Children and teachers

Press, 27 October 1982, Page 14

Children and teachers

Sir,—lt was difficult to believe that V. H. Anderson’s ideas on good old education referred to the barbaric classroom attitudes of the nineteenth century. I presume he

,was making a defence of the immediate war years when certain standards then apparent, are now considered oldfashioned. Both as a pupil and as a teacher in that period I can only applaud those sentiments: Gone are the days of benevolent authoritarian heads whose fair discipline inspired excellence in every field of educational endeavour. Gone are the days of so-called battle-axe headmistresses whose care and administrative skills prevented children reaching the fifth form without being able to read and write. Instead we have the philosophy of doing one’s thing paramount among many teachers and pupils. We have heads who can no longer dictate policy but whose hands are tied by the fickle mob minority, and young teachers who cannot possibly cope in an undisciplined environment. No, one cannot blame everything on to TV and broken homes.—Yours, etc.,

E. J. NORMAN. October 25, 1982.