WAIPORI SCHOOL DISPUTE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11229, 27 September 1898, Page 8

WAIPORI SCHOOL DISPUTE.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—l have only to-day had my attention called to, a leader in your issue of the 17th inst. on this subject. I. do not propose to discuss the question, or defend my position in your columns; but, with your kind permission, I will reply to certain statements of yours which I consider contrary to fact. ' You say the pupils whom I refused to advance to the Third Standard had passed in spelling, but were marked " failed " on the ground that they wore weak in "comprehension." This is not quite correct. I failed those pupils in reading because their reading was not intelligent; and intelligent readme; includes " comprehension " and something more, as any teacher will understand. The regulations distinctly say that no reading that is not intelligent shall be allowed to count towards a pass. (Sec reg. 15.) In the case of the most of the pupils regarding whom the troublo has arisen avery low average . age was combined with, ineffective study. . Will you venture to re-assert that :n that case "comprehension" would not fe strengthened ' by a" year's detention in the Second Standard? Is it still your opinion that they should have been advanced a grado and condemned to flounder helplessly for a year in a literary quagmire of still greater depth ? The absurdity of this course seems to have suggested itself to your mind, and you propose a way out of the difficulty. You say I should have promoted the pupils and prescribed such studies in the next year's work as would have- strengthened the weal: parts. Now, it is very kind of you to teach mo my trade, though-many a man would resent it, for I know that an editor has many parts to play, and finds it his duty to act as guide, philosopher, and friend to. all sorts and conditions of men: one day he is warning the Czar of Russia that ho must not persevere in a certain policy, and the next showing some military commander how to conduct a campaign. But, I think, Sir, you must have got one of the sporting reporters to write up that article in a hurry. I should have thought that any sane man, not both blind and deaf for the last 20 years, would have known that our systom of Statd education does not permit of a teacher prescribing courses of studios to meet individual cases, although that is what we are fighting for. . Certainly the burden has been

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eased up somewhat of late years, ; bnt"iheJart, remains that the ground to be covered withinthe twelvemonth in each standard class ,is rigidly-fixed by.^he syllabus, and the toach.T who is foolhardy enough to go in for such ?' diversion as instructing one section of a class in Second Standard work and another in that proper to the Third with the hope of. passiaß in about 10 months all hands into theJFourth, will find himself in a queer position whenthe inspector comes round, if he does not occupy, the padded ward of the asylum before: thattime. Tour proposal, however, comes too. late. Tho fact is, 1 have already been acting, according to your method for the last four, years, with the result that my room is crow-led: with weeds and weaklings. At the last annualexamination I decided to stop it and take a& . vantage, in the interests of the chil-. dren,. of the power • wisely conferred, upon teachorß by the Educational . department. I may : admit, in , explanation of the fact that some of, the'pupils, are "marked" as having failed in spelling when, as it is alleged, they passed in that subject, but that was simply a mistake due to the inspector's leaving in a hurry after.- t.ie examination was over. The marks should ha>'e been put in the "reading" column of the schedule, but this miserable technicality ib being worked to death by certain. interested persons; in order, if possible, to put me in.a coiner. However, there is no necessity ■ol bringing in. the subject of reading s,t all.to, confirm the validity of my judgment in fitil-" ing those pupils. Their backwardness in arithmetic alone was sY.rricient to disqualify them for a pass (see reg. 7). There were ottmr subjects also wherein I could have justly failed the pupils, but I did not record them, as it was not necessary. •

But your readers may here fairly ask. What' of tho board's committee of inquiry that sat^ at Waipori and made such a searching and .' honest investigation into all the circumstances . of the case? In reply to that. I will merely at present refer them to my letter and the Waipori School Committee's letter to the ,' board, which were published in your paper": of July 22. There were other anomalous features besides those referred to in those letters in connection with the constitution . and conduct of that 'committee of inquiry, ; which I may have occasion to deal with at somo other time and in some other place/. Then, again, a great deal has been made of the fact that " the mistress averred the pupils , were fit to pass to Standard III," and that ! " the inspector confirmed this statement." It f was only natural that the lady in question, / after being accustomed to see her pupils, weak, and strong, indiscriminately promoted for three or four years in succession, should begin to think that she had a vested right to, 100 , per cent, at every examination. As to the inspector's position in the affair, I can only ' repeat what I have again and again said-^that I know nothing whatever about the inspector's examination; I was not present thereat." How some of the Second Standard pupils ' could have obtained 100 per cent, .of marks surpasses .my ken. ■ The 6ame .pupile weird ,'. subjected to .an examination by me on the 9th of May—-attar receiving more;; than three months! further instruction ,• in Standard II work—and ; they .did' not make 50 per cent... The arithmetical ' tests were extremely easy, and the mistress was fain to express her surprise and disappointment at the result. The tests.and tabulated results are now in possession of the. board. Why have they received no considers.- ' tion? More technicality, perhaps'. . , Your reference to my being. actuated by certain unworthy motives in failing those : children is more than an insinuation, and an ~ echo of what has been publicly stated at the' board's table and other well-known places by Messrs Cotton and Blackmore.' The; gross., and slanderous charge is too serious for me to : meddle with here, and will in 'due time occupy l the professional attention of wiser heads than mine. . "■■.''■•'

Trusting that you will, in justice to mo, find space in your valuable paper for this" letter, lengthy as it is,—l am, etc., . ;> ;,.' Waipori, September 22. Charles Kerr. •'

[Our correspondent is. quite in. error in supposing that we even " insinuated " ' that he was actuated by unworthy motives in his': method of dealing with his pupils, much less that we believed the charge to the effect. made against him.' "We simply desired to point out that as those charges had been made his action was liable to bo misconstrued, and. that he would have acted wisely,. after .the ! mistress who taught the pupils and the board's inspector both.considered the pupils should; have passed, had ho given way, particularly, after he had successfully asserted ..his legal:.' rights. We,do not intend to follow Mr Ken . into a discussion on the rigidity of the 32du: v cation Act preventing him assisting the pupili acquiring greater " comprehension " than theyappeared to have possessed, but we cannot help thinking that the difficulty might have been overcome. —Ed. O.D.T.]