THE WILD WEST COAST.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 27 September 1924, Page 15

THE WILD WEST COAST.

MISDEMEANOUR OF JOE

HIS MOTHER ABUSED THE TEACHER,

He won’t do what teacher tells him, He won’t do what teacher tels him, and when teacher sent him home because he refused to be given, the strap, his mother breezed along to the school and told the teacher, exactly what she thought of her. And Joe’s mother has a- pretty wide vocabulary and can use it 10 excellent advantage. The children of the little West Coast school at Goldsborough have been having rather a hectic and interesting time lately, so hectic, indeed, that the Canterbury Education Board itself had to be called to deal with the matter. The board considered a letter from the Goldsborough School Committee, which placed before the board the behaviour of a woman and her children at the scnool. had been trying to dominate the school for some time, both with the present and with previous teachers. This was stopping the progress of the whole school, which, instead of improving, had gone back. Because the woman’s son, Joe, was sent heme for disobedience, she went up to the school ground, disturbing the school during school hours, and used insulting and filthy language to the teacher. The school committee: asked her and Joe to apologise. The son apologised, hut- the mother wouldn’t. The committee gave her ample time, to consider the wickedness of her ways, and now wauted the Education Board to take the matter in hand.

- The committee suggested that the hoard should demand the apology, and, if that were not forthcoming, expel her children from the school until such time as it was forthcoming. This was net the first time the woman had gone up to the school interfering with the teacher’s work. '

Mr R. Wild said that something shoirld he done in the matter. He suggested that the woman be written to and requested to apologise to the teacher, and to give an undertaking that she would refrain from disturbing the school again. If she did- not do that then action should he taken against her. . ■ "

Members of 'the: heard urged caution in the matter, because the woman’s story had not been obtained. It was decided that the members; for the district, Messrs H. J. Bignell and R. Wild, should inquire into the matter, and if the committee’s statement were substantiated then they should issue the warning suggested by Mr Wild.