ASPECTS OF EDUCATION

Wairarapa Daily Times, 15 August 1931, Page 3

ASPECTS OF EDUCATION

ADDRESS EY MRS EARRER.

There was a large attendance at a meeting of the Mastcrton Women Teachers’ Association last evening, when an interesting address on “'Some Aspects of tho New Education” was delivered by Mrs T. R. Barrel’, M.A. Miss 0. B. Sutherland, ALA., presided. At the end of the evening supper was provided hy members of the Lansdowne, Te Ore Ore and Whatman .School staffs. In the course of her address, Airs Barrel - said that an organisation such as the Women Teachers’ Association, comprised of teachers in all branches of the profession, besides interested members of the general public, was a sign of a gradually growing movement for the unification of education and regarding it as a continuous process from kindergarten to university. The recommendations of the Atinorc report embodied the same principle of unity. Teachers might make a further step in this direction by holding unified conferences, instead of principals, and primary, secondary and technical teachers holding separate conferences. Their problems and ideals were essentially the same, differing only in details. A unified conference would gain for its decisions a vastly increased influence at Departmental headquarters, and in the community generally. Alucli might be done also in this way to dissipate wrong ideas in the minds of the public as to the respective importance of different phases of education. The purpose of education was to bring out the individuality, the initiative of the pupil, to teach him to think for himself. This path of self-realisation was by way of the various instincts —the dramatic, artistic, musical, communicative, inquisitive and 'constructive. On one only of these would she enlarge —the constructive. In all individuals dwelt to a greater or lesser degree the passion for self-expression. The old conventional type of education, now fast being superseded in the more enlightened communities, had often set itself to thwart persistently the child’s spontaneous efforts to outgrow himself. Airs Barrel-, after having dealt with other aspects of education, was accorded a very hearty vote of thanks for her address.