen said Mime of Muni had to be "hunted home." for Ihev played about after school. Mr. .1. B. ]ii|| made n stale-incut to the ellVel that, the children were, often kept in late. It was unfortunate that the attendance should be falling oil" so in a r> nll.v cnlar-ed school. Who!,, families bad left, and iln-re werr to be further defections from (he roll unless mil tiers improved. Mr. Trimble refused to allow Mr. Hill to give 'hearsay widenec. Mitw iStepheti admitted that the boy Proud hud been stropped, and stood oil liin lienil. It was nonsense to my that ik hi hi\d goi liwib itetqi

at the committee's enquiry. She had given Proud a quiet talking-to in the porch about not learning his lessons, and asked him how he would like to wear a dunce's cap, or to stand on his head in the-corner "like this," and she suited the action to the word. The second occasion, when the boy was stood on his head in the class-room, wsis merely a bit of play. Willie Proud was out on the floor, in disgrace, and he admitted he couldn't learn his geography lesson, which had already been taken by the cla?s. "What can you do?" she asked him. "I wonder if you can stand on your head?" She was endeavoring to shame him. The children all laughed. The boy diun't trv to stand on his head, so she said. ''What, you can't even do that? Come on, -.one of you bovs, and help him. Come on, Reggie Bishop." The latter came, stood the boy on his head, and let him down again. He was upended for a moment only. It was'not meant as a, punishment at all, and there.; was no ill-treatment. The boy Proud would probably have looked on it in the same Ifeht as she herself had done, had

he not been prompted and questioned outside about it. She had been informed that it was quite a common thing for Mr. Hill to question the boys at the factory concerning the happenings at the school. (Mr. Hill denied this).' The boys who 'had been called to give evi- 1 dence against her were the very boys that she had had trouble with in the school. Mr. Hill: They're ttfe^Seniorboys, and the most intelligent. Mr. Trimble: Aren't girls the most intelligent? Miss Stephens said, she had had no trouble at all with the girls. And there was no trouble really with the children. They were all right when left, alone. Miss Stephen said that the lad Smith might have a grudlge against her because she had deprived him of his rank in the cadets in punishment for an underhand trick. Coerced' by his parents, this boy had kept a note of every punishment inflicted in the school, and so on. The book had been sent on to the committee, but they had, she believed and hoped, taken no notice of it. The lad had told her that he had done this at the instigation of his parents. Reggie Bishop, she must say, despite the presence of his father, was the laziest boy in standard six. She had been very well pleased with the girls, many of whom- went out of their way to please her. On the previ- i ous day, some of tliem had brought her work done in the holidays and asked her • to correct it. The boys never did that. This boy Reggie Bishop was punished for

insubordination, but he was not punished in view of the pupils. Reggie Barriball had been punished because he was .lazy with his drawing. He was an insubordinate bo)', and was absent half his time. As far as she knew, only one boy had left the school to ;gp to another. Mr. Hill had said the Bishops had left on account of her ill-treatment of them, but Mrs. Bishop had- told her they were leaving, because Bell Block would be more convenient. The speaker had asked her, "Is it anything in connection with the school?" and Mrs. Bishop replied, "Nothing whatever." iMr. Sampson interjected that it had taken them a long time to find that Bell Block was the more, convenient school. The fact remained that Hillsborough was nearer. Miss Stephen, in concluding, said the roll number now was the same as when she came to the school, and, reverting to the Proud incident, said that Willie Proud was ''always whining and crying." The enquiry, which lasted from about noon to somewhat after half-past four o'clock, was frequently hampered by outbursts of personal animosity towards the teacher, and it was plain that there were two factions, so to speak. At the commencement of business, Mr. H. C 'Sampson, on behalf of the committee, objected to Mr. Noble Hill being present at the enquiry, on the ground that he was neither parent nor committeeman. Mr. Wade ruled that Mr. Hill had tne right, as a householder, to remain. .Miss 'Stephen raised objections to the enquiry touching upon any matters other than that specified, but Mr. Wade said the whole thing would have to be sifted at some time, and it was as well to get it over. A vote of thanks was passed to the members for their conduct of the enquiry. Their report, will be presented at the next Board meeting.