Allenton School 125th Reunion

Allenton School 125th Reunion

I attended Allenton School (Ellington in the vernacular) from 1952 to 1959.

Back then I was a mad keen kiteflier- especially during August school holiday - the kite flying season.   There were sometimes so many kites flying- all of them of the traditional 'kite' shape with tails- that tangling and kites getting cut away was very much part of the game.  I had my first 3 kite accidents flying at Allenton School; one when a kite line caught my neck as I was riding fast across the playground, leaving a scar that didn't entirely fade for decades.  Another when a very large kite I'd built- 7'6" to the cross bar with 8 coal sacks as a tail- caught in one of the Oak trees and ripped a large branch off - my first ever victory in the kite/tree wars. This is still a treasured victory, notwithstanding that a chainsaw is now part of my kite kit.  The third 'accident' was being chased up Charles Street with murderous intent by a curmudgeonly rugby fanatic when an escaped kite of mine caught in his radio aerial during a crucial All Black/Springbok test in August 1956.  Actually, it wasn't really an escaped kite as it had been deliberately released so that it could be chased- a popular diversion back then.

So, nothing much has changed for me in this respect; the kites are larger, as have been some of the accidents, the 'season' has become year around, and the kite field has become global.  But otherwise, pretty much the same- still a mad keen kite flier. 

Nor does the amount of bullying seem to have changed.

Back then there were always bigger kids that had to be avoided- especially in places like the toilets when there was no-one else present.  And there were times that quite circuitous routes had to be taken when walking or biking to school so as to avoid the catholic kids (who went to a different school) on Allens road. 

Now, by media reporting, bullying seems to be just as much a part of school life as ever- although there does seem to more gender equality, with girls as likely or even more likely to get beaten up as boys.

Perhaps something immutable in human behaviour is in action. 

But most things back then were very different:

School life was much more institutionally violent for one thing.  Threats of the strap were ever present- though frequency of use varied from teacher to teacher.  But getting rapped over the knuckles with a ruler or having your scalp knuckled was an every-day teaching aid.  The usual experience was that the teacher would creep up behind and catch some mistake in progress- like passing notes or even smudging something (these were the days of inkwells and fountain pens). 

Now, every physical interaction between teachers and pupils is potentially career threatening for the teacher.

 I had only male teachers during my years in the Standards at Allenton- 6 of them.

Perhaps this began to change in the 70's but after the Peter Ellis trial in the 1990s, men came to understand just how risky a career teaching young children could be.

 Now, for good or ill, the overwhelming majority of primary school teachers are female- and even at some secondary schools it's more than 90%.  With an increasing percentage of single parent (usually female) families, some boys go through to adulthood with no male role models.

Back in the day, all the boys (and probably most of the girls) carried pocket-knives.  The results of this could be seen in heavily carved up school desks (one of which I saved).  And by 13 or so, many of us boys had guns- which we took to the river-bed to shoot things with- unsupervised.

Now, the school would probably be in a state of panic if any pupil pulled out a sharp knife- and possibly the entire town would be locked down if some kid was seen bicycling around with a rifle over their shoulder.

During the 1950's and 60's there was far less access to consumer goods and entertainment. Holidays away were once a year events at best and overseas holidays were practically unknown.  Bare-foot summers were not just a matter of choice for some.  Children were put in their place in no uncertain terms by any and all adults- verbally and physically.

And this was a time when nuclear holocaust was a real threat with Russia and the West in a frantic arms race to get ascendancy and first-strike advantage.

But strangely, adolescent mental health is much worse now.

In 1904, a "Native" school in Rotorua recorded more than 100% attendance for the year. This was because more pupils chose to attend than were enrolled.  I don't doubt that attendance at Allenton was 100% or close to when I was there in the 1950's.

Now, almost half of New Zealand pupils do NOT go to school regularly (by the Education Ministry's criteria). Some areas are much worse than this, with as many as 20% not attending at all.

In 1960, New Zealand was at or near the top in educational outcomes amongst developed countries. At Allenton School in the 1950's (and later at Ashburton High School) academic standards were high, with a strong focus on literacy and numeracy.  When I later attended Canterbury University, I did not feel disadvantaged relative to students who had attended elitist private schools - and later, when I came into contact with graduates from other countries, was able to hold my ground. 

Now, in some schools, pupils spend less than an hour a week learning math and New Zealand has slipped to the bottom of the OECD league tables by the international PISA test and other metrics.  Forty per cent of students who achieve NCEA level 2 are not functionally literate or numerate according to a NZ Herald report last week.  And, the rate of decline appears to be accelerating. 

Unfortunately, educational standards, especially in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and math), the very area that the NZ educational system is weakest in, are the strongest predictor of a country's future strength. 

The future doesn't look bright.

                                                    Peter Lynn, October 28 2022