The Huron Expositor, 1988-04-20, Page 3THE HURON EXPOSITOR, APRIL 20, 1988 — 3
Educators speak - school today and school 20 years ago
The focus is on academics this week in On-
tario, as Education Week started on April
17. Along with the special activities planned
for the week -a balloon release and grand-
parent's day at Seaforth Public School, and
a mock Board of Education meeting put on
by Huron County students- dducators in the
area can take this week to reflect on what
their goals are in education today, as well as
how much the educational system has
changed over the years.
Jim Moore, the vice principal at Seaforth
District High School, has worked in educa-
tion for 17 years in both SDHS and Central
Huron Secondary School in Clinton. He
taught History, English, and World Politics
when he started teaching, but school ad-
ministration occupies his time now and he
has reduced his course load to Grade 13
History.
From Mr. Moore's perspective, today's
students don't have it as easy as they did
when he began teaching.
"The kids today are under a heck of a lot
more pressure than they were seventeen
years ago," he says. "There's more em-
phasis on education, and kids are more
aware of the disadvantages of not being
educated."
Mr. Moore also says students in the '80s
have stiffer competition to get into univer-
sities, and last year the number of students
attending Ontario universities was higher
than ever.
And to increase to the pressure on
students the Ministry of Education has add-
ed a lot more compulsory courses which the
kids must complete before they can
graduate. A student must have 30 credits in
order to get a diploma (each credit is a
course with a minimum of 110 hours of in-
struction), and 16 of these credits are prere-
quisites for graduation. For example, a stu-
dent must have five English credits, two
math credits, two science credits, etc. The
remaining 14 credits are in the subjects of
the student's choice.
But the students themselves have chang-
ed very little over the years according to
SDHS's vice principal.
"When I look at kids I find that the vast
vast majority of them are well behaved and
are nothing to worry about."
To people who say "what's wrong with the
kids today" Mr. Moore would say they're
the same as ever and you can't generalize
and call them all bad.
"I could introduce you to what I consider
to be the finest group of young people today.
They are academics, highly motivated, and
community minded, and there are
numerous examples."
The education system itself has changed
to what Mr. Moore calls "a needs -based
education system," where the system has
been adapted to be receptive to the needs of
a wider range of students.
Bob Allan, the Director of Education and
the Secretary Treasurer for the HCBE, sees
this same trend on the education scene.
Mr. Allan has worked in education foF 35
years as both a teacher and with board of
education administrative staff, and he
described the system as "rigid and
prescribed" when he started teaching back
in 1953. In elementary schools there was a
systematic course, and it was followed quite
narrowly. Even the secondary curriculum
was very rigid and students could be given a
choice between one subject or the other
-Latin or Industrial. Education.
"Now the system is much broader," says
Mr. Allan, "and there is an effort to try and
teach individuals, where they used to teach
only groups."
This is what Mr. Allan sees as the single
biggest change in education over the past
twenty years, and it accounts for a lot of the
smaller changes. Class sizes are down from
35-40 students to 20-25 students, and teaching
styles are geared toward individual growth
rather than giving information to a group.
"Obviously this is much more expensive,"
says Mr. Allan. "Most of the expense arises
when the number of students taught per in-
structor gets lower, and business equip-
ment, technical equipment and shop tools
add a lot."
But aside from the increase in expenses,
Mr. Allan thinks we are going to see class
sizes get smaller, and says he is amazed at
the number of parent groups who are in
favour of smaller classes. But the gist, he
says, will at least stay constant and will
maybe escalate.
Whether this is all for the better or worse,
Mr. Allan says his opinion is not at issue.
"The schools try to do what society wants
done."
Two senior educators at SDHS, Edmunds
Pelss and Steve Hook, also shed some light
on what education is like today compared to
how it was 20 years ago.
For the most part they agree, with Mr.
Moore and Mr. Allan in terms of how educa-
tion has changed within the schools, but in
'terms of the administration, Mr. Hook says
he sees some confusion.
"Constant changes are leading me to
wonder if anyone knows where we're go-
ing," he says.
For example, he says he has just been
issued his course guidelines for science, and
they have been issued at the basic, general
and advanced level. But, the ministry of
Education has also indicated that the idea of
abolishing streaming (putting students into
categories according to academic output)
has some merit.
So, he wants to know if he can go ahead
and write new course outlines this summer,
or if he'll write them for basic, general and
advanced level students only to find that
there is one academic level when he comes
back in September.
Reports like the Ontario Study of the
Relevance of Education and the Issue of
Dropouts, also known as the Radwanski
report, call for sweeping changes which he
sees as unnecessary.
As far as Mr. Hook is concerned the pre-
sent system is working, there are currently
fewer dropouts than ever before, and things
should be left alone.
Mr. Moore, however, thinks public educa-
tion is an ever changing item. "
"Education is being constantly examined
and subjected to constant review, critical
analysis, and changes. And so it should be."
BOB ALLAN the director of education and
secretary treasurer for the Huron County
Board of Education -says educators are giv-
ing students today a more individualized
education. Corbett photo.
VICE PRINCIPAL at Seatorth District High
School Jim Moore, says there are a lot
more pressures on high school students to-
day than there were 20 years ago. Corbett
photo.
STEVE HOOK AND EDMUNDS PELSS, two teachers at Seaforth District High School,
say the school system may change but the students don't, Corbett photo,
Huron County students make sweeping decisions
A group of students from the five Huron
County secondary schools recen4ly had
smoking banned in all Huron County Board
of Education buildings, discredited the Rad-
wanski report and filed it for later con-
sideration, decided French should not be in-
troduced in classrooms for Grades 1 and 2
students, opted to sponsor an informational
public workshop on AIDS, and advised a
parent that her children could walk 0.4
kilometers to meet their school bus.
?ill of this took place at the mock Board of
Education meeting, and of course these
decisions were only "mock" decisions. But
the meeting taught the students who par-
ticipated a lot about how Huron County
schools are administered, and it gave the
real board members some insight into how
students view issues dealt with by the board.
The meeting was held on Monday at the
Board's administrative office in Clinton,
and 20 students temporarily took over each
of the positions as representatives anckas
superintendents.
From Seaforth District High School were
Adam Davies and James Cook, and school
president Rhonda Farag acted as the
director.
Central Huron Secondary School offered
Lori Bromley, Tanya Grillmayer and Kathy
Rathwell, while Lisa Bosman took over the
job of superintendent of operations.
Goderich District Collegiate Institute was
represented by Mary Kathrine Stapleton,
Jenny Allen and Mary Jo Evans, with Brad
Milburn taking the role of the superinten-
dent of student services.
representing South Huron District High
School were Chris Thompson, Trevor Ratz,
and Ross Keller. Jerry Lamport was the ac-
ting superintendent of personnel.
And F. E. Madill Senior Secondary sent
Carrie Fortune, Jeff Mann, and Katrina
Somers as Board members, and Chris Clark
took the chair for the superintendent of
program.
Secretaries were Marina Rawlings and
Angela Haverkamp of CHSS.
Adam Davies, a Grade 9 student from
Seaforth, says he found the mock meeting
DEMONSTRATION BOARD MEMBERS - At a demonstration
meeting of the Huron County Board of Education held on Monday
students from each of the five Huron County high schools filled in
for the regular members. Starting at the left they are: Jeff Mann,
Adam Davies, Chris Thompson, Katrina Somers, Ross Keller,
both educational and fun.
"It showed me how the school system is
really run, and that being a superintendent
isn't an easy job," says Adam.
John Jewitt, the real chairman of .the
HCBE, found the meeting very enjoyable
and somewhat amusing -as did most of the
spectators present.
But Mr. Jewitt said it was also very in-
teresting to see what the young people are
thinking.
"You sometirnes think ahead of time you
know what they're thinking, and sometimes
you are afraid to know about what they are
thinking, but today we are really seeing
what they are thinking. And from what I can
see so far it is much the same as our own."
Trevor Ratz, Carrie Fortune, James Cook, Mary Kathrine
Stapleton, Tanya Grillmayer, Jenny Allen, and Kathy Rathwell.
The students said they learned a lot about how the HCBE is run,
while the spectators at the event gained some insight into how
students feel about education issues. Corbett photo.
The first item the students dealt with was
a simulated letter of complaint from a
parent whose children would have to start
walking along the highway to get to their
bus stop. The students decided to stick with
board policy, and force the children to walk
up to 0.4 kilometers to get to their bus stop.
The second issue was a lot more lively, as
the Ontario Study of the Relevance of
Education and the Issue of Dropouts by
George Radwanski was addressed.
"Instead of building a new system we
should build on what we have," said James
Cook, explaining that in his view the report
would require a massive overhaul of the
current system.
Jeff Mann remarked that in his opinion
"...in Mr, Radwanski's report he wants to
take away the individualization in the school
system."
Eventually a motion was passed "That we
file the Radwanski Report."
Later in the meeting the subject was re-
opened for discussion and "filed" was
clarified somewhat.
The extension of the french program into
Grades 1 and 2 opened some more intense
discussion. Some students, like Katrina
Somers, felt french should be taught at an
early age while students were still impres-
sionable. Other members, like Tanya
Grillmaye, thought Grade 1 students would
have their hands full getting the hang of pro-
per english. Trevor Ratz brought up the fact
that there are more people of Italian origin
in Ontario than there are those of French
origin, and Adam Davies expanded upon.
this to include the Chinese, Vietnamese,
Ukranians and many other ethnic groups.
When the voting eventually took place it
resulted in a tie, but chairperson Lori
Bromley broke it by defeating the motion
and restricting french to Grades 3 and up.
AIDS education was the next issue, and
the board members were faced with a mo-
tion to sponsor informational meetings for
parents of HCBE students. The board
members first expanded the motion to in-
clude the general public rather than just
parents of students, then passed the motion
with a 12-1 majority.
Many questions came up regarding
whether or not it was the Board's respon-
sibility to educate the public, but the board
members on Monday felt it was right up
their alley. As Jeff Mann put it "the public
has to be educated and we're in the educa-
tional business already."
And in the final agenda item of the day,
the students faced the smoking issue.
Students had an advantage over the ac-
tual hoard members in this regard, as they
had seen smoking rules in action in their
respective schools, and they discussed how
ineffective the rules were. In the end,
however, the board members voted 9-4
"that all educational buildings in Huron
County be declared smoke free effective
September 1, 1968."
Congratulations were offered to the mock
Board members by many of the actual
Board members and observers.
"The will of the Board was allowed to
come forth and that is the purpose of the
Board," said John Jewitt. "1 think we've all
learned something here today, I know I cer-
tainly have."
"You represented these chairs today very
ably," remarked Bob Allan, director of
education.
Mary Kathrine Stapleton thanked the
board on behalf of the students who par-
ticipated in the event, and remarked that in
the future they will think twice before com-
plaining about Board decisions now that
they know what is involved in the process.
Proposal accepted for streetscaping
KIDS KLOZE GRAND OPENING - There is a new business on Seaforth's Main Street
as of Saturday, as Kids Kloze opened its doors for the first time. A clown was on hand to
show customers around for the business' first day, and here she tries an outfit on
Jeremy Joseph Charles. Corbett photo.
The streetscape design plan for the
Town of Seaforth has been awarded to
K.W. Buck and Associates of Guelph, at
the fixed price of $25,650, which includes
$4,750 for a scaled down model of the work
to be done.
At its April meeting council also gave
the streetscape committee the flexibility
to decide whether it feels a model is essen-
tial. If after meeting with the consultant,
the committee decides not to proceed with
a model, the amount of $4,750 will be re-
tained in the streetscape-PRIDE budget
for the implementation of a project.
Terms of reference for the design of the
downtown streetscaping project were sent
out to seven firms in February. Four pro-
posals were submitted, and all met the
basic requirem- its of the town.
e 'e -ked a proposal
1 es from Toronto, in
nhi' Stuart of the Com-
monwe. h t ,storic Resources of Ot-
tawa and , rtl„ as first, but found it cost -
prohibitive. M.M. Dillon had submitted a
design quote of $39.640 plus $3,500 for a
model.
K.W. Buck was ranked second for both
its proposal and cost of putting that pro-
posal into effect. Chris Borgal, in associa-
tion with Landplan of Guelph, ranked third
and Cram/Ballantyne in association with
Proctor/Redfern of London, fourth.
"I was amazed at the range of quotes
that came in - and surprised at how high
the Dillon quote came in for. They're ob-
viously charging Toronto prices," said
Mainstreet Coordinator Tom Lemon.
"It should be noted the ranking between
Chris Borgal and Ken Buck was veru
close, and I personally feel the
Borgal/Landplan combination is probably
one of the best that is available in Canada
for this type of work. At the same time, I
am confident Ken Buck can do a good job
for us."
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
If you're organizing a non-profit event of interest to other Seaforth area residents. phone the
recreation office at 527-0P°' - • ne Expositor at 527.0240, or mail the information tb Communi-
ty Calendar, The Hu• • • . • 69 Seaforth, Ontario, NOK IWO well in advance of the
scheduled date So- ce 'le • ^.alendar is donated by The Huron Expositor
Wed., April
--10 a.m "oga at Arena
1:30 p.rr Senior Shuffleboard
1:30 p.m. Senior Games
- Softball Throw - at Arena
8-9 p.m. Fitness is Fun at Arena
5-10 p.m. Home and Garden Show
at Community Centres
Thurs., April 21
8:30 a.m. Fitness Is Fun at Arena
5-10 p.m. Home and Garden Show
7:00 p.m. Senior Games
Snooker at Dolga' Residence
Fri., April 22
7:30 p.m. Seaforth Library - Magician
Michael Ross. Admission $1.00.
8 p.m. St. Paul's and St. Thomas Anglican
Churches 20-120 group are hosting a
slide presentation by Dr. Baker of their
trip to India at St. Paul's Church, Clinton.
Potluck dessert and coffee.
Sat., April 23
1:30-2:30 p.m. Story Hour at the Library
2 and 8 p.m.Harmony Kings Spring
Concert - 2 shows
Tues., April 26
8:30 a.m. Fitness is Fun at Arena
Wed., April 27
9:00 a.m. Yoga at Arena
1:30 p.m. Senior Shuffleboard
1:30 p.m. Meeting of the Grey -Bruce -Huron
Post -Polio Chapter of the March of
Dimes at Hanover Coliseum
7:30 p.m. Senior Games: Bridge
at Legion
7:30 p.m. Ringette Fashion Show
at Corpmunity Centres