HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1972-09-13, Page 2Sugar and Spice
by Bill Smiley
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BRUSSELS
ONTARIO
WEDNESDAY,.. SEPTEMBER 13, )972
Serving P.IW.4e1P and the surrounding corntnunity
published each Wednesday afternoon at Brussels, Ontario
by lgeLean pros, Publishers, Limited...
Evelyn Kennedy Editor Tom Haley - Advertising.
Member Canadian Community Newspaper Association and
Ontario WePlilY Newspaper AWP14t1On,
Subscriptions (in advance) Canada $4,00 a year, Others.
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Young people show the way
All example of what could happen
to the main streets in many Ontario
centres is the program recently
carried out in Petrolia.
The main street of the town re-
ceived a badly needed facelift this
summer from eight'young men with a
$7,000 federal Opportunities for
Youth grant.
With scaffolding, brushes and
paint, they rejuvenated the tired
old face of that town that. was the
oil capital of Canada and a thriv.
ing community of 10,000 at the turn
of the century.
The oil has long since disappeared
as has much of the population but
spacious old mansions and shops re-
main from the past.
Old brick shops along main street
have been done over in hues of blue,
lime, yellow, and brown -- all color
co-ordinated to accentuate the
unique architectural features of the
buildings.
"At first everybody in town was
really suspicious of us", says 19-
year-old Ian Smith, project leader,
"But'after we did our first store-
front, the response was tremendous.
Now practically everybody wants to
get their store done."
Now that it has been accomplished,
the merchants and particularily the
shopping public can appreciate what
the main street has to offer. Area
shoppers had had a shopping centre
at their door-step comparable to any
offered by those in the large cities,
and they hadn't realized it. The
tejuvenation program not only drew
attention to the street and the
stores, it also emphasized what was
in the stores.
The benefits that have come to
Petrolia could come to Brussels or
any other small town. What is
needed is a community of concern
among the merchants and an apprecia-
tion of the potential that is avail-
able provided each works with the
others.
"Yes, 1 advertised for an aggressive, ambitious young
Irian. Now, if you'll get out, of my chair, I'll interview you."
That great big is Who-o-o-o-sh" of
air that is still reverberating across
the nation, from coast to coast, is not
caused by hurricane, typhoon or cyclone.
It is the expulsion of breath from hundreds
of thousands of mothers after their sigh
of relief because school, has started again.
There are many emotional reactions
to the annual re-opening of school. Let's
look at a few of them:
First, the mothers who have had three
or four school-age kids on their hands
for two of the longest, most dreary summer
months in decades. During the past
summer, the sun has been as elusive as
medals are for the Canadian Olympic
team. Rain, overcast, drizzle, downpour,
humidity. you name it; we've had it.
So, mothers. You've had your brood
underfoot most of the summer. Kids
getting up at all hours, eating at all
hours, whining, "There's nothing to do."
You've been making peanut-butter-and-
jelly sandwiches until you gag at the sight
of a peanut. You've bandaged cuts and
scrapes, invented games, planned picnics
which had to be held at home, rained-out,
and been driven to the point where the
kids call you "Old Snarly."
For you, school opening was euphoria.
Sure, you love your children, but love,
like most things, should be taken with
moderation. Admit it. When you got
them all off that first day, you made
coffee, sat down, put feet up, lit a cigarette,
sucked in your breath and let it out with
a tewho-o-o-o-sh". You felt a deep
love for teachers, however momentary.
You secretly thought you wouldn't care if
they doubled your education taxes.
Well, that's one reaction. what about
your kids? Their obvious reaction is
one of disgust and despair: "A-a-h,
school! Who needs it? Back to jail."
But how do they feel behind the com-
plaining that is second nature to kids?
Secretly, they're delighted and excited.
They are bored to the point of depres-
sion, whether they're in elementary or
high school. They are sick of "Old
Snarly". They've had enough of work-
ing, if they worked, or bumming, if they
just bummed.
Despite the constant criticisms of
the "unreal" life at school, in my opinion
many young people have far more
"real" life there than they do at home.
Opening day means seeing old friends,
making new ones, exchanging lies about
what they did all summer and sizing up,
with a hard, cold stare, the new teachers
for the year.
For high-school students, despite their
attempt to be blase, it means the end of
that heart-breaking summer romance.
But look! There are some new chicks,
and some of last year's teeny-boppers
have turned into real birds. And that
greasy obnoxious Grade 10 boy of last
year is now a sophisticated Grade
elevener, after a summer pumping gas.
And he has a motor-bike!
Most of all, at school they are accep-
ted by their peers. At home, they were
children were supposed to love and res-
pect their parents, and had to obey orders,
however grudgingly. At school, they
don't have to even pretend to love or
respect their teachers and disobeying
orders becomes a game, as long as you're
not tagged.
There's another species. These are
the mothers who tearfully, with enough
instructions and warnings to confound a
Socrates, send off the first-born to the
first day of school. Don't worry,
ladies. Next fall you'll be so glad to see
little Tim or Kathy off you'll think there
must be something hard and cruel under-
neath your love of the brat.
And what is the reaction of that fine,
dedicated, altruistic group - the teachers?
A few of them dread it. They are the
realists who know what it's going to be
like in February. They probably should
not be teaching.
But, despite the fact that they moan
and groan just like the kids, from my
observations, 98 per cent of them are
happy to get back into harness. And I
do mean harness.
They've had a long holiday. Theoret-
ically, they have "recharged their bat-
teries." They, too, have become bored.
They have spent oo much money, as
everyone does on holidays. They will
have new students, and there might even
be a few bright ones. They Are going
to teach better this year. Th e y h ave.
new ideas they want to try. They've
forgotten how wilted they were last June.
They've forgotten how ghastly it all is in
February.
Personally, my battery has run down
during the summer, and I'll have to re-
charge it at school. This will be easy.
Just attach your cables to 150 kids,
and the sparks will fly.
Spring is supposed to be the time of
rebirth, reawakening and such. But in
Canada, we don't have any spring. Just
some rain and mud between the misery of
March and lushness of June.
In this country, we all seem to come
alive in September. And getting back to
school Is like getting back to reality after
the dream-like quality of summer holi-
days. Let's go, gang!
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