SCHOOL GRADING

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 72, Issue 91, 17 April 1929, Page 6

SCHOOL GRADING

THE SYSTEM CONDEMNED IS IT OBSOLETE? That teachers must keep moving on if they desire to gain promotion, and not remain in a rut, and that in consequence the interests of school chudren suffered through repeated staff changes, were charges levelled at the present system of grading applied to the teaching profession, by the householders in the northern. Wanganui Schools’ district on Monday night. The subject was introduced by Air AV. Bruce, the chairman. There were far too many staff changes in the schools, be declared, and in saying that, he did not refer to Queen’s Park particularly, but to schools everywhere. It was not the fault of the teachers but of the grading system. In order to protect themselves in regard to promotion the teachers had to apply for the various positions and keep studying the grading lists. The system was obsolete and it seemed strange that they could not arrive at a fair and equitable method of assessing the qualifications of a teacher and retaining his services, so that children could receive tho full value from his continuous supervision. Surely the inspectors, the Department, or whoever was concerned, could assess the merits of a teacher even if he were among one hundred, or two, or three, or four hundred. There was an agitation all over the Dominion to get the grading system altered and they were feeling the effects of the system at Queen’s Park. Tho headmaster (Air C. J. AlcLean) was leaving and so was Air Taylor, his first assistant, and at that in the middle of the year. “The difficulties are not confined to the primary schools, but are just the same in tho secondary,” Air Bruce continued. “AVe have the same thing to face in the Girls’ College and the Technical College. It is detrimental to the. pupils, to the schools and to the teachers themselves.” The speaker moved the following resolution:— That this meeting of parents in the Northern schools’ district of Wanganui protests against the appointment and promotion of teachers which make it necessary for one or more teachers to leave as s<. »n as possible after the school falls a grade. AVe understand the position from the teacher’s point of view, but we hold that the children’s interests are more important and under present circumstances are not taken into considcrtion. In our case thg head teacher and first assistant are both leaving about the middle of the school year and it does nok matter how good they are, the pupils are bound to suffer for a month or so. We are of the opinion that if the school grade falls, some arrangement should be made to allow teachers to remain till the end of the school year before making a move. In order to bring this about wo think the whole system of the appointment and promotion of teachers should be revised so that children will receive the greatest possible benefit from regular teaching and the teachers will not have their attention distracted by the grading lists and the lists of vacancies. In seconding, Air Edwards said that they should make the protest against the system as strong as possible. The teachers were not to blame, it was the Department.

Air J. Aloye said that the motion appealed to him. The chairman was right when he described the grading system as obsolete. It took children two or three months to get used to a teacher and at the end of 12 they were beginning to like him. Then * there would be a change and they would start over again. The Department should be made to hear the protest. Airs Alargaret Siddells expressed herself in no uncertain terms against the many staff changes. It was not hard to realise, she said, that teachers :ould not get the best out of the children if they were being changed round. One heard the children expressing regret when teachers went away. They got to like a teacher and when he went away they were nervous about the new one. Air A. R. Donaldson also added his support to the resolution, which was carried unanimously. It was decided to take the matter up with both the Alinister and the Director of Education.