13

E.—lb,

Suggestions to School Committees.—l should like to make, through the Board, a few suggestions to School Committees, which may be useful; and I feel sure they will be accepted in a kindly spirit:— Heading-hooks: I have already suggested the purchase by the Committee of a set of class reading-books; and I particularly recommend the use of Nelson's Historical Heading-books. — Libraries and Museums : Every school should have a library containing a selection of readable and instructive books, a standard dictionary, a large atlas, a standard history of England, and an encyclopaedia. In addition to this, each good school should have a small museum of simple objects.— Upkeep : In large schools the walls and rafters should be swept clear of dust at least twice a year ; and the windows should be cleaned oftener than they usually are. In infant departments a moi'e frequent renewal of diagrams and objects should be made.— Playgrounds : The playgrounds should be sufficiently large ; and very few of them are planted at the sides or in the corners. Unless this is well done, and the young trees protected and attended to during the first two or three years of their growth, the trouble of planting will be thrown away. — Prizes: Whilst Committees are very kind in providing pleasant excursions and festivities for the children, they are, as a rule, much too indulgent in the matter of prize-giving. Ido not altogether approve of giving prizes in primary schools, and I certain!] 7 cannot advise that it should be done unless the prizes are few and well earned. I have known several instances in which prizes have been given to every child in a school, and other cases in which prizes were given to children who failed at the standard examination. I recommend that much of the money available for prizes should in future be devoted to the school library. — Sewing: I recommend the Board to ask each School Committee to invite two or more ladies in each district to report to the Committee on the quality of the needlework. This should be done a week or two before the standard examination. The ladies should be requested not merely to inspect the prepared work of each class, but also to give out a small piece of work to be done in their presence. The Committee would then be good enough to report to the Inspector. Normal School.—At my visit to the Normal School on the 25th October there were present eight out of ten students in training for Class D certificates, and all the eleven in training for Class E. There were also in attendance ten out of eleven private students entered for the term. I inspected the class work done on paper during the year, and heard two or three model lessons given on subjects named by me an hour or two before. Knowing that one of the true tests of a good teacher is an ability to do thoroughly well that which he has to teach, I submitted to all students in training for certificates a set of the arithmetic and grammar papers given to candidates for Standard VI. The highest marks obtained by any of the nineteen students were 94 per cent, in arithmetic and 85 in grammar. In arithmetic four students obtained 80 per cent, or more, and four others obtained 50 per cent, or more; and in grammar two obtained 80 per cent, or more, and fifteen others 50 per cent, or more. I have often observed in unsuccessful teachers that which is here-apparent in inexperienced teachers : that is to say, they have not thoroughly mastered the elementary work which they are required to teach. I further examined vivd voce, and with the aid of the blackboard, the few candidates for Class D who had taken up algebra and Euclid. Taking the school as a whole, I was as favourably impressed with the management this year as I was last; and the results of the certificate examinations have been very satisfactory. Since the opening of the Girls' High School the private-student element has withdrawn. This is not to be regretted, inasmuch as few of the private students were equal to Standard V. work ; and the class was a drag upon the legitimate work of the Normal Department. Conclusion. —I think very great laxity is shown in several of the schools, and more particularly in one or two of those in the City of Wellington, in attention to the cleanly and orderly appearance of the class-rooms and premises, to the complete furnishing of the rooms, and to the conduct and manners of children in the playgrounds. I would also recommend teachers to give their best attention to the study of individual character, to the judicious and careful giving-out of home lessons, reasonable in quantity and suitable in kind, and, above all, to the training of the learner to exercise thought and observation, as well as memory. I have, Ac, Eobeet Lee, The Chairman, Education Board. Inspector of Schools.