Respond to challenges instead of pointing fingers

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/09/2016 (3299 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Labour Day traditionally marks the end of students’ summer vacation and, with it, the beginning of studies for yet another year.

Another tradition we have sadly grown used to is the release of some type of statistic that indicates our kids are falling behind in their educational achievements.

This week, it was announced fully half of Ontario’s Grade 6 students are failing to pass provincial math exams.

Accompanying the poor results are the inevitable, and highly predictable, responses.

Every stakeholder stands in a circle and points at everyone else — they are responsible, not me.

There is no easy remedy for the poor math results. However, let us all agree that the single response we must avoid is to blame the test for being too difficult. We can all point out the problems, but to derive a solution is where we differ.

Should we blame the curriculum? That’s a difficult question to answer. After all, the curriculum should be developed by educational professionals who deem it to be appropriate for students at a given age. If these people don’t know how to design an appropriate, challenging test that would properly gauge the educational level of students, who would?

If you do not monitor achievement, or performance, then are you really valuing it? The easy answer, as usual, is to blame the test. This is like blaming the scale when you weigh too much. Rather than make tough decisions about proper nutrition or exercise, you dismiss the scale as being wrong. I’ve been there, done that, so I have some familiarity with this. It doesn’t work in the long term.

From my lofty perspective, I firmly believe blaming teachers is absolutely the least correct answer. As society has continued to offload more and more responsibilities on to the school system, it is not realistic to expect student achievement to improve while increasing the delivery of social welfare tasks being performed by educators.

What about parental responsibility? Well, like it or not, we have the greatest responsibility in this matter. Whether the answer is more homework, overseeing school work with more diligence or talking to teachers, the reality is that we parents have a responsibility to engage with our children in their learning.

This responsibility also includes ensuring our children are properly fed, clothed and prepared to learn. This is, of course, easier for some than others. While I do not view widespread equality of results as particularly realistic, I certainly advocate equality of opportunity.

With income inequality a serious issue in our society, we should not be surprised that educational achievement runs concurrently. It’s tough for children to focus on learning when they lack the basics.

Does this sound a little too socialist for you?

Well, perhaps think about it a different way. Imagine the incredible amount of potential we are missing out on if we fail to properly educate and engage every young Manitoban. If we succeed in building our economy, and educating our youth, then the future of Manitoba is endless.

In practical terms, consider expanding our tax base by attracting new industries that want to employ our educated youth. Consider the healthier and more fulfilled lives young Manitobans will live. There is nothing we cannot do if we properly respond to challenges like weak math scores — not as an excuse, but as a challenge to do better.