Aims Of Post-Primary Teachers’ Association

Press, Volume C, Issue 29599, 23 August 1961, Page 20

Aims Of Post-Primary Teachers’ Association

“The Press" Special Service

WELLINGTON, Aug. 22.

“There are two very dear views among members of the Post-primary Teachers’ Association. One is that the association is there to deal with teacher politics. The other is that it is primarily an organisation for watching over the actual trends in education,” said Miss J. N Wallace in her presidential address to the annual meeting of the association. “I think ‘we should be doing both, and I think that all branches should discuss dearly their.own attitude to these two sides of our work, and along with this our views on professional status. There has been a great deal of talk this year about the need for post-primary teachers to speak with one voice. While this has been going on, individual groups have been either approaching the department or the Minister, or have been making announcements in the press.

“On the surface it appears that one of our greatest difficulties as an organisation is our lack of unanimity when it comes to making decisions. On the other hand, I feel that this is to a large extent inherent in our occupation and in our training. Teachers have always been notorious for being individualistic, and they have two distinct loyalties—one to the association (if they are members, and if they are not they still take advantage of what the association obtains for them); the other, and possibly the stronger, to their own school and its product,” she said. Miss Wallace said that the general public did not think highly enough of teachers;

they were still inclined to think of the teachers as a necessary part of the community, as nursemaids to look after the young, very useful as Sunday school teachers, coaches, referees, and guide leaders. “We must make the public realise our responsibilities, our capabilities as leaders, and our full interest in the community.” Miss Wallace said that a great deal had to be done in the field of education for girts. Today the general education was an education suitable for boys. “It has recently been pointed out that the labour pool depends on women and that our economic situation depends on women,” she added. “We cannot afford to let girls specialise too early; their education must be as wide as possible so that it includes all cultural subjects. It must also include domestic subjects so that housekeeping is made easy. “Boys are trained for an immediate vocation, girls for the immediate present and the future. Thus we must give them an elasticity of mind which should include a very clear picture of their obligations to the community.”

Houses Passed In.— An eight-room house at 48 Grange street, Opawa, was passed in at auction yesterday at £lBOO. Bidding started at £l7OO and there was one bid of £lOO. There is a glasshouse on the quarteracre section. A six-roomed house at 29 Vickery’s road. Sockburn, was passed in at £l5OO. Bidding started at £lOOO and there were five bids of £lOO.