Correspondence School’s Exhibition Display

Northern Advocate, 27 June 1939, Page 9

Correspondence School’s Exhibition Display

Striking examples of the work being accomplished by the correspondence school conducted by the New Zealand Education Department, are to be seen at the Whangarei Winter Exhibition. As a result of the efforts of Mrs E. A. Knapp, Kin'paka, who is a member of the school’s Parents’ Association, the headmaster, Dr. A. G. Butchers, has forwarded a complete display covering all phases of the school’s instruction, which is to be shown at the New Zealand Centennial Exhibition, Wellington.

This is the first time the display has been seen by the public. Originally planned to provide a means of education for children in backblocks areas beyond the of ordinary schools, the correspondence school has grown until it now cares for the instruction not only of sons and daughters of isolated settlers, but families of lighthouse keepers and many others far removed from civilisation, as well as crippled and bed-rid-den children and delicate young people whose health will not permit them to withstand ordinary school life. Valuable work is also being accomplished among mental retardates. Each child is given individual instructions through specially-prepared lessons and letters from the class teachers, requirements being altered to suit various cases.

The disnlay at the Whangarei exhibition covers alb phases of school work, samples of every subject taught to pupils in all classes from the primers to the secondary department being shown.

Handwriting, essays, drawing, mapping, special historical and geographical projects, handwork and art —all are there, and the high quality of the work is an indication of the real interest of the pupils.

In many cases the work tells the story of the surmounting of almost insuperable difficulties.

There is the case of Kathleen Fenny, crippled from rheumatoid arthritis, who is forced to lie all the time in a

recumbent position. She has published verses in children’s newspapers, and hopes to earn her living by writing. A 10-year-old boy suffers from nervous trouble to such an extent that h«j cannot do arithmetic, but the school has taken him in hand and teaching him many valuable subjects. Deaf and dumb children are being taught to read and write through the correlation of illustrated cards.

One case is that of a crippled youth who is also mentally retarded, and who had never had any schooling of any sort until the school book commenced his instruction at the age of 17 years. He is now reported to be making good progress with his lessons. And so the list goes on. The display is an education in itself, and one that should not be missed.