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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1975-02-20, Page 12r� o li' a in .FpI70R5 Sandra Currie Cecil de Boer ThUrsdaY, Vabiraary Olin 1105 • by Lynds-Ly-ons Mary MacKinnon Brenda Johnston Jane Sheill Question: Have you any sug- gestions for improvements for the Monday morning assembly? 0-0-0 Alice Beecroft, 13A: I think they should have presentations by the various clubs as I feel that this would promote more involve- ment in school activities. 0-0-0 Jamie McEwan, 13B: Not real- ly, except that more presenta- tions to make them more inter- esting, would be helpful. 0-0-0 Marjorie Powell, 1211: Well, I belong to the activity's council and at present we are trying to organize a program by which clubs in the school, that are will- ing, will put on a presentation, at the assembly. 0-0-0 Bill Simpson, 1211: Can't im- prove them, except have' Mr. Phillips on the stage more often. 0-0-0 R Renwick, 1211: Make them long and have more chicks on the Stage, more often. 0-0-0 Lawrence Hogan, 12C: Oh . . um . . . we should have them everyday of the week. 0-0-0 Eric Buckler, 9A: More legs on stage. 0-0-0 Dave Hartin, IOD: Yeah, more student involvement. 0-0-0 Doug Lorenz, 9S: Dah — I don't know, Maybe have a few streak- ers. 0-0-0 Marg MacPherson, 10E: Not so boring, and a little longer too. \ 0-0-0 Mr. Hawkins: -I'd have to think . about that one. 0-0-0. Mr. McLennan: Every home- room class should 1iaveto ,put.on at least one presentation a year: Quebec Cairnival Trip A number of students from Ma- dill spent three days and _two nights at the Quebec, Winter Car- nival. They left by the night train at 9:30 from Stratford. Their stay in Quebec City lasted the days of February lith to 15th. Included in the trip . were deluxe downtown hotel -accommodations, vi: its to the Diorama and Parliament Buildings, guided tours of upper and lower Quebec City, and a cul- tural evening with the profes- sional French Canadian folksing- . era' "Les Fantaisistes." Other carnival activities were night parades, ice. castles, Carnival street dances, show sculptures, cabanes de sucres, tug of war, motorcycle races, ice canoe races, grand prix Esso. car races on ice, Chateau slide and much more. The students returned on Saturday after a very enjoyable stay in Quebec. HO FEEDERS Get the highest net returns with • PRE -MIXES • SUPPLEMENTS or • COMPLETE RATIONS Pick the CO-OP program that suits your resources. Let our feed specialists help you provide your hogs with the nutrients they need at the lowest total cost. UNITED CO-OPERATIVES of Ontario BELGRAVE BRANCH Phone 357.2711 or 887-6453 FoFe711/f- BOYS' BASKETBALL Madill vs. Clinton Midgets — Last Tuesday the Madill Mustangs travelled to Clinton. The Clinton Midgets de- feated the Midget Mustangs by a score of 61-20. Top scorers for the Mustangs were David Gamble with 8 points and David Douglas with 6 points. Juniors — The Madill Juniors played a terrific game last Tues- day, their best of the season. The Junior Mustangs defeated Clin- ton Juniors by a score of 53-31. Top scorers were Robin Brent with 18 points, .Darryl Anderson with 12 points, John Campbell with 9 points and Greg Simpell with 8 points. Congratulations to all team members and coach Mr. Hunter. Seniors — The Clinton Seniors defeated the Mustangs last Tues- day by a score of 58-42. The top scorer for the Senior Mustangs was Rene Caskanette with 18 points. Good Luck to all teams on Fri- day and Thursday. More on books A recent article in the school page was an editorial on the value of looks and reading. A bookworm myself, I appreciated it very much. I think the idea ex- pressed is very prominent in the following poem by Eiluned Lewis, which appeared in "The Fireside Book of David Hope", 1973. Man and His Books As squirrels store their autumn hoard, And farmers bind their stooks, And bees make mead from fra- grant blooms, So man puts by his books. They will not heed November's breath These leaves, that nothing know of death. • And he, their lord, how fortu- nate! How splendid his abode, Who views the waves Ulysses ' sailed, The land where Quixote rode, Who sees at dusk, 'neath English skies, The camp fire of Lavengro rise. With Benvenuto he can quaff The gleaming Tuscan wine; Hear Boswell question, Johnson roar, With Sartus hunt and dine. A gentle man would ne'er disdain To share a quiet hearth . with Jane. In such rare company no man Need ever mope or rust; He will despise the creeping years, Forget that he is dust. And find such richness in his days That life's too short to sing its praise SUPPORTED YEARBOOK These advertisers supported your yearbook : Elmer Umbach Pharmacy, Lucknow; G. and E. Sales and Service, Lucknow;" J. L. McCutcheon Motors, Ltd., Brussels; Les Petter Shoes, Lucknow; R. A. Currie and Son Furniture, Wingham; Anderson's Hardware, Belgrave. Letters to the Editor February 13, 1975 Dear Editor : hi the past two weeks, the read- ers of the "Madill Mirror" have been misled by the publication of two highly inaccurate editorials. (I'm Sorry if that sounds deroga- tory, but I'm entitled to my opin- ions too, aren't I?). I'm not writ- ing this in defense of the teachers Xoubave. ingled out as a group of villains (theyare quite capable of defending themselves, I'm sure.), but rather to point out the other side of the story for those whose knowledge off life at Madill is acquired only through this school page. In the first place, school is only as interesting as you, the student, make it. While it is true that a small minority of teachers al- ways seem to present boring les- sons (probably because they can't teach), the vast majority of them allow you to get just as much out of the class as you want to. All it requires is a little effort on your part. Over the years the amount of knowledge (and enjoy- ment) you get out of it being directly proportional to the amount of effort and involvement you put into it, both in and out of the classroom. If you find some of your classes to be boring, it may be the teacher's fault, but it may also be yours. If this is the case, then maybe you should be taking some other subject that is inter- esting to you. If, however, all of your classes are perpetually put- ting you to sleep, then you prob- ably shouldn't be here at all, Another point you mentioned was that tests become increase- ingly difficult in final years, I look on this, not as an attempt to discourage students to the point where they want to drop out, but instead as a preperation for whin many off us will encounter in the next few years at college or uni- versity. (The same is` true for ex. aminations. If they were op- tional, as you suggested, many students would arrive at univer- sity without the faintest knowl- edge of how to write one, because they'd never have written one be- fore. As many people will tell you, exam writing is an art which requires a great deal of prac- tice.) I don't recall hearing any- one promise me that .high school was going to be easy, and I don't expect to be handed marks with- out earning them. All it takes is a little honest effort, and more im- portantly, desire, to get ahead. I found your editorial of Febru- ary 13 to be rather vague, to the point that I had to read it over a couple of times to see just exactly what you were trying to say. (I'm still not exactly sure.) Any stu- dent who has spent five years here and still doesn't know whether a certain mode of dress is acceptable, or how to address RIPLEY'S 'BELIEVE IT OR NOT' girls' basketball team, from Bruce County practises shots during the four -county spring competition at the F. E. Madill school on Saturday. his teachers, probably needs rules and regulations (as well as late slips and detentions) to "make sure he does the right thing. In conclusion, I would like to say that there is a.great deal to enjoy at high school, and I feel sorry for anyone who is so ob- viously missing most of it, as you are. (And by the way, why wasn't the first editorial signed? I've al- ways felt that someone who was afraid to sign something they'd written couldn't feel too strongly about it.) Yours Truly, Jim Pattison 13C P.S. If either Graham Kay or Cecil de Boer would please ex- plain to me how a window in the student lounge could be broken by some mature, self-disciplined young adult, I would greatly ap- preciate it! 0-0-0 Faculty of Engineering Science University of Western Ontario February 14, 1975 Dear Editor: I read with interest your edi- torial regarding the' teaching and testing aspects of the formal learning process (Feb. 6, 1975). Your attitude is not unlike most students and indeed I have felt the same• feelings from time to myself. ,As I am rapidly approaching the end of my for- mal education, I would like to pass along some observations which I've made over the past few years. The ability to teach well is not a characteristic found in many people. As with any other talent (singing, gymnastics, etc.) a few people are born natural teachers. However, most persons have to practice at it. Just as it is difficult to find' a "good" plumber, a "good" TV repairman or a "good" doctor; it is difficult to find a good teacher. • Maximum. learning from the, lecture method does not only require a good teacher, it re- quires a, good listener. Most stu- mare not icial listeners. Do not despair though, for, even listening can be practised. Dr. Ralph Nichols of the University of Minnesota has compiled a list of ten bad listening habits. Briefly they are as follows: 1. calling the subject unin- teresting: In your case this would be "Is there anything interesting about that?" The answer is yes; every subject has something interesting for the good listener to screen out. 2. criticizing the speaker's de- livery: e=livery: Don't be distracted by the fact that every third word your teacher says is "uh". The content of the speech is ten times as im- portant as its clothing. 3. being overstimulated: With- hold your evaluation of the teacher's lesson until you are familiar with the content. Don't sit there ready to jump at - his first mistake. 4. listening only for the fact: Dr. Nichols has found that "most good listeners don't listen for facts. Good, listeners listen for main ideas, concepts, and generalizations. 5. trying to make an outline: This doesn't apply so much to high school where notes are taken from the board. It means that a good listener is a flexible note - taker. The amount of notetaking required depends on the speaker. Don't write for the sake of writ- ingT 6. faking attention to the speaker: Don't give your teacher the impression that you are concentrating on the reaction of HNO3 when in fact all you can think about is Friday night. 7. tolerating or creating dis- turbances: For students this refers .primarily to talking in class. Even though you do not think you're interested in the lesson, you have an obligation to the teacher and_ the other listeners to -remain silent_ 8� avoiding difficult or ex- pository material: Some students enforce amental block when ••••••••••••••• their math teacher sets out to prove the Pythagorean theorem. 9. allowing emotion-ladden words to throw one gut of tune with the speaker: For students, "homework", "test", or '"Shake- speare" might be in this cate- gory. 10. wasting the differential between speech speed and thought speed. People can listen about three times as fast as they can speak. So only about one- third of the time spent listening is necessary for thought. To main- tain concentration there are three mental activities to do: 1) anticipate your teacher's next main point ii) identify the. building materials of a speech; how is the material organized iii) mentally recapitulate—go over what has already been spoken. I suspect that all of us have a number of bad listening habits. It is worthwhile to improve one's listening habits because good listeners are good students. I can not close without empha- sizing that learning by the formal education method (i.e. teacher - student) is a two-way effort. Al- though your teacher may not be a "good" teacher; your teacher's students may • not be good students (i.e. listeners). This letter should not be inter- preted as a defence for poor quality teaching; it is definitely not intended to be. However, simply because one has an ineffective teacher is not an excuse for not learning anything. The topic of testing is a whole new ball game which I don't wish to go into. But don't ever be led to believe that teachers deliberately encourage failing in students. Satisfaction in teaching is gained by having successful students. And success does not "always mean high marks. Perhaps your editorial was just a passing thought, a moment of depression. If that was the case then your thoughts are under- stood. If, however, the state- ments made are conclusions you have drawn after ,"x" number of years in sehdol I" %yoiiid' sagest that they are not entirely correct. Best of Iltick in your studies. Yours very truly, Bruce Camerson F. E. Madill Secondary School Class of '70 Editori During my yearns a student, I have ben often reminded of the importance of school as a reflec- tion ef lee -tion of what we may expect later, when we enter the working world. We are told that our .learning habits will later become our working habits and that the way in which we adapt to the school system determines our ability to cope with jobs in the future. How- ever, for the past four and a half years in which I have attended high school, I have become in- creasingly aware of the injustices • of "the system". As a student progresses in School, marks become more and more important. By the time a student reaches Grade 13, they have become "the almighty ob- session". This brings to light many unattractive qualities in • students. One Is competition. Competition is felt by many to be a `healthy facet of one's char- acter. From my experience, it is a very destructive quality, en- couraging selfishness and deceit. The worst trait that is revealed is that of cheating. To me, cheat- ing is the greatest injustice of our school system. have weighed the situation for some time,it- tempting to find a solution for my own peace of mind. The only ans- wer I have come up with is' ac- ceptance of the fact that dis- honesty is characteristic to many people in this world - and that many are chronic cheaters. My first reaction Is to blame the teachers for not being more ob- servant while tests are written or for not having a presiding teach= er always present. Perhaps, the teachers really do believe in the integrity of their students. Or perhaps, they do not care one way or tt,.N1ther. Cheating lias been a part of schooling since education first began. I suppose it is too ideal- istic to hope for an end to this "act" in our school system, but.I cannot help but think, that if that is what I am to encounter in society for the rest of my life, then what is the point of working hard to achieve the same goal as the person who manages to ob- tain it easily by dishonesty. —Cindy Thornton hovviok FARMERS'MUTUAL FIRE INSURANCE COM. WROXETER, ONTARIO NOTICE ANNUAL MEETING Howick Farmer:' Mutual Fire Insurance Company The 102nd Annual Meeting of the Company will be held at the Companl Head Office, Wroxeter, Ontario, at 1:30 p.m. on Wedndoy, February 26, 1975 to: (1) Receive the Annual Statement and Auditors Report. (2) Elect two directors to replace Clare Hutchinson, and .Ronald McMichael whose term of officeexpires, both of whom re ,ligikfle.,for,ro-election. (3) Appoint an Auditor for 1975. (4) To amend Article 33 - Remuneration. (5) To amend Article 30- Meetings. (6) To transact any other business which may rightly come before the meeting. ,Mox Demoray, President J. P. Ur>liac, Sec. Manager Read your Tax Gi:'ide. Itis worth it. • Let's face it. Even though the, Federal Govern- ment tries each year to make the tax form easier to understand, yOu probably believe filling it out is a difficult job. But when you use the 197 1 Inc )me Tax Guide, which accompanies your tax form, you'll find it's not as dif- ficult as you thought. • And for most of you, the Guide will be the only help you'll need to complete your return. Read your Guide thoroughly. The easy -to -follow Blue Section at the front of the Guide takes you through the tax form step by step, showing you how to list your income and claim your deductions. It tells you how to go about calculating your tax, arriving at your refund or balance due. - It's as simple as that. Following thc.Bluc Section there is a detailed explanation of different types of income, as well as a section on allowable deductions. Bc sure to read these sections carefully. rfi Your Tax Guide also includes an arca of general information, a page or two of answers to some common questions, and solutions to prof ms you could - - encounterwhile working on your return. If you decide you do need more help-, you'll find District Taxation Office addresses and phone numbers listed onthc back cover of the Guide. There you'll find all the assistance you'll need. •So, you sec, your Tax Guide will probably be your hest friend come income tax time. head it thoroughly and follow it carefully. You'll find it will make, your job a lot easier. Tax Guide '71. How long has -it been since you've read a really good book? We're making it easier to understand 1* Revenue Canada Revenu Canada Taxation Irmo! Hon Ron Basford Mmistr'r L hon Ron Basford rnintstre r GOLDEN CIRCLE students attended the Winter Special Olympics in London ooh Saturday and returned with medals galore. 'Olympics contestants were: Michael Zimmerman, Jimmy Caber, Mark Albert, Steve Millen, Ruth Struthers and Darrell Zimmerman. DOUG WRIGHT • la • • • • • • • • • • • • •