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ftpuflviue simtribune p thursdgy april 14 20q5 3 parents want more supplies smaller classes for students parents represent one of the sys tems most concerned constituen cies in the school system nadia municella is a special edu cation teacher with a durham board and has a seven-year- old in a markham public school her child was tested for autism spectrum dis order asd in her first year and con tinues to wait for evaluation the markham mother believes more professional development in special education will be required were seeing more young kids with potential disorders and were not seeing enough professional development for use in the class room she said a twohour work shop is not enough to identify issues such as autism based on her experiences as the former chairperson of the unionville public school council and mother of four schoolage children iris benson knows whats on her school-of-the- future wish list we will need a smaller class environment she said class sizes are too big theyre too big for the students add to the mix special needs and behavioural students who should be included and its too much for the teachers future students and parents should be spared the seemingly con stant threat of labour strife she said frustrated by strikes disruptions and strikes frustrate everyone ms benson said weve gone through one strike and a cou ple of worktorules theres got to be a better way so parents and kids can stop wondering if their year will be in jeopardy while ms benson believes the system is fundamentally sound with good and committed teachers administrators of the imminent future need to focus on preparing students earlier her youngest daughter 11 is the only member of the brood in a pri vate school we see the benefits and it has already paid off she said she already knows how to prepare for and write an exam the other chil dren got their first exam in grade 9 shes had french since preschool in the public system my other kids didnt begin until grade 4 shoestring school budgets both er laura defilippis we dont seem to have enough supplies said the mother of stu dents at auroras cardinal carter staff photosteve somerville iris benson former unionville public school council chairperson and mother of four schoolage children would like smaller class sizes and an end to strikes in the schools of the future high school and our lady of annunciation catholic school in oak ridges parents are always being asked to fundraise for books binders and gym equipment i think parents are overwhelmed as it is student trustee and grade 12 dr g w williams secondary school student amy tipton 17 believes the status quo is just fine were not seeing enough professional development for use in the classroom a twohour workshop is not enough to identify issues such as autism nadia municella special education teacher and parent i like the character education system and how theyve worked it into the curriculum she said it combines the best of both worlds theres great diversity in programs that should stay theres also a definite shift in the direction of technology therell be more access to it with her sights set on a postsec ondary theatre program ms tipton is confident future schools will real ize the benefits of more arts and lan guage courses there will probably be an expansion of artsspecific pro grams she said language and french immersion courses will likely grow there will be a real need because bilingualism is a real asset a thornhill mother of two chil dren in french immersion echoes the sentiment french immersion affords kids smaller classes and cultural experi ences normally not available said renata richardson whose 17-year- old attends langstaff secondary school while her 13yearold is a student at woodland glen french immersion is the closest thing to private school my oldest boy has had many positive experi ences and amazing teachers as other parents ms richardson has issue with the quantity of extracurricular activities and threat of labour disruptions teachers are one of the pri mary influences in the life of a child she said strikes and work ing to rule shouldnt be an option in the future chris traber more money needed for hightech schools of tomorrow he past is history the futures a mys tery and todays the present thats why its a gift that prophetic dictum holds particularly true for pubic educa tion in york region it doesnt however stop our schools array of stakeholders from prognosticating about the fortunes of an essential system administered by a relative few for a realistic many while books could deservedly be written about the future of education and what needs to be done to meet and defeat its many challenges the common denomi nator is funding in york as throughout ontario educators and administrators cry out literally and figuratively for a more liberal flow of cash the principles of funding equity and adequacy are not being met they say particularly in the areas of special education technology in the classroom energy costs textbooks growth and salaries with those realities predic tions about the schools of the near future are measured and pragmatic what wed like to do is provide more differentiated programming for our students said york catholic district school board chairperson elizabeth crowe wed like more variety in pro gramming along with the expan sion and integration of technolo gy- were looking to expand our coop and apprenticeship pro grams gone are the days for example when you can afford to build a fully perfect auto shop its expensive and technology changes she cites successful partner ships with seneca college and ibm as harbingers of how schools can optimize resources in the years to come specialized computer pro grams for the regular learner and exceptional student will be the way of the boards world foretells catholic board spokesperson chris cable the provincial thrust is suc cess for all students she said thats the future and a large part of it will be assistive technology for all learners ms cable points to a pilot lap top assistive technology program at st joan of arc catholic high the state of wmm third of a threepart series by chris traber school in maple where students at all levels employ innovative software those with learning disabili ties are aided by computer pro grams designed to type the stu dents spoken word and speak it back the statistics from the pro gram are amazing ms cable said assistive technology will permeate many programs itll create more involved independ ent learners while technology is the way of specialized computer programs for the regular learner and exceptional students will he the way of the hoards world the future administrators must not become romanced by it warns york region district school board chairperson bill crothers there will be more variety and students will learn more through online connections he said were doing that now but my belief is that well still see schools like this because of the socialization aspect education is more than learning the facts a big part of learning how to be good citizen is through contact with other people educational components can be delivered online to accommo date learning but the kids them selves will still be socializing there still will be classrooms ratios may be different and more plugged in but interaction will be there mr crothers calls for tire possi bility of a more subjectspecific see onestop page 8 stouffvilile i o lhi g- f n -t- r e sunderland g- e- nt r toronto street defttal c e n t r- e 9058527382 9056425777 7053573161 it is wise to have regular dental check tips to detect any minor problems before they become major ones 3tmfl new patients welcome the dental centre covers all aspects of dentistry o- wifur