HOME LESSONS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2549, 31 August 1893, Page 3

HOME LESSONS.

Great interest is centred just now in the question of home lessons. We publish the following by special request: — "Last year," said Mr Baldwin, "my attention was directed to the subject of home lessons by the fact that there were thirty-two boys for punishment in one day on account of non-completion of their home work. This decided me to put a stop to the imposition of set home lessons altogether, and accordingly it was done. The home lessons were done away with, except the spelling and reading. All the other work which used to be done at home, is now done in the school. Since I have trken this step I may say that the writing in the school has greatly improved. The experiment as a whole with regard to the general work of the school has been a decided success, if one can judge by the results of the examination just over. In that there has been an increase of from 2 per cent, to 3 per cent in the passes, and a decrease of 1 per cent, in the number of failures. 1 am now, after a year's experience, fully satisfied that the decrease iu the home lessons has been in the interests both of the school and of the children. I h»ve had no complaints whatever from the parents but the reverse. I maintain that after a child has had five solid hours' work in the school it has had quite enough. I therefore came to the conclusion that there need not be any set home work at all, but that I would get the children in the upper standards to read standard literature at home. I then encourage them on Monday to write an account in their own words of the literature they have beeu reading during the week. Now in our school there is another matter to which I would like to call your attention. We have one half-hour's keeping iu at the end of the school day. 1 was very much amused to read in a Manual of School Method and Order by a schoolmaster, that ' Every moment outside of the school must be taken advantage of for study, as there is so little time for a child to acquire knowledge.' Now that might have been all very well at Home ten years ago, when boys had to work at the age of ten years. But with regard to our boys here they are thirteen, fourteen, and even fifteen years old when they have passed the standards. As a matter of fact, the average stands at thirteen years seven months. Another cry that is raised is that the home lessons are necessary to keep children of the streets. But this, I would point out, simply means that the schoolmaster should do what the parents ought to do. If the parents do their duty then this statement has nothing in it at all. Another objection that I have found to be in force with regard to home lessons is that the teachers drift into the method of giving so many home lessons thab all the real teaching is stopped to hear the lessons which have been set to learn at home. As I have said, the parents shirk their duty. There are many things in connection with household work which might be given to the chidren to do which would profitably employ their time. Another objection to home lessons has come from the clergy, who say that the children have not got time, what with the home lessons, &c, to come to religious instruction. Now with the system we are carrying out in our school this excuse is done away with. Then let me call your attention to the medical opinions on the subject. Dr Anderson, of Sydenham, read a paper at the recent meeting of the Medical Association, to the effect that the prevalence of home lessons was very injurious to health, more particularly as it affects the eyesight, through straining the eyes at night. What I say is this, if the work cannot be done in school hours, then one of two things is the result—(l) That the teaching is deficient; (2) that the syllabus is too large. Hitherto the pupil teachers used to matriculate after four years' service, which is a waste of time. We have now stopped that, and there is now a special year in which they go to the Normal School.' Now there is a proposal I should like to see carried out. We shall pass some forty boys and thirty girls through Standard VI. this year, Now what are we to do with them? I propose as there is a demand for technical education that a central school should be established to which the pupils passing the sixth standard can go. They could be instructed in technical education which would be of incalculable benefit to them in their after life. There could be, say in the Normal school, accommodation provided for 300 children coming from the town and suburban schools, and as the Government grant of £3.15s per head would be available, the teaching staff would be able to be put on an efficient basis. I may say that I have had enquiries from all parts of New Zealand as to the success or otherwise of our year's work without home lessons. That is why I am glad you have come and had a chat with me on the sub^e.Q.t,^