We have probably the worst system in the developed countries. The pressure to promote dunces to spare their feeling is so powerful that we are graduating people who cannot read, parse, etc. In general we have responded to union demands by adding more money, rather than let the kids be held hostage. The budgets have become so distorted that for each class where the teacher get $75,000 to teach, there is less than $1000 for equipment. Stone age computers. At the high school level each student should have a computer for every grade. Their computer, not a shared one, in their home room. Make the teachers walk around a bit. A projection TV can store and show maps etc. Art and tech need their own areas. And the computers should be up to date with the two highest grades having the same new ones, and the next two down the last years computers. So that even grade 9 will only have last years computers. Rich kids in private schools have this now. After the computers leave grade 9 move them down to the primary schools, in the same way.
We spend enough money already to do this easily.
Two years ago they exposed a teacher fraud where teachers were paid an extra $ annual increment for each extra course they took. They never took them, other teachers who gave the courses were paid to do them and they never taught them, just got paid and gave away the diplomas, and it has been going on for years. Estimates of $100 milion wasted. The NDP did not investigate it, just stopped it, and they all got away with it.
As the Romans did, we can also do. Bread and Circuses.
Never think Canada has a good educational system. I came from England when I was 9, and I was placed in grade 4(right age for 4) Apart from Canadian history and geography, I was 2 years ahead of the Canadian kids. This holds true to this day. If you get a 14 year old kid from the UK with his upper school leaving certificate, and compare him to a 14 year old Canadian kid, you will find him at least 2 years ahead. (except for Can history, geography etc)
Teachers are deathly afraid of any audit procedure to winkel out bad teachers. Those teachers who do all the after hours work etc, do not make me laugh, go to the parking lot of a school just after classes are out, and see who is there. Half the teachers have gone home already, as they have arranged their days to have spares after 2 PM(more or less) Only 22 hours per week in the classromm. The rest is spares(some used as supervisory spares though)
We have the best teachers money can buy??
Bill |
