Let down by the Education System once again!

Recently, you may have read or heard about Emil Cohen. The Northern Secondary School student who was suspended for calling a spade a spade. If you haven't, the full article is here courtesy of the Toronto Sun.

Emile simply summed up the challenges that faced the soccer team throughout the season. Unfortunately, each of the challenges were caused by the school's lack of support for the team and its players. Emile's recanting embarrassed the phys-ed department, and its teachers. The School backed the teachers lack of initiative, and suspended the student for 2-days. This is comparable to going to writing a news-article, criticizing governmental politics, and being incarcerated for 2-days. Are we living in North Korea? Do we want all our children to grow up as drones, living in fear that they can't publicly express their opinions? Emile spoke about sports at a sports assembly. It's not like he interrupted the annual "Grinch who stole Christmas" holiday musical. Emile took time at the right moment to discuss the challenges of the team.

As a student, I knew what it felt like to be under appreciated, and treated as a nuisance. I can recount many stories of how the education system let me down. If it weren't for a strong family system, and the very, very few educators who took the time to work with me, I could have easily been lost in the shuffle and dropped out. I really felt like most of the teachers didn't care. Most of the educators wanted to exact their life frustrations on a defenseless student.

We should be doing more to encourage our students. Instead of punishing them for wanting more support, we should be encouraging their enthusiasm. Using the interest and buzz generated by Emile, why didn't the school set-up a fund raiser for next year's soccer team, instead of suspending him, and removing all his phys-ed privileges? Evidently, it was easier to try and shut him up, and make an example of him, than to have to actually do something that might motivate the student body.

This is a prime example of the education system failing their students. The Belief today is "I am displeased with my job/boss/coworkers/funding/spouse etc. , so our kids are going to pay for it". What a horrible attitude to have when in a position of encouragement & education. What's worse, is that the school board approves this school's actions.

Our educators and school-board workers have chosen to work in the education field. Why don't they start acting like they care about the students instead of acting like they care about a paycheque?

Schools aren't held accountable

You may have read, or watched on the news that a London boy was punched in the head by another student. As recounted by the victim's parents, the School didn't take the head-injury seriously. The battered student was asked to sit for 30 minutes before being examined by the principle. Even as the child asked to go hom, he was made to sit and wait for the principal.

Story here: London Free Press

It turned out that the victim had a fractured skull and brain damage as a result of the incident.

This issue resonates with me, as I too had a head-trauma issue when I was in elementary school, and neither the teacher nor the principal took my issue seriously enough to call an ambulance.

My story begins with a 6 year old Stephen walking across the monkey bars in the school playground. I thought it would be fun if I were to climb up top of the monkey bars and walk across them instead of hanging from them like a normal monkey child. As the recess bell rang, I started my decent from the bars, in anticipation of the post-recess class room line-up and head-count. Unfortunately, I was jarred on my way down the monkey bars, striking my forehead on one bar and the rear of my head on the other. As I fell to the ground, unconscious. I don't know how long I was outside, but I do recall a couple of classmates, lifting me up to carry me to class. Upon my arrival, my Grade 1 teacher promptly yelled at me for missing the recess bell. I was made to sit on the carpet away from my friends. My teacher, Ms. Divincenzo didn't bother to ask me where I was after the recess bell. She just assumed that I was tardy because I as playing. The funny thing is that my class at the time had a direct window to the playground. Had she looked out the window, she would have seen my laying in the sand. Instead, she yelled at me an assumed that I was just being a bad kid. As I sat on the carpet, and made to feel guilty for injuring myself, I began to experience some discomfort, that soon resulted in projectile vomit being spewed on to the Brown, Yellow and Orange shag carpet. From that point on, I don't remembe much. I only recall my parents being arriving at the school office and my father yelling at Mr.Brian, the principal at the time. My father was quite upset. He must have travelled from Downtown toronto Station A (Now the Air Canda Centre) to come collect me, a drivethat would normally take at least 30 minutes.

Luckily, in the end, I was merely concussed and without serious harm. My issue with all this is that any issue that involves a developing child's brain sholuld be take extremely seriously. The longer you wait, the more damadge could be done. My story could have turned out worse. If I had severe brain traume, and were to wait over 30 minutes before being taken to the hospital, the end result could have been far more grim.

My ask is that people responsible for our children should take these typs of injuries far more seriously.