A modest proposal

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/10/2023 (764 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Now would be the perfect time and place to rethink Manitoba’s public school system. Bill 64, which focused on governance rather than the education of children, is gone. However, a desire for reasonable realistic renewal of education has not gone away.

As boomers retire, we have a new generation of energetic and competent school leaders and teachers ready and eager to take on the challenges of educating our next generations. And we have a new government and a new minister and deputy minister of education — a perfect time to initiate a public conversation on the purposes of education and possible renewal.

Education has always been and remains, to a large extent, the preparation of the young for living fulfilling social, economic, and political lives as adults.

Our society is facing several major crises — environmental degradation, political extremism, religious intolerance, Indigenous reconciliation, labour shortages, child poverty — to name a few. We must somehow prepare our children to deal with these social, environmental, and political realities while at the same time giving them hope for their roles in making the world more hospitable, supportive, inclusive, and equitable.

For starters, I would propose a recon­sideration of when compulsory school­ing begins and ends. It is my hope that public consultation would embrace the notion of starting compulsory schooling no later than age three and ending it no later than the current Grade 10, followed by a “cap” graduation year consisting of one or a combination of voluntary community service, apprenticeship, an exploratory research project, or some other option negotiated with each student, their school, and their parents/caregivers.

Regarding early childhood development, we have known for some time that most children start out with the same measures on brain size, body size and health determinants. Some then begin to lose ground due to poor nutrition, inactive lifestyles and lack of mental stimulation, largely environmental factors. We also know that most three-year olds are capable of thriving in invigorating conditions and situations with appropriate supports and resources is sure to improve their chances of staying abreast of their age peers.

The point of early graduations and the option of selected and preferred cap activities is to address student motivation, engagement, and self determination. Many students feel alienated from school activities in their early teen years because, at that time, the end does not seem to be in sight and they are quite unsure of their future interests, let alone prospects. We might also, as part of this proposal, consider granting voting rights to 16-year-olds, something which has been debated often in the past.

In regard to the “cap” experience, the intent would be to present young people with a taste of the adult world with adult responsibilities for self governance and self initiative within an enabling and supportive environment.

The idea is that they would be under the supervision of caring, trusted adults pursuing a matter of personal interest without the high stakes associated with college, university, or the regular workforce. In the same vein, there would be an emphasis on desirable learned adult attitudes and behaviors like trustworthiness, co-operation, respect, and self-discipline.

In my view, these changes to the current schooling model would greatly enhance the educational experience and chances for success for our children and young people.

Granted, they would require a significant change in our attitudes toward younger children, one which I believe would be heartily embraced after the advantages were considered and debated publicly. They would also need to include discussions of matters like universal nutrition programs, parenting support programs, appropriate school facilities and the training of early childhood educators, all of which are eminently achievable. The payoff would be almost immediate and long term.

As for the “cap” year, this would require a greater co-operation among and collaboration with community partners willing to assume a measure of responsibility for the development and futures of our youth. Hopefully, those community-school partnerships would result not only in less finger pointing and laying of blame, but also a greater empathy for our young people. Furthermore, it would likely facilitate and make less traumatic the transition from the adolescent world to the adult world.

Again, it seems to me it would be worth the effort and investment.

Finally, we could begin to make these changes almost immediately with the help and support of school leaders, teachers, parents, community, and business leaders intrigued by the endless possibilities.

These somewhat small changes could breathe new life into a system in need of refreshment!

John R. Wiens is dean emeritus at the faculty of education, University of Manitoba.