Our slanted schools, and one step in the right direction

We all know that schools in Canada are institutes which further propagate liberal thought. It is of little surprise to any who have attended a Canadian school that I would make that assertion; there is a systemic monopoly of thought in Canada's Secondary and Post-Secondary education institute. This problem is a direct result of a number of factors: Course availability/requirement, a near-militant teachers union which insists on becoming political, a break-down in the management structure and refusal on the part of the governments of this country to enforce reasonable working practices in cases where educators inappropriately advocate political positions to young and impressionable pupils.

Despite my frustration as a post-secondary student with the overwhelmingly left-wing attitude at these institutes, it is not of great concern to me. I do feel that young people will tend to be more idealistic, and notice that many of those rabid left-wing students do eventually moderate or change their views once they enter the real world. Of greater concern to me, are the problems with political positioning in Secondary schools.

From 2000 to 2003 I attended Brantford Collegiate Institute and Vocational School, a Secondary(9-OAC) school in Brantford, Ontario. I ran into good and bad teachers, those who encouraged free thought and those who stifled it. Although I was perhaps not the most "dedicated" of students (I didn't like homework much), I consistently behaved in class, and always did well in tests. I managed to finish in Feb. of 2003, half a year ahead, by finishing OAC classes a year early. I spent a good deal of time in BCI arguing with teachers who insisted on pushing their political views on myself and my fellow students. I often found myself being attacked by several of my peers for my views, and several teachers encouraging them or even joining in. I had tough skin, and I wasn't about to let any of them dictate my viewpoints. In more than one class I was punished for my political views, something I later proved by submitting the same paper to both my Grade 12 and OAC English classes (I took them concurrently), receiving an A in OAC, and a D in Grade 12. I brought this to the attention of the administration, which looked into the matter, and eventually forced the teacher to re-evaluate(ending the situation with a result of a B-) My sister also attended this school for a brief time, getting stuck with this same teacher who punished her for my earlier actions.

This kind of thing happens all too often in our Secondary school system, but the worst part is that most of the time this goes un-noticed by administrations. Further, many of these young people simply don't feel they can argue their own beliefs and are thus suppressed. Even I felt quite alone in my ideals until I started blogging here, which I think has solidified my confidence. There is little that can be done about these types of things, short of reducing the effectiveness of the teachers unions; they hold entirely too much power and that makes it almost impossible to rid schools of bad teachers. Parents need to encourage their children to respectfully stand up for their positions on topics, to not just blindly follow everything teachers tell you, and also talk to them seriously about their own political beliefs and offer them a foundation(although I would avoid trying to force particular beliefs on them).

Now there is one way that we could benefit our nation, and also build the foundations that would help support more right-wing thought in these schools.

The compulsory credit system in use in Ontario offers the following:

4 credits in English (1 in each grade)
1 credit in french
3 credits in math
2 credits in science
1 credit in Canadian History
1 credit in Canadian Geography
1 credit in the Arts
1 credit in Health and Physical Education
.5 credit in Civics
.5 credit in Career Studies

1 additional credit in English, or a third
language, or social sciences and the humanities,
or Canadian and world studies

1 additional credit in health and physical
education, or the arts, or business studies

1 additional credit in science (Grade 11 or 12)
or technological education (Grades 9–12)

It is interesting to note the disproportionate focus on the Arts, and this is something that was pointed out to me by a fellow blogger this past weekend during our Blog get-together. I would propose that there be a requirement to take either Economics OR Business studies. By grouping Business Studies with PhysEd, it reduces the likelihood of students choosing it.

Studying business or economics is important, if only for strengthening the abilities of those who decide not to attend post-secondary school. Perhaps more understanding of business/economy would encourage more young people to start their own businesses, particularly those who choose to take technical studies. Further, these classes are more naturally geared to right-wing thought, as opposed to the arts which are geared more to the left. This is not only a good way to balance the monopoly slightly, it is more about improving the state of students who graduate.

Times like this indicate how little people understand about the economy. If this were something that all students studied in high school, at least that understanding would increase. I think our whole country would be better off if everyone had a better idea of how our economy and business works.

There are many other steps that need to be taken, and I think only legal action will be able to make this happen. It is difficult, as I find that those on the right tend to be less litigious, but Canadians are paying for our students to attend schools, and that money going to political advocacy should be something all Canadians are concerned about. The attempted brain-washing going on in some of these schools is disgusting, politics has no place in our Secondary schools. All the more reason for parents who have the option, to choose charter schools. I attended the first in Canada, the format is excellent for ensuring curriculum is followed, but with parental oversight.