The Hawera Star FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1924 TEACHER AND PARENT.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 19 December 1924, Page 4

The Hawera Star

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1924 TEACHER AND PARENT.

Delivered evejry evening by 3 o'clock in Havper* Manaia, Normapby, Okaiawa, Elthani. Mangatoki, Kaponga. Awatuhi, Opunake Qtakeho, Manutahi, *Alton, Ffurlpvville, Patea, Waverley, . Mokoia, Whakainara, Ohangai, Meremere, > Fraser Road, and Ararata.

If people look back over the years to tiieir school days they lio doubt reinember the glee . with which they entered into the annual'breakingrup ceremonies and the Concert and prizegiving; the last week’s schooling for the year and then .the .long vacation with, its Christmas festival. This week many such breaking-lip functions have been held/ throughout the and for the next six or: seven .weeks quietness will reign in class rooms and playgrounds* while children. Will be entirely under the. control of their jmrents. The end of' the school year is the opportunity for retrospect and prospect in questions educational. Teachers and parents look back over the year and liote the progress made by the children; they look forward to next full of hope and keenness that it should prove more successful than that wliich has just closed. . But how is that success to be measured? Examinations will disclose how hiueh the children pave learned in -their classes, and will indicate to some extent the prosjieCts of the senior children. But is the success of a school to be measured blilv by the length pf its examination passes? We fear that in these days the tendency is to regard education as a process of cramming into the child’s train the utmost 1 knowledge of a -kind that 1 later 1 in life will' bring a- return ill the 1 shape of 1 a large" salary. True education is. really , something far, different from that; The derivation of the. word educate indicates much more accurately the process. Eduqere, the Latin wi rd/means to lead forth; to bring up a child.’ One, could not fairly claim that mere cramming is leading or bringing up a child, and. in the educating of the nation’s: children attention should be given to other things as veil. At the present time the Empire has many subtle 1 enemies working against' it, and, though the efforts of Diose who; have been trying to bring about the, disintegration, of the British Commonwealth ’of Free Peoples have failed' in face of the loyalty of the #i;eat majority -of the nation’s citizens, if'would be foolish to think that ,the, activities of those evil agencies have; ceased. A cable.message published; in. yesterday’s Star stated that “Communist ’ propaganda has been ia'ised to the level of an art, ’’ and it fnay be that the real test has, not yet been experienced. TheiS objective of education is not a matter of individualistic concern only, but has an important bearing upon our t national life. We like to regard the Empire as a united whole, consisting of several nations joined under one king, one flag and one language, and we also like to think of each British community being .directed by the..spirit of unity. The good cjti-. zen aims at such unity, and, judging by the trend of events in recent years, tile Empire’s need will not be for units Vho .ard primarily equipped for moneyJtiaking, but units who will contribute their part; by good loyal citizenship to the welfare of the nation. Elation, or the leading of children, can be only partially successful if proper importance is not attached to the development of principles and character, and it is in this that the parents of the children can. and .should take their part, A school teacher deals with children in, the mass, and there is but very limited opportunity of studying and training iliem as individuals. Parents should know, their children bet-ter-than any people outside of the homes, and they should endeavour to fulfil their part in educating them by setting before them high ideals and exercising such influence upon them as will .encourage them to become good citizens, growing up to' be men and women who will be ready to serve the nation and not live for themselves alone. A _ nation made up of selfish uhits must....crumble, for service is the keystone of. the national strength. But sch'iec* cimnot be given satisfactorily unless he.or she who serves is ready to accept discipline and to live unselfishly. These thoughts on education hilve no doubt , come to many people during this week of breaking-up cerehiohies, and it is to be hoped that attendance at the gatherings has aroused in parents the desire tn do their part by co-operating with the teachers in the all-important , work of leading and Gaining the children, which is implied in the -word education.