Page 4 Advertisements Column 3

North Otago Times, 5 December 1910, Page 4

THE PROMOTION OF TEACHERS, The I.ercnnial question of the profaction of teachers attention'of the Waitak{ branchi of the toy Zealand E&icaticojd Institute /id 1 Saturday afternoon, when ,a, fair | muster of teachers was preside! over by Mr J, tojson, the president of the branch. The subject' was intro'-' duced by Mr,"John Kelly (Wesfcin), who read: a paper .thereon, and, with | .characteristic diffidence, given it the modest title of ."At Probable Help.'to the Promotion of Teachers." Starttag out with the declaration that "everyone, no matter what the ocgupation( Joblqs' for promotion,' 1 for' prggress. i§ t]ie }m ijj eyepy phaga of life," MP Kelly went oh to show that in almost .ejery walk .in life the Phance for steady promotion c-ame to men of energy, talent mi nation, but it yaß ' not so in the •teaching, profession, in which''advancement was slow and uncertain. A teacher might work with diligence and". attention for 10, 20 or 30 years wailing for promotion. .It might toe gaisl that! suoh'ianonei had taissod his ohaHoe, but to many the ohance never came. ■'■'Wc must," he said, "find some other causes militating' againsi bis promotion, and' first of ail Twill 'attribute his or s).ow promotion fa the complexity of bis environment.; I}i"i;he cage of tbo raifway servant there are certain regulations which, if.'complied with, bring promotion, to the deserving; it js the same with the, cadet, jt is tho .same ' yjtjh jjhp stop apprentice; while in the'case' of' the slipp boy business tact and ability usually, bring success, The teacher, however, has no such simple machinery to ■deaj witl;. He is j;he servant o{ the Board, who get Vtoiflw Mmthpough their officers, He is alsp subject to the e/rutiny Qt another bady--the School Gommitteer-ajjd upon tbis ' and through this. triumvirate the teachers finds promotion thrown at b/lm or withheld," |Mr Kelly went on to Bay that the chaiiceg of promotion ill the teaching profession, werejewep than in other avocations, for the proportion of large schools was' small, Turning in search of an aid' to promotion, he urged that something might be accomplished by classification of teachers according to age as well as attainments and service. Then, as the next' step, he suggested that in i maKng the selection of applicants for any position the choice of the ? Board should be restricted to the 1 oldest applicants, from whom the Committee would he obliged to select Mil, Under such a system, he contended; "thefp would be frequently recurring tharioes "of promotion, for the bluest teachers filling"the highest ■posijiojis would be'retirod on superannuation'after a few years. Anticipating p,bjec"tiQ|i'to placing ,imen| past their prime in the 'pM'important positions, Mr Kelly pointed out that J the work of a headmaster in the I highest gradeschools was not teach- • fog, h ( uj;, organising. The system suggested would enjajile, teachers to retire on a better superannuation, _ allowance, «d would militate spmewhat against the cry for young men. It mi'glit be concluded that, all ' round," ago classification would help very much the promotion of deserving teachers. At the close' of'"the i paper f S OOll discussion followed, al) ' the speakers agreeing with the principle enunciated by Mr KeJly- If was finally decided to tran§mi| the scheme t<) the Qtago division of the 1 Now Zealand Mutational Institute for consideration.