Headmaster Has Seen Education Extremes

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31234, 5 December 1966, Page 15

Headmaster Has Seen Education Extremes

Mr P. R. Willberg, headmaster of the Linwood Intermediate School, will retire at the end of the year after experiencing extremes in education which he considers the most interesting parts of his career. At his first school at Glenomaru (South Otago) “there was not a scrap of equipment and we had to make even our own readers.” At his last, Linwood Intermediate, he has “magnificent facilities and fascinating challenges in organisation and administration.” Mr Willberg said that between these two extremes and throughout his teaching career, he had become convinced that education was primarily a moral task. He likes to quote an American named Woodring who said: “In a society of free men the proper aim of education is to prepare the individual to make wise decisions.”

The big problem in education was still to stimulate the interest of the child, Mr Willberg said. “Many are eager and interested but too many still lack the will to stick at the task. There is no easy answer. Distractions are multiplying and there is an increasing social problem of broken homes which is more widespread than you may think.” Mr Willberg was educated at the Christchurch Boys’

High School, trained at the Christchurch Teachers’ College, and took a diploma in education at the University of Canterbury. He taught at Glenomaru, Waianakarua (North Otago), and Benhar (South Otago) before the war. As a territorial officer he enlisted on the outbreak of war and served in New Zealand, rising to the rank of captain. Positions held afterwards were first assistant at Timaru West and Waimataitai between 1944 and 1954, head of Waimairi in 1955, head at Fendalton in 1957, and head at Linwood Intermediate since 1961.

Mr Willberg was twice president of both the South Canterbury branch of the New Zealand Educational Institute and the South Canterbury School Sports Association, and president of the North Canterbury branch of the N.Z.E.I. in 1959. He has been on branch management committees of the institute for 26 years. He will retire in Christchurch.