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SGA
Candidates Talk About Issues Prior To Elections |
The SGA General Elections which were
held on March 17 and 18, 2010 may turn out to be one of
the most important in the 50 year history of the University.
On Monday, March 15, 2010, the six candidates who had put
their names forward for various open positions appeared on THE
LEARNING CLINIC to explain their platforms and introduce
themselves to the listeners attending Laurentian University.
In the photo above, from left to right, we have Efe Gercek
(International Students' Commissioner); Collee Keaney (VP
Services); Sam Pitzel (President); Zachary Courtemanche (LU
Senate); and Casey Lalonde (VP Issues). Missing from the
photograph was Jackie Miller (VP Services) who had to attend
class.
Jason Kontak, the current President, also
explained details of the two referendum questions which were
to be placed on the ballot. Once dealt with a new Dental Plan
for students while the other involved a fee for Varsity
Athletics to help out with travel expenses.
The
Students’ General Association is
to represent the students in a wide variety of ways. The
positions of President, Vice President of Services, and Vice
President of Student Issues
are all paid positions with the President expected to spend up
to 40 hours per week in the office, while the Vice-Presidents
are expected to work for up to 20 hours per week.
If you are interested in downloading the radio program to
your computer, just click
here to get to the archives.
Make sure that you have the date set at 2010-03-15; the start
time set at 17:00; and the duration for 130 minutes. Then all you
do is click on "download" and it will be saved to
your computer in an mp3 format. Then you can enjoy the
interview whenever you wish. You may
hear some lead-in music just prior to the beginning of the
interview, but at least you will be able to listen to the full
interview.
NOTE: The archives will only be available for 30 days
following the airing of the show.
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Members
of Cast of West Side Story Share Their Experiences With
Theatre Cambrian And Dreams For The Future |
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Dawn Lamb-Bowden, Stage Manager for
West Side Story with Theatre Cambrian accompanied four young
members of the cast for a lively discussion about performing
arts on The Learning Clinic which was aired on Monday, March
22, 2010 at 5 p.m. The guests in the photo above included,
from the left to the right, Melissa Bowden, Emily Riopel, Dawn
Lamb-Bowden, Jackson Picard, and Heather Bowden. Jackson
(Grade 9) and Heather (Grade 10) both attend Sudbury Secondary
School. Emily, a resident of Valley East, is in Grade 10 at É.s.
du Sacré-Coeur. Melissa is in Grade 8 at Carl A. Nesbitt. The
young performers discussed how they each became interested in
acting. They also shared some of their feelings about
overcoming their shyness and becoming comfortable with
performing live in front of audiences. In addition, we talked
to the students about their future aspirations with respect to
pursuing a career in theatre or as a performing artist.
All-in-all, it was a very informative exchange of information
which should prove very useful for anyone thinking of joining
a community theatre group that operates in the City of Greater
Sudbury.
If you are interested in downloading the radio program to
your computer, just click
here to get to the archives.
Make sure that you have the date set at
2010-03-22; the start
time set at 17:00; and the duration for 120 minutes. Then all you
do is click on "download" and it will be saved to
your computer in an mp3 format. Then you can enjoy the
interview whenever you wish. You may
hear some lead-in music just prior to the beginning of the
interview, but at least you will be able to listen to the full
interview.
NOTE: The archives will only be available for 30 days
following the airing of the show.
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Young
Students From E.S.C. l'Horizon Complete Project To Denounce
Violence Against Women & Children |
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Christine Rivest
(Gr. 11);
Gabrielle Veilleux (Gr. 11) |
Mme Cecile Lariviere-Leduc
(Teacher) |
Christine Rivest and Gabrielle
Veilleux are two of a group of Grade 11 students who completed
a special project for their Religious Studies program this
year. The project was designed to commemorate the 20th
Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre of 14 students in 1989.
Part of their project included putting up a display at the
Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre on December 6, 2009, the day of
the Montreal Massacre, and another part of the project was
taking part in an interview on THE LEARNING CLINIC on Monday,
March 8, 2010, International Women's Day. They were the 5 p.m.
guests along with their teacher, Mme Cecile Lriviere-Leduc,
the Pastoral Leader of the school and a teacher of Religious
Studies and Business. Host Robert Kirwan discussed a wide
variety of issues including the state of violence among young
people today. It was pointed out that abuse comes in all kinds
of shapes and forms, with each young person feeling their own
particular kind of pain when those around them are insensitive
to their feelings. The girls felt that they did make a
difference with their project and hope that both students and
adults who heard their presentation will change any behaviour
which may intentionally or unintentionally hurt someone else.
Gabrielle and Christine plan on continuing the group project
again next year while in Grade 12.
If you are interested in downloading the radio show to
your computer, just click
here to get to the archives.
Make sure that you have the date set at 2010-03-08; the start
time set at 17:00; and the duration for 80 minutes. Then all
you do is click on "download" and it will be saved
to your computer in an mp3 format. Then you can enjoy the
interview whenever you wish.
NOTE: The archives will only be available for 30 days
following the airing of the show.
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Young
People Encouraged To Get Involved in Political Party or
Service Organizations To Make A Contribution To The Community |
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Dustin Hare |
Mark Mancini |
Dustin Hare and Mark Mancini,
are both General Board Members with the Federal Conservative
Party of Canada Sudbury Electoral District Association.
Dustin, 21, is a working full time as a Carpenter's Apprentice
in Sudbury, while Mark, 17, is a Grade 12 student at Lockerby
Composite Secondary School and is the President of the
Lockerby Student Council. Dustin is also a member of the
Sudbury Provincial Progressive Conservative Association. The
two were special guests of THE LEARNING CLINIC on Monday,
March 1, 2010 and spent close to three hours in a discussion
with host, Robert Kirwan about a wide variety of topics that
were of interest to young and old alike about the benefits of
becoming involved in community building. They have decided to
direct their energies in the "political arena", but
they also encouraged young people to become engaged with any
type of community service organization where they can truly
make a difference. We also talked about the importance of
setting education and career goals that are in keeping with
your passions and abilities. It is important to find your
purpose in life and to fulfill your destiny accordingly.
If you are interested in downloading the radio show to
your computer, just click
here to get to the archives.
Make sure that you have the date set at 2010-03-01; the start
time set at 17:00; and the duration for 200 minutes. Then all
you do is click on "download" and it will be saved
to your computer in an mp3 format. Then you can enjoy the
interview whenever you wish.
NOTE: The archives will only be available for 30 days
following the airing of the show.
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Valley East's
Scott Kirkness Coming To The End of His Term As Vice President
of Laurentian University's SGA |
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The SGA General Elections which are scheduled for
March 17 and 18, 2010 may turn out to be one of the most important in
the 50 year history of the University. In order to reinforce the
seriousness of the situation, Jason Kontak, President, seated on the
far right; Scott Kirkness, Vice President Services, on the far left;
and Nelson Osamudiamen,
this year's Chief returning officer, seated in the back, appeared as
the special guests on THE
LEARNING CLINIC, hosted by Robert Kirwan, on CKLU 96.7 FM on
Monday, February 22, 2010, the day that nominations were officially
being accepted for the 14 positions on the SGA Board of Directors.
For Scott Kirkness, born and raised in Valley East, it has been a very
satisfying year as he organized special events and activities that
added so much to the university experience for the the general
membership. Scott is completing his degree in History and English and
will be applying for Teachers' College in the fall. He is hoping that
his experience on the SGA will be recognized by the admissions
committee when he applies for a position at the College. This is one
of the reasons why Scott decided to participate in the Student General
Association.
Anyone
who is interested in running for one of the positions is asked to
visit the SGA/AGE office to pick up an election form. You have until
March 5 to submit your nomination. Nelson will be meeting with the declared candidates
once nominations close to explain the process and lay out the ground
rules for campaigning.
All of the candidates are invited to appear on a
special edition of THE LEARNING CLINIC which will be held on
Monday, March 15, 2010
at
5 p.m.
Each candidate will be
given up to 15 minutes to discuss his/her positions on important
issues of the day and to explain why they are running for office.
Elections
will take place on Wednesday, March 17th, from
9
am - 7 pm
, and Thursday, March 18th, from
9 am - 7 pm
. With all current Board members leaving their
positions at the end of this year, the entire Board will consist of
newcomers. It is critical that the 4600 members of the SGA pay
particular attention to the candidates who will represent their
interests during the 2010-2011 school year.
During
the radio show, Jason and Scott made it clear that the purpose of
Students’ General Association is to represent the students in a wide
variety of ways. The positions of Present, Vice President of Services,
and Vice President of Student Issues (presently held by Vanessa
Butler) are all paid positions with the President expected to spend up
to 40 hours per week in the office, while the Vice-Presidents are
expected to work for up to 20 hours per week.
The SGA is funded
by the student body and is responsible for a number of functions and
activities on campus, including Lambda and CKLU. The SGA is the
“collective voce” representing students on a number of important
committees, including the Laurentian senate. According to the web
site, “It exists to promote the welfare and desires of its members.
This is accomplished by giving input into academic planning,
procedures and policy at Laurentian. Outside the University, the
SGA provides political representation for students to the municipal,
provincial and federal governments as well as the provincial and
national student movements. On top of this, we offer the SGA
Health Plan, the Student Handbook, and events throughout the year. “
For more information
visit the web site at www.sga-age.ca
and make sure you listen to the live show on
Monday, March 15, 2010
beginning at
5 p.m.
when the candidates will appear on CKLU 96.7 FM to
discuss their platforms.
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Members
of Confederation's Evolutionary Band Give Evidence Of How
Music Program Prepares One For Life's Challenges |
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Veronica Ranger (Grade
12) |
Kayla O'Hearon (Grade 12)
Jasmine Wagg (Grade 11) |
Three
members of Confederation Secondary School's Evolutionary Band
were the special guests on THE LEARNING CLINIC on Monday,
February 15, 2010 during the 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. time slot.
Veronica Ranger, currently attending the "Victory
Lap" in Grade 12 (for those of you who may not be
familiar with that term, she has already graduated but has
chosen to return for a 5th year to add some courses to her
transcript) is one of the Lead Singers with the band and also
does background vocals for some of the songs. She has been a
band member for all five years and is also able to play the
trumpet, sax and trombone. Kayla O'Hearon, also in Grade 12,
has been with the band for all four years of high school and
is in her 3rd year playing the guitar. She spent her first
year with the stage crew. Jasmine Wagg, a Grade 11 student, is
in her 3rd year with the band. She started out with the stage
crew and has now been a bass player with the band for the past
two years. During the show the girls discussed many of the transferable
skills that they have developed as members of the band. They
rehearse four nights a week for two hours after school in
preparation for a performance tour which begins some time in
March. The tour includes an out-of-town trip where they put on
several performances for a variety of audiences.
The girls also explained that the entire band will be out
looking for pledges for their annual "Play-a-thon"
which will be held at the school in the "sanctuary"
on Saturday, February 20, 2010. The band needs to raise about
$140 per member in order to cover the expenses of performing
on tour this season. Therefore, if you are approached by any
member of the band, please give them your support. This is a
music program that is doing wonders for the overall
development of each and every member of Evolutionary.
If you are interested in
finding out how to download the radio show, click
here for the instructions >>>>
FACTS ABOUT EVOLUTIONARY BAND
The
following information has been provided by Mr. Norm McIntosh,
Director of Evolutionary Band and a Music teacher at
Confederation Secondary School.
In its 30th year of existence, Evolutionary is
located at
Confederation
Secondary School.
Evolutionary is a 24 piece rock band which includes 4
vocalists, a 7 piece rhythm section, 3 trumpets, 4 trombones,
2 alto saxes and 4 tenor saxes and is supported by a 16 member
stage crew.
Evolutionary is the musical ambassador for Action Sudbury.
They are
Northern Ontario
’s official No Drinking and Driving Band. At every
performance they distribute Contracts for Life (approx. 6000
per year). Evolutionary participate in community events
including the Rainbow School Board’s ‘Reading Rocks’
program.
Band members range in age from 13 to 19 years old and must
complete an audition and interview annually in order to be
earn a place in the band. Successful applicants sign a
year-long contract. Students in Evolutionary receive a high
school music credit for their participation. All students who
participate in this program are expected to carry a full
timetable and to maintain passing grades in their other
subjects.
Evolutionary is completely self-supporting. All expenses
for transportation, and the purchase and repair of musical
instruments and equipment are covered by student fund-raising
and sponsorship. The band rehearses 4 nights a week from
September to March.
Evolutionary tours from March until June, performing in
front of over 8,000 students per year. Venues include other
schools, public events and opening for professional acts.
Performances include a high energy, choreographed show with an
exciting light display including lasers, strobes, smoke
machines, intelligent lighting and orbitrons. Shows are
approximately 75 minutes in length and include 16 songs
including a selection of top 40 hits such as Shinedown,
Hinder, Green Day, 3 Days Grace, Rolling
Stones, Queen, Bryan Adams, AC/DC, Foo Fighters, Linkin Park,
Nickleback, Kings of Leon.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE RECENT HISTORY
OF THE BAND
2009 - 3 Days Grace attends a Fall
rehearsal, invites EVO to their concert
- Zack Werner (Canadian Idol Judge) brings
a film crew north to see Evolutionary
- Jake Gold (Canadian Idol judge) attends
Mother’s Day Concert
2008
-Rock band, Hedley, surprises Evolutionary by dropping
into their rehearsal, invites EVO to
their concert
- Evolutionary was recognized
as Junior Citizens of the Year at the Community Builders
Awards of Excellence for the City of Greater
Sudbury
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Evolutionary completes “House Party” video recorded
at Ostara Studios, May 2008
2007 - Recording artist, Suzie McNeil (Rockstar
INXS) gigs with Evolutionary at a rehearsal
- Evolutionary is the subject of
a full length documentary, “Face the Music”
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Evolutionary sets the Guinness World Record for
“Deepest Concert Underground” at CVRD Inco’s North
Mine, 3400’ level
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Denise Donlon, founder of Much More Music, attends an
Evolutionary concert in
Toronto
- The
Tragically Hip drop
in on an Evolutionary rehearsal, Keshia Chante
attends EVO concert
2006 -EMI Music Co. President, Deane
Cameron, and CARAS
Director of Music Education, Srinka
Wallia attend an Evolutionary tour concert in Maple,
Ontario
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Recording artist and Juno nominee, Skye Sweetnam attends
Evolutionary’s Reading Rocks concert
- The Trews drop on
the band during sound checks and jam with them
2005 -Notable music industry professional, Bob Ezrin,
record producer of Pink Floyd The
Wall/Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee attends Night
Concert
-State-of-the-art recording studio is
officially unveiled at
Confederation
Secondary School
2002 -Evolutionary receives $10,000 from
Junos/CARAS for new musical equipment and appearS with
recording group, Sloan, on a taped segment on the Juno
Awards
2001 - Mike McCarty, president of EMI
Music Publishing Canada, attends an
Evolutionary concert
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FOR
A PHOTO STORY OF AN OUTDOOR CONCERT PERFORMED BY
EVOLUTIONARY AT THE HANMER VALLEY SHOPPING CENTRE
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Lack of
Space At Community Colleges In The Province Is Being
Attributed To Adults Returning To School
by Robert Kirwan, O.C.T., B.A.(Math),
M.A.(Education) |
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When
Grade 13 was abolished in 2003, colleges and universities in Ontario
had to increase space to deal with the largest influx of first year
students ever. In effect, they had to handle a "double
cohort" and it was a tight squeeze. Since then, post-secondary
institutions have been able to accommodate the slight increase in
enrolment from year to year, but it appears as if the community
colleges may be facing another "double cohort" situation
in the next few years.
Today, we have approximately 200,000 students enrolled in
community colleges in Ontario. So far, over 100,000 people have
applied to college programs in the fall. This represents a 14%
increase in applications to full-time programs and there just isn't
enough space for all of the applicants based on the current funding
that is available.
The huge increase in applications has nothing to do with the
number of students graduating from secondary schools. In fact, the
large increase is a result of a huge increase in applications from
adult learners who have lost their jobs or have decided to retrain
for a better career.
With over 70% of new jobs requiring higher education, more and
more people who opted to go straight into the workforce following
graduation from secondary school are now deciding it is time to get
that post-secondary diploma. Universities are not expected to face
the same problem since the courses at community colleges are more or
less geared to specific jobs or careers. People are not making a
decision to return to college to "further their
education". They are enrolling in programs that will prepare
and qualify them to take on specific jobs after completing the two
or three year program.
This is a problem that the government cannot ignore. It must come
up with the funds to provide spaces for all who want a higher
education. Where it will get the money in these economic times is
unclear.
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Toronto
Board of Education Professional Development Day Expenses Raise
Serious Questions
by Robert Kirwan, O.C.T., B.A.(Math),
M.A.(Education) |
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The
Toronto District School Board has approved plans for a giant one day
conference for its 19,000 teachers to be held on or about September
1, 2010 at the Air Canada Centre. The Director of Education, Chris
Spence, has been given $1.7 million to promote his new vision and
the one-day conference is part of his overall plan.
The expected cost of the conference has been announced as
$345,000, which on the surface works out to about $28 per teacher.
That does not seem like a very high cost for a professional
development day where you can bring in several prominent speakers to
address the entire teaching body. It could be a great motivational
boost to the teachers at the beginning of the school year.
The conference is being scheduled before Labour Day due to the
fact that the School Year Calendar for 2010 - 2011 has 196 available
days between September 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011 of which 194 must
be designated by the school board for instruction and professional
development. That board is permitted to designate up to six of those
days for professional development.
Since there are three days prior to Labour Day weekend. This
means that at least one of the first three days in September must be
used as either an instructional day or a professional development
day. Assuming that the board does not wish to bring the students in
before Labour Day, that means that one of the days must be used as a
professional development day in order to get in all of their 194
days in the year. Hence, the Board has decided to approve
using one of those days for the one day conference. It makes sense
to use Wednesday, September 1, 2010 as the day for the conference in
order to allow for teachers to have a longer Labour Day weekend.
Most teachers work on their own time during that week anyway,
getting things prepared for the first day of class. Therefore, most
teachers will be back in town by September 1, 2010.
This does not only apply to the Toronto District School Board.
All school boards will have to deal with this school year calendar
issue since they all follow the same rules set by the Ministry of
Education.
Unfortunately, when you "do the math", in the case of
the Toronto District School Board, the actual cost of the one-day
conference is closer to $12 million than the $345,000 that has been
suggested. At that level you have to question whether or not
such an event is worth the cost.
School Boards, like any other public service institution, have a
limited amount of money to work with. If a private sector company
wanted to bring in all of its sales reps for a one day motivational
conference like that of which the TDSB is planning, then the
management of that company would have determined that the increase
in productivity resulting from the experience of bringing in the
sales reps would produce more in future revenue in order to justify
the expense of the conference.
The Toronto District School Board, and indeed any other school
board, has a limited amount of money. It also has a limited number
of days in which to deliver its product to the children. Every
single cent that is spent should be done so to improve the
"product" that is received by the children. There is no
question that the 19,000 teachers sould benefit somewhat from
listening to guest speakers at a one-day conference at the Air
Canada Centre, However, what must be considered is whether or not
the expenditure is justified. At $345,000 it might be worth it. But
I doubt it is worth $12 million.
For example, all 19,000 teachers will be receiving full pay while
they attend the one-day conference. As well, many of the support
staff will be doing a lot of work preparing for the day. The
salaries for the teachers alone for that day will come to at least
$7 million.
The government of Ontario's share for the pension premium for the
one day for the teachers will come to almost $800,000 since the
government must match the 11% that is deducted for the Teachers
Pension Plan. When all is said and done, it is safe to say that the
amount of money spent on salaries, benefits and pension alone will
come to over $10 million.
In addition, since all teachers will be required to travel to the
Air Canada Centre to report for work, they will have to be paid a
mileage allowance for the distance to and from their home school to
the Air Canada Centre. It is safe to say that when you average out
the distance that each teacher must travel, and also considering the
fact that the Collective Agreement likely provides for payment of
this travel allowance to every teacher who must travel to the
conference, the average cost per teacher for travel will be at least
$30. This will add at least another $500,000 to the cost of the
event. Let's hope that the parking is free for the day, however, I
doubt that. I also doubt if there would be enough room to
accommodate that many extra vehicles in the downtown during the week
prior to Labour Day. If the teachers must pay for parking, that may
add another $300,000 or more to the cost.
We won't even talk about the nightmare that will be faced by both
the teachers and anyone else traveling downtown that day during the
morning and afternoon rush hours. They will be moving 19,000 people
( many in vehicles ) into the downtown in time for a 9 a.m.
conference and moving them all back out at around 3 p.m.
The Toronto District School Board must now consider if the
one-day conference is really worth the allocation of up to $12
million or more of its annual budget. True enough, they would be
required to spend most of that money anyway since the Teachers would
still have to be paid, but the question remains, would the
students benefit more from the time spent by their teachers
listening to motivational speeches at the Air Canada Centre for one
day, or would they benefit more from their teachers using the day to
prepare in their classrooms and to meet with other teachers at their
home school?
Professional development is good, but is this one-day conference
really worth the cost?
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Keeping Our
Kids Safe At School Act May Have Serious Implications For
Students & Parents
by Robert Kirwan, O.C.T., B.A.(Math),
M.A.(Education) |
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On February 1, 2010, new legislation called, the
Keeping our Kids Safe at School Act, came into effect which
is intended to build on Ontario's safe schools strategy and is a
primary recommendation from the Safe Schools Action Team.
We are all in agreement that in order for our
education system to be effective in developing our children it is
important to make sure that schools offer a safe environment for
both students and teachers.
The new legislation clarifies how school board
employees, including teachers, principals and support staff, must
handle incidents that occur at school. It states that all school
staff must report to the school principal serious student incidents
that could lead to suspension or expulsion. This will ensure parents
that the principal will be aware of events that happen in the school
that negatively affect the school climate. It also ensures parents
that schools will respond appropriately when dealing with these
serious matters and that they will be advised when their children
have been victims of negative behaviour. Finally, it means that
parents will be able to demand appropriate treatment and support for
their children if they are victims of negative behaviour in the
schools.
Upon first reading, one may get the impression
that many principals have not been informed in the past of these
serious incidents and that principals are not aware of events that
negatively affect school climate. As a 28-year career teacher, I can
assure parents that the overwhelming majority of principals have
always been informed of such incidents.
However, it would appear that there are going
to be many implications from this legislation that will generate
some interesting discussions in the coming months and years.
Admittedly, Teachers do not normally sweep serious incidents under
the carpet. Nevertheless, there are some frightening trends that are
surfacing in our schools today and this legislation may eliminate
some of the more serious of these trends.
One of the trends that we are aware of just
from reading national newspapers and watching television is that
students today are not afraid of bullying teachers and staff. Many
teachers are becoming fearful for their own safety and the safety of
family members when it comes to dealing with discipline in the
schools. Quite frankly, they rightfully fear retaliation. Most
secondary schools in southern Ontario now have at least one or two
police officers on duty in the school to handle serious incidents.
Teachers are not prepared to handle some of the behaviours that are
exhibiting themselves in schools today. And many times teachers are
choosing to ignore behaviour or look the other way.
The new legislation places a legal
responsibility on teachers and other school staff who work with
students. They now MUST respond to all cases of disrespectful and
inappropriate student behaviour. This covers a wide range of
behaviours, simply defined as activities that could lead to
suspension and expulsion. And it does not simply cover teachers who
actually witness the incident. Any school board employee who
"learns" of a serious incident must tell their principal.
You will no longer be able to deal with the matter yourself as a
teacher. You MUST inform the principal.
Let's take a look at what the Education Act
says about suspension:
A principal shall
consider whether to suspend a pupil if he or she believes that the
pupil has engaged in any of the following activities while at
school, at a school-related activity or in other circumstances where
engaging in the activity will have an impact on the school climate:
1. Uttering a threat
to inflict serious bodily harm on another person.
2. Possessing
alcohol or illegal drugs.
3. Being under the
influence of alcohol.
4. Swearing at a
teacher or at another person in a position of authority.
5. Committing an act
of vandalism that causes extensive damage to school property at the
pupil’s school or to property located on the premises of the
pupil’s school.
6. Bullying.
7. Any other
activity that is an activity for which a principal may suspend a
pupil under a policy of the board.
In the above outline, a
principal "shall consider whether to suspend" a pupil if
he/she engages in any of these activities. However, because these
behaviours "could lead to a suspension", school board
employees are now OBLIGATED to inform the principal when they occur.
As a classroom teacher, I would not put my career in jeopardy
because of a student. If I do not report this matter to the
principal, and if some other board employee subsequently heard about
the incident and therefore reported it, I would be guilty of
breaking a law and subject to disciplinary action from the Ontario
College of Teachers.
Furthermore, item #7 is a
"catch-all" statement that allows individual school boards
to stipulate a whole lot of activities for which a principal may
consider suspension. This includes being disrespectful, habitual
neglect of classwork and homework; etc. School Boards will have to
revisit some of the policies that currently exist in light of this
new legislation which may have created a nightmare of work for
principals. It also means that some form of tracking is going to be
needed by school board employees so that they can protect themselves
against future charges that they neglected to report an incident.
There must be something concrete that a teacher can sign to prove
that an incident has been reported. And whenever you put something
in writing in education it is like the internet - it never
disappears.
The new legislation essentially removes all
discretionary judgment from the hands of a teacher. If a student
"loses it" in class and swears or utters a threat to
another classmate, teachers would often deal with the matter and use
it as a "teaching moment". Under the new legislation a
teacher's hands are tied. There are too many witnesses to the
incident. The teacher MUST report the incident to the principal and
the principal must consider suspension. As a teacher I would demand
that the report be in writing so that it is tracked since the person
who was the victim MUST be given appropriate support, including
counselling. You do not want to put yourself in jeopardy in case a
parent demanded to know why something was not done about an
incident. Once the teacher reports the matter to the principal, it
is the principal who must then deal with the case.
We must not forget that the victim could in
fact be the teacher. This will have implications for the Teachers'
Unions as well.
We could be on the verge of a huge increase in
suspensions for a wide variety of activities. This zero tolerance
position is going to make life very difficult for principals and
also for students who engage in inappropriate behaviour. It now
focuses attention on victims where before the focus was often seen
to be in rehabilitating the offender. There will still be an effort
to rehabilitate, however, victims' rights are now taking a top
priority in the schools. Many teachers will rejoice at the prospect
of being able to "teach" in an environment where students
who do not want to learn will be "removed" so that those
who do want to learn will be able to do so.
I'm sure there will be a lot more written
about this topic
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The Private
Practice of
Robert Kirwan, OCT., B.A. (Math), M.A. (Education)
Independent Education, Training & Career Development
Consultant |
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The best way you can invest in the
future of your children is by helping them get the most out of
their education and training experiences. One way you can ensure
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Your child will benefit from the services of a personal tutor,
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We are confident that we will be able to find a qualified
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you are interested in becoming a member of The Learning Clinic
Registry of Tutors, click on the ENTER button below.
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