FLOOD OF CRITICISM.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 113, 16 May 1927, Page 14

FLOOD OF CRITICISM.

TRAINING OF TEACHERS.

f EDUCATIONISTS' VIEWS.

VARIOUS OPINIONS EXPRESSED.

"I think that the proposed change will operate all to the benefit of young people from the country who contemplate entering the profession," said the headmaster of a primary school. "These young people, through having a nonrepayable boarding allowance provided for them, will have an advantage over trainees from the city, for the latter, though they may not have to pay board, have usually to contribute in kind to the upkeep of the home. Of course, country students at the training colleges receive boarding allowances at present, but there is a difference in youthful eyes to undergoing training with boarding allowance and salary, as against salary only, and with boarding allowance as against nothing at all. Whether the more suitable type of young teacher comes from the country or the town is a point that the training college authorities may be able to decide. Right-type Needed. "The important point for consideration is: Will the right type of student be attracted to a greater degree under the new system? There is no question that a great many secondary school boys and girls have entered the teaching profession for no other reason than that it offered a safe, permanent billet and sufficient income to ensure the ordinary comforts of life, with the prospect of being able to retire at 60, or, in the case of a woman, at 50. The fact that many other avenues of employment have closed, owing to overcrowding, and that students for the teaching profession have 'been quite liberally paid during their years of special training, has been an incentive to large numbers to become school teachers, without any regard for personal qualifications. Will the new system alter this?

'"For one thing, the bond as to five years' service will have to be much more rigorously enforced. One cannot get away from the point that the present method of selection is faulty, in that it does not guarantee the right type of candidate. It is my opinion that a candidate, should be under observation in various ways, not merely for a few days, but for weeks and months. The .observers should be people who have the ability to discern whether or not the candidate has aptitude for teaching. Under the present system there is no doubt that far too many entrants, shown by years of experience to be utterly unsuitable, have been admitted to the profession. Most thinking people agree that the test is insufficient.

"I'm inclined to think," continued the headmaster, "that the new system will frighten the young fellow who has more than average ability, for he will not readily train at his own expense for a profession which offers no* great future. He will Tealise that the money he would have to lay out in training himself for school-teaching may lead to far better things in later life if spent in educating himself for the. law, medicine ok architecture. Teaching offers no plums. Othejr professions do. Why should any young man bind himself to a financial contract for nothing more than an assured livelihood?

"Then there is the woman's case to be considered. How will the prospect of matrimony affect the lady student's view of having to undertake financial responsibilities? • Nine girls out of terf have the prospect of a husband and home before them when they leave school. Is it reasonable to expect that a girl is going to undertake, at her own expense, training for a profession which will probably return less than a position in a shop or office, and yet make greater demands on her mental powers? She will see that, when she has finished her training, she will get a position not very attractive financially—comparing it with other specialised fields—and will be under an obligation to refund out of her salary all that has been advanced to her. I know that young students at the present time are jubilant at the fact that the proposed change will not apply to them."*

The prophecy of the Minister of Education (Hon. K. A. Wright) that there would be a good deal of criticism of the proposed new system for the train ing of teachers, in connection with which it is proposed to make loans to students to carry them through their training, appears to have been fulfilled, much for the reason that it is suggested that.the advances should be repaid by regular instalments when a student begins work as a teacher. Other Opportunities. Another headmaster, when asked to comment on the proposals, favoured the Departmental atte'mpt to economise in the expenditure upon training of teachers, which had increased enormously in recent years. If this expenditure would be reduced by the suggested scheme and the efficiency of the training was not impaired, then it should receive whole-hearted support Hβ felt however, that the new scheme might hold back some of the best material that would otherwise offer, and that this material might find other avenues ol employment more remunerative in comparison. Other branches of Government service" offered at least equal opportunity of advancement, Ind EmT + T, l6aßt com P arab le to those paid to teachers, while they would nold wLf o ' ° nal att . raction t»at salary would commence immediately on enbe adv lsa ble, if not essei S ill §1111

As a result of this advice inquiries were conducted further afield. Future conditions of entry to the! teaching profession were explained to men in ofher walks of life, and they were asked if, under euch circumstances they would advise children of their own to take up the work of training the young as a livelihood. A prominent lawyer was interrogated. His opinion was an emphatic negative. He recognised the importance of the profession, and considered that it was quite right for an entrant, as in similar walks of life, to bear g the whole burden of his preparation for life work, but he saw nothing in it to tempt the able and the ambitious to bear this burden. Other fields offered so much better scope for individuality and initiative, and so much higher rewards, and their element of risk, from which the teacher was quite freed, was often an attraction rather than a drawback. Views in Other Professions. A dentist was tempted into making comparisons with his own profession! In this the expense of training was much greater, and had to be borne entirely by. the trainee or his parent. The trainee would probably not be qualified to practise till he was twenty two, but then, as an employee he could command a salary of £8 10/ a week, while later, in practice on his own, the average dentist should certainly net more than £600 per annum. He did not think that the average school teacher fully qualified, could earn this, though like other civil servants superannuation was ahead. The dentist was definitely of the opinion that a son of his would find more scope in his fathers profession than in the scholastic one, but he believed that teaching should be made at least equally attractive a calling as

An architect produced another viewpoint. Unless he showed any special aptitude for one of the professions where he could reap for himself the rewards of his own efforts, a son should be put to a trade. A plasterer in regular employment could earn aa much as the average teacher, could commence earning at an earlier age, need not face the mental strain of the profession, and had an opportunity to get out on his own in business. He. too, would not encourage a son of his to enter the education service, either under present or proposed conditions.

Back again to the teacher came the inquiry. One of the profession made an interesting comparison. He instanced two lads, chums, who had left school 2* years ago. One chose education as a career. At present he was getting a little over £2 a week, had some years of study to face, the prospect of years of country service, a goal of about £500 per annum far ahead, and a pension after 40 years. The other lad tackled journalism. He was getting twice the salary of his chum, could, under ordinary conditions see over £400 a year ahead of him be-: fore he was thirty, and the possibility that Australia or London would hold much greater rewards in store. Even if this possibility did not materialise, there was still Dominion-scope that offered, so the teacher considered, better chances than his own profession.

One Phase Only. These views tend to dhow the comparative attractiveness of teaching as a life occupation, purely for men. and the male teachers approached by the interviewer felt disinclined to discuss the women's point of view. There was, though, a generality of opinion that the proposals would make the profession lees attractive to the most desirable tvpe. One headmaster considered that it "was but tackling one phase of the question, which should be considered right from the foundation.. He thought that in centres like Auckland one boys' secondary school and one girls' one should assemble in a special class those who contemplated engaging in teaching. A special course of studies should be prescribed for these pupils, and during their secondary school career they should be under the observation of a master who had himself been through the "mill," and who had the capacity to observe and develop any latent ability that would indicate success in a teaching profession. The report of such a master would be an invaluable guide, and would check, if it did not do away with, the training expenditure upon those who afterwards were found unsuited to their chosen calling.