The Rural Voice, 1987-09, Page 59NOTEBOOK
played by nature. On this day in May we
would clean up winter debris from the
yard, plant trees, and prepare our garden
plots for eventual planting. In this, the
teacher was our work -gang boss.
Arbour Day work completed, we
would form up two teams for a game of
fox and hound. The first team left early
and along the way dropped bits of paper
so that the hounds could follow the
track. After catching the fox, the groups
would reconvene at a nearby woodlot.
There we enjoyed a baseball game and a
weiner roast. In this silvan setting, the
teacher was recreation director.
School fairs were a big thing. On
these occasions, the teacher was the self-
appointed co-ordinator. Our weed col-
lections, our pressed leaves, our insects
mounted on pins in cigar boxes, all gave
us insights into nature. School fairs
were work, but the atmosphere provided
one of the rewards. So did the coloured
ribbons we won.
Competition was the essence of the
fairs. This competitive spirit carried
over to the classroom, where spelling
bees and arithmetical games pitted stu-
dent against student. Teacher presided
over these Friday afternoon activities as
the game -show host. There were no
word processors to check spelling, and
no computers for arithmetic. We were
independent of batteries and electricity!
Our school was a centre of activity at
Christmas. Invariably, the teacher
prepared us for the concert. Then she
was producer, stage manager, prompter,
makeup artist, and stage hand. To
illuminate the room, gas lanterns were
hung from the ceiling. And as the gas
pressure went down there was a corres-
ponding waxing and waning of light, a
feature that helped the young and some
of the not so young to drowse off when-
ever our performances dragged.
But these teachers and their schools
are gone. Teachers are now specialized
and instruct in modem buildings along
some major highway or street. In the
immediate vicinity of the school, nature
has been replaced by asphalt. And that
great school bell with its echo a symbol
of urgency has been replaced by an
impersonal chime and the annoying
public address system.
Today, as I watch those orange buses
pass my window, I wonder what we may
hae sacrificed to progress.0
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NCO1S Aa3Saf1N
SEPTEMBER 1987 57