Life in a Maori School, 3 Summary and Analysis

Post Holiday Notes

Sylvia makes some preliminary conclusions about the keys to success in teaching the Maoris to read. These factors include: use of verbs in the past tense; use of words without pictures when possible; avoidance of certain words that have little meaning like "come" and "look;" avoidance of the use of English primers as models; and, productive use of the child's time in the infant-reading room so he does not suffer in later grades.

Sylvia and Colleen, her assistant, face a daily barrage from their students that is, at times, almost overwhelming: [paraphrasing] Seven is cutting me with his knife! Colleen, disarm him; I lost my pencil; Betty's crying; Watch me; Look at my work; You said I could play piano; You said I could paint. The demands from the children...