HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1990-06-27, Page 14THE: HURONEXPOSITOR, JUNE 27:.1990
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' After finding hpmself•senit to
off co on Morn than one avast
dining= his ain school for
on
rs
the wrong reasons. Jim
Bmpringhain eroded ap bacic. in the.
office again m the principal's
cluu<'. Now, atter three Years
Seaforth D sotict Ifigh School.
moving on to the office
Superintendent for :Oxford Ciaun
And Iris time at least. leaving
Principal's office is pot some
that he's looking forward to.
"It will be a really long drive
day that 1 leave Seeaforth "
A. University of Guelph
Althouse ' Teachers' Coll
graduate. Jim Empringham span
number of years as a. teacher bef
working as Vice Principal in three
different schools. After a six-month
stint as Principal at Port Hope's
secondary school, he came to
Seaforth Disl ict High in September
of 1987.
In his years in. the profession, he
has hada lot of time. to take a good
look at the direction of education
the secondary school system, an
assess the changing roles of
teachers and students alike. What h
has noticed are some sweep
social changes, exciting and
innovative approaches to teaching
and a great need for new directions
new tactics. It's something that h
believes in strongly, and somethin
that he will staunchly defend.
It's at least as important how
you teach kids,. as it is what yo
teach," he remarks over his desk as
the last exams of the Seaforth high
school yearwind_down.
"The teachers that are coming ou
of teacher's college now are coming
out with that philosophy - and
that's great"
Jim Empringham found school to
be a difficult place to be, hailing
from the staid era of education
when students 'were to be seen and
not heard,' as he puts it.
"I spent a lot of time in the
office, and generally doing things
the hard way," he explains with a
wry smile. But in the grand
tradition of making lemonade when
life hands you lemons, Mr.
„Life
used his experiences
during his—own school years as
motivation towards a teaching
career. 1.
at
he's
of
duntheg
the
and
Colic
to
ore-,
in
d
the
mg ONE PARTING GLANCE - Seaforth District High principal Jim Empringham will walk out of these front
doors for the last time later this summer when he leaves Seaforth for a Superintendant's position at the
Oxford County School Board. "It will be a long drive,' admits Empringham, who has just finished his third
year in Seaforth. Elliott photo.
g "If a student is not happy or
confident in their situation, they're
not going to learn the material," he
u says. 'Especially when you're
dealing with young people who are
struggling to find themselves at the
.best of times."
t Seaford' District High School is
fast gaining a reputation as one of
the most innovative centres of
Teaming in the area, with staff and
students working together in the
knowledge that "..school has
stopped being solely a disseminator
of knowledge for knowledge's sake,
and become the biggest social
centre." Programs, such as the high
school's co-op placement efforts,
the new adult business education
classes, arid Alternative Learning,
have won praise and blazed the way
for learning where learning might
not have happened previously.
"It's sparked a lot of discussion
that some students are given more
opportunity than they should," Mr.
Empringham admits. "I'd rather err
on the side of the kids."
r
"I really love kids, I love people,
,and I was determined that there had
to be a better -y ay,T he .says. "It;sf,
driven me. I took the hard way, and
I feel that I've" Been successful" '
In the spirit of teaching students
as people, and not as 'student
units°, one of Mr. Empringham's
foremost goals inthe role of school
administrator has been the gearing
of school programs to the student's
needs. Too often, he feels, more
emphasis is placed onthe the cut
and dried cirriculum than on the
method of getting that cirriculum
across. This is a crucial mistake,
and one that could cost many
students an education.
ill? Times have changed,'he adds, and
this, must be taken into account.
One of the biggest changes that he
has seen taking place is the "..swing
from teacher -centred to student -
centred teaching."
"As soon as you paint a kid into
a corner, you've got a problem."
Taking students out of the
'corners' that they may have
already been painted into is no
mean feat, but Jim Empringham
feels that the student -centred
teaching philosophy, applied
towards each student's strengths,
can achieve great results. Often.
students who have been labelled as
'unwilling learners' ate being taught
the right things, the wrong way.
Having gone through the school
system the hard way himself, Jim
Empringham is sensitive to this and
likens teaching, and teachers, to
coaching sports.
"The best are the ones who have
never made it to the major
leagues," he remarks. The metaphor
comes easily to the principal, who
taught phys ed and outdoor
education early in his career, and
who has been actively involved in
such activities at S.D.H.S. He
recently accompanied the Grade 11
class on their enrichment trip to
Celtic Sports and Arts camp. and
coached the school hockey team
during the winter.
It was selfish for me," he shrugs,
smiling. "It gave me an opportunity
to spend time with the kids on a
social basis that I couldn't do in the
office."
Although the thought of leaving
Seaforth and the high school is not
a,haPPy • ole for Jim, Empringham,
tie feels'Satisfactibn in knowing that
he figs ""aide his - Mark and
accomplished much of what he set
out to do three years ago.
"I got cards from kids yesterday,
and from parents," he noted the day
after the closing and awards
assembly, just before exams kicked
in. "If anything touched me, that
did:"
"That sent the message that what
I'd set out to do, in teens of
making the students feel important,
I've accomplished."
In his role as superintendent for
12 schools in Oxford County, Mr.
Empringham hopes to give his
teaching philosophy and visions
even more forward momentum.
Being in contact daily with the
students is a pleasure that he'll miss
the most - "It was the trade-off
when I became an administrator in
the school" - but he wants to make
an effort to get out into the school
family at least once a week, and
perhaps get involved in coaching
football or hockey at the secondary
school level.
He left the staff and students at
Seaforth District High School with
his warmest wishes for a bright,
progressive future and also with the
heartfelt hope that he never has to
hear of a former student losing his
or her life in a drinking and driving
related accident. The high
occurrences of such accidents has
left a mark on him, and Jim
Empringham is a one-man crusade
to save the lives of his students.
"That's the thing that I'm most
afraid of as I continue to watch
them - and I will," he assures. "It
shouldn't happen, and we can
control it"
It's a dream that he fervently
hopes can one day come true, along
with his vision for a fair, exciting
and person -oriented learning
environment. Listening to Jim
Empringham enthuse about the
future of learning at Seaforth
District High, and his three years
there, it's easy to believe and get
excited right along with him.
"We're not 100 percent there yet
- but the minute you assume that
you're there, you become
complacent"
Community Action Grouptackles drug g pro blem
The Drug Awareness Committee,
set hel 1 I
up to plan..activides for Drug substance abuse and to discuss
target areas for action in Huron P oca towns develop alcohol
Awareness Week in November '89 control policies in municipal and
became the nucleus of the Huron , County. township facilites," Sandra David -
Community Action Gro "Our HCAG member said.
uP objectives for this year in The committee meets again at 7
Huron are to HCAG has met on several oc- youth aspire htophealtnhyalifestyledults s Huronview m. on audiittorium a 21, in the
casions to listen to facts related to and alternative recreation and to "We urge people to attend this
it
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