TRAINING THE CHILD.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15917, 2 June 1917, Page 4

TRAINING THE CHILD.

INCREASING NATIONAL EFFICIENCY.

ADpRESS BY MISS P. MYERS

There was a good attendance of members of the C'hristcburcli Discussion Centre of tho North Canterbury &klucational Institute last evening, Mr J. Purchas presiding, when an address on tho training of children was given by Miss P. Myers, vice-president of the New Zealand Women Teachers" Association, and a member of tho Council of Education. Miss Myers dealt with a scheme to prevent- mental, mora!, and pltysic.il wast'_> in the schools, ;ii;d claimed that full use was not being made of the playground. Many lessons were to bo learnt from watching the children nnside. ]f the teacher..; taught the children to play games they would be teaching them just as invalunblo lessons as they taught inside. Tho modern method of education was the harmonious development- of all the faculties —physical, to resist, mental, to overcome obstacles, nnd moral', to resist temptation. The saving effected by the Plunket system required special mentai training. In saving the lives of specially delicate children we v.ere acting contrary to nature which got rid of the delicate, but wo were making ro provision to provide for them growing up strong and we]'. We must consolidate tho work of the Plunket nurse by a special mental system. _ Much of the mental food we gave to children was ; n • digestible. If he were not capablc of digesting what was given him, it should bo tho duly of the teacher to find out what the child could digest mentally the same as it was the duty of tho medical man to ascertain wiiat the child could digest physically. Tho period of training a, child should begin at veil's of age when the senses were | beginning to show, therefore the Plun- : ket system should be attached to the 1 education system. Teachers should be trained in .scientific methods and ikeir work would be largely changed. The machinery for setting such a scheme in motion would have to be built. She was one of those who believed that tliov would get far better results il people were happy. Teachers must set. the co-opevution of parents in tlio training of the child and discuss matters with the in. T? the parents were told of the result of neglect it would give them more responsibility, tho result of their increased knowledge. As a result tho community would receive more responsibility and consequently we would secure social progress. Wo would have a uational and rational system of education based on natural laws and arising out of our conditions, by the preparation of mnterial so that wo might get the maximum efficiency of the individual and thereby the maximum efficiency of tho nation. The cooperation of the university professor was required besides that of tho Plunket nurse, the kindergarten, and the medical branch of the Education Department. All those children, now in our schools, which had not been treated, must be considered. The facilities '"or connective treatment must be increased, the public must be educated to look' after tho conditions of the children, -.nd there must be school nurses to back up the medical inspection with home nursing. Soir.o of this was already being done. If we were to spend sufficient money on education in tho true eense of the word we would largelv save on what we at present spent in trying to save waste. In the report of tho Education Department about 11 per cent, of the children were above normal, 60 per cent, were normal, and the remainder below normal: yet wo were giving all ihoso children tho samo {hin.g to do.

Miss Mver,<? was accorded a hearty vote of thanks for her address.