Hamilton Teachers College - Log Yearbook (Hamilton, Ontario Canada)

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engagement. The teachers, in accordance with an apparently universal cus- tom, are recipients of bouquets, apples, which remain to rot, and home-made odes, presentations of which are later oftentimes regretted by the givers, By the third year, classes begin to be graded into standards, commencing with Standard l. Standard II sees the end of the trials and tribulations of the junior Department and with boundless joy, pride, and an extra inch chest expansion, life begins in the Senior Department, reverently called the Big School . The classes in the Senior Department range from Standard Ill. to Standard VI l. or VIII. Subjects of the hlunior Department are extended and the study of the Bible, English, geography, English and colonial history and music is commenced. During the last two years. elementary mathematics iincluding a spattering of trigonometryl, general science, domestic science. woodwork- ing and swimming instruction are added to these subjects. Corporal punish- ment is also continued and extended, for now the teacher does not confine his weapons to mere rulers, but brings into action blackboard compasses, the broken ends of desks and in some cases the legs of dilapidated chairs. Each class has a captain elected by the pupils, who is in charge of the class during the teacher's absence, and who may report anyone for misconduct: these captains are under a school captain, a senior, elected by the whole school, whose duty is to supervise the conduct of all scholars, both in and out of school. Beside the daily physical training, the school has other athletic activities, the chief of which are football tsoccerl and cricket: these are promoted and encouraged by inter-school leagues and further through hopes of having the distinguishing honour of being chosen for your county team, or even the all- England schoolboy teams. Dramatics are encouraged and taught, with the production of one or two plays each year, usually a Shakespearean plav, per- formed invariably with no little success. llomework, the pet aversion of all procrastinating Canadian pupils, dispatched a thousand and one times to Hades, whence it returns undefiagrated, like a nauseous nightmare for ever hounding us like Marley's Ghost dragging a long chain of irregular French verbs, still irregular-this, to the English schoolboy is merely a noun denoting menial tasks such as replenishing the coal-scuttle, or washing the dogg home- work, in the Canadian sense, is unknown to him for most knowledge in con- nection with his schooling is gleaned from the classroom, not from the home. Urdinary class examinations are held at the end of every term. The en- t1'ance examination, which takes place when the pupil is about eleven years of age, is so difficult that only the most brilliant are successful in passing it. and of those that do succeed few can afford to pay the tuition fee required by the English high schools. At the end of the final year, spent in Standard YH. or Standard VIH., the latter usually necessitating an extra year at school, the pupil sits for a final examination: the successful candidate receives from the education committee a Certificate of Merit, indicating the subiects passed. Thus equipped, at the age of fourteen years, most English boys and girls go out into the world to take their places in office, business or factory, and, although their education is not as extensive as it might be, it is very firmly planted and very thorough 3 thorough, also. in that English elementary students are taught how to Play up, and play the game , F ,N and faithfulness to the p1'ecepts of Honour Bright . K ' 'X ' xv A Above all, they are imbued with a deep sense of 71 a ge g ' ' ll tl ' . 5s' 55fq ' ' loy alty in a nngs Y Z RONALD COWLEX. 1 . aq tip mt l Page Thirty-three

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PRIZE ESSAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOLING IN ENGLAND The eduational system of England differs in many respects from that of Canada, especially with regard to elementary schooling. The English hoys and girls hegin their schooling at the age of five years, in some cases hefore that age, hut seldom after: it is compulsory to attend school for nine years until the age of fourteen, when they are free to hid farewell to their school days and set in motion their earning capacity in some vocation. I-ly far the greater part of English hoys and girls lay aside their hooks and take this opportunity, a few hecause of misplaced amhition or had judgment, many hecause of necessity. Through the efforts of some parliamentary mem- hers. attempts have heen made to extend the age limit to I5 years, which so far have failed to hear fruit: nevertheless, it is highly prohahle that an attempt in this connection will eventually succeed, and should succeed for the good of England's youth. The school in which these nine important years are spent is called a Council or Board School, run entirely hy the city and free from any county tor provinciall jurisdiction. There is a gradually diminishing numher ot Church of England schools of equal status conducted similarly to the Roman Catholic separate schools of this country. All examinations are set hy the education committee of the city. The Council or lioard School is divided into two departments-a .lunior and Senior Department, each situated. usually, in separate huildings. There are no mixed classes: each is comprised entirely of hoys or of girls: in some cases there are separate schools for hoys and girls. The teaching staff of the hlunior Department consists of female teachers with a head-mistress in charge, while that of the Senior Department consists of male and female teachers in charge of the hoys and girls respectively, with a headmaster supervising. School is always opened and closed with a Bihle reading, prayers and hynms, usually with a school choir in attendance. llolidays are similar to those of Canadian schools, except that summer vacation is only of one month's durationfthe month of August. lt is in the .lunior Department that the first four or live stormy years of school life are spent, commencing with the huilding of a conglomeration of artistic, toy-hrick constructions, which may require teaching to construct hut none to destroy, and endless wallowings in plasticine-memories with which we are all familiar-and ending with an elementary hackground in reading, writing, arithmetic, grammar and art. Physical training, usually drill and games, is also part of the school routine. Corporal punishment commences at an early age-the tirst year, in fact: it is meted out usually hy the teacher hy means of a ruler and the possession of knuckles: a grave crime, such as spelling cat with a sees the culprit wending his faltering way to that awful ogress, the headmistress twho later turns out to he a kind and gentle soull. A cane is produced from its resting place-where it seldom restsffand judgment is duly administered. England wisely helieves in spoiling the rod and whacking the child, for this is a mighty . E- fine medicine, and though like many good tonics, it is 3 hitter to take, results are forthcoming. Notwithstand- -1 ing this, the junior Department has its many happy hours, with the pre-holiday concerts, inter-form tea gifmir If L parties, hattles for the proud position of Monitor ,, mir ' V X N4 A f -t-. , f 2454i ' ls: af' W :lv-.' t 2-4 1323-'4 f-,fgw--'m4g...u, F225 JE - .. I ' Q..-: ' as ., A .rgfyef B454 fthe chief servant of the teacherj and the odd fistic lf E551-Jl l l I G '-it Z.-,J 1' fvfnizgff Page Thirty-two

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