THE SCHOOLS FROM WITHIN.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1174, 8 July 1911, Page 10

THE SCHOOLS FROM WITHIN.

NEWS AND NOTES,

There is a shortage of teachers in the Hawke's Bay education district just now. At last week's meeting of the board the secretary said that three schools would be closing on Monday for want of teachers.

Mrs. Norman, of Hopelands (Woodvillo district), who has been teaching in the local school until the arrival of Miss Palmer, tho new teacher, was last Wednesday presented by the children with a small token of their gratitude for her interest in the school.

At the monthly meeting of the Hawke's Bay Education Board last week, the following appointments wero madoV—Miss Hill, pupil teacher, Mahoi-a; Miss'Smalo, assistant, Napier Main. Miss E. Antlerson, solo teacher, Makaretu, has resigned her appointment.

The children at the Roman Catholic •School at-Feilding last week 1 celebratedi the occasion of their breaking-up and

feast day by a presentation to tho Rev. Father Dwyer of a travelling rug, pocket book, umbrella, and eiderdown quilt.

Mrs. Cameron, schoolmistress at Makahu (Taranaki), who is leaving the district to take up her new duties at Okato, was farewclled by the residents of the district last week. During a social evening held in her honour, a presentation in the form of a silver biscuit barrel was mado on behalf of the school children, and a purso of sovereigns by tho residents of tho district.

There is ample proof (states the Icildin" "Star") that the Minister for Education is far more liberal in proportion to the funds at his disposal with secondary schools than with primary schools. At Whnngarei ho told the High School authorities that if the settlers raised .£SOO the Government would givo .tIOUO towards the erection of a boarding school. Yet ho bad been declaiming loudly against granting District High Schools .£1 for £1 subsidies on local contributions!

No less than 93 per cent... of the teacher's in tho Southland Education Board's employment- are members ot the District Teachers'- Institute. Time was when the membership represented only 50 per- cent, of the teachers. Now the institute can speak with authority not formerly possessed, representing, as it does the' whole body of teachers, "A lot of little pill-boxes, stuck one on the other" was the description applied to tho Urenui teacher's residence- at the Taranaki Education Board's meeting last week. A request had been mado by Mr. G Pope, .the headmaster, for additions to the residence. It was stated in the dis-cus-sion Hint thoroof was so low in part of the building that one could scarcely stand upright there. -. The -.question of improvements is to be looked into.

•Vlthou"h a largo number of Coronation medals were distributed amongst the various schools of tho Hawke s' Bay education district,' tho supply was limited and many scholars were unable to obtain, tho souvenirs. Tho secretary of the Education Board (Mr. G. Crawshaw) has received -a -number-of applications, from country schools askirig when ■. their • medals will.bo forwarded .0n.., As©.! 0 ...'. 11 ;. formation has been received concerning the missing,medals, hut it is expected that a consignment 'will; come to hand shortly, and the distribution of.tho souvenirs completed.

The- Southland Teachers' Institute has resolved that, "in view of the. fact tnat the Minister for Education has agreed that as from 1913-the teachers' D exam, may be taken in.sections and that the Southland ; Education:.Board has resolved to advertise; all.:.positions (with certain exceptions)-held :by uncertificated teachers on.April'l, ; 1912, the board bo respectfully, asked, to/consider favourably the position of those'teachers in its service who shall at the 1912 exam, quahfy in at least three subjects."

The Education Department has arranged with West's Pictures, Limited, to present a series of travel and educational films at the Normal .School, Auckland (states the Auckland.: "Herald"). The idea is expected to be the forciunner of several more exhibitions of pictures of a like nature, which will convey to the mind scenes in foreign lands and many foreign industries much more "readily and with better ■ effect -than by reading ordinary school routine.—An excellent idea (Ed.).

The Minister for -Education has laid it down as ,a ruling principle in the establishment of our schools, that tho Department must adhere.to two points—ono, that its rulo.in this.matter must apply to. the whole of tho Dominion; the other, that tho-boards must take the responsibility of finding half tho cost of the grounds purchased.- Without that shared responsibility - the- Government wouldnot know what it was getting for its money. The Minister stated to a deputation from tho Auckland Education Board the other day that cases had been discovered wherein there had been carelessness, to say the least of it. There was no chance of a lump sum of ,£SOOO being given-for-an indefinite object. The only way'was,' ho said, for the board to make provision. ..tp. t take advantage of a definite opportunity, -when ■•'tho Government would accept its share of tho cost of the .improvement.

One.of the speakers (Mr. A. M'Neill) at the'annual meeting of the Southland Teachers' Instituto last week, condemned the district high school system, and contended that they should be completely abolished. It was only by strenuous efforts, he said, and by overcoming itko greatest difficulties that they managed to exist. Railway facilities enabled children to attend the town schools. Moreover, district high schools did not fill tho position they wero supposed to fill in the. .matter, of ..educational requirements. Thirty per cent of their pupils spent only ono year there. . On these one-year; scholars the '■' money- "was,' jiracr tically wasted. Technical day schools would' yet be established,,.'and .theso would suffice for that 30 per cent, who had no intention of matriculating.

In connection with a recent carnival hold at Ashburton to raise funds for the high school there, tho question hassinco been raised as to whether it was wise to encourage the pupils to raise money by giving public entertainments. It was considered by one of the members of the Higli School Board that >here were too many forms of entertainment at the school, and what with tennis, croquet, football, and Cadet drill tho time of the pupils was trenched upon too much. Too much recreation necessarily interfered with the ordinary school duties, and he (the speaker) was opposed to too much of the pupils' time being taken up with side issues. Another thought that, the fact of pupils of the school taking part in public entertainments was- decidedly advantageous, viewed from an educational standpoint, while a third interjected that "too much work, and no play, made Jack a dull boy."

During'the course of an interesting and lucid address on the subject of school gardens, delivered before tho members of the Otago branch of the Teachers' Institute, Mr. A. M. Baructt (headmaster at Kokonui) expressed the opinion that tho farmer of North Otago should not bother himself with turnips when he could get such excellent results from mangold and sugar beet. In the discussion which ensued on the paper it came rather as a surprise to notice, the very..keen interest which this subject has aroused in the school-teaching fraternity, several of the other teachers relating the practice followed in. their schools and the ensuing results. Mr. G. M. Thompson, M.P., who was also present, gave some of his impressions on school gardening during his recent visit to Hawera. He said he considered that tho work of school gardening was.very, valuablti for the pupils, even if they were only .taught to observe and record what they had.seen. This was a training in itself. He said ho had been astonished at the wonderfully largo vegetables. grown- - school gardens at Hawera, and slafed that,"-al-though tho farmers there did not think a great deal of naturo study; they saw. the actual results obtained/from the school gardens and were very much in favour of- them. -Farmers generally, and j:a.rdonors, too, were ignorant of the chemistry and botany of the ground, and were mostly unable to give the names of the weeds on the gardens or farms.

The Assistant Inspector-General of Schools, Dr. Anderson, lias forwarded to tho Taranaki Education Board a report by Mr. T. 11. Gill (inspector)- on the secondary classes of the Stratford District High School. The school was inspected in March last, when there were 105 pupils of the 118 on the roll present. Of the total enrolment 15 pupils.held senior free places, 93 junior free plaers. and 5 paid fees. Four of the fee-paying pupils had been admitted on the lower qualification, namely, a ccrtificafe of competency in Standard VT. Eleven pupils held Education Board senior scholarships, ci?ht Education Board junior, three junior National and one Queen's. No fewer than 81 pupils came from outside the local school district, 19 from Inslewood (U miles), IS from Midhirst (four miles), seven from AYaitara (2C miles), seven from Elthum (seven mile=), six from Cardiff (four miles), five ■ from Tariki (eight miles), five from Ngaerc (four miles), four from Lepncrtnn (22 miles), four from Durham Road (13 miles), three from Te Rnti (11 miles), two from Norfolk (11 miles), one from TTawcra 09 miles). Sixtynine of those pupils travelled to and from jchool -daily by train.- six-travelled by fion-c or bicycle, and the remainder board in Stratford.