TOWN AND COUNTRY SCHOOLS

Lyttelton Times, Volume CIX, Issue 13122, 9 May 1903, Page 5

TOWN AND COUNTRY SCHOOLS

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —Despite the opinions of the teachers whose letters on the above subject appeared in your last Monday’s issue, there is, without doubt, grounds for the statements made in the paragraph drawing attention to the need of a uniform Sixth Standard. At Timaru, as well as at Ilangiora, the matter was brought .under the notice of tho Secretary for Education which goes to confirm the existence of tho anomaly. As a matter of fact, the Departmental regulations under which the examinations! are conducted, recognise a. difference between tho efficiency of Sixth Standard scholars of town and country schools, for whereas in some subjects the town teacher is expected to pass pupils as a matter of course, in country schools the teachers obtaining similar passes arc to receive- credit* for their work. Infereutinlly, therefore, the same efficiency is not -demanded of the country scholar as of the town. I have reason to -believe that even the inspectors could ho brought to admit that the Sixth Standard pass is in. comparison a varying quality. With reference to the remarks of “The Master of the not Far Distant School ” respecting tho uniformity of the examinations, I venture to think that the inspectors would be equally amused at his emphatic statements regarding tho “rigid rules” observed in conducting the examinations. It will doubtless- bo a rude- shock to him to learn.that such a thing has happened, the cards of somo subjects used to test tho Fifth Standard in a large school being need for tho Sixth Standard of a country school. I am credibly informed that an instance of this can be given oven in the Rangiora district. Again, it is useless for him to deny that ho has placed children from tho Rangiora. school in a standard higher than tho ono they wore working in at Rangiora. I will give him a fair challenge to produce to, say, your Rangiora representative, the Fifth Standard pass certificates of certain pupils who recently wont- to him from Rangiora, and are now working in his Sixth Standard, where they wore placed when they entered tho school, although they were only medium Fifth Standard pupils at Rangiora. No one taxed him with soliciting tho attendance of pupils from other districts, but before making the assertion that ho had not done so, he had probably not become conversant with the boundary lino of the districts. His claim that a teacher in a country school can give more individual attention to scholars is perhaps true, but results do not prove this to ba any advantage when judged in comparison with tho work of a teacher who devotes all his, or her, energy and ability to one standard. Without doubt, as “ Iron sliarpcnoth iron,” so does the competition of intellects in the large classes brighten tip tho children. Regarding the remarks, of your correspondent “ C.T.” respecting the mode of examination in the town schools being by drafts whereby weak children obtain information, by making- such a statement he shows ignorance of what really is the case. As a matter of fact, the standard examinations in the town schools aro most strictly and searohingly carried out, and frequently tho inspectors" after making their tests, will recommend the promotion of scholars whom tho headmaster has failed or marked weak. “C.T.’s” insinuations regarding the Rangiora High School Board are childish, and discount any weight that might have been placed on his previous remarks. It is ridiculous to say that the Board made “ unjust and ill-founded suggestions concerning pupils from primary schools.” The fact of the -unevenness of the Seventh Standard pupils necessitating classification was first brought under public notice by the Timaru High School Board, and they ordered their secretary to correspond with the InspectorGeneral of Schools concerning it. Your other correspondent, “Country Teacher,” writes on the assumption of experience in both town and country schools. It would be interesting to know what experience ho had of town schools beyond one mouth as relieving teacher at Christchurch, and six weeks at Lyttelton, where, by his own account, he had such a lively time that he was -glad to get into tho country. Early in his letter ho goes out of his way to sneer at “ the class of men who generally constitute our school committees.” Let mo say in reply that in many cases there will be found on the school committees men equal, and, I venture to a.sscrt, even superior in intelligence to the average country teacher, and from a training in a wider field of experience, better endowed with that common-sense which is often- of more value than much book-learning. The same writer evidently regards his closing reference to the town teachers’ objection to tho year's allowance granted to country children in the scholarship examinations as a triumphant clincher to previous arguments. I wish to point out that, in the present discussion, it has never been sought to prove any difference in the mental calibre of town and country children, but teat the latter are not called upon to exercise their mental faculties to- tho same degree as the town scholars. There are just as mentally bright children in the country as in the towns, and when it is considered that in, I believe,, all cases, children selected tff compote for the scholarships are specially prepared with as much care by country us- by town teachers, the unfairness of the year’s allowance is apparent. In conclusion, I must beg of you to kindly grant saca for the reproduction of two speci-

mens of composition, which will, to some extent, bear out the contention: of the difference of the quality of work done in t»io schools, or at least two of them. “C.T.” remarks in his letter that: “Every composition exercise, even to the full stop, is noted by the examiner.” This being the case, will you please, in reproducing the compositions, be careful not to omit even one full stop. It will be necessary to explain that the first composition was written by a Third Standard boy in a country school near Rangiora, after he had been but about a fortnight short of a full year in the Standard. Only six out of over tweniy mistakes were corrected by the teacher, and, to crown ail, the production was marked “ very good.” The second specimen was written by a Third Standard boy—about the youngest scholar in the class—in the Rangiora School, after eight months in the Standard; and on the teacher’s instruction to write a composition on any object lesson given. This was also marked- “very good” and unlike the other, deservedly so. Now for .Composition No. 1: Gompastion.—A ass tliaughb he would frighten all tho animals in the forest so he put On a lions skin and Went braying thraugh the forest tho ass met a fox. And said aint you frighten said the, ass. The fox said. I was frightened at first for. I thnught you was a lion. But -when I heard you braying I was not a bit frightened because I new you was only an ass. And you can always tell a fool by the was they talk. Following is Composition No. 2:-~ Composition.—Flax—Flax is grown in France, Russia, and the Netherland. This plant is an annual. It sends up smooth, slender, upright stems. The stems are hollow and are surrounded by fibres. These fibres are manufactured into linen. The plant grows to tho height of about three foot. It hears a pale blue flower containing five petals. The blossoms open in July and are suceedcd by globular vessels cacli containing nine or ten seeds. The seeds arc made into linseed oil. The husks are made into cakes for cattle. I am, etc., UNIFORM STANDARD. TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —I am afraid your correspondents “ C. T.” and “ Country Teacher,” only saw in your sub-loader an opportunity to attack their neighbours. If this is not so, why did not their righteous indignation blaze forth at least three months ago, when the Board of Governors of the Timaru High School said practically what was asserted at our meeting of householders, and ordered their secretary to forward it to the Inspector General of Schools? Probably, however, they know no more about the schools they attack than “C. T. ” knows about the way in which town children are examined. Can he name one school where children are examined for promotion in the way in which he says they are? Further, I hafe seen two S. 111. compositions both marked “ very good,” which contradicts another of his statements. The sneer of “ Country Teacher ” at the householders of Rangiora, can well be left for “ the average committeeman ” to answer ; while, perhaps, an application to the Board of Education will ■ satisfy him as to the reason of the year's concession to country schools. But, for sheer bunkum, the gem of the collection is the reply of the “Master of the not far distant school.” No sooner does the article appear than he selects a largo-sized cap and fits it oh. Like his friends, however, lie avoids the point at issue, and proceeds to accuse himself on other matters. For instance, his methods of filling his upper school, while instructive to his fellow-teachers, are of no practical interest to Die public. , Again, his regret that he does not possess I 'a single free pupil at the Rangiora High School is shared by us all, and most deeply I take it by those confiding parents who use his school. But will he say that no S.V. pupil from a neighbouring school has ever been made aS. VI. pupil in his school? Thanking you in anticipation,—l am, etc., RANGIORA.