NEW ZEALAND BRAINS.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 116, 17 May 1924, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND BRAINS.

T THB TEACHERS' VIEWPOQm "EXCELLENT BUT NOT USED,* There are widely differing views ______ educationists us to the best meanTo? testing the brain capacity and attahw "•- ment of New Zealand school childW Teachers, who have had practical expert, ence both in this country and in others generally profess to be able to classify the mentality of the young people with whom they have come in contact with, out resorting to special examinations. .Several Auckland school&asters/ in discussing this and kindred subjects with a "Star" representative, declared that there was something far wrong with iha system of education which failed to hold I the attention of pupils sufficient to 13. duce a reasonable degree of concentre. I tion. The system, however, was not j blamed alone, for some of the teacher* were "old-fashioned" enough to attribute the failure of education to the policy of "sparing the rod." Corporal punishment was advocated not only for boys, but also for girls who could not be moved by any other means. "Girls Should Be Strapped." "The New Zealand children simply will not get down to their work," d&! elared a teacher, whose wide experience! entitled him to speak with authority "It is a ease of driving them until they realise there is no escape from their lessons." Discussing instances where boyg and girls would not learn, thia teacher declared that in many cases the parents aided and abetted the pupils in dodging home work by sending written excuses for neglect which were not worth the paper upon, which they were written. Some children would respond only to corporal punishment, and lie considered there should be an able-bodied woman teacher in each school to whip girls who required correction. In support of his contention that corporal punishment would be beneficial to girls, the teacher referred to a case of a girl who wrote a shockingly immoral composition in school. The class was given a list of words, and was asked to compile sentences containing these words. In nearly every other lino written by this girl there were disgust, ing statements. Under the and in view of other facts, the girl wag simply dismissed from school. Had it beeu possible to give her a strapping, the teacher was of opinion that she could have been brought to a sense of decency. Home Influences Criticised. A teacher from overseas, who has haj a number of years' experience in the Dominion, said the lack of good home influences was very apparent in New' Zealand. People who had always lived' here did not realise this fact, but those who had resided in other countries were' impressed by the absence of the true' spirit of home life in the Dominion,' This was partly, and perhaps largely, due to people's indifference to Church and to religion. In other countries an interest in religion had a steadying effect, and seemed to give the young folks the will to do, which was so largely lacking amongst the pleasure-seeking boys and girls in these Islands. No doubt the free life of the Dominion gave a spirit of independence and an inclination to "bluff." but in too many casei there was nothing behind it all. " The Material Is There." "The sad part is that the material is there, but we do not seem to be able to stir it into activity," continued the teacher. The New Zealand children, thanks to their environment, which, he said, was like a two-edged sword, had a wonderful mentality, one equal to that of any other children in the world, but that very environment seemed to be a drag upon their progress, for it made them listless and unconcenfed when it came to a matter of lessons. As already stated, opinions are varied on this subject. Another teacher declared that the mentality tests would vindicate the New Zealand children once and for all time. He felt sure the results would be good, and would show that what was lost through any supposed lack of concentration was fully made up by the power of the youngsters to gather general information. His own view was that young New Zcalanders not only possessed splendid brains, but they also used them.