Dear Seeker,
It’s been interesting to me over the last couple of weeks hearing from Provincial political leaders on, among other topics, education. The right wants to slash education budgets to save taxpayers money and the left wants to spend more to make education better for our kids. Money is a part of both solutions but that’s the problem. Money! Studies show that throwing (or taking away) money at (from) education doesn’t help. Our education system absolutely needs an overhaul, no doubt. But the one thing teachers keep asking for is RESPECT. Respect from the government (and school boards) that pay them. Respect from the parents that send their kids to them. It seems that because they get so little respect, they demand more money in lieu.
If our political leaders would start to become more “Visionary” with their platforms rather than “Reactionary” with them, more folks might start to believe that things will get better in education and all other facets of our society. Telling me that “I’m going to spend here” and “I’m going to save there” isn’t inspiring. Giving me you vision of what you think education of the future will look like for my kids and grandkids that will set us apart from the rest of the world and at the same time help to ensure the viability of our future economy in Ontario/Canada… that has the potential to inspire. Perhaps it will be a future educator that will feel respected enough to care for our kids in a way that he/she will inspire our youth. Inspire them to find a way to make changes in our society that don’t need to take in account of how much money tax payers will save or cough up. We can dream.
Bill Halman
Cornwall ON
