Students want r-e-s-p-e-c-t

When I was a kid you earned respect and no one modified the rules just to boost your self esteem which seems to be the current attitude of educators to deal with a segment of the student body to the detriment of the majority of students

Failure is not an option

June 9

---

Your recent articles and letters have an unsettling adversarial tone toward young people, reflecting an assumption that they are unwilling to assume responsibility for themselves and their learning. Do we really want to maintain control over their futures by sorting them out – pass/fail? Or will both they and we be better served by understanding the conditions and strategies that give rise to success in learning?

We recently brought together a diverse group of 27 high-school students from three cities to create a dramatic performance, "Imagine a School." Their key messages to educators are: teach us; allow us to make mistakes; don't overwhelm us; respect us; make evaluation procedures transparent; don't make assumptions about us without getting to know us; teachers make all the difference; we want to succeed.

They do not ask to be coddled; they want to be taken seriously.

Unfortunately, failure is an option. It is reflected in too high dropout rates that leave young people with limited futures, in students who report that they are inadequately prepared for post-secondary education and in inadequate access to apprenticeships. And it's reflected in beliefs that the problems reside in young people themselves.

---

Penny Milton, CEO, Canadian Education Association, Toronto

Failure is not an option

June 9

---

Having been a teacher for 18 years, I am always amazed at educators who think hammering kids with marks and tougher measures is setting them up for the real world. When the students I teach graduate, my hope is that they are autonomous thinkers who have the desire to succeed and the necessary skills to ensure that occurs.

It is the job of the teacher to find ways to ensure success. How many teachers do you truly remember going the extra mile to ensure programs were individualized, student ideas were embedded in the curriculum, and management of the classroom wasn't turned into a manipulative reward and punishment merry-go-round? When we stop blaming students and begin examining our own practices, we may see the academic growth some teachers think is missing.

Don't put me in the boat of teachers whose main goal in going to their job is to hand out paperwork, rank kids with grades and then head to the staff room to complain.

---

David Treherne, Richmond Hill