SCHOOL STAFFS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26770, 13 May 1948, Page 6

SCHOOL STAFFS

DANGER FORESEEN HIGH QUALITY NEEDED VIEWS OF ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT School staffs would need to be adequate not only in size but also in quality, if teachers were to be successful in their complicated task, said Mr A. N. B. McAloon (Wellington) when delivering the presidential address at the annual conference of the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ , Association yesterday. Practically every child in the country was now able to go to a postprimary school, whereas a few years ago that was the privilege of the few. Consequently, pupils of widely differing abilities and interests had to be catered for and, because of this, changes and adjustments had been necessary in the post-primary curriculum. If staffing was inadequate, the danger of reducing the best to the level of the average would arise. Duty to Outstanding Pupils There were so few people of outstanding ability at any time that it was a duty to ensure that every opportunity was given for the full development of each child endowed wun that ability. “Although no one, l suppose, ever became a teacher with the Idea of making money, we do realise that the idea of ‘ poorly paid but most richly rewarded ’ has been rather overdone in the past and that schools are not likely to be adequately staffed by underpaid enthusiasts. Above all, ours must be the last calling to be cluttered up by people who merely drift into it.” It was gratifying to knew that since the last conference the Government

had established post-primary teachers’ bursaries, similar to those that had for some timg been offered to young people .desiring to enter such professions as medicine and dentistry. These bursaries would at least help the wouldbe secondary teacher to face the long years of study and training with something of the assurance students entering other professions possessed. The teacher should, if his work was to be fully effective, have the means and opportunity for the exchange of ideas, the purchase of books and equipment, the cultivation of the humanities, voluntary social work, and civic activities. Many Things Needed “In the school itself there are,” Mr McAloon said, “many things that are urgently needed. For instance, concerning libraries, an abundant supply bf the right type of books, periodicals and reference material, managed and administered by one or more properlytrained librarians, should be available if the demands of some hundreds of young citizens in each school are 'm be met.” Another question which had been brought forward frequently by the association was that of “sabbatical leave.” “ Suppose, then, we have teaching staffs, adequate in every way and working under proper conditons in school and outside, and with an occasional chance to restore their vital teaching strength, we should come very close to doing our work as the general public rightfully expects that it should be done, and as we want to do it,” he concluded. “And even then I hope, and exppet, there would still be criticism both from the public generally and from teachers, for it seems to me that in a democracy criticism of education is vitally necessary if we are to fulfil our purpose and send out into the world pupils who are worthy citizens and honourable men.”