TC.—2

144

Methods of teaching continue to improve ; but, owing to the laxity of classification referred to above, they are less effective than they deserve to be. There is one serious defect in methods thai is difficult to eradicate namely, the Eauli of doing for the pupils whet they could and should do for themselves. Personal effort within the compass of the pupils' powers is the thing thai tells in education, and personal effort is in many schools, especially in the large schools, t iften conspicuous by its absence. Take, for example, the case of arithmetic in Standards V and VI. The text-books in use give brief explanations and easy illustrations of the principles involved in the exercises thai follow. The majority of the pupils in any efficiently trained class could, if the effori were exacted from them. read with understanding and apply the explanations and illustrations; but the effort is not exacted. the teachers deeming it their province to remove all possible difficulties before they arc actually felt by their pupils. It is the same with other subjects, the teachers supplying information the search for which in the text-books would be immensely more profitable to the mental and moral life of their pupils. It is surely one of the functions of the school to train children to learn hotC to leant, and the peptonising process to which they are in many cases subjected to can never do that. The teachers vary greatly in acquirements and professional skill; but most of them are fine workers, and strive with all their might to train for worthy citizenship the children placed under their care. Many of the young women placed in charge of remote country schools are doing much praiseworthy work for their pupils. and exercising a fine influence in the districts in which they are placid. From the point of view of general merit we classify the schools as follows : " (iood " or " very good," (59 per cent. : " satisfactory," 23 per cent. : " fair." 5 per cent. ; " inferior." 3 per cent. Owing to the dearth of classified teachers, a large cumber of remote country schools arc taught by unclassified or partially classified teachers, some of whom are doing satisfactory work and striving to qualify themselves for a full certificate, while .some are less successful as teachers, and seem unwilling to exert themselves to obtain classification. In proof of this we need only say that, though in December last the Board and the Committees offered them facilities for attending classes specially organized for their instruction in literary and professional work, very few availed themselves of them. It is our opinion that every unclassified teacher in the service should be compelled every year to present himself or herself for examination, and that failure in this regard should disqualify for office. In the secondary classes of the district high schools English continues to be the weak subject. and so it will remain until the teachers receive a wider training in literary criticism and literary appreciation. In their teaching few of them get beyond mere grammar, vocabulary, and the unliterary annotations with which most of the text-books are crammed. Beauty of thought and of image and graces of expression are largely ignored, and in the reading little is done to train the pupils to feel the beauty of the spoken word and to share the thought and emotion of the writers they read. Matter-of-fact subjects like arithmetic, algebra, and geometry, where the appeal is to logical thinking, not to taste and imagination, are generally well treated. Hitherto the chief aim of the district high schools has been, to prepare their pupils for the Civil Service, Matriculation, and Scholarship Examinations. It is now felt that the chief aim ought to be a thorough training in the principles underlying the crafts and industries of the districts in which the schools are placed. We hope soon to be able to place before the Boaid a scheme of work thai will. without making preparation for the public examinations impracticable, enable the schools to realise this new aim. at any rate so far as agriculture, our leading industry, is concerned. The majority of the pupil-teachers now enter the Board's service on the .Matriculation qualification, and most of those appointed to city and suburban schools pursue their studies at the University. 'Phis relieves head teachers from work that formerly pressed heavily upon them, and therefore gives them more time for the training of their pupil-teachers and other members of their staff in methods of teaching and the principles underlying them. In many schools relief from instruction in literary work has net. we regret to say, resulted in the better professional training either of the pupil-teachers or of the other members of the staff. For this there is some excuse where the head teacher has to teach a (lass : but where his chief work is the organization of his school and the training of his staff, there is none. Every large school in which the head teacher is free from the oare of a class ought to provide a training in methods equal to that provided in the training college. Some schools do. but many do not ; and whether they do or do not depends on the head teacher. It is he who would vitalise the work of the school, who should mould the methods into shapes suitable to every stage of progress, from whose quick eye nothing should escape, and whose mastery of method and knowledge of theories of education should, in the class-rooms and in staff conferences, be impressed upon every member of his staff. Staff conferences there ought to be in all schools of two or more teachers, and it would be a distinct gain to education to adopt in the district a system of annual visitation, the teacher of one school visiting another to watch the methods of more experienced teachers. The condition of the school buildings and out-offices has greatly improved since the Board undertook to paint and keep in repair the inside as well as the outside of the buildings. In many country schools, however, we see little improvement in what is left for Committees to do. At our visits without notice we not infrequently find the floors unswept, the walls and furniture very dusty, and the windows dirty. Many of the schools are swept only twice or thrice a week, and the walls and ceiling remain untouched from year's end to year's end. Without a ladder and long-handle duster, appliances that should be supplied to every school, the ceiling and upper parts of the walls cannot be got at ; but there is no adequate excuse for lack of scrupulously clean floors, cupboards, and desks. The precept " Cleanliness is next to godliness " is taught in every school ; it would, be of advantage to the health of the children to abandon the precept and adopt the practice of it. We regret to say that the Board's library scheme has not received from teachers and Committees the whole-hearted support it deserves. Indeed, from the majority it has received no support at all.