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sr r t 18 saturday aug 24 2002 economist sun stouffville tribune at the schools educator passionate about job by mitchell brown staff writer all things considered the middle of august is probably not the best time to ask stephanie donaher to multiply five by four what she says the question is repeated and she answers 20 but the fact she had to think about it suggests the 12yearold mount albert student has momentarily forgotten a few things from last year thats not fair she protests its sum mer im focusing on summer things right now such as um nothing watching tv and im playing soccer tonight her teacher kyla dickson has also been focusing on summer things if her tanned skin and rested look are any indication yeah its beena pretty laidback sum mer she says the york region newspaper groups teacher of the month for august has earned her time off stephanie tells us she is nice she listens to your prob- lems she is comforting at bad times- she never yells and she can be your friend and not just your teacher she wrote in her let ter nominating her former grade 5 teacher if someone is fighting with someone else she tries to help you instead of saying go to the principal ms dickson also finds ways to make hard work more fun stephanie adds she gives the top gun game as an example a game where mastery of the times tables is required to come out on top for her teacher it has been just as much an education as it has been for her stu dents having just finished her second year as a teacher its clear ms dickson 26 is still passionate about her chosen career although she says that isnt hard in a place like mount albert public school all the teachers i work with here young or old still have that enthusiasm that i saw in teachers college she says i think it has a lot to do with the schools morale and the f people you work with its hard to be low when nobody else is low around you she says she always knew she wanted to be a teacher even when she was a child that led to several parttime jobs during high school working with children and spe cial education students after completing her education and 9 kinesiology degrees at york university two years ago the kincardine native then set out to land that allimportant first job when i got the call from the principal at mount albert public school i had no idea where it even was she says i was mount albert wheres that so she gave me directions to the school it was staff photomitchell brown teacher kyla dickson from mount albert public school was chosen as the york region newspaper groups teacher of the month she was nominated by stephanie donaher who is entering grade 6 at the school teacher of the month my first interview and she called back that night and said i got the job i had no idea where it was or what the school was like so it was all new to me over the past two years though she has grown to know the school of 700 students and the surrounding community very well which makes her leaving that much harder shes moving back to kincardine this fall to be closer to her family and has already lined up a new teaching job there but no matter where she goes shell likely not forget her first school ive learned so much from the staff here she says the kids are super and so is the community its not a big community so you get more support from them i guess its been a great experience reporter mitchell brown can be reached at mbrowntheliberalcom adrian corsin at the schools writer licensing process hasnt deterred thousands of teens its every 16yearolds dream and every par ents nightmare driving for most people gl g2 and g are noth ing more than a cluster of letters and num bers but these terms are as essential to getting your drivers licence as driving itself the experience of getting your licence with the graduated licensing system has often been called timeconsuming and pricey but this hasnt deterred thousands of teens running to get those plastic cards in their hands its a liberating experience says 16yearold amanda gregoris who recently got her gl its one more step to adulthood and its a good chance to prove youre responsible the ontario drivers handbook states gradu ated licencing which lets new drivers gain skills and experience in lowrisk environments is also helping to develop better safer drivers its a two- step learning process that can be completed in no less than 20 months getting a licence involves three steps gl g2 and g to get the gl licence you must be at least 16 years old and pass a vision test and knowledge test of the rules and signs of the road with this licence people are able to drive with a licensed passenger with at least four years of experience this licence prohibits any alcohol drinking driving between midnight and 5 am and the use of 400series roads this stage lasts for 12 months and is followed by g2 which allows more driving privileges drivers do not need a licensed passenger to be in the car but they must have a bloodalcohol level of zero and ensure everyone in the car has a work ing seatbelt getting a g2 requires drivers to pass a road test as does getting the g license which permits full driving privileges many contend the cost of these courses in conjunction with the cost of the road and knowl edge tests is outrageous by any standards with the fee of the courses ranging from 200 to 800 see driving page 19 i dont pay that traffic ticket experts traffic ticket experts is staffed by expolice officers who will act as your agent in court defending all traffic tickets speeding accidents careless impaired etc call for free consultation guaranteed service mmmmmkmtmmmmmm m 905 9403000 4418 hwy 7 east unionville v 1 4 4 v