Headmaster Sees Lower Standards

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30287, 13 November 1963, Page 8

Headmaster Sees Lower Standards

A great number of primary schools had slipped back academically in the last 10 to 15 years, in the sense that the pupils were not being as well grounded in the three R’s, which the community in general still regarded as the essentials of education, said Mr F. R. Price, who has been headmaster of the North New Brighton School for the last 17 years and who will retire at the end of this school year after 41 years of teaching.

“Life is not as grim in the primary schools today as it was in the days of the proficiency examination, and I regard this as a distinct advantage. On the other hand, life is not quite as earnest as it was, and I do not think this is a merit," Mr Price said. “The pendulum has gone a little too far away from work. We have tended towards a system of teaching that has adopted methods successful overseas; especially in the United States, where conditions are particularly suited to these methods. I refer to small classes and plenty of equipment. “We have much larger classes and not so liberal equipment. The children cannot be kept busy under these methods unless we have got the wherewithal, and the teacher cannot devote the time called for to attend to the various groups unless the class is small.

“Some teachers have met and overcome these difficulties. but these are exceptional teachers. The system, I feel, should be designed for the average teacher. “In other words, I think that we have tried to go too far too quickly. These new methods take time to introduce and test. The system has proved itself tor exceptional teachers having exceptional pupils in small classes, or group within a class. This is the exception, but the system has not yet proved itself for what is the ruleaverage teachers, large classes and average pupils,” Mr Price said.

Rote Or Understanding Too quick an advance had been attempted in too many fields simultaneously in the last 10 to 15 years which meant, here and there, a breakdown in effective work. Where the new system was applied effectively under the right conditions, the pupils had a much wider basis of knowledge and reasoning than in the days of the proficiency examination with its narrow scope and class learning by rote, rather than understanding. “The new methods place a much greater strain on the teachers. Today there is a greater percentage of teachers with shorter experience. That is not serious in itself, and may well make the teacher more adjustable. “But experience is the only way in which to learn to handle children and parents. The tone of the school is set by the teacherpupil relationdiip, plus support from the home. Only

experience can give you knowledge of children and ■parents. “The teacher-pupil relationship is, in general, much haippier than in die proficiency days. The drawback, in this sense of tone and discipline, is that it is often difficult to keep all the children busy under the new methods of teaching. and children who are not busy at school get into mischief!” Mr Price said. ’ “Children prefer an environment where discipline and tone is good, and they like to be busy. Many school difficulties occur where the pupils are not kept busy.” Mr Price said that the' new system of groups and streams within classes made much greater demands on teachers. They had to do much more I preparation than formerly, had to give more thought to methods and bad fewer rest periods. A level temperament had always been a great advantage in teaching and was now an even bigger one to a teacher, and pupils possessing it. Hie universities’ recent bias against extra-mural students was a to the teaching profession, he thought. Young men found j U particularly difficult to

obtain a position in a main centre on leaving training colleges, and had to take a country position. This meant that he had either to study for a degree extra-murally, or wait until he obtained a position in a main centre—-

the latter mostly resulting in the teacher giving up the idea of getting a degree. Mr Price, who obtained a master of arts degree with honours, through extra-mural studies, went to the New Brighton School as a pupil, and later as a pupil teacher. He has since thoroughly identified himself with the district and has no intention of leaving it on his retirement. He was secretary of the North New Brighton Residents’ Association for 12 years, and has been chairman of the Christchurch Drainage Board for several years. In the last 17 years, he worked for the Brighton district and has been a spokesman for the area on many important issues, such as amalgamation with the city, zoning problems, bus services, and public works.