TOTARA VALLEY SCHOOL.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 18 December 1925, Page 11

TOTARA VALLEY SCHOOL.

ANOTHER CASE'FOII COURT. man A years the customary calm of lotara ..Valley lmg beeii .'disturbed at intervals by breezes at’.the'schoolhou.se. Iho comihittee amt; the ! Education .Board have frequently .boon galled upon 10 deal with incident's there; and some time ago tho mother of one of the pupils appeared vjij:' Court to answer a charge of disturbing. 'the Conduct of the school. YfeSterday the* affairs of the school were .again ventilated in the Magistrate's Gd'urt, when, before Mr E. D. Mosley, /S.M., •holm McCann pleaded not guilty to abusing the teacher in charge of the Totara Valley School in the presence and hearing of the pupils, and also not guilty to wilfully disturbing the Totara Valley public school. Mr W. D. Campbell appeared for complainant‘'(The Teachers’ Institute), and Mr G. 11. It. Plrich appeared for defendant. l M>' Campbell said that -on November 2<)7 defendant went -.to the school just oh closjftg:time and knocked at the door. "The teacher opened the door and defendant took exception tb the manner .in which one of his children" had been treated. The teacher said she would discuss the matter with defendant wlieq he was in a better frame of mind. We went away, and stopped to speak to some boys who were gardening. He said “i.a fine teacher you ve got in there ; why the devil doesn t she strap some of the bigger boys and leave the little ones aloue.” Mr Campbell said the offence was not a serious one, but people should learn that there was a proper place for complaints.

Edna Thompson, sole teacher at the totara \ alley school, gave evidence on the dines indicated by Mr.-. Campbell, bhc stated that the children wqrc upset by defendant going to tbe school and one or two started to cry. When .defendant stated that he ‘ was going to take his children away witness iicnt inside and told the children to get their Ibo.oks and go- home. To. Mr. .Ulrich; 'Tlie;.conversation was ''ithin the hearing'' -of the children, j 6 v le iy khat oho mf defendant’s children had bad eyesight., Oh the day m question witnpxs- strapped the child iincl it cricdf* S v iio \vouJcl. not deny ■ the child yelled, but,- she would deny having strapped the child on the .back. She , had asked tbe child to hold out her hand, but she pulled it away. It was not true that her strap was over tlio regulation size. . strap was produced, but his \\ orslup . said it was quite all right. Ho remarked. “It is not as-big as the OHe Xji-was brought up under.’’ a pupil at the school said-ill© twas gardening when defendant arriyqjj. at tbe school. He stopped and said.. “ a fine teacher you’ve got in there; why tlie devil doesn’t she strap some ot tlio bigger boys and leave the smaller ones alone.’’

■Mr Ulrich said f,lie child strapped had sultei'ed in health as a result of her eyes, -and l)r Burns had said that she must have sympathetic treatment and be kept in a good light. Mr McCann had the opinion that the teacher had a violent temper. On the day in question lie was working some 200 yards away and heard a child yell. Later one o! his daughters canie to him and said that the child Betty was being strapped. He went to tbc school as had been stated and had spoken to MBs Thompson. Defundant said tho child had 'Suffered 110111 Hum- even, but they were greatly improved mow. Tho doctor haul said that (he child needed sympathetic treatment, and had spoken to .Miss Thompson on the matter. lie had formed the opinion that M iss Thompson had a violet temper. Whan ho went to the s'liool ho knocked several limes before Miss Thompson an■wered. She was while and looked nj a terrible rage. lie had never seen i woman so wild.

To Mr (.lumpbell: Until recently Miss Thompson seemed to |,e biased against hi; child. Tito child was not pushed on at first ami she was taken away. During her absence her mother taught her:, .and when snub back the child ,ol on much hei.ter. Me had had difeienccs with two or three different eaehers. Ili.- Worship said iliai in schools like fotara Valley the teacher was a strang- •■■■ in a strung;) land, and unless the ■ earlier received i.lm unqualified support. if llie icttVrs. Mien Ihe school would not be, a success. When eouped up n- a period children naturally became rri t able and teachers, too, were Unable at times to get irrilnbb*. It might that I lie Teachers’ Institute were lladvised hv bringing tl»o action to the 'curt. .Kor defendant to say what he ii l to (lie boys v. .i.s ft uliversive of dLeioline, and flic offence "as aggravated >/ defendant being a, member of the Uioo! eoniiiiit tec. Tho charge of disturbing the school ns dismissed, but on tin- charge of huso defoirdnm was convicted and or-e’-'cd to pay cosis.