Dear Editor:
Could someone please help me understand the Ontario educational system of 2023? It seems there are new battlegrounds set out each and every day, with school children placed squarely in the middle.
What message are we giving our children and students of today when we see grown adults having to be separated by police over whether or not parents have a say in how schools address their children? This seemingly inconsequential issue has degenerated to the point where an entire community is divided on purely sexual orientation lines.
Could someone please explain the rationale of a Mississauga school library being purged of classic literature based solely on “it might offend someone” lines? Really? Is it worth purging two-thirds of a library, including books such as The Diary of Anne Frank, J.K. Rowling’s whimsical series, Harry Potter, the classic To Kill a Mockingbird and even Charlotte’s Web?
Whatever happened to the Ontario government’s own standard testing for Grades 3, 6, and 9? Does anyone know if the schools of today are meeting these basic standards set by the government itself? What effect did COVID-based home study have on these standards, or does anyone really know or show any sign of caring?
Whatever happened to respect and standards of dress, teachers included? Is there not a place anymore for, “a jacket and tie” for staff and clothing other than a close approximation to beachwear evident in many students’ attire today?
I’m sure, by the time this goes to print, we will know the results of the teachers’ strike vote, and probably soon after, their monetary demands. Just please don’t try to tell us, “We’re doing our job action for the students.”
What favour are we doing for students who do less than the minimum in a classroom, and still are placed in the next level because of being “age appropriate?” Reality will hit in early adulthood when, for example, they try doing a quarter of a brake repair or some of the required deliveries for the day.
Respect for the profession, maintaining standards for achievement, and avoiding promoting contemporary divisions within society seem to have gone out the proverbial window. I hope I’m wrong.
Ron Johnson,
Mount Forest