MAKING GOOD.

Auckland Star, Volume 55, Issue 158, 5 July 1924, Page 11

MAKING GOOD.

THE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL WORK AT KOWHAI. ENTHUSIASM THE KEYNOTE. I While politicians, educationists and ] antagonists of the scheme have talked I and wrangled, work at the Kowhai Junior High School, Kingsland, has gone on quietly but uninterruptedly. That rare quality, enthusiasm, is behind the school, urging it on to prove to the I critics and the indifferent that the junior \ high school sj-stem is worth while. I Everyone at Kowhai is enthusiastic. It j starts with the principal, 11 r. K. K. Rudman, is passed on to each of the staff of twenty-six teachers, and there is more than a spark of it in the tousled-headed boy who is pointed out as "just a little dull, hut doing quite well." As one is taken on a grand tour from room to room, and sees the 850 children at their tasks, all looking very happy about it, one begins to feel enthusiastic himself.

Individual Interest Fostered.

i The system followed is not generally known, despite the fact that much has [ been written about it. The main prinj ciple is to take advantage of the pupil's i particular bent for any subject, and to I build upon that, holding his or her j interest till the time. All the first and I second year boys receive instruction in ] woodwork, as do some of the third year boys. All the boys in the latter class take metal work, as do some of the less able first and second year boys. Every girl learns cookery or needlework, and | about two-thirds of the girls take both, j Art, including commercial art and trade ] drawing, is an elective subject in the i higher classes for both girls and boys. I The idea is to start secondary school I subjects much earlier in the pupil's course than has been done under the ordinary system. All the children from Mt. Ed'cn," Edendale and Mt. Albert primary schools, who have passed Stani dard IV. attend the Junior High School. They are graded into eight classes, according to the recommendation of their respective headmasters. This grading is checked by intelligence tests. In the fifth standard, the higher grades are given a little introduction to French, mathematics and science. A consultation between the parents and the headmaster is arranged at the end of the first year, and those pupils who intend to go on to the Grammar School are grouped into certain sets of classes. Those who purpose leaving the school to enter busi- , ness life are grouped into other classes, j where, in addition to the work for the ] proficiency examination, they devote a I certain amount of time to elective subjects bearing upon the trade or calling I they intend to follow. The former 1 group' take languages and mathematics. ! During the third year, these divisions are continued, there being a Grammar School course and a semi-technical course, with still wider electives. It has been found j that with clever children the introducj tion of lessons in commercial subjects | did not militate against a high standard jof primary education being maintained. j This was proved last year by the fact ! that seven scholarships were won. I Busy Little Cooks. It would gladden the heart of Mr. j Poynton, S.M. —that zealous advocate of I conscription for girls—to have a peep into the cheery cookery room. As the | "Star" reporter entered, 48 bright eyes | looked up for an instant, and then I dropped again, as twelve rolling pins rolled twelve batches of dough, and twelve pairs of assisting hands sprinkled flour with businesslike precision. Each :girl, in her apron and cap, appeared to ,be genuinely interested in what she was doing. Soon twelve little dishes of apple slices were being covered with dough, preparatory to being popped into 1 the oven. There would be apple pie I for lunch that day! These girls can i really cook—it is not mere play. They proved this just the other day when a lusty team of schoolboy footballers came in from the country, with appetites that would tur na dyspeptic green with envy. The hungry were filled with good things, made by a class of the prospective housewives, and there was never a grumble. ' Some of the pupils, says the cooking instructress, "don't know a thing about it," while others are quite proficient before they commence, but they are all turned out with sufficient knowledge to enable them to provide plain, wholesome I meals for any reasonable family. j And now a glance at the woodworkers. How they work! "Do they need any encouragement? Certainly not! They are all very eager," says the instructor, displaying samples of work done by his bright pupils. One of the best exhibits is a large bookcase, made for the Dalton system class. So keen were the lads that they subscribed 16/ for the wood, and induced the instructor to allow them to make panel doors for the case —not an easy job for these amateurs. Enthu- ; siasin did it. Some boys, who are found to be a little dull in mental stib- : jects, are given extra tuition in woodI work, and almost invariably they acquit themselves welL Purposeful application to the study in hand was apparent in the art room, where a mixed class was doing excellent work. The pupils work from models, and quickly develop a sense of perspective which is not found in the primary schools, where work is done from the flat. Judged by the merits of the exhibits on the walls, the art classes at Kowhai have been one of the most successful features of the institution. Their Own Dressmakers. The same spirit is in evidence in the sewing room. Girls are taught to sew, and to decorate hats, also to draw sketches of their models, with the price lof materials marked alongside, so that every "creation" has its price. The girls are fond of this work. Metalwork is popular with the boys, who learn to make brackets and all manner of useful things, under the direction of a capable instructor. As the result of their efforts the equipment of the workroom has been supplemented appreciably. , Dalton On Trial. ! Another interesting section of the school is the three classes working on the Dalton system. Here the children are grouped for purposes of mutual improvement, discussion being allowed. Broadly speaking the system is to encourage the child to suit the mood of , the moment to the task. A month's : work is assigned, and the pupil may do it as he pleases. If, first thing on Slon- | day morning, he should feel like grapi pling with an arithmetical problem, he may get to work, while his neighbour may be ■engrossed in history, and the little girl over the way may be knitting her brows over the analysis of an involved sentence. The teacher is in attendance for supervision and personal j instruction. So far the Dalton system .at Kowhai Junior High School is in a purely experimental stage, and the teachers are not prepared to express an opinion as to its efficacy or otherwise. What they are sure of, however, is the enthusiasm of the children. There is no denying that in any section of tho school. Hopefulness and progress are its animating forces. The teachers feel I confident of results.