WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 1916. TRAINING COLLEGE EXPERIENCE. ,

Grey River Argus, 12 April 1916, Page 4

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 1916. TRAINING COLLEGE EXPERIENCE. ,

The value of a course of Teachers Training Colleges formed a fruitful subject for discussion at Monday night's meeting of the Grey Education Board, and mem bers became quite vehement in their support of one or other side of the question. The majority of the Board have evidently a^ery hazy notion of the work that is actually done in a training Gol-

leg-e, and they are clearly not y^.ry clearly in touch, with education matters in the larger centres or they would know that no Education Board or, intelligent school committee would consider an applicant who had not a good trainin q 1 College certificate. Why is this? Simply because, they know 'that it is one of the most valuable .'assets a teacher can possess. We may illustrate the difference between a teacher without training College experience and one who has in this manner. We all understand what is meant by a 'bush carpenter" He is one who is good enough for knocking a jo]? together in a hurry, and where no delicacy of finish is required. No man of any common' sense, however, would think of employing him in preference to a finished tradesman who commenced his career as an apprentice in a large firm where only the most scientific tradesmen are employed, .each one an expert in his own branch, and where the workshops are equipped with machinery of the latest a.ud most approved pattern Surely the mind of a child requires experts to train it. No parent who has the welfare of his children at heart will send his children to be instructed hy a teacher who has simply evolved his ideas of teaching out of his inner consciousness, when the parent has the choice of a man who has attended a Training College where .the instructors are the most brilliant and successful men in the teaching profession— men who have studied pedagogy in all its branches, and are in touch with the most scientific methods in vogue in all parts of the world. The students see these men giving actual lessons, not to a mere handful of children, as has been asserted but to classes of all sizes from those that may be expected in a small country school to those of a large city school. In the model school in connection with the College the students see the classes at work, and they understand how to draw up suitable time-tables and schemes of \^ork for each class of school. Each student in turn is given charge of one of these model schools, and his lessons to the various classes are criticised by his fellow students who are onlookers, and also by the various model masters in connection with the College. Faults of manner and method are thus promptly corrected, and the Principal of the College is able to judge from the reports that are made on each Student's work the class of school that }\e or she is best fitted for. Confidential cop ies of these reports are forwarded to- the various Education Boards, and form a valuable guide to the Inspectors when they are selecting a teacher for any position. Good teachers, it is said, are born not made. This "is time to the extent that no amount of training can make.igood. the lack of natural aptitude. But no one can deny that a teacher who is good without training College experience would be brilliant ft fie had the opportunity of seeing leading artists at work. . We cannot-un-derstand men who in carpentry or any other work requiring skill, take good care- that they secure the services of the man who has been scientifically trained. Would the members of the Grey Board who are such strong advocates of securing teachers with "experience" and by 'experience' they understand leaching some where in tne backblocks for a number of years without any previous instruction in pedagogy, prefer- a "bush carpenter' with nine years experience to a skilled artisan with only two years experience in an up-to-date factory? We trow not. We have heard the same -foolish talk with reference to. the merits of gradua tes as teacheus compared those who have low certificates. We admit that many highly 'educated men have no aptitude for imparting knowledge but we have met a great many more men with low certificates who have an equal lack of ability to instruct children In the first case, however, the children have a certain amount of compensation from the fact that they are in the company of a man who has a wide knowledge of many subjects, and as many children are naturally imitative, they learn much that is of great ser" vice to them in their future careers. Picture the children, on the other hand, who are compelled to spend hours a day in the company of 'one. who has no abil: ity to teach and who, moreover, has little more education than an ordinary middle form boy at a High School. The members of Education Boards. must, remember that a teacher's certificate bears both a letter and a figure. The Fetter shows the teacher's literary attainments,- *A ? signifying the highest and *D' the lowest, the 'E' certificate being now abolished. The figures range from Ito 5, the former figure indicating the highest teaching skill and the greatest experience,.. 5 'the lowest teaching skill or lack of (experience. ■•.This' being the position, what a sane Board or committee would, appoint a Dl to a position when an Al is available? ThY Boards in the larger centres do SttAi ii -83[^srui &ws aijmn ;ou on account of the injustice that many highly certificated teachers suffered at the hands of > some Education Boards whose members were not in touch with the real interests of education that so many brilliant men used the edu*! cation profession only as i stepping Mone to some other "falling where r their merits wera more

promptly and adequately recognised. . ■ Tho classification of teachers' which is now in progress will prevrnt any further trouble, and the Ivst men will have an op" portunitv of advancement and teachers I.. > placed in positions for ivhich they are most adapted.

At* the Magistrate's Court, Greymout.h, yesterday morning, before Mr T. ; Hxitcliison, §>.M., a first' offender, charged with being on licensed premises at Dunollie during prohibited hQurs, was con victed and fined 10s. Three first offenders, charged with' drunken ness in the. streets of Gipeymouth on Monday, were convicted..^and each fined ss ; in default,' 24 hours' imprisonment. ' • . ' The ready-for-service suits that are bing offered by the New Zea land Clothing Factory at prices that defy competition, are the talk of the 'town arid districtNever before has sjich value in suits been seen in^tnis town. You are invited to inspect these astounding goods. ', Messrs Morrish and Co., Boot Providers of Mawhera Quay, arc' advertising a small portion of j their large asortment of boot bar* gains. Ladies' shoes at 4/6 a pair is no doubt les than they can . make them for. JVlen's box calf leather-lined, sizes 7, 9 and 10,---are well worth inspection.— r-Advt. Members of the Masonic craft will be gratified to know that the Prince of "Wales has followed in the footsteps of his grandfather and father, and been initiated in the mysteries of Masonry.* The announcement was made recently by the Duke of Richmond and Gordon, at a' meeting of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution at London. Mr. Grimmond, • Mayor of Ross, while in Wellington last week, enquired into the reported early curtailment of the. Ross railway time-table. He saw Mr. Herries, Minister of Railways, who was not aware of any change being contemplated, and af- • tei wards saw Mr. Hiley, General Manager of Railways. The latter said . there was not any definite proposal at the moment to curtail the service on . the Ross section, although as every effort is being made by the Railway Department to keep dqwn unnecessary expenditure, some curtailment may be necessary later. Mr. Grimmond will bring- the matter before "the jßoss Bor-. ough Council at next meeting.

At the close of a discussion in the House of Commons on the suppression of the Glasgow newspaper "Forward," Colonel D. F. Campbell, member for Nor Ayrshire, an officer who was severely wounded while 'servingwith the Black Watch at the front, entered an indignant protest against what he termed "the voluminous .verbiage" of a group of members below the Ministerial gangway. "Get on with the war," he demanded, "and furnish everything that lnferferes with the progress of the war." "If I had the member for Hanley, Mr. Outh-' . waite, in my battalion," he added/ "he would have been strung .up. by the thumbs beforeihe had been there half an hour. Mr. pathwaite sarcastically inquired : "Hpw-jnany of your battalion would it take "to do it?" Colonel Campbell, replied:* *I would leave that task to mysejf, even though f have only one arm, navmg lost the use of the other in a task which the member for Hanley would not think of atempting or daring to risk." This remark was loudly cheered. The ris- . ; ing of the House brought the incident to a close.

The weekly rations of two ounces of tobacco or cigarettes, which arc served out to Tommy on active service, recalls the struggle which to- • bacco made to enter tne army. In the very early days James I declar-. Ed that smoking was alien to all military notions. "No man,'' fie said, "can be thought able for /any service in the wars that -cannot endure the want of , tobacco." And as late as 1845 Wellington^ was railing sfgainst the weed in an Army Order which entreated "the officers commanding regiments to prevent smoking' in the mess rooms, and to discourage the practice among the officers of junior rank^ in the regiments.'"

For Children's Hacking Cough, Woods' Great Peppermint Cure. -

A special meeting of the committee of the Greymouth Bowling Club was held on Monday evening in the pavilion, when there were present Messrs W. E. Reynolds (chair), G. Nazer, K.

P.etrie, J. Renai, T. Jones, J. W,

Chalk, J. Ring, and F. H. Kilgour t The chairman stated that the nieeting had been called to de-

cide whether a tournament ' should be held in Good Friday or.Easter Monday.., After a general discussion it was decided to play the Hokitika Club on Good Friday for the Ballinger Buckles and if that day was not suitable, that the match take place on Sat urday next. It was resolved, to issue an invitation to the visitors attending the Oddfellows' Conference for a game of bowls on Easter Monday.

We are showing some smart millinery in our showroom upstairs* as follows": Readyto-wear hats, 5/11, 6/11, 7/11; all new goods. See the new felt hats, with large buckle in front; very fashionable. Only 8/6, 10/6 and 12/6 each. Also new velvet Tarns at 5/11 and 6/11 each, and a large stock of velvet picture hats at 15/6, 18/6, 21/- to 30/- each. We make up to customers' own order. Note address. — Walker's,

At the Greymouth Magistrate's Court yesterday morning, Mr T. Hutchison, S.M., delivered his re served judgment in the case of G. H. Hunter, Town Clerk for the Borough of Runanga v. John Kyle, Joseph Kyle, and Martha Kyle. The defendants were charged with digging up the soil of a str>&3t, namely, Carrol Street within the Borough of Runanga; and Martha Kyle is charged with allowing -water to flow from a building in her occupation in Car roll Strest, within the same Borough ; in both 'cases without the authorisation of the Borough Council. Tbe defendants were severally convicted and ordered to pay the costs of the prosecu« tion, viz., £1 Is, witnesses' expenses and £2 2s counsel's fee.

The Shaw Savill liner lonic, now in the Dominion, is still under the control of the Imperial Government. In order to meet the demand for passages from the Dominion both to England and to South Africa, it has been agreed to carry passengers. The company, however, is responsible for delay in sailing, interruption or cancellation of the voy age, which may be occasioned by the requirements of the Imperial Authorities. Such eventualities, however, are considered to be re mote.