Head Teacher circular 1893

 A recent addition to my collection. A printed circular addressed to the Head Teacher, State School for Boys, West Warwick, Queensland from the Education Office, Brisbane dated 25 March 1893. The cancels are; on the front is a Brisbane duplex type 3(d) dated MR 27 93 Code 25 rated 3R, and on the back is Warwick date stamp type 3c Code E dated MA 28 93 rated 5R  - Full text below images

CIRCULAR MEMORANDUM.

Department of Public Instruction,

1st January, 1893.

After a year's experience of the working of the new Regulations, it is found to be desirable to issue the following information for the benefit of teachers and officers:-

I. THE MODEL ANNUAL RETURN. In the second table, headed "Classification," under Class L., the number on the roll should be 33 boys and 32 girls, instead of 35 boys and 30 girls, as printed.

II. THE ANNUAL RETURN. In the second and third tables of the Annual Return, headed "Classification" and "Religious Denominations" respectively, the entries are to be for the fourth quarter of the year, as shown in the Model Annual Return.

III. LOST TIME. In General Instruction 59, first line, for "on which the school was open," read "other than holidays allowed by the Regulations.

IV. PROMOTION OF PUPILS. For General Instruction 82, substitute, "In answering question 24, the total number of promotions since Inst inspection is to be given, whether the children promoted are still on the roll or not." If a child has been promoted twice, thrice, or oftener between inspections, count two, three, or more promotions accordingly, in making the entry for question 24 in the General Return. Every instance of a child having been advanced to a higher half-year's work is to be reckoned a promotion.

V. GENERAL INSTRUCTION 50. For "A.T. 1," read "P.Α."

VI SPECIMEN SHEET OF WORK BOOK. It has not been considered necessary to issue a new specimen sheet of work book entries adapted expressly to the new course of instruction, as the old form, of which there is a stock in hand, sufficiently indicates the nature and the style of the entries to be made.

VII. PROMOTION OF TEACHERS. In the estimates for 1992-3, no provision has been made by Parliament for increasing the salaries of classified teachers to meet promotion in classification. Promotions under Regulation 35 cannot, therefore, be made until the necessary funds have been placed at the disposal of the Minister.

VIII. ENTRY ON DUTY. In Regulation 81, the term "teachers" includes pupil teachers and pupil teachers on probation; and head teachers should see that their subordinates obey the rule.

IX. ABSENCE AUTHORISED BY THE HEAD TRACHER, Respecting the application of Regulation 85, the following points should be noted:-

1. Leave granted to a subordinate for less than a day should not be reported by letter. In such cases the leave granted, with the reasons for it, should be fully and clearly entered under "Remarks" in the Monthly Return.

2. When the head teacher is satisfied that the absence of a subordinate for one day was warranted by the circumstances, he should avail himself of Regulation 85, excuse the absence, and report it himself. In such cases, application by the subordinate, under Regulation 99, is unnecessary.

X. FILLING UP ELECTORAL FORMS. It does not appear that "The Elections Act of 1892" compels teachers to sign electoral forms, or to fill them up for persons unable to write; but if they do either without neglecting their school duties, it will doubtless be appreciated as an act of kindness to the individual, and a convenience to the public.

XI. EXAMINATION FOR CLASS I. Instead of Baron von Müller's "Botanic Teachings," which is said to be out of print, students may use for the study of the systematic botany, prescribed in Regulation 156, Bailey's "Synopsis of the Queensland Flora"; and they will be expected to recognise and determine the more common Queensland species of the orders named.

ΧΙΙ. ΕΧΑΜΙΝΑΤION FOR CLASS II. For males, the examination in arithmetic will be confined to Mechanics; for females, it will include Mensuration as prescribed for the examination of females at the end of the pupil teachers' course.

XIII. EXAMINATION IS GROMETRY. Examinees are permitted to use the symbols employed in Hall and Stevens's Euclid. Demonstrations in algebraic form, similar to those given on page 153 of the Department's Annual Report for 1890, are not permissible.

XIV. SCHOLARSHIP EXAMINATION. Candidates for Grammar School Scholar ships will be examined in Geography, Arithmetic, and Grammar, as prescribed in the course of instruction for a fifth class in Regulation 143.

Respecting the requirements in Geography, it is to be noted, that although a knowledge of Mathematical and Physical Geography, to the extent that these are usually dealt with in special treatises, is not required, nevertheless, a certain acquaintance with those subjects will be looked for, such na is nested to the proper understanding of the general geography of a country or region.

XV. THE LIST OF EXAMINEES, GENERAL INSTRUCTION 125. Under the present General Instructions, the lists of examinees from the schools severally are the basis for compiling the lists of examinees at the centres of examination throughout the colony. If teachers send no lists or send lists imperfect in their entries, it is nearly impossible to avoid consequences that may be very scarious to the examinees concerned.

The following points should be noted:-

1. In the case of teachers actually employed in schools under the Department's inspection, an application for permission to be examined is not now required.

2. In the case of teachers actually employed in schools under the inspection of the Department, a special permission to be examined is not needed, and will not be sent. (General Instruction 125.)

3. If the Minister declines to admit to the examination any candidate whose name appears on a list of examinees, the person will be notified accordingly. (General Instruction 125.)

4. On the list of examinees must not appear the name of any person who is not actually employed in teaching in a school under inspection, or who is not a candidate for a Grammar School Scholarship.

5. In the case of a candidate for a Grammar School Scholarship, it is sufficient to enter the name, age, and period of attendance, in the list of examinees, and to attach the proper birth certificate. That entry will constitute the nomination required by clause 1 of Appendix C. The form previously in use for the nomination of scholarship candidates is abolished. The birth certificates will be returned, and a permit will be sent to each eligible candidate.

6. A new form for List of Examinees will be issued this year. The old form should not be used. (General Instruction 35.)

XVL PUPIL TRACHERS' ANNUAL CERTIFICATES. The annual certificate for pupil teachers is no longer required; the quarterly certificates suffice.

XVII. APPENDIX A.-In clause 85 (e), the "List of Examinees" referred to is the List of Examinees sent from the Education Office to each centre of examination.

XVIII. NEW Books. Add to Appendix B, Section II, the following books:-"Needlework for Student Teachers," by Amy K. Smith; and Cowham's "Graphic Lessons in Physical and Astronomical Geography."

XIX. SCHOLARSHIP CANDIDATES' WORKED PAPERS. (1.) Amend clause 58 of Appendix A, by inserting "sex" before "number and motto."

(2.) Candidates must be taught to give more heed to the instructions printed at the top of their examination papers. Neglect of those instructions causes needless labour and delay in compiling the results of the examination. The most common omission is ser. Occasionally, neither motto, number, nor ser appears on any sheet. Frequently one distinguishing number is given on the first paper, and a different number on one or both of the other papers.

(3.) Little or no attempt appears to be made to find a motto or number sufficiently singular to be distinctive. Amongst the male candidates who sat in 1892, five selected as their motto "Dum spiro apero"; and two of these selected the same number. Nine candidates gave "Excelsior"; six "Labor omnia vincit"; and six Nil desperandum." Those trite Latin mottoes, and English ones of similar import, are no doubt selected because they are considered appropriate in meaning; but for that very reason they should be avoided, as they are likely to be chosen by more than one candidate, and so lose their distinctive quality. It would be much better to choose a word or phrase because it has no special significance, such as the name of a small foreign town, of a parish, of a homestead, of a song, of a work of fiction, or the like. For similar considerations, the numbers chosen should not be important historical dates, repetitions of the same digit, consecutive digits, year of candidate's birth, or the current year. In brief, the number and motto adopted should be such as are unlikely to be thought of by any other candidate.

(4.) Supervisors of examinations should examine each sheet of the papers handed in by scholarship candidates before the writers leave the room, so ns to sacertam that the pages are numbered, and that each sheet bears the entries for sex, nutaber, and motto,

(5.) Frequently candidates do not specify distinctively the schools they belong to. They enter, .g., "Central School," "Primary School," "State School," without stating whether the school is in Brisbane, Maryborough, Rockhampton, or elsewhere.

XX. MONTHLY RETURNS. In the table, under "Teachers Employed," cleaning allowances are not to be entered.

XXI. REGULATION 24.-(I.) At meetings for the nomination of school committees, only parents and guardians of children attending school can vote.

(2.) Any adult person, whether a parent or not, is eligible to be a member of a school committee.

(3.) Teachers are not to take any part whatever in the election of school committees, except to call the moetings.

XXII-PENMANSHIP EXAMINATION. In future examinations for Class II. and Class III., the omission of "ornamental printing," as required by the Regulation, will vitiate the examination and render it necessary for the candidate to come up for that subject again.

XXIII. EXAMINATION FOR CLASS I. The preparation of the examination papers for teachers seeking promotion to Class I. is costly to the State, and it is apparent that in December last certain teachers came up up badly prepared. The Minister, therefore, directs that, for the future, candidates for that examination shall forward with their applications to be examined £2 10s. for every paper they elect to take, the deposit to be returned to them for every paper in which they pass, and forfeited for every paper in which they fail.

XXIV. EXAMINATION FOR CLASS II-None of the worked papers of candidates for Class II., who do not attempt all the papers that they have elected to take, will be valued.

XXV. NEEDLEWORK. For P.T. 3, the requirements in cutting out will be examined in respect of the following garments: Infant's shirt; child's muslin pinafore; woman's chemise; tucked petticoat (in flannel or other material), with deep rounded waistband. Similarly for P.T. 4, the garments will be-infant's night gown (in flannel or other material); child's drawers; boy's shirt; woman's night dress.

By order,

J. G. ANDERSON, Under Secretary.

Please paste this inside your copy of the Regulations.