SCHOOL READERS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 6025, 9 October 1906, Page 7

SCHOOL READERS

A PLEA FOR MOKE EFFICIENT EDUCATION. {By John Young.) Much has been said and written during the last year or two on the subject of “school . readers/"* Labour organisations have passed resolutions relating to them, and questions have been repeatedly asked in Parliament in connection there* with. The burden of the cry appears to be the expense arising from the repeated changes of readers m our schools. X have paid some attention to this subject, and am convinced the majority of those who have raised the cry do not know what they are asking for. Thej* do not realise the fact that they are asking lor that which, if obtained, would have a disastrous effect upon their children’s education. It has occurred to my mind that there is a possibility of Parliament some day, when in an accommodating mood, being tempted to take some step in the matter, the ultimate outcome of which no one would regret more than legislators themselves. i may remark at the outset that my objection is not to the uniformity of school books. I see no valid objection to that. But there is that which underlies the movement, and which the public do not appear to realise, and that is the continual use of the same books for an indefinite period; so long, indeed, that they (the pupils) have ceased to feel any interest in them, seeing that they know them by heart. I can conceive of nothing more discouraging to children, nor anything more detrimental to their progress than to continue conning books and reading stories every word of which they know already. This is the danger (and the danger is a real one) to be apprehended from the never-ending use of the same books. Their lessons cease to interest the pupils, and their work becomes a toil and a drudgery. I have occasionally, in the course of my extended journeys about these islands, com© across a school committee, who, being alive to the necessity of the case, had provided at its otvn expens© a second set of readers for the school. These committees are few and far between, but in their intelligent appreciation of educational requirements, are like oases in a desert. It is admitted on all hands that the great point in teaching is to interest the children in their work. Once let interest flag, and the teacher will labour in vain. It is impossible to infuse enthusiasm into a class during the reading lesson under such circumstances. Every word is understood. and each story known, from the beginning to the end. The reading book, I take it, if it is to serve the purpose of education, should bo at once an object of interest to the pupils and a source of information. There can be no information or education, in the proper acceptation of the term, in reading tLat which is already known. Those bpoks are, in most cases, used in

the school for a year, and it is not uncommon for the same books to be handed over to the younger members of the familv the next year, as they rise from on© class to the other. Wherever this practice obtains, the evil I am endeavouring to describe is intensified, as by that means the poor children have palmed off on them books that have ceased to be of any educational value. Now, the ground of all objections 1 have met with, in respect of the want of uniformity in our school books, is the expense. The same objection would apply, and would b© raised against the duplication of readers—the cost of buying new books before the others were worn out. We should have the cry raised that one set of readers was enough, and as much as'parent® could afford to pay for. I see but Tittle force in this objection. Everything that is wprth having is costly. The question of of extra books sinks into'insignificance when compared with the education of the rising generation. The real question is bow can we make the best use of the short time at the disposal of the average child for acquiring the rudiment® of education? Compared with that, all questions of cost are but as th© small dust of the balance. Now. let us suppose the Education Department were to decide that ©very school should be provided with two sets of readers in each year, one for the first half of th© year and th© other for the second- It would 'involve extra expense to the parents, but it would give the children what would far more than compensate for the few additional shillings; that is, variety. I understand the school reader to answer a twofold purpose 'in the education of every child (First) to teach him the art of reading, and (second) to increase his knowledge of words. There are other subordinate purposes served by the “reading lesson/' but the above are th© two main points. Every educationist, nay, every thinking man and woman, will at once admit the far-reaching importance of a knowledge of words in the education of the child. And this knowledge can only be obtained by reading. If this be so, and every new reader introduces a new and mors extensive vocabulary, then it follows that the children who have a variety of books obtalh a more extended grasp of then mother tongue. Every new word acquired is go much education. Every new fact adds to the store of know-1 ledge. But let ue never forgot the important fact that no child can acquire know]edg© beyond the rang© of bis own vocabulary. Where there is a limited knowledge of language, intellectual expansion will be slow. j Charles Darwin in hie “Origin of Species/ - ' and his “Descent of Man/' and Wallace, in hi© “Island Life/' lay groat stress upon the “influence of surroundings'/ on th© lower animals. And the same is true of man. We are largely th© creatures of surroundings. Let any one noto the difference between children brought up in town, and tho?© reared in the country, especially these in the back blocks, where • educational advantages are of the smallest; and he cannot but observe the great disadvantages under which country children labour in the matter of education. Who would then deny children, so situated, an extra reading book, when that constitutes al- ( most their only chance of obtaining even a limited knowledge of their mother tongue ? The language of the farm, or more properly of the bush section, con eisfis of few words, and these are easily I learned. There is, I believe, a movement on the I part of the Government to issue a sort of “school record/' or paper of some kind. This ie a move in the right direction. A publication of that kind, in- j troduced into the country homes, would exercise an influence for good. There is! however, this objection to all publications of the sort—they smell too strongly of the school. They are generally edited by teachers, who cannot eliminate the professional element, and thus the pedagogue is too much in evidence. A much better plan would be to impress upon parent® the advisability of subscribing to I a good family newspaper. This might be done by the inspectors when on thei* annual or biennial tours. There are many such newspapers in New Zealand, conducted with great ability, well written, and of a high moral tone. Such a paper as an educative agent, would exercise an influence far beyond that of the best school reader that was ever published. 1 am convinced that wo do not fully realise the educative influence of a good family newspaper. Of course, there are papers and papers, I would not recommend the introduction into a home of a paper that makes a speciality of racing matters. Nor would I give preference to one that gives much prominence to athletics and game® of all k inds. I am much mistaken if we, as a colony, are not attaching tco much importance to athletic games, and devoting to them time and energy that could be turned into more profitable channels. Let tho elder boys and girls have access in the evenings to the family paper. Encourage them to read it; to look up in their atlases the places referred to; to consult the dictionary for the meanings of strange words; and, I venture to affirm* their accumulation of knowledge would be rapid, and would abundantly repay the outlay. Time was when the newspaper was a “sealed book" to the younger members of a family; but

those days are past. and thoughtful people recognise now that, a® our children will, in th© ordinary conns© of ©vents, have to take their places in th© world, they cannot too ©oon know something about it. By this mean® the children of a bush family would ob-1 tain an extensive knowledge of the world., and learn something of what is passing ' around them. j It may b© objected that th© course 11 suggest would interfere with the “home lessons." So much th© better. Th© longer I live, and the more seriously i think over the subject, tho less import-j auce I attach to homo lessons. They! have been much in evidence in th© past, j and children*© lives have been made a ; burden by th© amount of work after i school hours. I suppose w© have all sinned in that respect, and we cannot afford to throw stones at each other. It was thought th© correct thing. But 1 think th© clouds are lifting, and f home lessons, like many old wives - ' fables, will pass into oblivion. If children are to spend their evenings in tho acquirement of knowledge, by all means let them have something new, something that will interest them. Let them study the ©vents that have occurred in tho world during the previous twenty-four hours, and that ■, will have' an educative effect that no I home lessons will Impart. I have not written what I intended to | write when I commenced this article. It I is more discursive than I intended at 1 the outset. I may, however, recur to the subject later on, and go more into l detail. Nevertheless, my object will be gained If I can draw public attention to the important fact that tho education of our children is of the highest importance, both to them and to th© State, and that we cannot effect that object without placing the means of education at their disposal.