TEACHER RETIRES

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 71, 17 December 1937, Page 13

TEACHER RETIRES

Long Period Of Service CHANGING CONDITIONS “I think mine has been the-longest continuous period of service of any Government teacher; the first day of my schooling was the first day of national State education, and under modern conditions it is impossible for any teacher who has joined since to serve for that length of time,” said Air. R. Cole, head teacher at the Petone Central School, farewelled on the occasion of his retirement at the annual Christmas tea of the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Educational Institute yesterday. He had been 50 years 8 months a teacher in the Government employ. Air. Cole said that conditions in the early days were very different from those to-day. A very remarkable change had taken place. There was a wholly different relationship between parents and children and between children and teachers. In those days the relationship between the teachers and the children was marred by the ba'd system then in force; the teachers were told to do certain work under certain conditions, and they had to accomplish it. The system considered neither the child nor the teacher, except from the point of view of results. Teachers could not afford to be too merciful to pupils who could not absorb and reproduce what they were taught. He quoted an instance where the headmaster of a school received a bonus of £3O, and his first assistant £2O, and so on, conditional on the number of passes obtained. They could not afford to take any risk of losing their bonus He had known children whom the masters believed incapable of passing being advised to stay at home until the examinations were over. Such a system did no good, and it was well that it ha'd gone out of existence.

Air. Cole said he started his career in the Dunedin Training College and was afterward at the Oamaru North School and the Gisborne High School. Later he was headmaster at the Alakauri, Gisborne, School. For 31 years he was headmaster at Afangapapa School, Gisborne, and Anally he was transferred to Wellington. Air. and. Airs, Cole intend to reside at the Hutt.