As parents we try to shield our children from the dark and scary parts of the world for as long as we can. We forget just how much they see, hear and notice when we think they aren’t paying attention. Despite our best efforts our children already know that some people aren’t nice, climate change is a problem and there are wars going on in the world.
Our responsibility as adults isn’t to prepare them for an unfair, unkind, struggling world, it is to try our best to address what we can, and educate them in a way that allows them to search out solutions of their own.
Offering a one size fits all public education system that is both underfunded and driven by performance on standardized tests fails to consider important factors that affect the ability of our youth to develop a love of learning and critical thinking skills. Demographic factors such as social class, gender, ethnicity, race, and sexual orientation all contribute to a child’s ability to learn. Further, standard public instruction fails to recognize the different ways children learn and gain understanding. Limited funding and crowded classrooms impact the ability of teachers to provide the quality of education they are capable of providing.
Increasing the availability, agility and robustness of publicly funded education is imperative to Ontario and Wellington Halton Hill. This will facilitate the strengthening of our student’s education in our region, improve safety, health and quality of learning conditions for students, teachers, and parents/guardians, and help address systematic inequalities.
We need to look at addressing societal concerns before they become problems. So much of this can be done through strong public education. Acknowledging systematic inequalities, addressing the different socio-economic challenges faced by students, and providing support for students that need it, can help turn the tide on issues such as gender-based violence, racism, mental illness and addiction.
Green policies aim to tackle all of these challenging obstacles. Through protecting our planet and investing in educational progress, we can establish a flourishing, safe, equal, and sustainable future for all.
Our kids already know these problems exist, it’s time we start providing them with the skills and resources to navigate the world and improve it.