TEACHERS’ CONFERENCE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7018, 5 January 1910, Page 6

TEACHERS’ CONFERENCE

NEW ZEALAND EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE. INTERESTING PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. THE PROFESSION'S IDEALS. The school teachers' annual parliament, the twenty-seventh conference of the New Zealand Educational Institute, opened yesterday at the Wellington Y.M.C.A., Mr G. W. C. Macdonald (Dunedin) presiding. The delegates present were : Messrs William Foster, M.A., Wellington (secretary); T. Hughes, 8.A., Christchurch (treasurer); G. W. Murray (Auckland), James Aitken, B.A. (Wanganui), George MacMorran and J. Caughley, M.A. (Wellington); J. H. Harkness, B.A. (Westport) and William Davidson (Dunedin), members of the Executive Council, and the following representatives of district institutes; Auckland—Mies E, Shrewsbury, M.A.; Miss M. S. Newman, Messrs N. R.. McKenzie, C. R. Munro, H. G. Cousins, M.A.; W. 11. Newton, F. Brown, R. Campbell, G. L. Lippiatt, M.A., and T. F. Warren, B.A.

Taranaki —Messrs Hail, R. L. Mcllroy, M.A., and H. A. Stratford. Wanganui—Messrs D. W. Low, F. E. Watson, and J. O'Reilly. Hawke's Bay—MrsH. Anderson, Messrs B Bagley, B. B. Holmes and F. J. Howley, B.A. Wellington—Misses A. A. Dowdeswell and M. A. Craig, Messrs H. A. Parkinson, M.A., A. N. Burns, 8.A., and G. M. Henderson. . ■ Marlborough—Mr W. C. Smith. Nelson —Messrs F. G. Gibbs, M.A., and W. A. Bumbold, Grey—Mr L. F. de Berry, M.A. Westland—Mr J. J. Henderson. North' Canterbury—Miss E. Chaplin, B. Messrs T. H, Ambrose, 8.A., S, C. Owen, M.A.. E'. U. Just and L. Watson. South Canterbury—Messrs M. McLeod. 8.A., J. Menzies and J. A, Valentine, B.A. Otago—Mis® J. D. Hooper, Messrs G. W. Carrington, W. Eudey, J. Jeffery, 0. D. Flamank and W. Phillips. Southland —Misses H. Birss' and Bellamy, Messrs A. McNeil, M.A., H. P. Young and A. Greig. WELLINGTON'S WELCOME. Extending the city's welcome to the conference, the Mayor of Wellington (Dr A. K. Newman) congratulated his hearers upon the material advancement which had taken place in education during the year, and the success which had. followed the application to the teaching profession of the principles of unionism. While there was a very fin© system of primary • education in New Zealand, the same could not be said, of the secondary schools, which required to make up -deficiencies. There was also a growing feeling in connection with the New Zealand University that it should find new channels for its activities. The Latin and Greek fetish still stood os a hindrance to systematic higher education. He was afraid that there existed a tendency in education to regard the necessities of the present, that they should be filled by what had sufficed in the past instead of making allowance for the changed conditions of human environment which had so completely altered the aspect of modern knowledge and culture. Mr R. Lee (chairman of the Wellington Education Board) described at considerable length his somewhat uneventful experiences as a school inspector in the early days. His description of the •primitive school buildings about the year 1874 was exceedingly interesting. At that time in the Wellington district the §reat bulk of the teachers had no training, and the wretched school buildings. were usually four-roomed cottages, the front rooms of which had been knocked into one for the classroom, while the two back rooms served as tho teacher's (residence. EDUCATIONAL IDEALS AND METHODS. " The first consideration always in our work is the pupil," declared the president (Mr G. W. C. Macdonald, of Dunedin) in the opening sentences of his presidential address. Outlining the teachers' ideals, h© suggested that there should be definite ideals at which to aim. Sandow and others had shown what might b© accomplished in the way of physical development, and upon a humbler scale, teachers might be guided bv that experience. A country had a right to expect that the money spent on education should bo (recouped in the after life of the citizen, who could do his work better, more expeditiously and for a longer period if he was made physically strong. But this was merely on the animal level. Without mental^ and moral strength and stamina, the individual was a positive danger to the community. Harmonious development 6f the physical, mental and moral sides of a child'® nature was necessary. PHYSICAL EDUCATION DEFICIENT. How did the present system, satisfy these requirement®? There was very little real physical training in our primary schools. School games were a valuable aid, but of small benefit unless properly organised. He urged the adoption of regular daily exercises, preferably ip the open air, and pointed out that in a few schools in which this was part of the daily routine the percentage of attendance proved a high standard of physical health. ' One school of about 500 pupils showed under these circumstances an annual average attendance, of 95 per cent, of the roll number.

I TEETH TROUBLE. '"Good health forms the foundation of physical development," continued Mr Mlicdonald. "There is not a teacher hero present but knows tho deplorable state of the teeth of school children. In order to assimilate food, mastication is necessary, but it is impossible tor nearly i'O per cent, of tho pupils to masticaite their food properly, owing to the state of their teeth. This is a uourco of national weakness that must lead to physical degeneration. W© hetir a great deal about inspection by dentists, but treatment is better than inspection, and prevention is better than cure/' Most town and suburban schools required Larger playgrounds, which, after school • hours, could be utilised as play-centres j for tho district. In regUrd to school buildings, all observant teachers .hua I noticed tho increasing frequency and regularity of the outbreak of epidemics, and he asked if 'the schools were not tho seminaries of these diseases? Tho germs remained latent until favourable conditions -arose. All buildings ‘and furniture required periodic and thorough cleansing with disinfectants, for just as a fanner who did not destroy his noxious weeds might injure all the farms in the district, similarly one school might spread contagion through a whole com* muudty. INJUDICIOUS PARENTS. j It was suggested 'that the time might come when the State would, iii its cum interests, have to -gutter -all its fifth and sixith standard pupils in boarding schools. Ho wished to draw attention to the disadvantages suffered by many pupils through injudicious jtorents, 'Every teacher knew how many parents there were who seemed utterly unfit to train their children. Sometime® theory was ruised, "Back to the home," but in tho bustle of life and the pursuit of wealth, in the love of pleasure, the. old homo life, with all its hallowed -as- 1 sociations, was fast becoming a thing of the past. The children bf the! wealthier classes did not suffer Ibo the same extent Us those of th© masses, from the fact that many were trained in boarding schools, where discipline was enforced. j

WHY -NOT THE FACTORY ACT? Mr Macdonald referred to the overcrowded state of some school®. In the larger schools some assistants had from 70 to 80 children to teach, whilst nil exports knew that it wUs impossible for any teacher to do justice /to more than 40. It was also not unusual to find 70 to 80 children packed into a room which was built to ” accommodate half that number. "Surely," contended Mr Macdonald, "if the physical interests of employees tire safeguarded by the provision of a statutory amount of air .space, similar treatment should be accorded to school chiiurenP In the ixfterosts of humanity, schools should bo brought under the Factories Act, and fines imposed for overcrowding." SCHOOL INSPECTORS. I With the development of educational ideals and the changes in methods of teaching and inspection, there had come a corresponding evolution in the methods adopted by school, injectors in the performance -of their official duties, with the result that there was now apparent a closer sympathy between teachers and inspector©, and a friendly co-operation between the two which promised well for the ultimate realisation! of the highest ideals in the art of teaching. | CONTROL OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS. Mr Macdonald had a critical word or two to say on tho subject of. private schools. The State, he said, had almost a monopoly of primary education. There were, however, some private and denominational schools in existence, and i any headmaster knew, from experience, j what a shock ho experienced when ho j examined, for classification purposes,! pupils from these institutions. Private school teachers should be obliged to conform to the rules of all established professions, and produce documentary evidence of their qualifications for appointment. Further, all private schools should be subject to Government inspection. SECONDARY EDUCATION. The high school system of New Zealand, continued tho president, was still unsatisfactory. So far as specialisation was concerned, he held that little could bo attempted in the primary schools, but some radical improvements could be effected in the secondary schools, which, at present, were little better than feeders for the university. Although the : main part of the wealth of the country ; was derived from farming, little or, nothing was being done in the direction | of disseminating knowledge and stimu- 1 lating the study of agriculture and stock-raising. It could not pay the j country to neglect these subjects, and \ although a good deal had been done by the x Department of Agriculture bymeahs of circulated pamphlets, something more practical was required, and this practical work was the function, of the district high schools. He considered that th© special teachers appointed to the staffs of these. institutions should be experts in mixed, farming; every district high school should bo a training and experimental farm centre for ■ its special district. Tho speaker's observations upon moral training are reported under another heading. Mr J. H. Harkness was elected chairman of committee, Mr O. D. Flamank assistant secretary, and Mr H. G. Cousins auditor.

Financial proposals ' suggested by the executive were considered. It was agreed that next year a registered accountant should audit- the Institute's accounts, and that the limit, of tho legal assistance fund shall be one thousand ‘pounds sterling; and that any surplus over that amount, together with any sums voted by th© annual meeting of the institute from the ordinary fund of the institute, shall be - constituted a

benevolent fund to be administered by the executive. THE EXECUTIVE'S REPORT. The annual report of the executive, which was considered in committee and accepted, recommended the establishment of a benevolent fund. The membership of the institute stood at 2254, an increase of 137 during the year. Eor some time it had been the practice of the ■ Marlborough Education Board to appoint its teachers on a yearly tenure. It was felt by the institute that such action ' deprived teachers so appointed , of the rights and privileges conferred on them by Part, VIII. of the Education Act, 1908. , The passing of the Declaratory Judgments Act, 1908, made a way open for the settlement of the validity of the Marlborough Board's action in a civil and non-litigious manner. The institute’s legal advisers were, therefore, instructed to move in the matter; and they did so, with the result that his Honor Mr Justice Chapman has held that the action of the Marlborough Education Board was invalid. The executive understood that the board in question discontinued appointing its teachers on a yearly tenure after the preliminary steps for obtaining the declaratory judgment had been taken. On only two occasions had it been necessary during the year to • provide legal assistance_ for members of the institute. Referring to legislation, passed last session affecting teachers, the report stated that the executive kept in view as far as possible the passing'of that portion of the Defence Act which now controls the school cadet corps. The clauses relative to junior cadets were passed as originally printed. Since the Act was merely a skeleton one, and would depend largely for its successful working on regulations gazetted under it, the issue of these would be looked for with considerable interest, THE BENEVOLENT FUND.

Regulations suggested by the executive for the administration of the benevolent fund were adopted. . The fund is to consist of the surplus from the legal assistance fund over and above the sum of £1000; and of any sum or sums that may be voted from the ordinary fund by the annual meeting of the institute. Beneficiaries must have been members of the institute at least five years prior to making their application, and the fund shall be administered by the executive and invested by tho Public Trustee.

Mr Gibbs (Nelson) moved that all future annual meetings of the institute be held in Wellington. After a brief discussion, during which the advantages of educating public opinion in ‘different districts by means of the perambulating conferences wore pointed out, the remit was lost on the voices.

The conference adjourned until this morning.