Alberta Normal School - Aurora Yearbook (Edmonton, Alberta Canada)

Page 31 text:

AURORA, 1941-42 27 TO B€ TRULY GR€flT Today the constituency of an efficient teacher reaches out beyond the con¬ fines of his classroom. Much is expected of him as a contributor to social bet¬ terment and to that extent his responsibility as a member of the community is great. Active participation by pupils in organizations and institutions helpful to the common good should be the goal of every teacher. The great purpose of living is to pass on the best from the past and present to the next generation. With this purpose constantly before him a teacher will do real service. Yet this high service must receive tangible recompense. A teacher re¬ ceives satisfaction from a gleam of intelligence on the face of a learning pupil. Someone has called this the teacher’s psychical salary. However, this is not enough. The teacher is worthy of recompense commensurate with high service. In attitude can we learn something from the response of the Grade Eight boy when admonished by his mother not long ago? The mother said, “You don’t get right down to business. You must learn to think.” The boy replied, “But, mother, I can think. The trouble is I don’t know much.” A hopeful future! ALBERT E. MIGHT. AN APPRECIATION The Practise School teachers have been affected as much as any one by the many changes of this year. Despite this they have continued in unfailing help¬ fulness and patience with us. There is a story of an old Chinaman who sent his son to clean the garden walk, and, although it had been swept and washed until it was spotless, the old man was still dissatisfied with it. Each of the boy’s further attempts to make the walk cleaner met with the old man’s scorn. Then, to show his son what was lacking he shook the trees growing beside the path until their fallen leaves, tinted by autumn, formed beautiful patterns across the bare walks. Some of us may attain to the son’s standard of punctilious discharge of duty, but, as the father added beauty to service so the Practise teachers have added the kindly and gracious gift of interest in us as individuals. To them this year’s Normal class says a heartfelt “thank you”.

Page 30 text:

STAFF GARNEAU PRACTICE SCHOOL s III 1 M t i fIK I

Page 32 text:

28 EDMONTON NORMAL SCHOOI. During the past school year two Normal students and one Practise school teacher left to join the ranks of the R.C.A.F. Mr. Botsford, of the Practise School was the first to go, followed by Charlie Mitchell and George Dubetz of the Normal. P. O. Botsford taught at Eastwood and Ritchie schools in the city before coming to Garneau. At Garneau Mr. Botsford’s humor, fairness and sportsmanship won him many friends on the staff, and made him extremely popular with the students. Charlie Mitchell took his first breath of air in Lloydminster. He attended school there until the end of Grade XI, when circumstances forced a temporary halt to his education. Ten years later he finished his Grade XII at Kitscoty and came on to Normal School. He went out as a trainee in the fall, and taught until Christmas. Shortly after the holidays he joined the R.C.A.F. as a student pilot. His quiet manner and smile have been missed by those who came to know and appreciate his worth during the time he was with us at Normal. George Dubetz, he of the friendly grin, was born nineteen years ago at Smoky Lake, and attended school there until he came to Normal last fall. In his senior year of school he won a cup for athletics, and he continued his interest in sports at Normal School. His favorite pastimes were touch rugby and table tennis, while his favorite subject was mathematics. We salute these three, and those others of our group who may soon be in the armed forces. We know that they will be worthy of the cause for which every free man and woman is fighting today.