NOTES ON EDUCATION

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 161, 1 April 1908, Page 4

NOTES ON EDUCATION

1 (Br Socrates.) * i THE DECALOGUE IN SCHOOLS. . i The Wellington 'Education Board at its meeting last wjeck, decided to issuo instructions to all teachers in chai'gP of school's in its district that copies of tho'DecAlogue (Ten Commandments), presented' by'.Mr. It; (j. Knight,;and distributed Secretary of tlio Education Board, were to bo hung on tjie.walls of-tho schools; a preciso request inspired, it would seem, by the. fact that in certain schools tho copies .referred to had merely been "received"—in somo cases they had not even been unwrapped. ! There is a good deal more in . this incident 'than meets tho eye, and it is quite possible, that had tlio matter received more' serious attention from members than tho published rpport of the discussion upon this particular . matter would indicate, tho Board might have hesitated, to. issue ; an', instruction "to its teachers, which, in effect, makes it mandatory upon them to exhibit' ,on their school \yalls a chart which embodies, certain oleincnts of sectarian strife. . ' ■ \ ' :-To begin with, it is an axiom in .teaching tliat: whatever is displayed on 1 tho walls of a class-room should bo explained to tho. child l ren; if it bo a photograph ,of a celebrity, then the facts,or his or her. career, shouldbe known; if! it be a picture representing a Uat-iic, every incident depicted tn., ; bo explained; if it bo ,the Ten Commandments it is, .manifestly,, tho, teacher's duty to expound .every' ono of'them. .. ' ; i Thoro is 116 ■ escape from this • obligation, for any 1 0110 who knows anything, at all about teaching, must';'" admit that- it . would bo farcical, to hang something on a school wall and .'allow.- 'the children to';'form' their. own ideas about it. It will now bo seen that the Board has, innocently .enough l no doubt,' placed its .teachers in an awkward position. Let thore bo considered, .as illustrations,, the 'positions of A and B (teachers in tlio.,Board's service), in• connection.'.with *.tho'. .observance' of- the instructions regarding' the. I)ecaloguo.' : A's -personal - opinions "incline him-i-to tho viaiv that lio caunot.co'nscientiously tlio..Ten yornman'dments to his-'scholars, becauso.tho.first.fdiir' are:inatters':\6f : theological controversy.',:''. There is'; nothing; to prevent ".llini'.'fcoJKi -.'eScpJltifliiig'- a 6"- Diorar.'^enetS'.tho'rer maining..sixj;'although :.;.the''. 'wisdom,'; of, referring to ! at' least two'of tho- six ;to. ; young 'children,, might, :iii-his opinion,- bo "open to question. He asks—"Sho'ujd 'r exhibit this chart ..on my sollobl wall, . Finally A, convinced of.' tho' strength Of .decides■:that ■ tho\chart shall hot bo exhibited. '"■i 1 " At:this' stagO'"'A's .Committee, whoso opinions on itho;question, aro diametrically opposed to his,, may. no doubt; attempt, to'cooico him. ,If a:,ebiiflict;.'afis.es, and' an , appeal '.to tho Board is: made,'pither-j. of two:; things wilj happen :— . ' , . '. ?! (1) Th6vßoard';.will support: the Com- ' mitteo andiperpetrato an injustice to the v .■' teachor; or. 1 ' '. . .rv.'' i ; ;.;(2) Tho Board .will support, tho teacher ; and stultify its own .action, with regard I . , to tho Decalogue. . /. • ;' lirß's case,?the .position;is . ; royefsed; qiiito' prepared to pxp'ound - t •tlio ■'Cpiflmandments, but his CommitteolobjeOtSi'.'artd,.a con-' dietarises.',:'. ; .-. '■.V-;Here3s;ari'pth'or ;is> tb, bp \iis6d;' 1 jtiionnot'i'.'onl.vA should;: a' copy > ;but i'Oalso to every classr'r.pom ih ; ;.th'o,/;icho6ls, ~ - In some ;are.-'as;.mahy. as : ,teh or. a dozen separate : copy •been; placed: in', has authorised tho issue!.pf :the ! eh'irtsv; .it;*should, to be :consistent^'vsce i^thaf ;.t-hing- is thoroughly/'doneyjif. it 'repudiates .this, then /ihoj copies : accdnipali.ftiig_iiiati'ti&tions .should'not have bcPIV;-issudd;:v , '

I'Therp has'' beeir' establishedj"• as :aii ; axiom, . in.MUir ; the principle: I,hat'Tip roligidus!'?!enie(it';:slia!! he . Jiiiicptliirifcbthe \ ■. The (lOTtain- .^yljitters, which 'ijtfiji' il)o'o 1 bfiica 11 .v, •; oo.ii ti:ove f".sia 1 V.-.;£ihcl tha. is,. .Is '-.it. medium? .; : ■■ jf>C EIOOI SINGING •.Robert-vl" > arl!cr:/'i.T.C;L.. :'ii): ;his anv ( litial . i tp-- tHeVj 'jfylliijgt'on i .XhpV following; .tiphs; • ' ; V. :' v as.; was pos-. sj.bleTa^^Kfr;jE;i^S'*;iii- whole grpxuid 'pre]embntai7,;schppV-teapliingj' including. proper^mfethikls:-elf*'breatliiiig',' quality of.' toice/:sight Teadiiig' ttimej and 'tune-r-both. no-, tationsj, fear.', trainiiigi'iinp .'.school I'sfings; AH' : theso'; subj6'dts : <"word,'itbt;' ■of| i d.burse,V > exh'aus- ; tively - ; treaty, to a cor-, tain;; point;andiisCtbprouglily '"as" .jioSsible.; been a but",it ;,i$ ino.-.nqvV-;sub ■ iii ' its' importance'in - our . school"work, and 'giving precisely thef.same—or . very .similar—exercises in tho subject. Tndeed, I look upon this and .the proper.-use, of tho 'vincp. as. the', two' ' iiiost 'imjiortaiit poirits, ;both r fpr teacljers.and; pupils,- in aiiy : -considered-; plan .of -in.V. instruction _in. singing. .From ' the .hygienic point ..of. viey alone ;tho' Subject'' of vocal .music;.in. pur -schools .is entitled, to. far more Consideration .than is yet.;giveii| it .jn: New' Zealand.' By ■ ignorant or;.'ca.reless.;treatmeht. ■thec-'voices of.-our children -may'''bo irretrievably 'spoilt,' 5 whereas by sensible., and. 'proper allowed to .tho subject in ; our school foundations-'-of .what may,-; be .not. ciily'r'a ; health-giving.; exercise,';.; but' a* source, of .'lifelong "pleasure; may -bo_ sfitiafactprily ilaidf , i' : I',think pf all the.varied musical.work which. I "am. privileged, to undertake,\this ,is/the" most valuable and; permancftt.". , ..'_• ■ TEIE TEACHING OF ENGLISH. A CRITICISM;' ' " ••'•ln their annual repprt to the Wellington Education Boards the inspectors .liav.e something to say regarding the teaching of-the iiinglisli.,language 111 the Wellington schools. '' Many.'teachers," says tho; report, • ''.do riot appreciate the. importance of reading' as an index. to . tho child's' 1 general culturol Mechanical accuracy—excellent- in its-way-?:, ■occupies tob'prominent 'i position : . with-"-both; teacher and pupil, for wo must remember, that'practical, powor ,is only!.a mearisYto'iintellectual --power. Purity pf. accent, ccrrect phrasing and intonation that denotb, an intelligent grasp of the author's meaning must be' the most real indications ofi'tho; teacher's influence ) and the litirary atmosphero'of . this BCIIOOI. ■...; ' ,"• ', r '. '■ /■••'- . • '' •;.. ■!"'. '• Whatwohavo to sny here, pf courso, applies, riot only'to reading, but nlso to'vecita.tion, '.and more particularly to' the. ordinary spoecli pf the child. . There is 110 fact:so vital to the teacher's work, as the fact that the mind can only grow as it has the power : ,to express itself, and further (as I'rofessor Laurie'; says) " It is round tho language learned at the mether's .knee that the whole life pf; feeling, emotion; . and thought' gathers''-..and finds expression.' ; ■ In , this connccticn tho_ inllubnco of tho 'teacher must often be pitted against that of .the , home'.and the' street—influences ever present,; and in many cases dominant over others operating ; in tho schoolroom. Wo .'would again impress; upon 'ion/e of our younger V teachers ' the fact ■, that example is. bettor than precept., Coming to matters of dotail, wo'tnust hero refer to . a T'eproncjli '.urged with 'a.-certain .; iimpunt of. justice against our'schools—tho heed' for purity of accent.' . Failu'ro tp , attain it' appoarsj. tp ;us to bo dub mainly te the following faults :— : (1) Slpvorilinoss of- speech lis shewn, in, " itoully," " yestideh," " las,'.' " suppriso," etc. Such mistakes caniiot be a noticeable feature in a.well-disciplined school. (2) Failuro to appreciato. tho value , of the common vojvol sounds, e.g., ; " irioihe," " laig,"- " teown," (aild mpre receiit developments)/ ",ut" fer it,' " plasuz "' for -places. ~ CareM phonetic drill, in the lower, standards is the only offectivo .means of coping with theso faults.' This wholo question is intimately connected with spelling, with .w'hicli sb ' far as its- nipclianica] accuracy ; is ' con'cer'ned ivo are well satisfiod.' When wo como, 'however, to consider its effect oil enunciatipn.wo fool that its, miluoncu is proctioallr nil. We are unconventional enough to look

forward to the time when : sufth reasonable measuro of spelling reform shall' bo brought about-, as will not only relievo tho child of much useless drudgery, but will also mako spelling what it ought to ber-a powerful factor iii teaching language, both spoken and written. Aro wo not too often indifferent to the troubles of tho littlo ones' struggling with tho harassing' contradictions between tho spoken and written forms of tho samo 'word? Apart altogether from our own judgment in .tho matter, may wo not accept tho assurance of such authorities as Professor Skeat and Dr, Sweet that tho old bogey of a' dothroried, etymology has lost its terrors, that reform, whilo it remorselessly prunes Unauthorised interpolations and excrescences will do moro than anything else to lead us' back to the "well of English undofilcd." Arguments for tho retention of such forms as labour, scent-, anchor, arrivo, ache, might just as reasonably bo urged for the continuance of scituate, horroiir, chirurgeon, gulph, and other, orthographical curiosities long sinco departed.