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Joint Conference of Educationists…

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Joint Conference of Edu- cationists and Teachers. THE SCHOOL CITY SYSTEM DISCUSSED. On Monday, at Ynyslwyd School, a joint conference of teachers and members of the Aberdare Education Committee was held in connection with the newly-formed Education Society. The following mem- bers of the Education Committee were present: Mrs. Richards, Rev. J. M. Jones, Messrs. T. Walter Williams, R, L. Berry, and John Davies, Mr. J. Morris, Clerk to the Education Committee, and Mr. T. D. Jones, assistant clerk. Mr T Waiter Williams having been voted to the chair, the following were elected officers of the new society:-Secre- tary and librarian, Mr. W. (iriffitlu, Liwydcoed; treasurer, Mr. J. Williams, National School; president, 14eY- Jones; vice-president, Mr J. Gufeth., Park School. The following teachers were elected on the executive of the society- Miss George, Higher Grade; Miss Hastie, Blaengwawr; Messrs. Ben Davies, Higher Grade; V.7. W. Price, Park; and George Jenkins, The Chairman then called upon. Mr. John Davies t.) speak on THE SCHOOL CITY SYSTEM. Mr. Davies observed that when the question of corporal punishment was dis- cussed some time agj he thought that it would be well to have some alternative for corporal punishment. He noticed in walking the streets that children were verv prone to imitate their teachers. Children when playing "school in groups were in the habit of crying out at the top of their voices. If in this mat- ter the children imitated their teachers, it was an indication that the discipline methods of the schools were not satisfac- tory Discipline in its various aspects made the child either a good or a bad child. He did not believe in doing away altogether with corporal punishment, but he thought it could be greatly modified. In certain schools he noticed that one cr two children were sometimes put to watch the whole class while the teacher was absent. He noticed that the chief duty of the one on vigil was to find fault with the pupils. He thought that those defects could be remedied through the teachers being more vigilant. With re- gard to the loud speaking in schools he had noticed that the chief sinners were the female teachers. (Cries of "Shame.") At this point the chairman called Mr. Davies to order, explaining to him that he understood that he was going to speak on the City School System. Mr. Davies held that the remarks he made formed the introduction to an ad- dress on the City School System. He claimed that in introducing that system corporal punishment would be greatly done away with. Mr. Moseley, in his in- troduction to the report of schools in America, paid a very high tribute to the efficiency of the City School System in that country. Mr. Armstrong stated that children in America were being taught as young Republicans should. National as- pirations were infused into them. Prof. Rhys, of Oxford, saM that the American child was very fond of going to school, because he was there treated more as an adult than the child in this country was. Besides, the gulf between the teacher and the pupil was narrower there than here. In some schools the children elected leaders and governors to rule themselves from among themselves. Mr. Davies favoured giving a trial to the scheme in this country. He believed that in the Higher Standards especially the scheme would be found workable. Mr. W. Griffiths, Liwydcoed, said that he would have liked to have heard the personal opinion of Mr. Davies regarding the introduction of the School City Sys- tem into our schools. He (Mr. Griffiths) held that the system was not at the present juncture applicable to our schools. Nations varied in their forms of educa- tion, as they did in their forms of govern- ment. Again, the education of the American child was aided materially by the co-operation of the parentsl. He knew for a fact that parents in Aberdare en- couraged the children in an attitude of d2fiance towards the teachers. And this matter of degrading the teacher in the epinion of his scholars had of late re- ceived strong support when members of the Education Committee condescended to listen to every little tale carried to them by indignant parents. The welfare of the child demanded a unity of purpose and co-operation from all the agencies that had to do with the education of the child. The home life and the schcol life should each supplement the other. He understood that the School City System required the forms, titles, and methods of procedure of the municipal govern- ment of the locality in which the school was situated. And if the schools in Aber- dare adopted the local Council as a model for its charter he would predict a com- plete failure for it. (Hear, hear.) Coun- cil morals were at so low an ebb in their midst that it was no honour to elect chil- dren to bear the titles. Again, in a country constituted of various nationali- ties like America was, it was more neces- sary to emphasise the duties of patriotism and citizenship than in this country. The conditions under which teachers laboured in this country were obstacles to the in- troduction of the School City System. There was no pupil teacher system i; America. The school buildings where this system was in vogue, were ideal buildings, and the teachers were the best available. Such schools might be termed the Shop Window Schools of American Primary Education Educa- tion Authorities paid great attention to various methods and problems of educa- tion. He would like to see committees, and especially their own, attaching greater importance to the selection of teachers, and not thrust them upon the schools whether fitted or not. It was not neces- sary to adopt the School City System as a means of discipline in the schools. A great deal was said about the new spirit of discipline in American Schools. Our Transatlantic friends enjoyed freedom from codes and traditions of officialdom which had but recently been accorded to teachers in this country. Mr. Griffiths concluded with a citation from Prof. Armstrong, who said that the American system was one which imposed a fearful strain upon the teachers. Mr. J. Williams, National Schools, gave it as his opinion that the adoption of the School City System was Utterly Impracticable in this country. He could not see his way clear to carry it out in any school. Per- haps some of the younger generation of teachers, who were cleverer than he, could do something of it. (Cries of "No, no.") Perhaps it might be made in secondary school and Higher Standard Schools. Ideals of the Home not the City. I Miss Hastie, Blaengwawr School, main- tained that our conceptions of school methods were more advanced than those of the Americans. It was the ideals of the home that should prevail in the schools and not the ideals of a city. She would rather be a mother in her home than be Lord Chief Justice of England. (Laughter.) Councillor R. L. Berry said that he had read a book which explained the sys- tem, and he had come to the conclusion that it was somewhat idealistic. How- ever, he wa.s convinced that such a scheme would be absolutely impracticable with- out the whole-hearted co-operation of all the children of the district. He believed in discipline without corporal punish- J ment if that were practicable. He be- lieved that distinction should be made in the treatment of children who were physi- cally blind, mentally blind, and wilfully blind. Mr. D. J. Hughes Jones said that he had written to Mr. Coward, a member of the Mosely Education Commission, con- cerning the School City System. The following was an extract from his reply: "During my visit to the States as a member of tne Mosely Education Com- mission in 1903,1 spent a morning in an elementary school at Chicago where the system had been in use for about seven years. The head master was an enthu- siast, and certainly believed in the method he had adopted. The various classes each year elected officers called 'Tribunes,' and these settled all disputes, regulated punishments, etc., both in the school-room and the playground. Even little children of seven or eight years of age chose these officers, who were decor- ated with ornamental badges, which they wore as a sign of their office. There was, however, noth'ng remarkable about the discipline oi this school; in fact, in my opinion it was not so good as in many other schools in the same city where the system was not used. Pressed with ques- tions, the head master confessed that diffi- culties did sometimes arise with parents who objected to their children being ruled by other children instead of by the teach- ers. It is significant that although this enthusiastic head master had worked the system in his school for seven years, only one other school in Chicago had adopted it, and that was a high school, where the children's ages were from 14 to 18. The Superintendent who accompanied one to the school stated that personally he did not much favour the system though the authorities would not interfere with an enthusiastic teacher who was desirous of trying it. Personally, I have come to the conclusion that the system of the School City is unsuited for the young children who attend our elementary schools, though, perhaps, in a secondary school, where the children are old enough to understand, and to be entrusted with the responsibilities of self-government, an enthusiastic teacher may, perhaps, work it with success." Pamphleteering the Parents. Mrs. Jenkins, Cwmdare Schools, ob- served that what they wanted was the co-operation of the parents. If they as teachers could have the sympathy of the parents and the whole of the Education Committee the difficulties would be re- moved. The parents should lay a greater stress on (1) the regular attendance of the children; (2) punctuality; (3) obedience to and respect for the teachers. As an anti-thesis to the School City System she would suggest that they issue pamphlets pointing out these items to the parents. Mr. T. Walker remarked that he had written to the President of a School Board in Pennsylvania concerning the system, and his reply was anything but favour- able to it. Mr. Davies had referred to the practice of shouting on the part of the teachers. He believed that the structure of some of the schools and the presence of three or four classes in the same room made that absolutely necessary in some cases Mr. Notton Makes a Confession. Mr W. Notton proposed that the matter be adjourned, not sine die, but say for five years. In the meantime, let the Edu- cation Authorities betake themselves to the reduction of large classes. Regarding eorporal punishment, he would like to introduce it into Sunday Schools in order to see the practical effects of it there. Corporal punisnment could be abolished without any city system if they had the co-operation of the parents. He had had some experience with irate mothers in Abernant. Two women from Long-row had assailed him because he had chas- tised their children, and he had to threaten to thrash the mothers before he could get rid of them. He demanded an apology from those mothers before he would take back their children to school, although he knew that in doing that he was violating the rules of the Education Authority. He never had any trouble with the mothers after that. People should pay to the tutors of their children equal respect to that which they paid to a surveyor who inspected their build- ings. A vote of thanks to the chairman, and a few words in response by Mr. Williams, closed the meeting.

-------_ Merthyr Mayor and…

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