“PIJAMAS” WORN IN “TAIHAPY" SAY SHOP ASSISTANTS

Wanganui Chronicle, 21 April 1950, Page 4

“PIJAMAS” WORN IN “TAIHAPY" SAY SHOP ASSISTANTS

In “Taihapy,” according to some I employees of a large Auckland de-| partmental store, men wear “pijamas,” , shop assistants wrap up “parseis,” and 2 minus 3 makes 1. These mistakes are taken from answers to questions in examination papers sat by employees of the firm, aged from 15 to 19 years. In 1945 the store, finding many young shop assistants could neither spell nor do simple arithmetic, started a staff training course. A junior class was taught how to spell, how to write, and how to add for two hours a week for two years. But staff shortage recently cut the time to one hour a week. | The chief instructor Is Mrs K. Abraham. She finds it gruelling teaching these boys and girls what they should have learnt at school “Some of them do not even know their multiplication tables,” she says. And they have no ground work in spelling. “TOO MANY GAMES’’ “I feel that today they spend far too much time at school playing games. Some find it difficult to concentrate. Recently, when I turned an exercise into a game, I got better results.” When giving notes she finds she has to spell every word with more than four letters, adding the punctuation. “If I don’t, they look at me inquiringly." Mrs Abraham believes her pupils are a representative group. Some have had two years’ secondary education; some have had none. The wrong approach to teaching methods, she thinks, is the. root of the trouble. Here are further errors taken from 40 examination papers: Parcel is commonly spelt not only “parsel” but also "parcle” or "parcel!." Gradually becomes “gradioually,” sure "shure,’’ family "familey,” despatch “despash” or “despastch," secure “sequr,” authority "authory,” doubt "dout,” approaching "protching,” and straight "strite.” MONEY PROBLEM In examinations last November about 10 of 43 pupils managed to subtract 13 from £2 and still have £L in hand. One pupil finished with £2. "A woman returned a skirt valued at £2. She took another valued at £3, and offered the shop assistant £O. Only 23 of 43 pupils made out the docket correctly. Asked to multiply 56s 9d by three, 26 did so correctly, 16 failed and one did not attempt the question. “Years ago teachers were too hard; today they are too soft,” says Mrs Abraham. "Everything is made easy for the pupil, so that at school he has no aptitude to learn.”