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

Page 11 text:

Promises Fulfilled... Dear Graduates, Congratulations upon the successful completion of one year of teacher education. I sincerely hope that you now agree that the promises I made to you last September have been carried out. I promised you the most strenuous school year of your educational career. I promised you the whole-hearted support, guidance, and counsel of your masters. I promised you involv ement in the planning and execution of your work. Above all I promised you the opportunities for deriving the deep satisfaction of achievement through honest effort. As well as promises, you may recall that I asked you to be aware that we offer only an orientation course in teaching. Although you have come to the end of this year you are just at the beginning of your education as a teacher. Your success as a teacher will be determined by your awareness that you must continue to work, to study, and to learn the art and the mystique of your profession. The hopes and best wishes of the staff of London Teachers ' College go with you into your classrooms. 7

Page 10 text:

ONTARIO MINISTER OF EDUCATION One of the pleasant duties which I am called upon to perform as Minister of Education is to extend to the graduates of the London Teachers ' College a welcome to the teaching profession in Ontario. Your effectiveness as a teacher will be judged by your success in preparing the youth of today for roles of responsibility in industry, education, states- manship and the professions in the highly complex world in which he will live tomorrow. I trust that you will seek to establish sound educational objectives compatible in content and pedagogic method with the rapidly changing conditions under which we live. In keeping with the nature and the progress of scientific achievement, your authority will at times be questioned and the traditional classroom atmosphere may have to give way to more modern concepts which take into con- sideration changing notions regarding learning theory and greater attention to individual differences. I have every confidence that as truly professional teachers you will accept the challenge and will face the future with assurance, determined to add your contribution to the substantial achievements made by the great teachers of the past. I wish you success in your endeavours. William G. Davis Minister of Education November 4, 1968.

Page 12 text:

Threefold Task... Today, in our society, education is considered the right of every child. Students are trained for an almost innumerable variety of positions, many of which were unknown only a few years ago. Auto- mation and increased mechanization in industry have made possible the shortening of the working day and the working week, so that a considerable amount of leisure time is available to the majority of the population. To show this new and vastly larger leisure class how to use their free time for their own benefit and for the benefit of their community is once more becoming a concern of education. A threefold task faces the school today, namely: 1. To lead each child to seek to understand the nature of his surroundings. 2. To encourage each child to choose and accept as his own those ideals of conduct that a Christian, democratic society approves. 3. To assist each child to master those abilities that are essential to living in a changing, modern society. Practice teaching has provided you with many opportunities to observe how various associate teachers are endeavouring to cope with this task. As you go forth to put your shoulder to the wheel of progress, your successes will be a source of continuing pride to me. J.G. Elford