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

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March Dreamer Before An Altar A lonely student went out one day To an old farm house which was quite far away. The weather was fine when she took her leave, But out on the farm there was cause to grieve. Monday morning she entered the stuffy school. It was dingy and dark and she felt like a fool. The children all turned and gaped as she sat Perched up on a chair at the very back. The student never noticed their stares; She looked at the snow and continued her prayers: Oh, Lord, make it snow like never before, This school, these kids are a perfect bore. The Lord looked down in stern disgust, Detesting her attitude and her lust. It did snow a lot and the girl had to stay At the old farm house for the next five days. The roads were blocked and the school was closed. Things weren ' t as rosy as she had supposed. She made the beds; she did the dishes, Regretting the Lord had fulfilled her wishes. So you see, dear children, it doesn ' t pay To wish your rural teaching away. SANDIE NICKEL, Form 2. The mighty I knelt in prayer, Doubt I could not hide; Why, oh God, is Christ the King? Why by His word abide? The walls about me seemed to fade, And in a stable bare A holy mother with the Child Seemed to be kneeling there. I saw again another scene, There roared a turbulent sea. In my ears I heard a voice Say, Peace be unto thee. In the streets of the city He made a lame man walk, Here He helped the blind to see, There taught the dumb to talk. Then darkness was about me, I saw Christ on Calvary, Heard His last words to His Father: Forgive their wrong to Me. Around me I heard many tales, Of the wonders this man had done; Slowly I arose from bended knee, I, now the humble one. JACKIE COULTHARD, Form 4. My Speech In THE FUTURE, as teachers, we should feel obliged to teach something which cannot be found on the printed page of our course of study. Consider the average Canadian child. What does he know about Canada ' s relationship to the rest of the world? Is he aware of his country ' s position in the Commonwealth and the United Nations? Does he understand Canada ' s relationship with Britain, the United States and the other countries of the world? What does the Maple Leaf and God Save the Queen mean to him? Does he realize that he has rights and privileges as a citizen of this country, and that there is a responsibility on the opposite side of every right: that of respecting the rights of others. These are priceless facts he should know. Canada is composed of ten provinces, stretching ad mare usque ad mare . She supports peoples of all nationalities united under one Queen and one flag. She has agriculture, indus- tries, minerals and scenic beauty. All these allow him to lift his head with pride when he says, I am a Canadian. His family may feel this way, but usually do not express themselves in words, and may give the opposite impression by complaining about taxes and certain inconveniences. We musf be their living examples! LIDA RUSSELL, Form 6.

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I PHOTO MISSING — JOAN WRIGHT SHIRLEY THOMAS London Denfield

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Literary Thirty -Eight Minu Our timetable says Climb those stairs! Up, up, climb twenty score, To Conover ' s Arctic Circle, Get a move on, there, Form Four! We arrive. Margie sits and shivers. Slowly Donna opens her book; Verna hands teacher the absentee slip, Eleanor gives John the look . Marilyn starts writing a letter, Mr. Watt— he ' ll just think; Bernice and Carolyn catch up on news. And Jackie goes looking for ink. Miss Coveney just loves to doodle, Miss Cross finds no time to shirk; Mr. Stewart starts voicing his opinion, While Mary Ann begins her handwork. We lose Whitney and Walker, When talking they are caught; And Mr. Roberts gives a lecture. On what University taught. Arnold just sits and listens, Milly tries to smother a yawn; There ' s too much noise in this room! And soon Miss Foster has gone. Paul dreams in silent meditation, Graham reflects days at the U , Eileen and Miss Davis pay attention, Stan wishes the period were through. ? with Form IV Marg gives a shudder when thinking. How Bill scared her with a pig ' s eye; Mr. Palmer prompts teacher ' s spelling, Doran ' s jokes make time fly by. Langford and Lewis hold converse, Wood and Workman chat too; Mr. Zativz answers Mr. Robertson, Ron and Goldie have nothing to do. Miss Dawson and the Demaiters, Dorothy, Marilyn and Miss Gray, Find something to keep them busy. Learning manners of today. This period will never end, Think Doug and Ian and Don; Of basketball Mr. Moir dreams, And slowly time goes on. Mr. Stanley answers a question, From Mr. Morgan we hear no peep; And where is Mr. Wortley? Why in the corner, half asleep! Then through the cold and the stillness, The bell sounds like a roar; So, come along, my children, Move on with our Form Four! JACKIE COULTHARD, Form 4. Undecided I beg you all to listen, Please just listen to me! I ' ve asked myself so many times Is it a teacher I want to be? The answer seems beyond me. But yet I do not know What other field would give me A more substantial goal. There is a lot of work involved, But work, as it may be, It really isn ' t quite so bad As most of us will see. Teaching has its pleasures, I ' ve often heard it said. For laughter from the children Around the room is spread. With greetings every morning From children sweet and clean. It starts the day off right With an atmosphere that ' s keen. I hear there is no boredom As each day rolls along; Life ' s little human natures Fill your heart with song. And as the long day closes You ' re thinking of your bed; But then you must remember There ' s a meeting just ahead. The duties of a teacher Are not all to be read, For not all duties are from books But from the heart instead. Thus as I sit and contemplate What the future holds for me, I guess I ' m really fortunate That I am a teacher-to-be. NANCY NEILL, Form 5. Reflections from 7 54 As time goes by, someday we ' ll say, Remember College? That first day? The first time we had to teach, Practicing what masters preach? Those late hours when we felt beat, Finding material that was concrete; Making up lessons — what a task, Trying to figure what pupils would ask. Remember periods when we ' d sit Debating whether to stay or quit? Reading assignments getting us down, We just wanted to skip town. How in music these words would ring, Diaphragms up; one, two, class sing! If your pitch does not ring true, Watch my hand, I ' ll help you. That rural week when it did snow, Blocking roads so we couldn ' t go. To teach in the country and have fun Working seven grades while teaching one! The visits we took, the friends we made, The fun we had, the games we played; The cheers we yelled, the songs we sang, ' Til voices were hoarse and rafters rang. Thus someday when we ' re old and gray. With superannuation on its way, We ' ll reflect on this — fun by the score, We graduates of ' 54. JACKIE COULTHARD, Form 4.