The role of teachers and education has undergone tremendous changes in the past year. There was a time when you just showed up for class, spent the day in school attending classes, and hopefully at the end of the year graduated to the next level in your studies. Teachers were looked up to and trusted with your child’s care for those few hours a day.

Discipline and respect were just two of the byproducts of being physically present in a group learning environment. Over the years it would seem that discipline has taken a backseat, subject to personal rights being violated and respect can turn to resentment.

This year students have had to endure an even potentially more damaging threat.The lack of personal interaction from both teachers and peers in class has created a new level of detachment.

With COVID 19 lurking everywhere, is education under threat? We invited a former teacher to sit down and talk with Linda Williamson at Schreiber Media Centre to find out if teaching has really changed that much and how technology has evolved to enable students to keep on learning during a world wide pandemic. 

Tom Quinton arrived in Schreiber as a teacher in 1967. He was only 25 years old at the time. Over his career he has seen many changes in not only the town of Schreiber and the north shore area, but in society in general. Charismatic and caring, he has left a deep impression on many generations of his former students. Mr. Quinton quickly became a fixture in town and served on many committees and is a strong believer in community involvement and volunteering.

Living in a small rural community is seen as a blessing by many people who chose this area as home, giving up the rat race of larger urban areas for a more peaceful life in the north. However there can be many compromises and some frustration for others.

One area that has always caused hardship in rural areas is the lack of connectivity in respect to internet services. Choosing an outdoor lifestyle may seem at odds with the need to be connected but in reality, our new world makes this service even more essential. At 78 years of age Mr. Quinton has never lost the desire to learn and like most seniors he has had to adapt and develop new skills to stay connected in our new world. Although he maintains that the basics of teaching have not changed much in years, he acknowledges the toolsets needed have radically evolved.

He touched on how the workforce has also had to adapt to new technology, beaming as he boasts of the benefits of small town living in a connected world. He also stressed the importance of having a library in town that acts as a hub for learning and cultural development. Finally Mr. Quinton stressed the need for communities to adapt to new technology in order to drive economic development.