London Normal School - Spectrum Yearbook (London, Ontario Canada)

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Editor ' s Note: — Of the many fine articles submitted, we have chosen those which seemed best suited to Normal School Activities and hence to the Normal School Year Book. Mr. Clarke, in addition to giving valuable assistance in the criticism and selection of the essays, has chosen two of his finest repro- du ction stories to complete the essay section. The Place of Literature and Art in a Materialistic World A A. MILNE defines an artist as anyone who has ever attempted to create something beautiful. In the category of artists he places you and me, too, if only, as he says, We have ever written four lines on the sunset in some- body ' s album or even modelled a Noah ' s Ark in plasticine. All of us then are artists in some measure. We may refuse to admit it. We may tell ourselves impatiently that the time we spent trying to sketch a landscape or struggling to ex- press an idea in smoothly flowing English was wasted. But it will be of no use. As long as we continue to gaze with delight at the first snow, to dream dreams before the fireplace and to stand in awe before the winter sunset we are artists cultivating our love for the beautiful. But this, we are reminded on all sides, is a materialistic world. There is no time for the cultivation of an artistic sense in ourselves — no place for artists in the world. For what place can there be for Literature and Art in a world where, The wealthiest man among us is the best — where to commit crime makes one front page news and to write a good book entitles one to a brief paragraph on the back page— where headlines such as Austrian Nazis gird for fight and Japanese planes bomb the Nanchang Airdrome, indicate materialism gone mad in another world war. And yet in our more thoughtful and less troubled moments we are only too willing to grant Literature and Art a place in the scheme of things, for they represent the genuine progress which we have made toward civilization. Good books and pictures are store-houses o f beauty and in what seems at times a very ugly world it is well to have conveniently at hand a store-house of beauty. Keats characterizes all beautiful things as, Flowery bands to bind us to the earth, Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth, Of noble natures, of the gloomy days Made for our searching. It behooves us then to search for the beautiful to find the flowery band that can make life endurable. Where do we find beauty in such rich quantities as in the poetry of Keats, the prose of Mary Webb and pictures of Corot? And perhaps because they have caught up and held for us the beauty of the world, Literature and Art promote faith. A love of beauty is insepar- able from a love of goodness. It is not an accident that our Christian faith is linked with the best in Literature and Art. Portions of the Bible are among the finest in Literature. How many people depressed and embittered by the materialistic have read with a sense of comfort and power the beauti- ful lines of Isaiah, Trust ye in the Lord forever; for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength. And our Christian faith has associated itself with great Art as well as with great Literature. A study of Raphael ' s Sistine Madonna and Holman Hunt ' s Light of the World cannot but promote faith. Not only do Literature and Art promote divine relationship, but they also promote happy relationships among human beings. Good books and good pictures are interests common to most of us. We find it stimulating to discuss them with our friends — to try to evaluate Canadian Art — to criticize current fiction — to wonder if An- thony Adverse and Gone with the Wind are really great books or only long ones and to reread (with an eye perhaps to seeing the moving pic- tures) a Midsummer Night ' s Dream and the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet . Our discussions are happy, interesting, invigorating ones. Book and Art Clubs everywhere testify to our enjoy- ment of them. And Literature and Art promote this happy relationship not only because they provide common ground for enthusiasms, but, and this is far more important, because they help us to understand each other. In books and in pic- tures we see, through the eyes of someone far wiser than ourselves, our friends and our enemies too. The dissolute Sydney Carton, the incom- petent Dora Copperfield, the happy-go-lucky Mr. Micawber all have their charm and when after a perusal of A Tale of Two Cities or David Cop- perfield we see the replicas of these characters in every-day life we are apt to view them with a kindlier and less impatient eye than before. As for friends — to see their wit, their good temper, all the qualities for which we love them { Continued on page 30 Page Twenty-seven

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Our Visitors Oct. 21 — At the beginning of the year, Mr. Henry gave the students an idea of what was being done in the Institutes for the Blind. The students were cordially invited to visit the local Institute and also to aid the blind on Tag Day. Oct. 28 — Mr. Bishop, the fire marshal of Ontario, demonstrated the causes of many ser- ious fires. He told of tragic happenings which were the results of panic in public buildings and schools. His lecture impressed upon his listeners the respon- sibility of a teacher in case of fire. Oct. 28 — Mr. Humphreys, from British Columbia, gave a very educational talk about the Maritime Provinces and British Col- umbia. He illustrated his talk with many colourful and interesting slides. Nov. 15 — Dr. Helen McMurchy delivered four enlightening health lectures. Nov. 16 — At the close of her lectures she answered any questions, previously handed in by the students. Jan. 7 — Mrs. Cummings, a gifted story-teller, entertained the masters and students with delightful children ' s stories, at one of the Literary Meetings. Jan. 19 — Dr. Karr, Inspector of Teacher Train- 20 ing, visited the London Normal School 21 and watched the students at work. At the end of his visit he stressed the importance of clear enunciation and pronunciation. Jan. 28 — Dr. Harry Amos illustrated what diffi- culties are met by children who are physically handicapped. The teacher should refer every unfortunate child to the school nurse, or write to Dr. Amos. Jan. 28 — Miss Freeman, a demonstrator from the Fisheries Department, Ottawa, very com- petently carried out a cooking demon- stration. After the demonstration the tasty dishes were sampled by the mas- ters, visitors and students. Jan. 31 — During Education Week Dr. Dearness, an ex-principal of the London Normal School, instructed the teachers-in-train- ing in School Management by the use of amusing examples. He also gave much timely advice to young teachers just entering the teaching profession. Feb. 1 — Miss Hamilton, representing the Red Cross Society, spoke about the Red Cross movement all over the world. She dis- tributed pamphlets, which gave instruc- tions for organizing Junior Red Cross Societies in the School. Feb. 3 — Miss Elliott, a lecturer from the Depart- ment of Agriculture, gave an address on the value and use of canned goods in modern cooking. Feb. 3— Mr. Keefe, Director of School Atten- dance, instructed the students in the methods of marking the daily register. Feb. 18 Mar. 7- Mar. 18 Mar. 18 Mar. 21 Mar. 22 -Miss Tyhurst, President of the Girls ' Work Board, talked about the place of a teacher in the religious training of the community. -Dr. Harrison Lewis, from Ottawa, de- lighted the students with an illustrated lecture on birds. The students were informed that illustrative material could be obtained by writing to the Com- missioner, Canadian National Parks Branch, Department of Interior, Ottawa. -Miss Cornish, from Ingersoll, at a Liter- ary Meeting, related her thrilling exper- iences at the Coronation. -Mrs. Kingston, one of the Provincial Vice-presidents of the Home and School Society, stressed the importance of this Society. Pamphlets were distributed. -Mr. Hughson, of the Ryerson School, introduced the value of the Teachers ' Federation. He spoke to the men stu- dents about the Men Teachers ' Federa- tion. Miss Fawkes, of Governor Simcoe School, spoke to the lady students about the Women Teachers ' Federation. -Dr. Hobbs, Director of Mental Health Clinic, delivered two exceedingly impor- tant lectures on mental hygiene. He stressed the necessity of discovering harmful habits of thinking early in a child ' s life. The students enjoyed hav- ing Dr. Hobbs read several case his- tories. — Kilmeny J. Caverly. J ormal Chic s ONE day, while home in the Easter holidays, I sat in the dining room gazing at Chuck, our big brown collie dog, as he was in the kitchen watching the chicks which I had brought from the Normal School. It was indeed interesting to note the attitude of curiosity that seemed to exist between Chuck and the wee chicks. Six tiny yellowish brown New Hampshire Reds chirped and strutted around in a square wooden box. Chuck, the colour of a woodchuck, hence his name, stood beside the box watching their every move. His monstrous brown head was bowed and slightly tilted, while his ears stood erect and sharp. His mouth hung ajar with tongue falling out as he panted in wonderment at those tiny bunches of active fluff. The chicks slightly glanced up at their huge guard, peeping content- edly as they filled their little crops or let the water run down their slender throats. So eager was Chuck not to lose sight of one move that he leaned over, almost touching them. One chick, being curious about that big brown thing with the black nose and red tongue, stretched its little self up and gave it a pick. What a yelp! And poor Chuck walked slowly into the dining- room with a shame-faced expression. Turning around again, he went back to study further those interesting-looking chicks. — Coyla Cody. Page Twenty-six

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The Future Education of the K[ormalite IT is a common saying that education begins when I our schooling ends. For no class of person is ' this truer than for the teacher. One must be prepared, on entering the profession, for a life of work and of study. The clear-sighted teacher-in- training looks forward to it and prepares accord- ingly. On the other hand there is a large class of people who heave a sigh of relief when the end of their training appears and the prospect of a job looms up. They expect a sinecure and the pro- spect of taking it easy and letting someone else do the work is very pleasant. The only blot on the landscape is the necessity of having to begin Uni- versity work. To these people, teaching is never more than a job and in a few years they are lagging behind their fellow teachers, trying to work with a serious lack of equipment. I do not. think the picture overdrawn, for into my experience, limited though it be, have come a number of teachers who are teaching lessons and not children, and whose main interest is in the monthly pay cheque. To such teachers, the new Program of Studies is not an opportunity, but a disaster, for they are not equipped to meet its re- quirements for 1938 methods, its increased re- cognition of human values, and its demand for greater background on the part of the teacher. The desirable teacher-in-training, essentially an idealist, rejoices that he commences his career under an enlightened system, for he realizes that he is reaping the benefit of methods that have been put into practice for years by experienced teachers before they were issued in the form of a course of study. He does not grumble that he is required to take University work because he in- tended to do so as soon as he could afford it; and he looks forward to the supplementary Education course as an opportunity to repair his pedagogical ground-work, for some of his preconceptions have been shattered by a few years experience. More than that, he likes to think of having money of his own (little though it may be) with which to indulge in his fondness for reading, both books and periodicals, and he hopes to build up a specialized knowledge in some field in which he has par- ticular interest. He does not flinch when faced with the prospect of full time service in his chosen work. Happy indeed is the teacher who is an incurable idealist, provided his idealism is tem- pered with practical purpose and common sense. There is no more interesting person to meet than a teacher who is in love with his work, and who has not lost his idealism. In many places the school teacher is looked upon as an authority on all and sundry subjects. In some places it may be that the teacher is the only person in the community who could possibly aspire to such a position. It is true, however, that he cannot for long pose as such unless he really is an authority. This immediately directs our attention to the question of reading, a subject on which it is easy to become dogmatic, simply because there are such definite principles involved. One of these is, that only when the teacher is a lover of good literature and enjoys reading, can she inspire in her pupils a desire to read. It is not a process of easy contagion, but it is certain that the teacher cannot infect the pupils with attitudes that she herself does not have. This is a principle every Normalite has become familiar with, but its truth seems to have become obscured in this connection. Descending from the realm of attitudes to that of knowledge, we quote an idea that Normalites will appreciate, namely, that if we are teaching too near the edge of our knowledge, we are in serious danger of falling over. It seems to me that a teacher ' s success may depend in a great measure upon the width of this margin. The other great factor is methodology, and here, too, education is never complete. No meth- ods are infallible. In time they all give way to revised forms or entirely new methods. In this field the educated teacher is a little ahead of his time, while he whose training stopped upon his graduation from Normal School is tagging along like Dopey, the seventh dwarf, making feeble and ludicrous attempts at imitation of his fellows. Further prolixity would only defeat the pur- pose of these observations, and conclusion is easily drawn. Unless one is in love with teaching, has a continuous educative process in himself, and is able to learn from those he is teaching, he has missed his calling and were better off anywhere else than in this noblest of professions, but sorriest of trades. —Earle Sanborn. In Our Day AS we people of the older generation look back on our own school days, now far distant, we cannot help but compare the school of our day with the school of to-day. We cannot re- strain a feeling of something like scorn for these weaklings of modern children who have to be coddled and babied. With this scorn is mingled a bit of envy and jealousy of these same children who have so much more than we even dreamed of, in the little brick school-house. I am quite sure that no one was ever concerned as to whether we were developing useful abilities and desirable attitudes. The knowledge was given to us, sometimes useful knowledge, some- times not. But, as for these abilities and attitudes why, the teacher would have been as surprised to hear of them as we Normal students were! If she ever discovered that any of her pupils had not the abilities she thought proper, her method of coping with the situation would, you may be sure, be quite different from that advised to-day. Let me quote from the Course of Study, The Minister urges the Inspectors to discourage . . . . unreasonable requirements in the matter of home- work for pupils in the elementary school. These children. . . . must have time for rest and recrea- tion. And all this for a generation of children Page Twenty-eight