Caldwell Public School Evan Greenman Ted LeMaistre – Thanks to Pete Brunelle

Thanks to Pete Brunelle for sending this.

The Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
22 Oct 1997, Wed • Page 43

Education at our school has just suffered a grievous blow. It has little to do with Bill 160, although that may have been a factor. One of our best teachers has retired. It is true that Ted has seen younger days. His hair is white and it has been for as long as I have known him. He has seemed tired lately. Yet, without him, our school is diminished.
We will miss the compassionate way he dealt with students, the high quality of his programs, his strong sense of values that came forth in every lesson he taught. We will also miss his quick wit, his broad range of experience, which he shared with us when we weren’t sure how to deal with particular situations, his wisdom and his involvement in extra-curricular activities.
We will miss his friendship and sympathy when we were in difficulty and his practical jokes, which livened up our days and gave us a laugh when we needed it. We will miss his dedication to his job and the example he set of what a professional teacher should be.
Yes, he will be replaced by a young teacher with boundless energy and enthusiasm. This teacher has all the qualities of a good teacher but it will take years of experience before he can contribute to the children and to the life of the school the way Ted did. Ted’s skills are complete and have been for quite a while. A young teacher’s skills need to mature over time. Every school has and needs teachers like Ted. No school can get along without them. Before people become too enthusiastic about replacing all of our old teachers with young ones, think about it.
Evan Greenman, teacher, Carleton Place