BACKWARD CHILDREN

New Zealand Listener, Volume 12, Issue 311, 8 June 1945, Page 5

BACKWARD CHILDREN

Sir,-Your correspondent "Student" raises the interesting question of youths who were below average at school yet subsequently graduated above average from Air Force classes. Though I think most people will be acquainted with the apparent anomaly in ur education system he is emphasising, I respectfully suggest that he is not abreast with modern educational trends if he, considers that the New Zealand Council for Educational Research or any authoritative educational body or official is not giving thought to this question. There are numerous examples of world notabilities (including Churchiil) who were nothing out of the ordinary in their school work yet who were a wondering success in some special sphere in later life; and no, doubt anv reader

could quote comparable examples from his own experience, We all know, too, the "smart Alec" who. passes school examinations with ease but is a hopeless failure at applying his knowledge in the outside world. The. clue to this puzzle, put, briefly, is usually "specialisation," which for various reasons cannot be practised in the ordinary primary schools. The Air Force youths, stimulated and encouraged by different influences from those encountered at school, and perhaps aware for the first time of the purpose behind their study, may have successfully exercised latent talents for ' mathematics and other Air Force subjects, or, on the other hand, they may always have been strong in those subjects at school, but because of specific backwardness in certain other subjects, ‘say languages or history, their average grading in their class, for all subjects. has been lowered. There are other explanations, such as better health, increasing maturity of outlook, removal from adverse environmental conditions, antipathy to a teacher or generally to school life, unusually high average academic standards at the particular schools attended, or increased self-confidence, any of which might fit the case, but it would take too | to cover them all. In my original ew of Dr. Winterbourn’s book I

had made reference to the problem of specific backwardness, but as the review had to be condensed for reasony of space, this reference was considerably abbreviated, I suggest that "Student" and others interested in this problem should read the book and should join a ParentTeacher Association, if one exists in their district. Membership of such associations is not normally restricted to parents and teachers, and members can often clarify their own ideas and at the same time contribute something to the common pool and indirectly to the solution of educational problems by taking part in discussions on matters such as that raised by "Student."

L. G.

ANDERSON

(Whangarei).