The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Jjj ~ t .~u. I Bett er than it was I Education being a timely subjeet this week, I thought we might add some little bit to the thunder around us. Last weec, we discussed the politiès of John Snobelen's looming battie with teachers. This week, I would like to discuss teaching and-education from, a more personal viewpoint. Yesterday, for the first tixne 25 years, I did not. return to school. This summer I took early retireme nt fr-om myjob as a director ini arts and administration at Durham College. SIn the past 37 years, I have taught ini a two-room village sehool, i a suburiban sehool portable. I have duplicated seat work on ' a jelly-pad hec'tograph and prepared and delivered lessons on computers. I have stocked up a wood-burning - stove i the middle of a~ classroom, and suffered fr-om the insufficiencies of a modem heating plant. rve séen a fair axnount.' And how do todlay'shIdgh achool graduates stack up?2 Generally, better every year. Granted, not. every graduate goas on to college oruniversity. But collage doors. thèee days are. bursting with s'tudents - al bëtter'preparea.d than students werai the aarly seventies. Aeteachers pid too muchi Comparéed to other occupations (ouitside of public service) with similar educati>n, no.. Want 4o go ba*& to the days, when, ýÏý ý&d 12 graduats couldtèaceýh-eigihtgraa, i a one-room sehool for $2,500 a yaar? What'about poer teachers? Wel sure. There are good teacer ad smenot-so-godteachers;.even bad teachers. But the bad teachers of, today are better than marginal of3 ersao erhaps; five par cent of teaéhers fal s'hort -of today'i standards -- better than mosét, professions., Everyone, knows Who these are: students, parents, other- teachars, administration. But for any board to be toofrea with firings would surely. shut down the, creativeaùdandaginýative woôrk of the other 95 per cent. NobodSr said it was an easy problem. *Does education cost too muchi Wels just rëember: unlike haalth care, we do have a two-tier educational system. You can strike off on your own and create a, sehool to meet the provincesé standards. We have many such echools now. Some may, do a better job with studants, backad by motivated' supportive parents. But -hey! Guess what?.Nobody does it cheaper. You want quality? Be prapareïd-to pay. How' do me get better resuits? First: value aducation. Not for the big salaries college and univarsity grads will earn; not for prestige; not for status. We must value. education for its own saka. This meansa commitmaent to public education'- to our whole Society. If increasing nÙmbers*ofo' children have diflculty in school - and tliere la som eeviden ce of this - th en that is a serious problem of our wvhole sociaty. It cannot be dumped on an already-duýdmped upon 's chool systam. Do we need to ig"tn qup our',"astem,"to, provida, more Predictability, more unifbrmity? Yaah, if you want to turn out rob6tso..We no longer naad to turn out izndlustnal .workers. . eed crMtve iznagiz>ative people. That. doas't comaput1 of boot camp. Do I hav'e'any aduicetoJohn Snobelen? Sure. Any sytmcan _eimprovad. Such improemént euie leaerhi. hat includes political I.eadersàhip wth' Ibrlesegt and vision.If it-av*tboe dnti t If it is dIl , ý, ý -7 .ý- -- - -- .4, STEAMM 'MAIDE CJTATPRT WHITYC.199 This pictur shows the members Ofthe 34th Bâttalion of the Canadian Militia boarding the. Garden CitY to go to a training camp at Niagara-on.the.Lake. port Wh It ll be featured on Heritage Day, Saturday, Sept. 7, with displays at the PotarSunisePvillnSt John's Anglican Church and the Port Whitby Marina. NainlArchive.of Cwmsdaphoto 10 YEARS AGO from the Wedxiesday, SePtember 3, 1986 edition of the WITBY FREE PRESS * DuPont will double the size ofits Whitby plant by February 196U2. *The Ontario water Resouroes Board bas oefled for ten~ders to installý water mains i Brooklin. *A lacrosse field le being constructed in. Peel Park. A Amn whobmke into County Sports stor a few weeks ago was uentenoed te two yoarsln tii. reformatexy, Plus two monthi consecutive for stealing a polie cruiser. 100 YEARS AGO ftom the Frlday, September 4,-1896 edition of the WMnMY CHItONCLE. *Barnabas Gibson le elling the. contents of bis Ringwood Ferm on the Base Line to psay back interest on a Motge *A.týwo-year.old chfld had -its 'legamputated when It was run over by a trai on the. Whitby' and Port Perry Railwayat Mary StrIeet. A Anew Ckaain llag was raisedat the Collegiate Institut. when achoolopened on -Sept.2. *Apple buyWers are- offering 50 cents per barrel- for apples fi=m Myrte-aream orchards. PI