Letter to the Editor, Tuesday July 5, 2016

The good times

Forty and more years ago, the annual Auckland principals' Christmas dinner saw a gathering there of many old ex-Hokianga and Far North teachers who had proved their ability running the small rural schools in the North, and from other parts of rural New Zealand, before becoming leaders in education running excellent large schools.

One or two became school inspectors who were there to see pupils were getting quality teaching, and parents accurate reporting of school progress.

They walked in with the ability to sense the whole tone of a school pretty quickly. They graded the principal and teachers, and were fair and reasonable, as well as being very helpful and knowledgeable.

Good things keep happening in the education world, as well as heaps of political correctness and some Lala Land ideas that successfully slow the learning process down and take up valuable teacher effort and time with tedious recording when there should be a clear syllabus to follow.

Teachers are the qualified, professional experts and need successful senior, hands-on, professional assistance. They also need time for relaxation, and not having to spend evenings and weekends completing unnecessary tasks.

What were the aforementioned principals like in days gone past? My memories are of great entertainers, chalk in hand, full of fun while explaining basic maths, for example, with a class full of hands enthusiastically shooting up to join in and answer questions. Rote learning of tables. Phonics, spelling rules, debating rules. Kaumatua in to tell a local legend. Some mums sitting in the back of a maths class understanding now what they had missed at school. Hands shooting up when the inspector asked, "What's the difference between their and there?" Cheers when the teacher's bowling is hit for six at play break. Maori songs and quiet periods listening to the recording of a symphony orchestra. Elastic timetables where the whole day was given over to art or exploring a beach or pa site which resulted in some excellent written language efforts.

The teacher was fun, but he or she was the boss.

The secret? Pupils of all abilities must know success and get positive reinforcement daily. Listening skill development started at new entrant level as did the ability to stand up and have your say and be listened to.

Many old traditional methods of teaching worked, as the list of Maori and Pakeha ex-pupils now in the professions and trades proved. There was a high intake of students from small rural schools into training colleges.

Great school memories before the days of television, computers, drugs, Lange or Clark ... My word, how good things would be if the education system was run by highly-graded successful classroom teachers instead of politicians.

However, teachers today have more foetal alcohol brain-damaged children and kids from drug homes to deal with, and others who just need a hug. They could do with the helpful advice and support of an old time school inspector and the protection of an education board.

NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED

Kerikeri