Heartfelt thanks and virtual hugs to our teachers

Most of the schools in our community this week completed their academic programs for the year. It was an unprecedented year. Without any real notice or time to prepare, daily life across planet earth was thrown into medical emergency, societal tumult and economic mayhem. But as human beings do well, we adapted. And as Jews have learned to do throughout our history, we innovated as necessary and surmounted most of the difficulties.

We owe a great debt to the men and women who run our schools. For they were at the forefront leading the way against Covid-19. After the initial assessments and adjustments, the community schools adapted and, for the most part, brought our children – especially the older ones – safely and happily back to a meaningful learning environment. Heartfelt thanks and virtual hugs to our teachers. Kol hakavod to them.

And kol hakavod to the children who also adapted to the new rules of schools and to their parents who continue to move heaven and earth for their young ones to transform radically abnormal times into life-sustaining, secure, loving environments and normalized life.

Bless them all.
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We continue to feature evidence of the ongoing debate regarding the anomalous nature of Ontario’s educational policies.

Last week in the Financial Post, Matthew Lau published an opinion piece entitled, “Let’s have diversity of school choices”.

Lau supports the recent introduction in Alberta of Bill 15, the Choice in Education Act, that aims at expanding freedom of educational choice for families and improving access to educational diversity.

As have many others, he points out the benefits of allowing more competition in the educational system. “Student test scores at Alberta’s charter and independent schools are consistently higher than in its government-run schools. Similarly, in British Columbia, students from families with comparable incomes achieve higher test scores on average at independent schools than at government-run schools… Beyond these academic differences, recent surveys from Cardus, a think-tank, find that graduates of independent schools are more likely to volunteer and donate to charity.”

It is our hope that Queen’s Park is taking notice of the growing conversation about education in this province.

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Be safe. Stay safe. Be well. Stay well. Be strong. Stay strong.

Shabbat shalom

GAJE