THE TEACHING PROFESSION.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7933, 5 January 1906, Page 5

THE TEACHING PROFESSION.

AN INTERESTING ADDRESS,

By Telegraph—Press Association. INVERCARGILL. January 3. In course of his address before 'ht Education Institute to-day (bo President, Mr T. 11. Gill, Wellington, said that a section of the members thought that the Institute should be conducted more on the lines of a Trades' (Jnioa. but to this he strongly objected, not so much because they were a pi of ess ion- and not a trade, but because organisationwhich tendod to cultivate selfish interests only, was in his view of ephemeral value. Departments, Boards, Committees, Inspectors and Teachers must ail be subordinated to the well-bßing of the cnildren, and the attitude they took up, and the arguments thev advanced, might not commend themselves to a body of people or even the more thoughtful; but it was only by strenuously insisting on the reforms they desired and by supporting them by all (he reasons they could adduce, that tbey would succeed. Their position, too, was all the stronger when the object they had in view was the improvement of the education system, and not their own advancement. He mentioned reform that had been brought about, and which the lu etitute had advocated strongly, though he did not claim that they were entirely due to their efforts. Far was it from him" to belittle the work of a Department which 'had accomplished wonders in coordinating primary, secondary and technical education, and in producing a syllabus (generally conceded to be a distinct advance on its predecessors. There was a great deal more to do. A reform which was pressing was that the pupil teskchers system should bo abolished. It did not go far enough and he proposed to add that the average number of children to every certiorated teacher be do. He spoke highly of the new syllabus, which endeavoured to lead children along the path which nature had indicated, the path of patient observation and experiment, an accurate setting out of facts observed or experimented with, and the construction of theories to account for facts. It made demands on the pupil teachers which were unreasonable, and also on assistant teachers who were expected to teach on the average 60 pupils. The papil teachers system was quite out of keepiug with the steady advance of educational progress in America, (it was reoognised there a teacher Hbould not be called upon to have a larger class than 30 or 40). He did not say that teachers could not teaob aud discipline larger classes, but he unhesitatingly affirmed that where teachers were quite unable to come into close personal contact with each child and use the means best calculated to develop the latent powers of each child, i there must be an absence of intelligent effort to draw out the possibilities of children. Although- a large number of pupil teachers had i passed the matriculation examination at the commencement of their careers they were unfit to have charge of classes a°< they were ignorant of the fundamental principles on which sound methods were based, whilst they were quite unable to ao-' predate the problem of training the intellectual and emotional life of the children. The greater, problem of character building was the true aim of education—it was a terra incognita to them. The most important years of a child's life were those when bis education should bo entrusted to the most skilful teachers it was possible to procure, and there ,was no justification save false economy of handing over the education to untrained boys and girls. Many pupil teachers had done good work, and many head mistresses had produced highly satisfactory results from an examination point of.view, but would not a very much clearer idsight into the problem of education have been reached if teaching bad been solely in the hands of trained men and women? The conclusions to be drawn from the new syllabus were the necessity for intelligent and purposeful teaching, and classes of not more than 45, so that the'cultivation of the spirit of inquiry, or rather fostering the spirit might bu assisted in every legitimate way. 'i. ' " ■ ' —■' The Christchurch chemists have forwarded a requisition to the City Council as to their Saturday night closing houra. in their former request 9 p.m. was fixed, whereas it should have been 10 p.m. One of the most, vigilant members of the brigade ot wool buyers who visited Timaru last week was a Frenchman. The Herald states that he insisted on sampling the balea to their very entrails, aud sometimes nothing was visible except his heels sticking ont of a mass of wool. Chief Stock Inspector Miller has just returned from a visit to Poverty Bay, aud reports that the caterpillar is doing an enormous amount of damage to the grass-seed crops (says the Palmerston Times). Potato blight has also made its appearance, but is not nearly so serious in its effect as a green aphis that has attacked the beau crop, and which completely stops the growth of the bean foliage, The maize crop all through the district promises to be exceptionally lieary. Barley, which •is sown iu large areas, is somewhat of a owing to the extremely wet spring aud the consequent baking of the laud when the dry weather set in. Effect will be given at an early date to the principal recommendations made some time ago by the Now Zealand Police Commission. Iu each of the four chief centres a senior sergeant will ba detailod to take up the office and Court work at present performed by the sub-inspec-tor, so that the latter officer may devote the bulk ot his time to the supervision of the sergeants and constables engaged in street duty. A number of additional constables will be appointed to each of the centres, and it is probable that Auckland, Wellington, Christchuroh aud Dunedin will also each have anothersergeant for streei duty. In all probability the status of the inspector in each of the cities will be improved.