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4 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, April 5,'1988 Editorial Comments On The Other Hand ~The Ontario Government is covering the expenses for Robert Keech to travel around the province on weekends talking to teachers and school board members. Mr. Keech himself is a school vice principal and he's come up with a concept called "Teaching to Pass," which among other things suggests that Ontario high school stu- dents should receive marks for attendance, punctuality, and social skills. Students, he suggests, should be evaluated "from head to toe, and not just on their academic ability." He even goes so far as to state that marks for general level students should be on a 500-mark model, split the following way" 100 for social skills, 100 for attendance, 100 for work ethics and 200 for academics. The concept, however, doesn't do much for George Radwanski, the author of a recent report on education in Ontario, who suggested the value of a diploma would be lessened if students were partly judged on whether they make it to class on time, say please and thank you or have a perfect attendance record. Radwanski wants a return to standardized testing to en- sure that certain levels of competence have been attained before a student can advance to the next grade. And there's nothing wrong with that. But surely the sug- gestion put forth by: Keech has at least some merit. it may, of course, be argued, that handing out marks for punctuali- ty, social skills, etc., is going to favour those students who do well academically because chances are they already know the value of being on time, attending classes, and behaving with a reasonable degree of social skill. On the other hand, students might be encouraged to "get their act together" if it meant better grades. The education ministry is interested enough in this con- cept that it is paying Mr. Keech's expenses to travel around the province talking about it educators and trustees, and in fact it is being used on an experimental basis in a few schools already. Not surprisingly, some educators have reacted positive- ly to the concept. Though some wonder if they haven't enough to do al- ready on the academic side of education without having to teach kids that showing up on time is a necessary part of life at any age. And we can't help but wonder just how a teacher would quantify the social graces and assign a passing or failing grade. Should an academic genius who knocks down per- fect marks in math and science be penalized for being a boor? Likewise should a student having trouble academi- cally advance to the next grade just because he or she is never late for class? Of course not. On the other hand, if schools can teach Kids to swim, golf, ski, curl and slam dunk a basketball, why not just a few of the social graces as well. [ Port Perry (+Cha | C1 3 ) \ 235 QUEEN STREET - PORT PERRY, ONTARIO an Phone 985-7383 P.0.Box90 LOB 1NO J. PETER HVIDSTEN Publisher Advertising Manager Member of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association and Ontario Community Newspaper Association Published every Tuesday by the Port Perry Star Co. Ltd . Port Per'y, Ontario J.B. McCLELLAND Editor Authorized as second class mail by the Post Office Department, Ottawa, and for cash payment of postage in cash CATHY OLLIFFE News & Features Second Class Mail Registration Number 0265 Subscription Rate: In Canada $20.00 per year. Elsewhere $60.00 per year. Single Copy 50° © COPYRIGHT -- All layout and composition of advertisements produced by the adver- tising department of the Port Perry Star Company Limited are protected under copyright and may not be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. Beruween A rock AND A HARD PLACE - &iih 70» Z% 4, WY 7 re (2 7 4 / (---- --- > s Tae r=) Chatterbox by Cathy Olliffe FIVE YEARS AT THE PORT PERRY STAR On Good Friday, or April 1st, or April Fool's Day, as it was variously known, | marked five years of working here at the Port Perry Star. I can't believe it's been so long. On one hand, it just feels like yesterday that | was sitting nervously at Hank's Pastries, wait- ing for a job interview here at the Star. On the other hand, | sometimes get to feel- ing that I've lived in Port Perry my whole life. So much has happened in five years. So many roots have been established. | met the man | was to marry here in Port Perry. We bought a house. I've made many friends. I know the schools around here better than | ever knew my own. When | say hello to the Mayor | can call him by his first name. | hardly ever get asked for identification because most people know me, and | know most people. Five years ago, just after I'd started on at the Star, me and John B. and Peter walked down Queen St. at lunchtime, and | remember feel- ing shocked that just about everybody who passed us knew the two men. "Just wait," either John or Pete said. | think it was John B. "Some day the same thing will happen to you." Five years later, it happens all the time. | just can't go anywhere without seeing a myriad of familiar faces. | can't drive down a street with- out picking out at least one house I've been in. | can't go grocery shopping without some- body lacing into me about a mistake in one of my stories. Best of all, I've got a storehouse full of mem- ories that have developed from sinking roots in this commuinity. Good memories, some. Bad memories, fewer. A few memories are so embarrassing that | blush just recalling them. In fact, | did a fair bit of blushing last week, when | pulled out every issue of the Star dating back the five years I've worked here. The first issue | had anything to do with was April 5, 1983. There, on page two, was a pic- ture of my smiling mug posed behind a type- writer, looking quite a bit skinnier, but goofy too. | distinctly remember the week that picture was taken. Oh Gawd, there's nothing worse than starting a new job. The awkwardness, the not knowing where anything is, or what to do with it when you find it. That week, the first photo | took was of a group of people who had all received thank- you plaques from Community Care. In my shy- ness, | neglected to ask these people what their names were. A bad move. You have to identify the people in all photos. As a result, | spent about an hour a few days later, taking the photo to different stores up and down Queen Street, trying to pinpoint who these people were. Looking back at that photo, | think now ! could indentify every face without asking. Even though my offense was major, | wasn't fired or even reprimanded. But then again, that's the kind of place the Port Perry Star is. You'd have to do something really naughty to get canned from this place (I have come close, however). The people here are good. Even though nobody really socializes much, and Christmas parties are a little awkward until the first round of cocktails have disappeared, people do care about each other. They stick up for each other for the most part. Peter gets a little nervous about some things some times, but that's his job. John B., on the other hand, supports me no matter what. It's a nice feeling. 'A lot of people in town figure the only thing | do all week is write my column. Now that's just not true, but | will admit my column raises more commotion than anything else | accomplish. Many controversies have been born in this space, starting from the very first column | wrote in the issue of April 19, 1983. Written tongue-in-cheekly about a non-existant sec- retary named Flossy the Floozy and the multi- tude of cats in my parents barnyard, it was definitely written in my style. Trouble was, it got printed with John B.'s name on the top, and for weeks afterwards he took ribbing about Flossy and the Cathouse. Of course, that controversy was nothing compared to the stink about the Eastern Star, or the courier trucks, or male drivers with hats. Those three little genius pieces are my pride and joy in the stink department, and even though they caused me some heartache, and my publisher some consternation, | wouldn't trade them for anything. Some of my best moments in five years showed up in my column, but there have been other highlights as well. Like the time me and John B. drove over to Yelverton and took a picture of a dead calf with two heads. That was in May '83, and it remains the single grossest thing I've ever photo- graphed. The single biggest thing | wish I'd never done was write about the stupid Ghost Road. (Turn to page eight) I ---------- A.