Education and Environment.

Southland Times, Issue 12124, 2 May 1908, Page 4

Education and Environment.

Inspector Hendry says schoolrooms should be bright, cheerful and tastefully decorated, and explains why. In a report presented to the Education Board at yesterday’s meeting Inspector Hendry wrote as follows; — Education lias been defined as "Hit.' provision of an environment," but Hie material aspect of this conception does not seem to have been generally seized. I have constantly endeavoured to impress tipion teachers the importance of doing what lies in their power towards brightening the interior of their schools. A schoolroom nicely decorated with good pictures, diagrams, growing anil cut flowers furnishes an unobtrusively etfective object lesson tending to inculcate habits of neatness and order, and a love for the refined and beautiful, in many cases, t am glad to say, teachers have recognised tho value ol elieertul school surroundings, and ..uve. at practically no cost lo Hie State, embellished the walls of their schools with judiciously selected, well arranged pictures, etc., which, besides adding to the brightness of Uie school, are made to assist materially in the ordinary routine of instruction. And ill this matter, t am pleased to note. teachers frequently have the co-operation of parents. But we have also with us, in too large number, the cheerless schoolroom with its bare, cu.st-begrimed walls innocent of ornament, except, perchance, the monotonous map. Us shelves and table untidily littered with books and papers, its doors perfunctorily swept and scrubbed, and Us whole atmospnerc dismal and depressing. In most districts there is at least one school concert a year, the proceeds of which, as a rule, go towards providing prizes ndt only for such pupils as have honestly earned them, but also not infrequently for all the pupils of a school. Without now ox-pressing any opinion on the question of prize-giving. I would earnestly urge on committees that, in the interests of the children, they devote at least a portion of this concert money towards providing our young people with an environment which—silently though not the less tiowerl'ul—must Influence their lives for good.