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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1979-09-13, Page 20sykes Class clowns. Looking back on my inimitable school career, class clowns were reknowned among the teaching profession as disruptive, a bad in, fluence, loafers, attention seekers, students with diminutive attention spans, etc. And those were the good comments. You see, I tco, was a class clown. And in retrospect my razor sharp wit, gut wrenching one liners and perception beyond my years, went relatively unnoticed. Oh sure my. antics would render a usually staid. classro.orn ..us.eless .but. there was always a nagging guilt that built up with: a steely stare from the presiding teacher. They hate class clowns. I rather enjoyed the laughs. But it is always so much easier to get laughs in a situation where everyone is expected to sit stone faced and silent. Then everything seems hunmerous. I enjoyed relative modest succes in )"Z -,grade school and really didn't hone my Pam. Hassall advertises her service of buying and selling used children's clothing with the help of this sign hung outside her home on Gibbons Street. .The .little man was. -designed by her son at Sunday SchooL .She has.lour . children of her own so she knows all about' the expense of clothing children.. (Photoby Joanne Buchanan) Pam's policy puts crimp to inflation BY JOANNE Second Time Around, BUCHANAN 'both Mrs. Hassall and her sister-in-law got the n With many parents enthusiasm to start feeling the strain on their similar services. • Her budgets that comes from sister-in-law was to buying back -to -school operate out of London but clothes for children, it's for some reason, her .nice to know that a ser- project never got off the vice like the Kiddy ground. Mrs. Hassall Corner exists in feels that she may have Goderich. had the advantage of "'Run by Pam Hassall, mall town word -of - out' of her home ,at 290 r. outh to get hers going Gibbons Street, the.Kiddy ,re. She , advertises Corner buys and sells ,nce-in-awhile' and also used children's clothing had her children deliver from infant 'sizes up, t.) flyers for her around size 14.town. She is still sur Mrs. Hassall has fou prised -by the number of children of her own, age people w,ho say they have 5, 8, 10 and 14, so sht,• never heard of her ser - knew all about the ex- vice though. pense of clothing children When Mrs. Hassall before she opened her started her service last service. She got the idea August, she had a hall from a Similar service tree and a few -tables set she Visited in London last up in her kids' playroom year with • her sister -in- to hold the few articles of law. That service was used clothing she had for called The Second Time sale. Around. She has since She had two main heard about similar worries. She was worried services operating out of that she might run out of Toronto, Grimsby and clothes to sell and she Georgetown. was worried about the After visiting The condition of some clothes which might be turned over to her. As it turned out, both her worries were needless. Shortly after she opened up her service, two women brought in numerous articles of used clothing for her to, sell and she now has about 100 people bringing clothing in on a regular basis. Her husband Bill has had to build racks in the playroom -turned -store to hold all the clothes. And much to her relief, the quality of used clothing being turned in, is really good. All the. clothes are ' inspected before they are accepted. The items all have to be clean with no rips, tears or holes.. Many of the clothes, especially the baby clothes, are just like new because children outgrow clothes so• quickly. Also, some people • receive gifts of clothes for their babies which are for the wrong season. By the time the right season rolls around, Turn to page 2 A • class clown skills until high school. It drove teachers wild, not to mention my parents. Parent -teacher night is one of the most ,agonizing times for students. I vividly recall, while attending grade school, waiting impatiently for my parents to return from such en- counters. For what reason I don't know. The reports were also good then but the confirmation from parents was a good ego boost. By the time I reached high school I begged my par_ent.s not,t9 go. - _ - "What are they going to tell you anyway," I ,questioned.. "I'm only failing because that girl with the big sweater keeps sitting near me and I can't see the blackboard past• her chest." Only it never worked like that. Once in high school I knew better than to wait for parents to return from parent - teacher night and usually sought Stimulating conversation in the pool thederic 132—YEAR 37 room. The reports were always the same. "Mrs. Sykes that boy of yours thinks he is a comedian. Disrupts the whole class with jokes but if he applied himself he could do better." 13y the time my mother got around to seeing the third teacher she had the spiel memorized. I think they just passed around -the same evaluation to avoid work. But to tell you the truth, I think the teachers were jealous that they didn't think of the lines that I tossed around. Considering some of the teachers Thad, the only laughs they got was for their wardrobe. I considered my work as class clown as a genuine contribution to the educational system and a learning experience for the other students. It cost the many detentions but I con- sidered myself as a pioneer of relaxed classroom situations. Now behavioral scientists say that teachers should appreciate having a mow., class clown because they make a significant contribution to the classroom with their behavior. The scientists claim that clowns of a less disruptive nature make a con- tribution with their humor acting as a tension breaker and relief. Apparently groups with clowns tend to be more productiN e. And I can substantiate those claims. In my class everybody did better than me, so my technique worked. But where were the behavioral scientists when:_.I .attended school? Nowhere. I was actually a pioneer and perhaps an educational phenomenon in my day but such talent was not duly recognized on the report card. Too bad. Tension breaking and relief -A. I at least deserved that. But at least the barrier has been broken and clowns may gain some recognition in the classroom. I've got some great lines if any class clowns are running short of material. of IGNAL STA THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1979 J SECOND SECTION The pen itis that makes the man BY JOANNEe BUCHANAN 'In the August edition of en Rounte magazine, in an article authored by Sybil Young, the .reader learns that pens are no longer simply pens. In a new trend, pens are fast becoming status symbols like) expensive cars or exquisite pieces of jewelry. To the manufacturer of fine "pens", the word pen itself has become suspect. When that word is spoken, the first thing that comes to mind is a cheap, disposable item to be discarded when the ink runs out. But the manufacturer of those precision -made, stylish pieces of metal, used to sign one's name with an elegant flourish, would prefer you to think of Jiis product as a "writing instrument". The difference between those disposable ballpoint cheapies and fine writing instruments is com- parable to the difference between jalopys and Cadillacs, according to Young in her article. And Bill Gardner, vice= president and general manager of the Sheaffer Bill Gardner, vice-president and general -manager of .the Sheaffer Pen Company in Goderich since 1953, points to a display of pens in the lobby of the company building on Huron '_€"` Road. The display shows the diversity of pen styles down through the years from thin to fat and bullet-shaped to flat topped. Fine qaulity pens today are known as "writing instruments" and for many people, they are fast becoming status symbols. (Photo by Joanne Buchanan) Pen Company in Goderich since it was' established here in 1953, would agree with that comparison. He also agrees that fine writing instruments may be increasing in popularity. He even goes so far as -to say he doesn't think they ever' really lost that popularity. He notes, for example, that Sheaffer has .-enjoyed substantial sales increases, every year despite the flood of disposable ballpoints on the 'market. In fact, he says, Sheaffer is the leading manufacturer of quality writing in- struments in Canada in terms of both dollars and units. The popularity of writing instruments may be attributed to buyers with discriminating taste who want their pens to be stylish extensions of themselves. And fine writing instruments seem to be able to turn even the worst chicken scratches into interesting calligraphy. Quality pens can be purchased in a diversity of styles. The fountain pen, in particular, is enjoying new popularity, with most people. preferring cartridges to . the old method of refilling •with levers and ink bottles. Up until the turn of the century, says Mr. Gar- dner, there was no such thing as a ,practical self - filling fountain pen (at one tithe they were even filled with eye droppers). The original pen was a goose quill and the word pen knife comes from the knives used to fashion these quills into pens. When pens startecjto be fashioned out of metal, gold was foundto be the most durable material for nibs because it resisted the corrosion of the acids from the inks (in the early years, inks were made of dyes which could eat steel nibs'right out of pens). There was a problem with gold however --it was too soft to endure much pressure caused by writing. So Sheaffer patented a process whereby the gold nib was tipped with osmiridium, a lard material which retains its shape and makes writing smooth. Mr.. Gardner says cartridges are so con- venient today that fountain pens are quite practical. However, many traditionalists still prefer the old way of refilling their pens with the use of levers and ink bottles. The sale of ink is proof of this preference. 'Mr. Gardner says Sheaffer's sales of Skrip (or ink) are very stable. Skrip is now shipped in plastic bottles meaning less frieght charge and breakage for customers. For those people who can't make up their minds between the cartridge method and the ink bottle method, Sheaffer has designed a convertible pen which may be . refilled either way. - Mr. Gardner says, "There is a whole generation of people who have never . had the pleasure of writing with a fountain pen." What's so pleasurable about writing with a fountain pen? Well, apparently it doesn't take as much pressure to hold the pen and push it across paper. So, fewer writing cramps are experienced. You also get a smooth flow of ink. Ballpoints, in writing instruments, are also guaranteed ..to. give smooth,.,. Writting.,...and be blob "free. The main difference between fountain pens and ballpoints, explains Mr. Gardner, is in the ink. Fountain pens use liquid inks while ballpoints require heavier oil based inks. At one tifne, ballpoints were not honored' by banks because the slower - drying heavy ink was easily transferrable, making forgery a very simple process, says Mr. Gardner. Sheaffer did not start manufacturing ballpoints until the 1940s. Parker; Sheaffer's major com- petitor in Canada, did not produce its first ballpoint until about 1955. Actually, Says Mr. Gardner, only fountain pens deserve the name pen. Ballpoints are ballpoints. Sheaffer's newest Turn to page 3A • Write historical essays The Huron County Historical • Society is pleased with the response to their essay contest this year, both in number and qua lity, - The__following are the names of the contestants, in • alphabetical order, from Exeter, Zurich, Brookside and Belgrave Schools: • Karen Beecroft, Judy Carmichael, Karen Dauber, Susan • Elston, Anita Gingerich, Dorcas Giftgerich, Julie Gnary, Brenda Hackett, Rhonda Hay, Debbie Josephson, Kelly Livingston, Bonnie McDonald, Joanne McKinley, Randy Nixon, Wendy Oesch, Bessie Prattas, Joe Straughan, Nancy Thornton, Lorraine Warwick, and Laurie Willert. All you women out there that have shied away from sexy • night attire because of a persistent head or back ache can take great delight in the latest in bedroom fashion. Fashion designers, doing their part to conserve energy, have come up with novel pajama ideas that• not only will save on the heating bill but should get rid of those nasty headaches. In a nutshell what was considered lingerie can now be put on a par with antifreeze. Remember last fall when it was chic to wear underwear as outerwear? Well now the opposite is true. It is now vogue to wear outerwear as underwear. If your confused you're in luck because by the time you get ready for bed you'll look like you couldn't decide what you should put on and corn - promised by putting everything on. Sweatsuits, quilted jackets, football shirts, rugby jerseys, jogging suits, pullpvers, tights and ski pants (Com - t plete with stirrups for whatever that's worth) have now replaced flimsy nighties. • If you're not comfortable going to bed in pajamas you are used to wearing at the gymnasium there's an alter- native. Reniernber when • your husband kee having fits about those flannel nightgowns you used to wear? The ones you stashed away in the attic when he insisted you wear something a little more romantic? Well you can dig them out because there the next best thing to a jogging suit. Flannel nightgowns, granny gowns, night shirts, pajamas with feet and trap doors, thermal underwear and - even nightcaps are , now considered essentials in every woman's wardrobe. What this latest coverup will do to the extra curricular activities that some sleeping areas are, on occasion, used for has not been established by fashion designers. In other words will husbands still feel amourous when their wives hop into bed wearing thermal underwear, a Team Canada hockey weater, a down filled vest and a ski mask? Since fashion designers have made no effort to awnser the ques)Jon I feel it is my. civic duty to make a few suggestions for husbands. If practicality is the aim of designers creating this new line of night apparel then the men may as well be practical too. For the men that are playing scrub hockey this winter may I suggest ,ometh'ing from sporting goods. Why get up at dawn to be at the arena for a quick game before work and have to put the hockey equipment on in the morning. While your watching The National slip into your hockey gear. But please don't forget,to put skate guards on the old bladas you may tear the sheets. Sticks can be left by the door. • For the men that have an early shift down at the 'plant may I suggest something in a nice olive green. Co- ordinates that will look great at the plant and in the bedroom. Workboots will end the agony of feet touching a cold floor during •those chilly winter mornings. A lunch pail is optional: - For you men with an early ap- pointment at the office something in an easy to care for fibre that needs no ironing may lie ideal. The latest in brief cases is ideal -for the practical man. The case folds out into a handy pillow that gives you comfort while holding your important files. With these nifty suggestions married couples will now have plenty of time in the morning to relax over a cup of coffee before work. And if this night wear does what I suspect it will do you'll never have to worry about getting the kids ready for school on time. Jeff Seddon