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economist suntribune education saturday july 13 2002 staff photosteve somerville teachers michael dunsiger left and cindy spring with principal steve gardner in a classroom at vaughan secondary school friday summer school who teaches who goes in york region they re not reluctant instructors and underachieving students by mitchell brown staff writer anyone who remembers the 1987 movie summer school knows the hollywood version underachieving misfit stu dents reluctant teachers conned into giving up their summer vaca tions wild and zany adventures that by the end of the movie end up teaching important life lessons to everyone involved but if thats how its supposed to happen in real life then someone forgot to tell mike dunsiger during the school year hes a special education teacher at ventura park public school in thornhill this summer though you can find him teaching juniorhigh math courses at vaughan secondary school and yes hes definitely there of his own free will i love it the 27year teaching veteran says during a break ive never taken a whole summer off i like working with the kids i mean i like making a little extra money too but id probably be here even if i wasnt down the hall cindy spring instructs a class of students seek ing help with their reading and writing skills with 14 years experience as an english teacher this is the first year shes signed up for summer school duty and she readily admits it was initially a financial decision basically i do need the money she said i have two teenagers who are going to university so i need to supplement my income now halfway into the first of two threeweek programs she says it has been an eyeopening experi ence working with students seek ing a second chance to bring up their marks i have to admit i did come in thinking i have three weeks to go but the kids here are really great summer school it helps you you can actually get help during the summer these are the kids who often sit in the back of the room during the school year here youre giv ing them an opportunity to shine she said and its not just the teachers who say theyre happy to be here while its inevitable some students pressured to attend by their par ents will drop out in the first few days those who stay say theyre here because they want a head start on the coming school year i volunteered to come here said sandra malkin 14 who is brushing up on her math its fun being here with my friends besides she added what would i do at home its better to get ready for school her classmate shannae donaldson agreed i asked my teacher if i could come the woodbridge student said summer school it helps you you can actually get help during the summer im here to go over the stuff so i know what im going to do when i get to high school there are two streams vice- principal fran harvey explained the reinforcement students attend threeweek courses to review material they have already seen and to bring their marks up while the acceleration program caters to students looking to get a leg up on the coming year exact numbers arent available but ms harvey estimated about 60 per cent of the 750 students at vaughan this summer are taking reinforcement courses math is by far the most popular subject in both streams followed by english science history and civics this year york region schools offering summer courses experi enced a huge increase in applica tions causing firstday frustration for many students and their parents in 1998 about 4000 students enrolled in summer school pro grams at the regions high schools last year that number climbed to 7000 and a spokesperson for the continuing education department at theyork district school board says about 8000 students had signed up by the end of the first week while other boards in the greater toronto area dont have exact numbers most are reporting increases as well a spokesperson for the simcoe county district school board said its numbers look normal for most courses but enrolment for grades 9 and 10 summer courses is up 50 per cent because of the new curriculum there isnt any secret some students are finding the curriculum more difficult than previous years in an interview last week board spokesperson ross virgo said the new curriculum was a factor in the number of students seeking math courses there isnt any secret some students are finding the curricu lum more difficult than previous years he said ms harvey said the increased interest in math has caused some problems for summer school administrators trying to accom modate the rush its difficult because you need specific teachers in specific areas she said its always better if youve taught the course before because in summer school theyre con densing it into such a small time the other challenge facing administrators she said is they cant make final staffing decisions until the final enrolment numbers are in and that doesnt happen until the first week of july just a few days before classes start by then a lot of teachers who have put in their name for summer school may have made other arrangements for their summer because they didnt hear any thing she said add this to the fact high schools during the summer are also slated for other uses vaughan secondary for instance is hosting a gymnastics camp as well as undergoing the usual summertime maintenance and things can get a little hectic not that the students have much time to notice the din as theyre in class from 830 am to 330 pm five days a week absorb ing up to aweeks worth of materi al every day discipline said principal steve gardner is a nonissue because the students want to be there much like the teachers teaching them if mr dunsiger is anything to go by ill be back next year he said adding teaching almost year- round is his secret for staying young 1020 denison st unit 115 9059479575 krvniikoioin kiwsfr k6msfsiw website wwwmarkhamfurniturecom mar and ji furniture is c operated by bui rlzk forfner barrymorc furniture plant manager markham 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