Figure 1.-- The prefect system provides the older children training in accepting responsiblity and under the supervision of the staff share in the discipline and organization of the school. The prefect here is ringing the dinner bell.
|
Figure 1.-- The prefect system provides the older children training in accepting responsiblity and under the supervision of the staff share in the discipline and organization of the school. The prefect here is ringing the dinner bell. |
The prefect system provides the older children training in accepting responsiblity and under the supervision of the staff share in the discipline and organization of the school. Most schools have periodic meetings, often weekly, with the prefects to discuss a variety of matters concerning the operation of the school. The tenner of these meetings varies widely, depending on the schools general outlook on the purpose of the prefect system. Some headmasters use the prefects primarily to assist the teachers in supervising the children and enforcing the school rules. Other headmasters use the prefects to obtain insigts on the concerns and views of the children. At most schools the prefects play both roles. The importance and responsibities given to the prefects differs substantially from schoo to school. The prefects system can, as one school explained if properly promoted “help maintain a happy community life based on service and personal example can.” Many schools continue to believe that the prefect system is an important part of the school program. The prefects theoretically help the teachers with a variety of tasks and assist in the supervision of the younger children. Glebe House, for example, explains that the system encourages the children to “take responsibility from an early age. However, small this may be at first, it helps to increase their self-confidence and to develop a clear sense of resonsibility to the community in which they live.” Gresham’s Junior School in Norfolk explains that the system gives “the older boys an insight into assuming responsibilities.”
