INDIVIDUAL TUITION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 June 1940, Page 4

INDIVIDUAL TUITION

POSITION AT WAIRARAPA COLLEGE. EXPLANATION BY PRINCIPAL. “This hole in a corner business is no good,” stated Mr G. C. L. Dickel, when suggesting at last night's meeting of the Wairarapa College Board of Governors that special voluntary Matriculation classes should be held at College on Saturday mornings in preference to private tuition. Mr A. Owen Jones: “It is the fault of the teachers. They have as much time as primary school teachers and should give, where required, individual tuition. Some of the teachers are very good while others have not the art of imparting knowledge. In many cases teachers have made no effort to show pupils who had been away the work to be made up, while others had. Mr T. Hanley: “Teachers work far too many hours now. I would not like to see them work any more.” Mr F. M. Vvnyte: “It would be purely voluntary.” Mr J. D. O’Connor: “It certainly should be done.” Mi - Dickel: “I am certainly not casting any reflection on the teachers. It is a means to an end. The last month of cramming often means passing.” Mr W. R. Nicol: “The final touch.” Mr O’Connor: “The time could be given voluntarily or we could pay the teachers.” Mr Nicol: “I am sure the teachers would not be hard about it. It would be a fine gesture. Mr G. G. Hancox (Principal): “It is not as easy as it sounds. All teachers are supposed to give personal tuition. But there are teachers and teachers. They had to do certain things in school hours and had to set a certain amount of work. It is as much the responsibility of a pupil to find out how much work he has missed while away as it is the teacher’s. They are all kept very busy with large classes. No teacher will refuse assistance. Pupils have had special coaching since the beginning of the year, and the number of subjects reduced from six to five. The pupils have a still further chance in that there are 1J hours a week of tutorial periods, allowing them to go to a teacher in whichever subject they are .weak, for extra tuition. If a pupil is keen he has a chance he has not had in the history of the school. The teachers work a 28-hour week, compared with a 25-hour week at other colleges. Every teacher has his share of school activities.”

Mr Jones: “It is a splendid idea. The system is better than ever before.”