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I don't think what you say about Ontario teachers is true. Both from my own time in school two decades ago, and seeing my kid's teachers a bit more "close up" d

I don't think what you say about Ontario teachers is true. Both from my own time in school two decades ago, and seeing my kid's teachers a bit more "close up" due to zoom pretend-learning, there are a lot of great ones. The problem is unions, specifically seniority. I've found an inverse correlation between age/tenure and quality. The worst teacher my kid has had is the only one on the sunshine list (names and salaries of everyone working in the public sector who make >$100k is published in Ontario). The incentives are so fucked up due to seniority that it really damages the school system, but there are lots and lots of passionate and good teachers doing a good job despite it all.

sh4un 5y ago
We're on the same page here.
rtikulit 5y ago
Chesterton's fence applies. The seniority system has serious drawbacks, but it has the advantage of being simple and difficult to game. It limits the damage caused to organizations by manipulators who would use more sophisticated systems to rig the workforce for personal or political advantage. It means that the average Ontario kid will encounter an average and well-distributed selection of both good and horrible teachers. Ignore the value of that at your peril. My kids are+were in the Ontario system. I pay attention to their quality of education. Across my parenting circles there are kids in every type of school and program conceivable. I could afford to send mine to private school if I thought it necessary. One of my kids is now at a competitive university with smart and hardworking kids from across the globe and he was well-prepared by his high school. In my opinion we are getting a good distribution of good outcomes, should consider ourselves lucky, and be careful not to take our system for granted, or accidentally break it through ideology or ignorance. And almost no one knows what works and what doesn't, but I believe that part of what works is treating teaching as the serious and challenging profession that it is, and letting them get on with it. You know, pretty much what we want from our stakeholders? I am very much of the opinion that we must be all-in on one public school system, with explicit objectives: providing a good education, underpinning social cohesion, encouraging individual diversity, seeking equality of opportunity. (I am not a teacher or in any union, and neither is anyone in my family.)

sh4un 5y ago

We're on the same page here.

rtikulit 5y ago

Chesterton's fence applies. The seniority system has serious drawbacks, but it has the advantage of being simple and difficult to game. It limits the damage caused to organizations by manipulators who would use more sophisticated systems to rig the workforce for personal or political advantage. It means that the average Ontario kid will encounter an average and well-distributed selection of both good and horrible teachers. Ignore the value of that at your peril. My kids are+were in the Ontario system. I pay attention to their quality of education. Across my parenting circles there are kids in every type of school and program conceivable. I could afford to send mine to private school if I thought it necessary. One of my kids is now at a competitive university with smart and hardworking kids from across the globe and he was well-prepared by his high school. In my opinion we are getting a good distribution of good outcomes, should consider ourselves lucky, and be careful not to take our system for granted, or accidentally break it through ideology or ignorance. And almost no one knows what works and what doesn't, but I believe that part of what works is treating teaching as the serious and challenging profession that it is, and letting them get on with it. You know, pretty much what we want from our stakeholders? I am very much of the opinion that we must be all-in on one public school system, with explicit objectives: providing a good education, underpinning social cohesion, encouraging individual diversity, seeking equality of opportunity. (I am not a teacher or in any union, and neither is anyone in my family.)