TRAINING OF TEACHERS.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20104, 6 December 1930, Page 7

TRAINING OF TEACHERS.

|jOGER OF tradition. JP STRONG'S ADDRESS. ft. Ureaking-up ceremony of the Starch Training College was held ay morning at the Training ColrL ia i Hall, when the Director of Mr T. B Strong, was the speaker. He addressed the

students concerning the need for adheronce to the ideals of teaching as they 'h R t lea r ied them in volle «« of l h ' flent ;y full back on traditional methods which they would hud when they began teaching outside. Iho Principal of tlio College, Mv J. H. I urchase, said that this "was the first occasion, on which Mr Strong hud been able to bo present at. the ' final ceroniony of the College, and it was a blgn .°f f ll . 8 interest that he had made a special trip from Wellington to do so. i trn/lf- * t l' at °" tho Personnel of tho ! caching staft depended tho success of ;t° P' ans °. e the administrative side </e ! Education Departmeut. The oualuv ot the students was such Urit " i,-, 4 I have 110 fear for the tion. " ' Widespread intlu, M . e . At the beginning of f'e. lu"> ~f tho students would be •..vgianinr' their real teaching service ; n ho schools throughout the country. 'I hey came from many districts, from iv.rtli' and South canterbury, Marlborough, ..Nelson, •ttanganui, and Huwke'.s i! lV .so that the influ en eve of the College v-as much more widespread than in femer times Everything possible had been dour on both the academic ami tin; physical sides, and, in fact, on i!,. ; aca.lc-n.ic si.U lis thought that the istuiiciifs Imti iiv*.v.* been so highly qualified as they were to-day. ijach year war* seeing an itu provenient, and constituent) v each vcai the staff was being freed of a hir-o amount of educational woe!: that had been necessary in the past. _ Mr Purchase paid a, tribute to the as aistanco given on the practical side b, the staff of the Normal School and a dozen or more headmasters and their staffs in outside schools. He also me:, tinned the assistance given bv t lie headmasters of the Hoys' High School, the Technical School, the .School Cor ' the Deaf, and the Headmistress of tieHigh School. To al! the extras of which ' a teacher was expected to know some- j thing, the students had paid much at- I tention, and many of tliem had made ! special stud : os of important educational | problems. lie wis quite willing to 1 a co the College judged by tho student .• who I went .;::m it, and ho was sure that tho standard this year was higher than i ever. Mr Strong's Address. Mr Sfroj.g said that many of {1,,..; leaving t.-ie College would be' v. ..ii.lei i.o* where they would be placed r e\> vear. It was by no means a 'had ihieg to go away from one's home diu: rirt to <dher parts of New Zealand. It required a certain amount oi" pluck to go out into remote country districts, lie knew, for he had had. the experience himself as a young t-.-acher. lie did not know whether in those days they had been less refined than the people ei to-day,

| but they had endured a good share of roughing it. 3 He asked f heal to remember that those | in authority, who sent them to remote places, -ealiscd the difficulties to be faced, and had every sympathy with their hardships and their disappointmeats. He knew that they went well equipped, and with stout hearts io tackle any job that cawo their way, and that j though was harder for the girls than I t° r 'he boys, it was not easy for either. -It _ would take some considerable dej termination to adhere to the aims and | the high principles of education that . had been put before them in the College, I t'.r 'hey 'vouid fun, themselves subjected j to the ,'iMu. re e of tradition, and in parj tjcuh w.Ui tho danger of coming under • the iiond.-ige of the technique of teach- ; iiig. JOO much was easily mado of technique and :oo lift Io of the undcrlyj ir.g principles. Tlio important thing for them was not how 'o do a thing, but I ivin* it ifas ..Inn... ! iKtiui.-rtblc ii.Ct.ults. j, ' '• : "', v had come down to us j tie: tlio o 1 methods of measuring the | u*hu 1 , or t •'itching, There was always j a ! .'-iioency ti> vely 011 the easily dej terminable "esuits, for the really worthj while lesu'.is veru more or less ini tangible, iijtt incapable of measurement. I •: i'. imately i.iey showed in tho forma- | ti'Mi of character. The mote slavishly ; a young teacher adhered to technique, i the niote successful they would bo in I gMtuig tangible results, but the less 1 likely they would be to achieve the 1 •'•.enter ones It was Bishop Butler who that, ia education mere snionTiat.ou was (iie least important part. spoke of the necessity of \r, tng en tile underlying realities of um ." lU ' u '-- for example, and the im- "! tilo teaching of literature, 0.1 geit;,,j_ ;)1 touch w. li the emotional fiJe o' tiie cliild. If a teacher studied :l '_ «nd hidden reasons, and could lrsiiite ' 1 the children an enthusiasm his own in any subject, then !' become a far more vital agent in s. liands than if he treated it in a .;pc riieinl iiiaiua-r. "If there are any among you who have superficial notions about teaching, the children of Xcu- Zealand are not going In uv.t yon much at the end of your lime. You have to touch the springs of lire to be a successful teacher, and it - Arnold, T think, who said that U-.u 'iitig the worst paid of the professions, but. the one with the greatest rewards. 1. want you to realise the inugiii uu(e (>t vuiii* tiisic ar«l *ts depth. ' * .The .1 tude 11 ;s held the iinat pjiciuc at Diamond Harbour 011 Thursday, and had a farewell dance ,11 the College in the I even ing. r I. he Tdwin Catkins Ateniorial 1 Prize was awarded to Mr a{. E JSchulze.