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of the pupils is not what it should be, and we look for a marked improvement during next year. Good writing is always more difficult to obtain in town than in country schools, for two very obvious reasons : (1) the larger classes and consequent greater difficulty in individual supervis'on, and (2) the fact that the classes change teachers at least once a year. We do not offer these reasons as excuses for the bad writing which exists ;no adequate excuse can ever be offered It is the duty of the headmaster, by carefu 1 supervision of the work of each class, and of every pupil in each class, to see that negligence on the part of any member of his staff in writing or any other subject is not allowed to interfere with the progress of the pupils. The constant insistence on careful work all the way through the school will inevitably bring about good results. The question of changing the style of writing was submitted to the teachers for their consideration. The present style has now had a fair trial. It is one form of the medium slant The voice of the teachers was against a change, and we think wisely so. The style in use has much to commend it. The slope which it embodies is that now being almost universally recommended, and the good results gained where it is thoroughly taught justify its being continued in our district. We are inclined to think that in the two upper classes the use of blank books would be conducive to better results from the business-man's point of view. By the time Standard V. is reached pupils should have a thorough knowledge of the formation of letters, and more freedom would develop individuality in style. We should like to see some of our teachers experiment in this direction. We doubt if our schools will ever yield just the results in this subject that business-men would like to see. It may be that they expect too much. We concede that they may reasonably expect careful and legible writing —they have a right to demand that —but if they expect much in the way of definite style, or of speed combined with style, it is probable they will be forever disappointed. Experience goes to show—experience of office men as well as school men —that a definite style is not formed until a youth is well on in the teens, full control of the finger-muscles used in writing not being gained at the age at which most of our boys and girls leave school. Discipline.—The reports show that for the majority of schools the mark gained under this head is " Good "or " Satisfactory." A minority of them gained the higher mark, " Very good " and " Excellent." In only a very few schools did the pupils show by their behaviour and by their work that the teacher had very little control over them, and was quite capable of securing their attention. In a large number of schools the problem of discipline is not how to keep the children quiet —their attitude is too often one of painful silence—but how to arouse within them that responsiveness in their manner and bearing which tells not only that they are well governed but that they are well taught. If this responsive attitude is absent, it is a very serious reflection upon the teaching. If the teacher presents his work in an interesting and well-directed manner, he cannot fail to inspire his pupils to habits of thoughtful attention. Children brought up in towns are naturally more alert than those brought up in the country ; but it is simply astonishing how much good teaching and wise methods of government can do in the way of bringing up children who, from the conditions of their upbringing and environment, are naturally unresponsive. A few minutes in a schoolroom will reveal the kind of government and of teaching which have been used, and the general means of discipline employed. Where undue harshness has been the law, the children are subdued and timid ; where undue laxity has prevailed, they are careless in their movements and thoughtless in their answering ; where thoroughness and insistence have been combined with sympathetic and intelligent teaching, the children willingly respond, are enthusiastic in their work, thoughtful in their answers, and generally anxious to do as well as they can. We not infrequently have to blame teachers for failing to arouse their pupils. Some seem to regard a listless attitude with great indifference. They blame the scholars. Every teacher knows that he himself is to blame in nine cases out of ten for the unresponsive and listless attitude of his pupils towards his teaching. Attendance. —The following figures show the progress in attendance made during the past ten years : 1895—Number of schools examined, 106 ; average attendance, 7,488 ; percentage of attendance, 768 : 1904—Number of schools examined, 169 ; average attendance, 10,391 ; percentage of attendance, 842. Only once previously, in 1902, was the percentage of attendance higher than it was last year. It is gratifying to see that in this respect our district is improving, though we have not yet reached what should be regarded as a satisfactory point. A comparison with other districts will show where we stand in this respect. We give the figures for 1903 : Auckland, 844 ; Taranaki, 82 - 7 ; Wellington, 82 - 6 ; Hawke's Bay, 832 ; Marlborough, 82-6 ; Nelson, 82-4 ; Grey, 84 ; Westland, 845 ; North Canterbury, 82-1; South Canterbury, 84-9 ; Otago, 868 ; Southland, 85 ; Wanganui, 83. A difference of 4 or 5 per cent, in a school attendance means a very great difference in the work of the teacher and the progress of the school. It is to be feared that in some districts parents take a good deal of liberty with the School Attendance Act, and that exemption certificates are granted much more readily than they ought to be. How can the work of a school be good, and how can the progress of an individual pupil be satisfactory unless there is regular attendance ?—lt may be the case that some teachers do not exercise sufficient vigilance or take sufficient interest in the matter of the regular attendance of their pupils. There is a very real connection between good attendance and the personality and influence of the teacher. Given normal conditions, one might say almost that the attendance of the pupils is proportionate to the individual interest the teacher takes in them, and is a very fair measure of their regard for him and his work. Manual Training.—lt is with pleasure we record a decided movement in respect of manual training. Its claims are now more fully recognised than ever before, and in the majority of the schools room is found on the time-table for at least one of the recognised branches. Teachers, too, are more alive to the importance of manual training as a basis for mental development and as a source of increased interest on the part of the pupils in the general work of the school. It may not be out of place to state here a few of the reasons adduced by educationalists for giving manual training so prominent a place in the work of the primary school.

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