THE HIGH SCHOOL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 307, 22 May 1911, Page 3

THE HIGH SCHOOL

MR. HOGBEN'S REPORT. Tin; following is the report by Mr. Mogben, M.A., luspector-General of Schools, and Mr. Gill, Inspector of Secondary Schools, which was summarised in Saturday's issue, and which was discussed at the spocial meeting of the Board on Friday evening:— At the request of the New Plymouth High School Board, Mr. Gill and I paid a special visit of inspection to the school on Friday, March 24, continuing our inspection on the Monday and Tuesday following. The inspection included, besides the observation of' the teaching throughout the school, the examination of all the classes except the lowest in the principal subjects of instruction. We have also considered other matters,

such as the staffing and organisation, the time-tables, and the arrangement of the several subjects. The detailed remarks we have made below are intended to convey the idea that in- our judgment the work of tho school is sound on the whole; that the defects are such as can be remedied •without the aid of a revolution. The work of the headmaster and of the two lady assistants is too well known to need remark, that of the special science teacher gives promise of high merit, and the work of the other assistants shows marked improvement. The staff is scarcely sufficient for the work, especially in view of the suggestion wc have made for the modernising si: the" school programme. , We recomineiuj an • additional assistant. The as-1 fcistfn'i tactic appointed should, if possible, 'lie a lady qualified to take the science of the girls, with especial reference to the science of home' life; she should also be able to, teach English, French, and, if possible, either elementary mathematics or book-keeping. We think the time has come when the school may definitely offer three or four courses to its pupils, namely,.'the commercial course, the agricultural course, the domestic science course, and the Latin course; each of these courses should give a sound general education; the work -of the several courses should be done in common except for, say, onethird to one-quarter of the school time,' wliich should be devoted to the special subjects which give their names to the courses in question. The courses might, be more specialised in the third and fourth years than during the junior or, "intermediate" course. In this connection attention might he drawn to the remarks on pages .10-1.1, of• Kfi, 1910 (attached), with reference to vocational training. '..'..

REMARKS-ON THE WORK IX DETAIL. ': i- '

, (Xote.—Fornix 0 A, 0 H. o, -4 'boys and 'iiiil 4 girls were examined as 'wcii as ijispcctltd*) '■■ • : .!•■;.- il . ■ ; hnglish: Form fi'A <iuuMJ, :taught by J}liss work was distinctly good, and up to the standard of the iijixth form in. the secondary schools ot tile Dominion. Form 5: .Thd work, is divided -between .Miss (iranti and Mr. Ward, and'suffers inconsequence: .it is ilnnatuial -to divide , tlito ; teaching ot Sngljsli, Jitcrature fijom, tha,(. p[ lanf£U!)g&.iMlu' W!i>P o ? it '9»;.ift'e u tw.o 'mrls of th,e, subject overlap eve'iyvjthore,.The Ijext-hfok qt gnimmar' k ap'|l Used; Y.og'ue' 'iii is; ; not ; a''sijiisfaetory' 4 n< !i 'P. hard 'to„ ,ju|jfti-., H v - .it he - wVi'MV VmMW. k forms i*.(fyyided.betfrjjeji Mr. \VoVd, the sub'-dmsion' again,'as' in Form' s|'nfoVihg'ft oMd^Ht'agVi l ta.vtfV <hclcs ( s L it sfiowca' a'H'CrV'iSlrr' avcrflgV'bV itttainilienti 1 ''■•• '■'■ '■•■' '"mih:.? ■-;: • ; .tho ''rfrifV lair^hhff-V^ 1 fr'Hl'wJs-VHM- -/liiV-ij jiuirfed'-by flip stdhUard''6f gW's-ecbiiVU' Jry-seJtt)dls: f IW-ttaclier*l) tfr. tvheise work w'c f ohseittitii)Us ; . (filfc''wdtiKd' probably $!(&• totter M'ufts' in<U 'mftirtle' or"fB l vyer-r J a,tiH'"fi;rnf c . (WtV these'' classed Should 1 be 'tftigtit^by'^ne' 1 headmaster. Vihii'V.' We Wili'K i "doiVe f in tihamoteratbui: tlioil*ifutb, could MfoCuwfaoJirsJitfE; cn>iil«u'»»a.> fceir^uk.dawns to tin vtca'dnnV. hnhidn tvasr, .ymrndt, clealr; Ijima given .U> it'it b toa skwftj.)F*rm!4,i Mite, Grant* g6od.nilFoimi ,*;>.giHs<i headmasto; ,v.ery.ifaijp ind*ed„> ■ 4n..j-'i- i j and BoR: TheiStmthmetiti atai'-gromcVjrYftTe ifetfcht by ihei-jy.il)>',Bljss Drew; the [Bowrdinirtiou/ vaniQnsjpartsiiOfiibliie-B«hjecti'(fop i : lfiathemaitics;>s'oouM ( .|e»pefiiaßy. ill; iviow< <jf mmleirti jd*ai*,of teaohing. <;d as a SingleisubjrfotiHmttspoiheviitnhljfii f ffer. by ( jsuch,. a!j ?qi,lf elates. is, yem-good,, a.i}d; - POM »«:} ,0 . B:ps t v/J n . d Jte4e i^;M«fiiiP'-f*, 1 VJ&W 0 i s '^ ,r :;tt#%B<' o n>ffr\'! , M,*.s ;p, } ;ow: ,t].e w W k '°!' m „w S,op(|., ftnd iM,p,f ttyjtfb^y.ery, i '. Sfl«BWf- „PA'H > f >- l )i l tf ?hafg,e of„sj:, inj ? "c i apaWe , ;^ri,n^, t1 „.,, ~ ~,.-,,,,'.„,,.'. | Forpi 3 fl pupils have only uwt, b^gtiij.sejcondsmr, jvork. r ,,Tlje..w.ork was ririjt subjected t,<>* ;Writjt,fri c^»iiunn ; , tiojj) iviay. be' as Wr.. The comment's a.% to,, 'pf./fhu. responsiliihtv for',"tli»> 'tcaehii'i* of Eur'-' |ish 'and ' f of' that' ,of 7 'niatliqWiK'madf: in' reference \wffr •eWsi'ei'anpl'v With, force heVo. 1 '" Th'jf book'' used,' for te'aehing' theMlegitiiiinV. o't'.Lat'ii is' an'excelt.'e'ht one'/ b(it°Will'a'a^'antag?'w Scarcely 1 taken 'q.f ,tne"' inents'',of ffie. feystem ! »Wolvod:" V" '''*" ' ''°' ' ' ' An"iiiJiWytant )^or l 'a , frP'na fitaiidard oTwofk reached I ,fry' ilie.'awj: (i-re.'p'npil'wh'o leaves til 6 selipfti'and,{b) ; the stah'flan) reiiclfpii '.fji" form is the. length 1 6f'stayfcT'punjls ill' the>rhoßi. : :',.'■" :'.' 1 ' ,;;',,,,', 1 The following "tahle,'show's rentage,of liovs and' g'ii;ls .who sj'iiv/j.nt \hc school fnr one,, Two. Uf\W.. five,, or'more ve'ars respectivejv':— , : .■ ~' ■■-<■ -M: , .povs. Girls, Pupils.. Ptay 1 vear ....... 5».3 . . 'Sli ' .„ ,|4.0... ißtay 2 years 12.1. ..-JO ,'\J3.B' ptav 4 years 0 24. 'lfi.3 Ray ."> or more years 18.2 0 10.3 j Total .ion ino .ion "forrecteil for the date diirinnr the year jat which pupils leave. This niav lie exipressed otliei-u-i.se l,y saving that, the (average school life of the hoys is 2.4!1 ! jyears, of die j;iris 2.."4 years: or of all (pupils (buys and girls together) 2.4(1 lyears. 1 The corresponding fisures for all (lie .secoiularv schools in Xew Zealand show ■;th:it or '(lie |»tal number of pupils en'ilcriiiv; tin' -i liool, 2">.it p!-r cent, slay -one year. :!3.."> per cent, stav two years, (i.ft per cent, stay three years, 34.0 per cent, stav four years or more. The most, marled dillVn-ice 1.,.|».-.,, ,the Xew l'lv.nouth Hitrh School and Ihe of (he secondarv schools is that ' in the former, out of 52 pupils who

(enter upon the senior course 31, nr say GO per cent., lea j ;u the end of the | year, and only :U, or say 40 per cent., | stay four years or more, whereas in . the secondary schools generally, out of ' 42 pupils who begin the senior school course only 7, or say 17 per cent., leave at the end of the year, and 35 pupils, or say 83 per cent., stay four years or more. It is therefore more difficult at New Plymouth than generally elsewhere to arrange the work so as to preserve a high standard of attainment in the top form of the school. Nevertheless in English, mathematics, and French, as we have already pointed out, the standard reached is very creditable. The cause may be economic—parents may be unable or unwilling to keep their boys and girls so long at the secondary schools; we would urge upon them the consideration that the advantages of prolonging the school life (advantages not all, of course, to be reckoned in pounds, shillings, and pence) are well worth a substantial sacrifice on their part. CURRICULUM. The neglect of history and geography is a serious defect in the school pro-, gramme. These subjects are taken only by those who wish to comply with the requirements of the English paper in the matriculation examination. Surely every citizen of the Empire should study history, if only so far as to give him) an intelligent idea of his civic- privileges and duties.

We would suggest that elementary practical physics (''physical measurements") forms a better introduction to experimental sciende to the majority of pupils than chemistry-~-which could still be taken in the upper school.

The calls of manual instruction, of home science, and of agriculture have received hitherto but slight attention. It is to be feared that, in this school, as in so many others, the claims' of the outside examination have been too powerful to allow salutary reforms to be made in the interests of true education; but the staff of the school can hardly be blamed for doing what public opinion demands of it, and public opinion still for the most part blindly worships the examination fetish.

Of the total number of 131 pupils, 106 take both Latin and French, 10 take Latin only, three take French only, and 12 take neither Latin nor French. It is undoubtedly a mistake for any boy or girl to begin, two foreign languages at the same time if such a course can possibly.be avoided; it is fairly evident that,in the short time an average pupil spends at a secondary school he cannot bring his knowledge of two languages to a point educationally payable, that is, to a point which secures any substantial mental training. Unless a pupil can carry his study of Latin to a stage at which he.can read Latin literature with some ease and pleasure, or at which he gains an insight,into, th£ life and institutions of the Roman people, the influence.of Latin upon his mind must be very small. The argument that a parrot knowledge of Latin declensions and conjugations is of value as an intellectual discipline or as the basis of training in English appears to us a weak one, especially when we consider how much more may be done in the same time' with a modern language like French or German, which has the great advantage rif being so much nearer a pupil's actual thought and interest. In short, we consider that it would be safe to say that 'half or three-fourths of the pupils taking Latin could use .'the 'time more profitably. We recommend that unless there is some special reason for taking 1 two _ foreign languages, a pupil should' take #ne-| sucb language only, and that'a "modern language; further, that effort should be made to giveTthe pupil some substantial knowledge of the language taken,' •' ,

, r -, TIiipTABLE. , The'present-time-table appears tp be (induly complex; ..the day seems to be divided intp too: many periods; in many cases the... tending of one subject in a given class .is dividend between two or' even three, teachers,, e.g.,' English and' mathematics:- 'jh : e. headmaster's time is. taken iip r |oo 'miie'h '.with class-teaching;' he should hajVinWe time f for-super- 1 Tision. "Tjie'" science, periods 'are'' too short tj> Vlhjw'ttrt. practical work (ttie' essential. pWt'oT^cienee'teaching)' to be properly'cktaij. •.'•/' ' .' ■'. i i Each pupil 'is jJl'ifdd in 'the same form' for all Subject*,' ff is'quite 'possible"thrtt : a pupir>a£ yffttejd t% dp higher work'' jn English'd^jVaforeign language' than: in, mathematics, atfd."irj our opinion it should'be'r/osiiibPe to'classify him a'ceord-' tngly. 'lf. providing separate course's .is 'a,do|ted' the time-table - will' peed: .to' si4efable l! rri^iflSat.Toii i bf it i£ desirable". The courses '-we" h'rfve reeomme'nded' In' 9ur general 'WlnfiiiHiS will be roughlTtindictfte.d' rty"fte ; t?m'e-faWes we 'have at-l - ' Tt will ■be-under-' stortd tluirv'thes'e-tinle-taWes 'are -in' penned 'tcHe ! rather' than' aiHh6rtfa , tive 1 ; ni evr*v 'headmUster m'usi bitrisMf draw l ilfi<'hte riWn' time-table, 'ao-<iomtno-b*ii'tihg'.i?' 1 1« • his 'pupils, to hisi staff: arrfl"to 9 '{ho' 1 other local •eircftim-1 stHn'ees^bf'h&'scfiWol.''- • •■ ■'. ■( i I Tii , corfcliis'it)Ti,i'T' l !*hould''like to sarv' that! We wert'VeW pleased with the toni-' pf'the schnil.ri'wVfh the earnestness and' honesty of ; 'the. :pnpils in ' their w©Tk;with'their tfttfttfde towards their'teach" trsV/and' tfithi''thttT ; general behaviour,' |o''far came -finder our notice. We' Kive headmaster rtndhis'staff for-coVirteOuft and ready conn pliance* With'- the -'many demands ''.that tirrder the eiroumstantes we were obliged' to tnake upon t*hem. ■ ' > •' j ' • feigned)'" - i . ! G. HOGBEN.'