YOUNG TEACHERS IN WORK

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21084, 8 February 1934, Page 10

YOUNG TEACHERS IN WORK

♦— — Unemployment Relief Scheme

HEADMASTERS PLEASED

Headmasters of Christeburch schools who have had their staffs augmented under the new scheme for absorbing unemployed teachers at a salary of £6O a year-, are generally satisfied that the measure will prove decidedly beneficial, for both teachers and children. Most of them have been working with inadequate staffs for several years, and in some cases the classes have been growing beyond the point of maximum efficiency. The new teachers who have come to the schools this year under the department's scheme, most of whom arc fully qualified and many of whom are trained specialists, will, it is stated, enable classes to be divided and better work to be carried out. The Fendalton school has received two additional assistants under the new scheme, and the headmaster, Mr A. R. Blank, is convinced that they will be of great value to the school. He is giving them responsible work and is thus able to divide some of the classes which have lately become increasingly heavy. In his opinion the primary echools have suffered particularly from a shortage of trained teachers, and it is his intention to make full tise of all additions to his stall'. One of the new teachers (a woman) is an art specialist, and Mr Blank has arranged for her to take drawing and painting classes in all standards. This was merely an example, he said, of the great benefits which would be derived from the scheme by teachers and pupils alike. The new plan for unemployment relief was very welcome to all concerned, and in the particular case of the Fendalton school it was proving excellent in practice. Division of Classes. Mr D. Brown, headmaster of the Waltham' school, with four additions to his staff, is confident i£at he will be able to arrange for Detter and more efficient work among the children this year. He is dividing his larger classes (some of which are still composed of as many as 50 children), and he hopes that the smaller groups will .enable all the teachers on the stall to carry out more satisfactory work. He is naturally very glad to have the additional assistance, and he said yesterday that some of his new classes are not small enough even yet. One of the new assistants is a music specialist, and it has been arranged that she should take music classes from Standard 1 to Standard 6. Mr Brown said that he had given the newcomers every opportunity of doing their best work with a reasonable measure of responsibility. They were fully qualified teachers, they had undergone a complete course of training, and it ; would be unfair to them to employ them merely as assistants to other teachers. Of course they re- . quired adequate supervision and instruction from the headmaster, but they would be given every chance of expressing their individuality jn charge of the children under them. , Mr W. Rodgers, headmaster of the j North Linwood School, who has six additional teachers this year, has not yet been able to complete his [ arrangements for their absorption. ; The number of pupils this year is ' .slightly lower than last year, and 1 Mr Rodgers said that he would have a certain amount of difficulty in ! arranging classes and curricula with 1 such a large staff. Two of the new teachers were recognised as perma- I nent additions to the staff, while I the other four had come in under c the new relief scheme. I t Welcome Additions. Six teachers who were unemployed last year have been added to the staff of the West Christchurch 'District High School, and the headmaster, Mr L. F. de Berry, is extremely pleased to have them at the school. Mr de Berry said yes- , terday that district high schools, although carrying large numbers of pupils, were not nearly so well staffed as high schools of the same size. Consequently there was a greater need for additional teachers. The West Christchurch school had always had more classes than available teachers, and any additions to an overburdened staff must always C be welcome. a

Among the new teachers is an arts specialist, who will be employed full time. This is a particularly happy addition, as the school has not previously had an art instructor. Another, a qualified physical instructor, will also be employed full time. There are three graduates with honours, in English, French, ancl Latin respectively, who, Mr de Berry expects, will be decidedly useful in language classes, "s'.nd the remaining addition, a commercial specialist, will also have plenty to do. The high school numbers have increased this year—in fact, there is a record roll number and Mr de Berry believes that the school can absorb all the teachers made available by the department. Glad to Kcsume Work. The teachers themselves arc naturally glad to have the oppor- ; tunity to go on with their work. ' Apart from the remuneration they receive after a period of enforced idleness, said Mr Blank yesterday, it is essential that they should keep in touch with actual teaching practice. Mr Brown considered that the salary was the least of the matter; what the young teachers wanted was regular em(ployment. It was a tragedy that ' they should have had to spend h part of the brightest period of their j Jives in idleness. There was a clanger that many of them would lose all their initial enthusiasm and tneir desire to push on. To this extent, in particular, the new relief scheme must prove of great benefit to those who had passed through the training colleges. Although positions were offered to ail unemployed teachers in the Canterbury education district—about 360 in all—the board cannot say definitely exactly how many or them have accepted and how many have already taken up their duties. Some have not yet replied to the olfer and some have apparently shown some distaste for accepting -work in country districts fct the salary of £6O a year, plus poaming allowance of £24. But 111 >< i> Miii i •iiiln,.

it is expected that all will shortly be placed in congenial situations — naturally adjustments will have to be made over the first, few weeks of the school year. POSITION IN AUCKLAND ! MANY GIVEN WOKK (I'RLS3 ASSOCIATION HXIXn.IM.) AUCKLAND, February 7. Of 503 unemployed teachers in Auckland when the rationing scheme came into operation this year, 481 nave been placed in positions. There were 39 who did not require positions and three who refused them, contending that £OO a year was insufficient to cover the cost of Jiving. Thirty-eight were placed in positions at ordinary scale rates.