EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 5839, 6 July 1909, Page 1

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE.

Tlie annual meeting of the S.C. Branch of the Educational Institute was held in Tiraaru on Saturday. Mr •C. MenzioS' '(president) occupied the chair, and thc-re were also present Messrs Valentine, Coodall, Thomas, Ivalaugher, Dalglish, Cook, McLeod, .Stewart, O'Connor, Fleming, Airs McKay, Misses Moriarly ami Mclntyre. The secretary to the Otago branch ■enclosed certificates of membership of three members transferring to South Ca n terbury. —The transferred members and others elected were Misses Waldie, Ure, Allan, Baird, and Cormack, Messrs Bmnnerman, and O’Connor. Miss Buck), leaving Geraldine for Oamai'u, resigned her membership, adding, “ t am glad to have been a member, and have found the Journal very helpful. The annual report and balance-sheet for 1908-9 (the thirteenth) wore read by the bon. secretary. The report showed that the membership -was 128 out of 131 teachers employed in South Canterbury. The year began with a credit of .Cl(s 17/3, and ended with a credit of Til 9/11. The report and balance-sheet were adopted. Votes of thanks were passed to Mr Valentino as secretary, and Mr Fleming as assistant ami •Journal correspondent. On a similar vote being propose 1 to the president, Mr Menzies spoke about two or three matters which he thought demanded the attention of the Institute. line lust was truancy. (Personally, lie objected to have to report cases of truancy. The duty of. reporting truancy put the teacher in the character of an informer. and in danger of arousing illwill in parents. The duty of reporting was not, he believed, faithfully pciformed for that reason, and he did not blame the teacher for romissuess, us reporting btul uttoiuiiuicc would firing him into trouble with his neighbours. Some method should bo devised that would relievo the teacher of Um risk of odium among the people about him. .Several teachers of small schools in Waimate district had spoken to him about it. Another matter that called for consideration was the freedom enjoyed by parents at present of taking their children from a local school and sending them to another. This was unjust to the teacher, ns it reduced Ills average attendance, and couseipiently miglrt reduce his salary, A third subject demanding attention was the payment of the capitation for brnshwork and oilier handiwork. Ihe teachers did not know how this capitation was dealt with, and lie thought, the amount earned should be credited to the school earning it. The election of ollioers for the current year was then taken, and resulted as follows -President, Mr G. Dalglish, B.A. ; Vice-presidents, Messrs A. (ioodall ami l W. Thomas, M.A. ; Secretary and Tivasurcr, Mr J. A. \ idealine. B . (South School, 'limaru) ; Committee of Management, Messrs J. M cozies, J. P. Kalaugher, and M. Md,cod, B.A. ; Correspondent of Journal, Mr J. Fleming (Main School). Tim secretary proposed an amended subscription scale, which was adopted, vi/., schools up to (>/-, : to SO, 0/0 ; to 270. S/- ; over 270, J•>/<>.