TEACHER WITHOUT A CLASS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 14, Issue 355, 12 April 1946, Page 22

TEACHER WITHOUT A CLASS

(Written for ‘The Listener" by

A .B.

ALLEN

HE Little Woman with the kind face and the twinkling eyes was standing gn the porch.-Father opened the door. He was in a mood. "Who are you?" he yelled. . "Im the visiting teacher," murmured the Little Woman. "I don’t know what you are, and I don’t care a so GET OUT!" "Thank you: Good evening," said the Little Woman. * * * S she plodded back to her flat the Little Woman began to think and her thinking went something like this: "I took up visiting teaching work two year$ ago and my only instructions were "You are to be the link between the school and the home.’ Well, that was all tight. But that’s the third home this term I’ve been kicked out of. Maybe my

instructions have been changed and I am to be ‘tle football between the school and the home’ instead. (Oh, well, I've a new striped jersey and winter boots, so maybe I’m not out of place. And I could learn the rules of the game and perhaps convert a penalty and score over father now and again!) But is it all worth while? Let me see now. ... Soliloquy "There’s Jimmy who, I found, had sores underneath his three pullovers, and I referred him to the District Nurse: his mother is keeping him clean now. And there’s Joe whose teacher didn’t understand him until I visited his home and found that mother was busy entertaining servicemen while dad was overseas, and. Joe was worrying about that. Then there’s Billy who wasn’t a bit happy with his foster-parents and his school work went to the pack in conse-quence-a change of foster-home has worked wonders for him. And there was Adrian who was playing truant because

he’d worn the seat of his pants right through and didn’t have another pair to put on: the school committee helped me there. And there’s Jennifer and Margaret who had mumps and measles together and mother unable to look after them because of a new baby; the District Nurse came to the rescue that time, And there’s Olga and John and Lionel

and-yYes, I’ve had more ‘ups’ than ‘downs’ on the whole, and for the one irate parent there are 20 grateful ones (though many of them won't admit it!). Yes, this visiting teaching is Life (very much in the Raw sometimes), and I’m going to keep on because it’s worth while and so many people can"Good evening, Miss Jones."

"Good evening, Mrs. Robertson. My word, I nearly bumped right into youI was thinking, you see, and not looking where I was going." "Well, Miss Jones, I’m glad to have met you because I’m having trouble with Roger-he won't go to school, the young monkey. I take him there and he just runs home after me, crying his eyes out. I wonder whether you could do anything about it? I think myself the work in Standard 2 is too hard for him: he’s not very good at sums and his reading is a bit behind, too." "T’'ve to go to see his teacher about another child to-morrow morning, so I'll see what can be done, and let you know. Perhaps the Psychological Clinic attached to the Vocational Guidance Centre may be able to help us; they are dreadfully busy there all the time, but may be able to squeeze him in. I'll inquire about it anyway." : Perhaps ... Perhaps a change of school; perhaps admission to a remedial class; perhaps a private coach; perhaps Child Welfare could do something; perhaps Scouts or Guides or Church Club; perhaps the Y.W.C.A. or Heritage; perhaps the Crippled Children Society; perhapsperhaps. And so it goes on-day after day, month after month; wet or fine; the Visiting Teacher is on the job, seeking more information, seeking more help, advising, counselling, sometimes scolding, sometimes encouraging; always thinking about some case or other and what to do about it-going out of her way to help parents who find themselves in a jam over their children; helping children to sort out the tangles in their little lives; or helping teachers to understand the "problems" in their classrooms. She has no class; she doesn’t take lessons; she has one school as headquarters (sometimes); sometimes she is expected to cover all the primary schools of an Education Board district (there are only 16 visiting teachers for the whole of New Zealand, some of them appointed only this year). She is a teacher with years of successful teaching behind her, so she knows the kind of jobs she will have to do before she takes up the ap-pointment-but above all she is a woman of understanding and sympathy, with a sense of humour to help her through the dark places. : Teaching the Teachers’ Because the visiting teachers all had problems to discuss and because they all wanted to learn more about what they were expected to do, the Education Department recently sponsored a_ three weeks’ course of instruction for them at Canterbury University College. Dr. R. Winterbourn, senior lecturer in Education at the College and psychologist at the Vocational Guidance Centre, was organiser and tutor-in-chief, and with the assistance of Professor H. E, Field, C. T. Ford (both of the Education Department, Canterbury College). and J. C. Caughley (psychologist at the Wellington Vocational Guidance Centre), gave a course of lectures, discussions, and demonstrations covering such important and weighty topics as the theoretical and practical aspects of behaviour problems; general and specific backwardness in schools; the compilation and use

of cumulative record cards and case histories; and the administration and interpretation of intelligence and attainment tests. Closely~ linked were visits to such places as special classes for backward children, the Merivale Occupation Centre, the School for the Deaf at Sumner, the Burwood Girls’ Training Centre and the Normal School Speech Clinic, where practical application of theories expounded could be studied and opportunity for discussion with teachers and others on the job given. Visitors and a Conference Visiting lecturers were Dr, Helen Field and Dr, Turbott (health problems); A. J. McEldowney (school problems of the orphanage child); L. G. Anderson (the Visiting Teacher and the Child Welfare Officer); Raymond Ferner, §.M. (Children’s Courts) and Miss C. E. Robinson and G. M. Keys (Vocational and leisure time problems). Spirited discussions and a flow of questions followed each of these lectures, : Just as visits to the institutions were linked to the first group of lectures, so these talks from outsiders were linked by a conference to which were invited representatives of youth organisations and other bodies interested in the welfare of children at home and in the community. The central theme of this conference was an enquiry into what facilities were available for catering for youth generally, and how co-operation between visiting teachers and such organisations may best be effected. Each delegate outlined the aims and scope of the organisation representedChristchurch United Youth Council; Y.M.C.A.; Y.W.C.A.; Society for the Protection of Women and Children; the Churches; Christchurch Federation of Parent-Teacher Associations; the Mayor’s Social Service; W.D.F.U.; Children’s Ward, Public Hospital; and Women’s Institutes. The phrase "We will do all we can to help and co-operate with the visiting teachers" was on the lips of delegate after delegate. (A visiting teacher who has just been "footballed" doesn’t feel so lonely and discouraged if she knows there are others round her who are willing and able to help her over difficult cases.) * * % ES, the Little Woman was there too, and she returned to her district full of new vigour in her job. So, if she comes knocking at your door, give her a welcome-she won’t gossip to the neighbours about the things she inquires about. And remember: she is a link and not a football.