HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1998-11-25, Page 8I O YEARS AGO
November 23. 1988
Incumbent MI' Murray Cardiff
held his Iluron=Bruce riding
for the Progressive
Conservatives in Monday's
federal election. Cardiff
gained 20,042 votes as com-
pared to 16,629 for first-time
Liberal candidate Ken Dunlop.
NDP candidate Tony McQuail
was third with 7,743 votes
and Tom Clarke of the Christian Heritage party
had 2,633 votes.
20 YEARS AGO.
November 23, 1978 - The 24 area residents
. who served. on the various committees involved
in the. erection of the South Iluron !tec Centre
were honoured ata municipal banquet, Monday
night. Dashwood Industries, the top donor for
thefund, donated special plaques to the volun-
teers.
HAUGH
BACK IN TIME
At Friday's annual banquet of the Huron-
-Perth baseball league, five members of the
Dashwood Tigers were honoured as most valu-
able to their team; They were John Ilayter, Jim
Guenther, Bob Hoffman, Barry Baynham and
Glenn Thurman.
- 35 YEARS AGO
November 22, 1963 - SIIDIIS board agreed
Tuesday to seek tentative approval from the
department of education to erect an addition
containing seven rooms.
Mrs. Hugh Patterson was named president of
the Gordon Evening Auxiliary of Coven
Presbyterian Church -ata recent meeting.
40 YEARS AGO
Niwember-24, 1958 - Mr. and Mrs. Chester
Smith who published the Zurich Herald for 44
years before retiring at the beginning of this
year -were presented with a silver 'tray in recog=
nition of their contribution to the community by
fellow newspaper editors at the annual meeting
of the group in Zurich. .J.M.: Southc'ott. made the
presentation-
Farmers spotted a wild bobcat roaming the
woods south of Hensall Saturday. The animal is
rare in this area.
The newly completed Bice bridge over the
•
Ausable River at Concession 2 in McGillivray
was officially opened Wednesday. The bridge is
the largest built in the township in 30 years and
is 80 feet long and cost $49,000.
SOYEARSAGO ,
November 23, 1948 = Miss Velma Ferguson of
Usborne who won the oratorical contest for
Iluron County in the Junior Farmers'
Association public speaking also won first place
in competition with Perth County at Mitchell,
Monday.
The fourth class of pilots trained at the Flying
'('raining School at Centralia will -receive its
wings on Friday.
Joanne McCurdy was Daisy Mae land Uel
Schroeder was L'il Abner at the Sadie Hawkins
dance on Friday evening.
60 YEARS, AGO -
November 22; 1938 An advertisement from
E.R. Hopper's Furniture Store boasted of a sale
price of $76 for a "three -pieced x-rayed chester-
field suite" and the local Ford dealer listed a
brand new Ford automobile with power-of'8'5
horsepower for. a low $915.
75 YEARS AGO
Novemb-e:r 24, 1 23 - Remarkably mild weoth- •
er has prevailed for some weeks and some new
records have Leen set.
Mr. Thomas Coates left last -Thursday for'
Detroit to take a course in the Michigan Auto
and Electric School.
Mr. Roy Webber has purchased a half interest
in the creatnery business operated by Mr.
Robert Higgins of Ifensall.
Mr. Garnet Miners of Usborne made a Very
excellent showing at the Royal Winter Fair in
,Toronto with his Yorkshire hogs carrying off a
large _number of prizes.
80 YEARS AGO
November 24, 1918 - The Canadian Bank of
Commerce is offering loans to farmers interested
in starting hog production in light of pork short
ages. Good markets for some time to come are
assured.
Exeter Times—Advocate
Opinion °' Forum
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Trustees elected to
serve the public
Dear Editor:
The Avon Maitland District School Boar
that the Huron/Perth community needs mo
for the operation and renewal of its.scho
imperative for our community to find tho
using options that do not include closing
There have been a number of statements and
from the AMDSB indicating that all possible
administrative spending have already bee
This cannot possibly be true.
The Board has pointed out that four or fiv
administrators have retired from the co
Huron and Perth AMDSB. The grapevine rep
savings of about $800,000 have. resulted. W
may be a -significant amount of money, the
have not caused the Board to deflect fro
obsession to close schools.
The Board has consistently refused to ac
edge the possibility that other administrati
overhead savings can be realized in addition t
from this retirement of senior staff: But consid
according to data supplied by the Board, i
Huron and Perth's combined spending on non
ing salaries, wages and benefits plus spend
supplies, services,. travel and equipment rola
non -teaching positions was a whopping 12 to 1
lion dollars.
Non -instructional spending continued throu
January to August, 1998 "Stub Year" at ess
the same rate. The Director's March 31, 1998
Report recommending the Adoption .of the
Year" budget contains- a telling reference to a
tinuation of all employment statuses in place
September '1, 1997. The Trustees adopted this
get plan in an April 14, 1998 resolution. In doi
they voted to protect all overlapping, redundant
teaching jobs associated with the administr
spending of the Board, while .:setting off to re
spending by closing schools. The effect of this
sion has been an unnecessary burden of stres
the Iluron-Perth community.
When the Huron -and Perth Boards amalgam
a new school board was created with two compl
duplicated sets. of non -teaching staff. Elemen cannot but confirm that this new b
must have several extra employees in the doze
so twinned administrative departments. The Tor
District School Board has announced plans to cu
nor -teaching staff by 50 percent yet the AMDSB
revealed no plans to cut even a single posit
Surely the Board can find the two or three: mil
dollars it says it is short in that whopping 12 to
million dollar overhead budget.
It is regrettable that some non teaching jobs must
be eliminated, but remember, those jobs are a privi-
,lege not a right. Our schools trust be kept open at all
costs. The privilege of the few must yield to the good
of the'many. In contrast to the actions of the AMDSB,
Huron and Perth's health care sector has made the
necessary tough decisions. All of the hospitals have
remained open. •
Ilow long have the Trustees put us on the hook to
protect 1997 administrative expenditure levels?
,Expenditure levels which are grossly excessive for'
the now combined Board. It is clear where Huron
and Perth can find the operation and renewal funds
to keep. all schools open. The public must demand
that our -schools be kept open using the option' of
substantial cuts in administrative spending and
diverting the money so sayed to school-operations----
andrwneW131: The Trustees have, a duty to keep our;
schools. open, They were not elected to seri,e the
staff, they were elected to serve the public.
CHARLES SMITH, P.ENG.,
President, SIMS Student Success Foundation,
1 Seaforth
Wednesday. Noveinber 25. 1199
Principal's note '
slope is definitely not the sante thing as optimism.
It is not the conviction that something will turn out
well, but the certainly that something
makes sense, regardles's of how it
turns out. I think that's what hope's
d insists .about.
re funds One of the things that makes infinite
els. It Is sense to, me is.that educators begin to
se funds make more direct; visible, and system -
schools. atic use of the specialized . knowledge
reports base that exists and continues to grow
cuts e. about 'what will improve student DEB
n made. achievement. • To disregard what we HOMUTH
do know is. equivalent to shooting one- NOTE IPA` s
e senior self in the foot.
mbined So, what do we as educators know, for certain?
repo that. Well, for one think, we know for certain that there are.
hile this specific learning strategies that are highly effective
savings and do result in increased student achievement. The
M their repertoire of those strategies that each teacher can
use in 1998 is richer than it has ever been. Research-
kno�nl- based practices that directly equate with improved
ve and student achievement include the following (to name a
o those few):
er this: • graded homework: Students_ learn more when-
-teach-
1997 they complete homework that is commented
-teach- • on and discussed by their teachers.
ing on • direct teaching: Students learn more when the
ted. to cycle of review, new concept practice,.
3 mil- • feedback and independent seatwork .is regularly
used.
gh the • co-operative learning:Students learn more when •
entially they work in small, self - instructing groups
Action• where specific roles are assigned.
"Stub • mastery learning:Students learn more when.they
con-
are asked to master the first step before -
as of • they go to the second.
bud- • learning styles: Students learn more wh▪ en teach -
ng so ers provide assignments that match with
non- • students' learning styles.
ative I have always been fascinated by the work of
duce Howard Gardner on multiple intelligences. In his
deet- book Frames of Mind, Gardner talks about the fact
s on that intelligence is multifaceted. His point is that ..
schools, too often; focus on one kind of intelligence.
ated, In order to tap all kinds of intelligence, teachers must
etely use a broad range of assignments that allow students
ntary to demonstrate their unique intelligence.
oard .
n or If people, particularly teachers, look at kids and onto say, "I know wnere you're going and the destination
isn't positive", then we have to change the forecast
t its through powerful teaching.
his
ion. Powerful teaching relies on research -based strate-
gies that work.
II' 3 It is hope that gives us the strength to continually
try new things. „ It must be research that guides our
teaching practices.
Block Parents Organization '
says thanks, to paper
Dear Editor:
Thanks very. much to the Times -Advocate and
especially reporter Kate Monk for the great cover-
age regarding Block Parent Week activities.
Kate's article was well written, informative and
helpful for the understanding and the safety of the
community. ,
Yours truly,
Lois GODBOLT,CHAIRMAN
Exeter & Area Block Parent Program
A point to ponder
A recent news bulletin' stated, "The Ontario
,government has mandated a new sex education
curriculum - starting in Grade 3 with "an expla-
nation of reproduction that emphasizes absti-
nence as one of the best ways to
avoid pregnancy.
' While teachers are free to identi-
fy other methods, abstinence must
be included at the Grade 8 level as
'a positive approach,' Education
Minister Dave Johnson told a
Toronto news conference, On the
_.other---hand,-the curriculum m es
no mention of contraception .REV -
'including condoms - and homosex-NONN
ualjty as topics for instruction." DEA
VER
Some people will likely conclude ETEC
that such an approach 'is TABE, A E`
Elizabethan and unworkable in 1998. They may
not be aware of the g,rowing number ,of
teenagers who have. decided to remain virgins
until they are married. My hat is off to each and
every one.
Let's support them aggressively as they take a
stand for righteousness.
Letters to the Editor
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complaint, and kudos. '
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