VRITING IN THE SCHOOLS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13433, 26 March 1907, Page 3

VRITING IN THE SCHOOL S.

A REPLY TO CRITICS.

ARE BOYS POORLY TAUGHT?

Wellington papers have recently yjiven vent to the frequent murmurs of business mem and others against the public school method of teaching handwriting. The annual report of the Wellington school inspectors is largely a reply to the.se criticisms. The in?]>ectors say: — In our. last report we drew attention to the many and diverse systems of handwriting taught . in this district, md the consequent disadvantage under kthich both teachers and pupils labour"cd when the latter moved from school school. As a means of remedying this, the Board has decided tliat ono style of copy-book (Vere Foster's, Melium Series) should «c used in all ichools in the district, and we are looking forward to beneficial results from i course which has already been adopted with success in other districts in the colony. The handwriting and composition of dnr schools have lately been subjected to unfavourable criticism from both responsible and irresponsible -ources. Now it is generally admitted that the excessive number of children ;i'hich teachers are individually responiible for, and the extent of ground to >c covered in the syllabus, are both causes which prevent handwriting as a iubjeet 'receiving at the present day that attentioh and consideration that vas given to it, .say a generation ago. We have, however, made special efforts to meet the requirements of the .bnsiioss part of the community in thts fewhile we are far from main- ' nining that writing is in every instance as efficiently taught as it might he', *i ill, taking the district as a whole, the subject' is fairly satisfactory, imfr in my case there has been considerable improvement during the last few years. Critics lm ust remember that the avetage age* of pupils who pass' Btandard VI. is thirteen years aha eight months, md it is folly to suppqse that at. such in age the average boy 13 educationally aquipped for a merchant's office, ah'd it <s quite, conceivable that many of them, nay even prove unequal to the task of writing a business Jetter "in terse and forcible English. ". During his school course his instruction in composition has been on the lines already indicated. *Je whites a strictly formal hand, which mder the supervision of his teaqber is, v> a rule, neat and legible, but it is not i formed hand, still less is it a comncrcial running hand, and, moreover, tt will take a certain amount of time md patience to make it one. It must lot be forgotten that primary education has other duties and aims besides hat of preparing'the youth of -the colny for a strictly commercial vocation. Had we no other aim beyond the writ;' ■ng,of good business letters and expertnfcss v in arithmetic, our" task- would be sasy!But there are other reauirements md activities to consider: handwork, irawing and manual instruction to •;rain the hands and eyes of the mipil, md so prepare him for industrial purwits; nature study and instruction in elementary agriculture, to fit him for country 'life : these and other subjects all demand' their share of the teacher's md the" pupil's time and energy. The truth is our boys are taken away from school when too- young ; the' primary schoD] shoiild be a stage,- not the terminus' in a lad's education; a two Years' course at a technical or continual, tion school' should follow, where lie should specialise. . in > those subjects required in the particular sphere of lifo —commercial or otherwise — which net intends to enter. During .the year the flhamber of Commerce, for the purpose" of encouraging the study of co?rim<iroiaV 3iibjects, very generously devoted some £25 as prizes for the city schools. .The objects of competition were composition, writing, and commercial aopth-, metic. The prizes .will bo' awarded, we; •mderstand, at the next meeting of the Chambor, when members will hajve an importunity of inspecting the papers -if the various competitors. • w e catoiiot Snt feel that if a few x*f the piemhers' -»f a representative body, such as the Chamber of Commerce; were to visit ; O me of our schools and express thoir ipinion after actua] observation of the work lieing done there, it would */t 'east V'« a fairer and more- reasorfnbio«ay l of paesinp: judgment pn qur prirc--,ry schools than 'making; sleeping yoneralisations based on the'unsatißfaOr 'ory letters of a Ti?^iiterl number of a])>lica»ts for some advertised position. .