5 ms·

A few years ago, we were considering relocating to Toronto. We went to a school and had a meeting with the principal of the local school. This principal said to

by cheez 7y ago

A few years ago, we were considering relocating to Toronto. We went to a school and had a meeting with the principal of the local school. This principal said to us in no uncertain terms that if we can afford private school, to not send our children to public school in Toronto. Now, could this be a selfish reason on his part? Sure, but I doubt it. He walked us through why. Toronto is huge. What you see with the teenager in question is a small town with decent enough resources. And that is the decision we took ultimately: to move to a small town with rich residents.

52-6F-62 7y ago
I grew up on the other side of that coin—a small town without enough resources. It wasn’t the worst of them, but when school boards were amalgamated it sparked internal politics as to where funding was allocated. I was a kid, so I wasn’t directly involved, but looking back on it—it was sad. Rural regions basically battling each other to keep textbooks up to date. And even in that state there were kids winning nation-wide scholarships. The problem was the others who weren’t so gifted had opportunities stripped from them by some man they’d never know. I could go on an anger-filled rant about it but I won’t. (Haha?) I prefer to say anything I’ve done or accomplished was in spite of that situation (and because of good teachers) rather than because of those stringent circumstances. But yes, in Ontario the best schools are probably just outside of the big city centres rather than in them. Upper Canada College for one. The world that places like that exist in is so far removed from the Canada I grew up with that I still think I’d have to see it in person to believe it exists. I’m only partly exaggerating. I hope we can do better than that in the future I’m realizing that we’re all better off if every child has the opportunity to learn and experience from the widest array—rather than limiting those opportunities to children who had the good fortune of good circumstance. It’s not exactly in their control, and it seems like a hell of a good investment to me.
- cheez 7y ago
  Sounds good but it's that kind of thinking that leads to the current situation (I mean this literally) . School is basically glorified babysitting at this point.
  - 52-6F-62 7y ago
    I’m sorry. I don’t follow. I was advocating for more funding to public education so that more children have access to more learning experiences. I hope that’s more clear.
    - cheez 7y ago
      Sorry, I was trying to say that that people have been adding more funding for generations and it keeps getting worse. Example: declining student enrollment, increased spending https://www.fraserinstitute.org/article/per-student-spending-in-ontario-up-more-than-23-despite-claims-to-the-contrary https://www.fraserinstitute.org/article/per-student-spending... http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/elemsec/quickfacts/2016_2017.html http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/elemsec/quickfacts/2016...
      - 52-6F-62 7y ago
        It’s not getting worse, though. Canadian provinces’ public schools are ranking in the top 10 of world countries. https://www.conferenceboard.ca/hcp/provincial/education.aspx https://www.conferenceboard.ca/hcp/provincial/education.aspx https://www.bbc.com/news/business-40708421 https://www.bbc.com/news/business-40708421 As an aside, I do not trust the Fraser Institute to be unbiased on the matter of any kind of public spending. Public spending is a essentially against their core values.
        cheez 7y ago
        Hey, if you're happy with a "B" grade, that explains a lot about Ontario schools :-)
        52-6F-62 7y ago
        That’s a bit of a dishonest interpretation of the rankings, don’t you think?
        7y ago
purple_ducks 7y ago
> What you see with the teenager in question is a small town with decent enough resources Everything bar the geo-specific things (sailing,planeterium) come from the same money pot for every school in Ireland (ROI) and are pretty much the same for most schools countrywide. The more disadvantaged an area your school is in, the more resources(a la funding/support) it gets. This extends outside school to community. The most disadvantaged/crime-ridden communities get the most government funding(local sports/after-school activities/local community centers etc.)
- cheez 7y ago
  Interesting formula. Still I'm going to bet that this kid is better off than most

by cheez 7y ago

52-6F-62 7y ago

I grew up on the other side of that coin—a small town without enough resources. It wasn’t the worst of them, but when school boards were amalgamated it sparked internal politics as to where funding was allocated. I was a kid, so I wasn’t directly involved, but looking back on it—it was sad. Rural regions basically battling each other to keep textbooks up to date. And even in that state there were kids winning nation-wide scholarships. The problem was the others who weren’t so gifted had opportunities stripped from them by some man they’d never know. I could go on an anger-filled rant about it but I won’t. (Haha?) I prefer to say anything I’ve done or accomplished was in spite of that situation (and because of good teachers) rather than because of those stringent circumstances. But yes, in Ontario the best schools are probably just outside of the big city centres rather than in them. Upper Canada College for one. The world that places like that exist in is so far removed from the Canada I grew up with that I still think I’d have to see it in person to believe it exists. I’m only partly exaggerating. I hope we can do better than that in the future I’m realizing that we’re all better off if every child has the opportunity to learn and experience from the widest array—rather than limiting those opportunities to children who had the good fortune of good circumstance. It’s not exactly in their control, and it seems like a hell of a good investment to me.

cheez 7y ago
Sounds good but it's that kind of thinking that leads to the current situation (I mean this literally) . School is basically glorified babysitting at this point.
- 52-6F-62 7y ago
  I’m sorry. I don’t follow. I was advocating for more funding to public education so that more children have access to more learning experiences. I hope that’s more clear.
  - cheez 7y ago
    Sorry, I was trying to say that that people have been adding more funding for generations and it keeps getting worse. Example: declining student enrollment, increased spending https://www.fraserinstitute.org/article/per-student-spending-in-ontario-up-more-than-23-despite-claims-to-the-contrary https://www.fraserinstitute.org/article/per-student-spending... http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/elemsec/quickfacts/2016_2017.html http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/elemsec/quickfacts/2016...
    - 52-6F-62 7y ago
      It’s not getting worse, though. Canadian provinces’ public schools are ranking in the top 10 of world countries. https://www.conferenceboard.ca/hcp/provincial/education.aspx https://www.conferenceboard.ca/hcp/provincial/education.aspx https://www.bbc.com/news/business-40708421 https://www.bbc.com/news/business-40708421 As an aside, I do not trust the Fraser Institute to be unbiased on the matter of any kind of public spending. Public spending is a essentially against their core values.
      - cheez 7y ago
        Hey, if you're happy with a "B" grade, that explains a lot about Ontario schools :-)
        52-6F-62 7y ago
        That’s a bit of a dishonest interpretation of the rankings, don’t you think?
        7y ago

purple_ducks 7y ago

> What you see with the teenager in question is a small town with decent enough resources Everything bar the geo-specific things (sailing,planeterium) come from the same money pot for every school in Ireland (ROI) and are pretty much the same for most schools countrywide. The more disadvantaged an area your school is in, the more resources(a la funding/support) it gets. This extends outside school to community. The most disadvantaged/crime-ridden communities get the most government funding(local sports/after-school activities/local community centers etc.)

cheez 7y ago
Interesting formula. Still I'm going to bet that this kid is better off than most