Please, not this again. While I support equal opportunity, it is completely fair and accurate to say that we all learn at different levels or have different skills and talents that do a great deal to determine our educational and career paths. 20 years after the last failed experiment, a lobbyist is again calling for the "destreaming" of secondary school education in Ontario.
Back in 1993, I was one of the students who experienced the completely de-streamed grade nine curriculum implemented by the government of Bob the Fake New Democrat Rae. Aside from those with identified significant learning disabilities, all students of all abilities and interests were in the same form, taking the same course, and being exposed to every subject taught at the high school level. It was completely unfair to the students and teachers alike. I am not a mathematical person. I was never good at it and never particularly interested in it. I was failing the de-streamed course. My parents and I found out that the course was basically the old grade nine Advanced level course with a new name stuck on it. This was a miserable challenge for me. We also had crammed weeks learning everything else offered. There was a year-long business and commercial course where we learned typing (and yes, we still had electric typewriters), introductory economics, bookkeeping, and even proper filing techniques. We spent a semester in a music classroom, and the second semester in visual/fine art. There was a whirlwind tour of ever technology or "shop." Welding, machine, electrical, automotive, and woodworking.
It was a completely useless experience. Not enough time was spent in many of the courses to actually be there long enough to learn anything. Teachers were rushed, or just not interested. The fact they were teaching students who were not suited to be there, or whom they didn't want there left any opportunity for education in a state of abeyance. I am not a mechanical person. I tried arc welding once and refused to do it again. I got pretty handy with a bench grinder, smoothing pieces of metal down for others. The automotive teacher was a hands-off sort who didn't explain much. You had to already really like tearing apart cars and putting them back together if you were going to enjoy his class. I've learned more about cars from my Dad, mechanics at garages, or from the Internet in the years since. As for music, I'm not a singer, and although I enjoy certain forms of visual/fine art, I am not an artist. De-streamed grade nine was months of mediocrity. The only classes I really liked and did well in were the History/Civics course, English, and French.
Streaming makes complete sense in secondary school. A student who wants to become a welder or electrician should not have to study Shakespeare. Students wanting to become economists or scientists should not have to do water colour paintings or be able to sing a perfect "A" note.
Annie Kidder of People for Education (by the way, she is married to actor Eric Peterson of Corner Gas and Street Legal renown) is quite rightfully concerned about students in the Applied level courses underachieving. I recall teachers observing similar trends with the old General level courses that preceded it. Older generations will remember when high school in Ontario was a two-year, four-year, or five-year stream, depending on the abilities, interests, and career intentions of the student. I am quite positive that similar varying levels of achievement existed within those streams too. Streaming is not the reason for the underachievement. There are probably much more significant sociological reasons for this persistent issue. Those are the ones that really need to be addressed here. Homogenizing the secondary school curriculum is only going to make things more challenging for students who already struggle, it will deny high achieving students of meaningful challenges, and it will frustrate teachers and principals. A streamed high school curriculum is the best way of offering fair opportunities to students according to their needs, abilities, and interests.
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