Busy time in “retirement”

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32788, 13 December 1971, Page 6

Busy time in “retirement”

For Dr Alicia Percival, retirement is not a time to sit back and watch the world go by.

Dr Percival received her Ph.D. in education from London University two years ago, after her retirement. Since then she has writen one book, “The Origins of the Headmasters’ Conference,” and has another, “Very Superior Men,” in the Works at the moment. Both are about headmasters of British independent schools.

She is also thinking of revising her book on the education of girls in England, “The English Miss —Today and Tomorrow,” and adding

to a book her cousin has produced on the Percival family. In addition, Dr Percival is librarian, for the Folk Lore Society in Britain and maintains a lively interest in its work. Most of her life, however, has been taken up with education. After graduating from Oxford University with her M.A. in English, Dr Percival taught in various schools, including an Indian girls’ college, before lecturing students at a teachers’ training college. Asked whether she thought co-educational or single-sex schools were more beneficial to students, Dr Percival said both had their place. “However, child- | ren reach a stage when it is 1 better academically for them to be taught in separate classes." “I suppose I am a bit of a feminist, but I feel girls can get more of a chance to lead in a single-sex school. “But I do think that at sixth-form level single-sex schools should be closely con-

nected with reciprocal classes. And I firmly believe that all schools should have a mixed staff.” Of all the changes that Dr Percival has seen in her teaching career, she feels the most important is the great growth of good relations between pupils and teachers. Now, she says, there is a greater understanding and, in English independent schools, for example, a greater emphasis on teaching the pupil as an individual. “I deplore the increase in numbers in our schools. Whether this will place a strain on the pupil-teacher relationship remains to be seen, but I hope it doesn’t.” Part of the greater understanding, Dr Percival attributes to the training of teachers today and the widening of the syllabus. "They are given a wealth of material which must gradually percolate through into the schools. And there is a greater emphasis on do-it-yourself amongst pupils.” Dr Percival arrived in New Zealand for the International Rose Convention in Hamilton last month. She has been travelling around the North Island and has only just arrived in Christchurch from Wellington. She did manage to see a few educational institutions in the North Island, including the University of Auckland library and the Alexander Turnbull library in Wellington, where she spent quite a

bit of time. Dr Percival’s keen interest in genealogy helped her to . find some cousins whom “I . knew existed but they didn’t know I did.” She hopes to . dabble in this interest while i in Christchurch. Although she expects to re- . main in New Zealand for another two or three months, Dr Percival does not expect ’ to take home any examples ’ of Maori folk lore. 1 “Unless one has lived in a . country for a long time, one 1 is unable to ascertain what ■ is genuine and what is not,” ' she said. J