EDUCATION IDEALS

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 111, 7 November 1923, Page 11

EDUCATION IDEALS

TEACHING PROFESSION

LONDON VACATION COURSE

crr.o« oor own corrbspondenio

LONDON, 3rd August. Some 500 teachers from all parts of Great Britain, and also from some of the Dominions, are attending the City of London Vacation Course now in session. New Zealand is represented by Miss Jessie Mac Arthur. ' The main object of the course is to* bring the teacher into touch with the latest developments in educational theory and practice and closer contact with world activties ' In addition to these 500 British teachers, 200 from overseas who are visiting Europe under the auspices of the Ovei> seas Education League attended the Guildhall this week at the invitation of the Corporation and City. Viscount Burnham, the president of the course occupied the chair. i ' Sir Robert Blair (Education Officer of the London County Council) said that it seemed to him that the business of teachers and of schools was to prepare the risinj generation for the successful control of the destinies of this country In that great task the most potent factor was, of course, the home. After the home some people said the street came next. His view was that the school and not the street, came next. If teachers were called to the higher office of preparing the next generation for successful control, then cj-j-arly the teach ing profession was one of the most powerful social forces in the civilisation of this and other countries. Outlining some of the features that were necessary to the growth of a great and an efficient teaching staff, Sir Robertpointed out,-first, that the mind of the teacher should be free. He did not mean by that, that teachers wanted free-dom-j-because he had heard freedom epoken of aa the removal of obstacles —but the freedom of the teacher's mental condition; that unless the teacher felt he was mentally free, progress was greatly hampered. His next point was the honesty of promotion. He might have used the word "fairness," but he deliberately chose "honesty," because ! anyone, whether servant or member of the authority, who, by using influence on behalf of one member of the fitaff as against tho merit of another was robbing that member of what wa3 his due, and also robbing the community of what it deserved. Another point he urged was that of continuing their education, for if they wished to keep pace with the changes ahead they must be fresh, and keep up their skill. The broadening of the mind was also a matter of importance, and in; this connection the provision of a library was a necessity for a large teaching staff. The London County Council had a library of 20,000 volumes, and during ■ the last twelve months 50,000 volumes had been issued to teachers at no cost, to themselves. • OUR HERITAGE. }lr. H. A. L. Fisher, M:P. (Principal Director of the Studies) delivered the first of the series of studies, his subject being, "Our Heritage." ■ It had long been his view, ho said, that if elementary education was to be lifted upon a high' tableland of efficiency, many more opportunities must be afforded to teachers to refresh and extend their knowledge than had hitherto been available. The question was, what was the heritage which it was the office of the teacher to commiinicate to the young ? They had get not only to transmit the mechanism of knowledge, but make it desirable and attractive. That heritage has a long history Slid descended from the unseen origins of time. Even when teaching the English language, how many obligations had to be recognised to other tongues and to civilisation very different from our own. The English language was one of the features of our heritage, for it was now by far the most important living speech in the world. Think of the vast span of its influence, and then to reflect upon our great-responsibilities in connection with the English lanjruaga. From those reflections, was it a far cry to consider the special responsibilities of the British teacher in regard to the preservation of good English throughout the world? No small part of the great duty of preserving our heritage'of English speech, and of handing it on pure and intact to the rising generation, devolved upon those who were called • upon to teach in the schools. ■ ■ LEGACIES FROM THE PAST. Among legacies from the past was a certain national character. As a' people we were good-natured, and easy going, able, and industrious, under pressure, tenacious of individual right, passionately fond of sport. The love of sport ran alljthrough our history, and from Great Britain 'it had been ~'carried throughout the Empire. Industrialism was also a part of our heritage for weal or woe • and though it meant, but not necessarily, the big town, it sharpened the wits and. widened the experience, but it brought with it its own form of barbarism, which it was the office of education to correct. Bad houses and had morals went together. Too many newspapers, too many cinemas, too many distractions of. the thoroughfare and the market place frittered away the soul. Against the growth of the slum mind, restless, precocious,' superficial, empty of purpose, incapable of concentration, the school waged a gallant and essential battle. The question was often asked whether industrialism had substantially changed the national character. All the fears of racial degeneracy, all the anticipation of the failure of our town-bred population to stand the test when the day of trial came, had been falsified in the event. In our long national epic o! courage and duty there was no more splendid page than that upon which were ■ inscribed its latest trial, and to communicate some part of its lustre to succeeding generations would, he trusted, be reckoned among the functions which it was the office of the British teacher to perform.