Sound Off — March 20, 2017

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/03/2017 (2194 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A message to the armchair educators

So the Sound Off armchair educators think they know more about education than actual educators. It’s nauseating reading the armchair experts claim that Manitoba is last in certain areas because of some irrelevant international test that forces kids to sit in a desk for a prolonged period of time filling in bubbles. Sorry, but that is not what determines a quality education system. The Manitoba Teachers’ Society, in many publications, has informed anyone who cares to read that Manitoba leads the nation in child poverty. This is the largest factor as to why Manitoba students are last in these so-called tests, and government needs to do something to fix this. Who really cares how well we do on the PISA test? Does it really matter? I don’t pretend to know everything or criticize everything that goes on in hospitals just because I go to the hospital every so often. Yet those who know nothing of the education system feel they are experts on the subject. Schools focus on teaching students to their preferred learning style. We focus on multiple intelligences. Research strongly supports learning styles and multiple intelligences. Not every kid needs to write a paragraph to demonstrate learning. Making a poster or performing a rap to learn is just as effective as writing. Memorizing math facts does not mean a student understands. It’s hilarious reading the Sound Offs by people who have no idea what goes on in our schools in the modern era.

Where does the BSD come up with these ideas?

In reference to the Brandon School Division’s Class 1 Education, our granddaughter has not had any math lessons in a week. She is in Grade 1. Really? The school division has sent home a questionnaire about their professional development days. The schedule sent to my daughter was for 55 hours of professional development. Instead of full days, they were wondering if half days would be better. Think! People have two jobs, shifts and more than one child (major scheduling problems already). Here’s my take on this. If these hours were scheduled between July 2 and Aug. 30 every year, we might be able to have some math instruction for my granddaughter. No professional or working person has eight weeks holidays in the summer in the real world. I believe the maximum Labour Board holidays as regulated by the province is three weeks for five years of service. As in some other provinces, it may be time to eliminate local school boards that are incapable of administrating our education system.

Mauritians setting a great example

I just read the article in the March 11 paper regarding the Mauritians celebrating their country’s independence. What struck me the most is that those people came here (yes, looking for work and a better life), and after almost 10 years, they have nothing to say but good things about their lives here. They came here, found work, learned the language, built up a community and I can’t ever remember reading any whining letters about how tough it was to leave their home, how difficult it was to adjust to a new life. I never heard said that they had to go around begging for a home, clothes, food, money, charity … no, they buckled down and figured out how to make life here work for them. What a great example to the rest who keep crying about being so hard done by — raising prices, higher taxes, snow not being cleared in front of their homes, potholes, teachers not doing their job, wah, wah, wah.