CORRESPONDENCE.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5279, 13 January 1879, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

- ■: • ...•:,-.:,: ...... .„.: uw^iZ...^,,The Editor does not hold .himself .responsible foe -s opinions expressed by correspondents ', :""""' f\ the^; iLATi'jEi^iiaiftTJXWfr 1 qf: /fi' ■■'- ■■■■■■ . :.TRILOEEiM;Y*::.ZZS- ■ Sir, — The commuuity at large: is, ;I think, indebted to you for-publishing theo>r letters/of Diogenes on the /teachers' examinations; and regret is generalfy^felt that an examiner* should have indicated his weakness by asking any questions which he himself could not answer, and ■ been caught tripping by; asking ia question t to which answer was impossible.; : What, ! however, seem; to, me the .most serious mistakes, in setting the questions were :— 1. The assuming that teachers- who had, for many years been performing the multifarious work, of small schools should be as expert at the routine work of common arithmetic as >if they, had- been r fresh from some such, jia cramming institution as a training college, or as if the conducting of arithmetic classes without the anxious responsibility Attached to the office bf-heacl | teacher, had of late years been, their .s, specisl work. 2. r The assuming- that mental arithmetic as a special subject had . been taught to all the candidates. It is about as easy-for one who has been \ told how to multiply by 9999 shewing no f d work'but merely" th^result, as itis toiHakeit 7 an egg staid on end' - But there are many ■',{ whose opinions are Held to "be of authority . • on'education,.who.affirm /that- 'raenM'^ arithmetic ought not' to Jbe taught' in elementary schools as a special subject, and though in some Model and in many , ■ Public Schools it is used .largely as a "show" subject, it can hardly be regarded as prudent in one beginning to be an inspector .to have ridden his hobby so conspicuously; -Let me quote the most f recent work on education within my-l reach where it bears on the subject: —„/ t,'' The arbitrary ' mechanical workiHg' by rule which,has been: the,bane of many, schools under the old system' of:, e'duca^-' ■ tion, can only be, abolished by cbnstant appeals to the reasoning faculties of the pupils rather than to their, memories." Mental....arithmetic appeals : more to memory ; and less. to reasoning faculties than any other subject.. , ' " , Teachers who have failed, and who - still believe they are competent, should remember they have the: .opportunity of taking the General Government examina-. /• tionsin March, for which.Sprinted,forms of application are obtainable at the Education Office. There is no reason whatever to think that the board wished to obstrudt teachers in availing themselves of this opportunity.—l am, &c,. ;. Friend.