Trax

I am concerned. There are several things that appear odd to me. There seems to be huge differences between schools so I am not sure if the system is quirky or if the issues are school based.

Why would we want women in charge? After all, the men are doing such a great job! Booming economy! Improved health & lifestyle of citivens! Renewed environment! :angry:

no wonder the economy is upside down...

Do you really believe that Harper wants to goof off and play games? Do you really think that the Lib's & NDP's just want to work on behalf of Canadians right now? What is wrong with the idea to lead by example and cut unnecessary spending & gov't subsidy to political parties? Now we have Chrétien & Broadbent pulling the strings behind the scenes. I don't remember seeing their names on the last ballot. What a bunch of selfish pricks. They are doing this because they can, not because they should!

I am not a political expert but I am a woman. After watching CPAC this afternoon, I heard the ranting of some female MP's stating that they would vote against the minority conservatives based on the fact that the government policy would hurt women's rights. They said that women are forced to leave "partnerships" and somehow become self employed so that they could work from home because they could not afford or find childcare. Then they claim that women are disadvantaged with respect to EI and that self employed women should be entitled to EI benefits. I am not really sure what that means. If a woman is self employed, why does she need to collect EI? Anyway, I am really quite embarrassed that today we are complaining about opportunity for women in Canada. There is probably no where else, on the planet, that women have more respect or equality than they do in Canada. We, as women, are just as capable of achieving our goals as men are at a achieving theirs. It is our choice to marry, become a mother, and become self-employed or to take a traditional job. It drives me crazy when I hear women trying to claim that all of their problems are caused by cruel & dominant men. Give me a break! Anyway, if an MP wants to vote against the government, I would prefer if they would be honest about the reason & not try to claim that they are doing it on behalf of us poor, discriminated, helpless women.

Sounds like a demonstration/protest is in the works. Does anyone think that it will make a difference?

Thanks Kitch for your input on this. I agree that my concerns would only apply to some teachers, not all. I know many teachers that are quite considerate. My concerns are in no way intended to be directed at all teachers. You made a good point about the hours you spend working etc. You stated that you teach science and I would expect that the nature of the subject alone would affect the workload of both the student and the teacher. I hope that there are ways of balancing workload in schools and that teachers are rewarded appropriately for the work that they do. I agree that seeing a play has a stronger impact than reading about it. Especially if you are studying the literary works of Shakespeare. That is taught in English isn't it? In our case, we are in Niagara. There are many local opportunities to view performances in order to illustrate a lesson being taught in Music or Drama. I am sure that the transportation cost alone would have a huge impact on the cost of the trips. In this case, the trip to Toronto was being planned as the teacher got a "deal" on tickets and decided to purchase a block of last minute seats on her credit card. That is why we had short notice. I tried to explain to the principal that perhaps they could give parents the heads up at the beginning of the course. They could simply advise that parents should be prepared for the possibility of a last minute trip in the event that it means discounts on ticket prices. They could also commit to keep costs below a certain number for a maximum number of trips. For example, all trips in this class will not total more than $100 in total and the number of events will not exceed 3 trips per semester. That way, when we get the permission form, it isn't a shock.

Anyone that drives a car, sled, atv, motorcycle, machine or plane after drinking too much is a TOOL! Even if a friend insists in getting behind the wheel when they are not fit, I would call the cops without hesitation. I would rather protect them & others than turn the cheek & live the rest of my life knowing that I could have prevented a tragedy. If we expect toddlers to listen to us when we say "no, don't touch that!" because it is dangerous to them or others, why is it so hard to expect adults or young adults to respect the law (and reasons behind it) to not drink & drive? I don't get it.

My cousin was killed at age 17 in a crash caused by the 18 year old that was driving. There were 4 teens in the car and the 18 yr old male was showing off & driving aggressively down a steep winding hill. He tried to pass a car on a sharp turn when an on coming vehicle came from around the bend. He tried to avoid the oncoming car and spun out, slamming the passenger side into a concrete barricade. My cousin- Caitlin- was on life support for a day when the decision was made to allow her to donate organs. I have yet to hear anything about this legislation that would have altered the events that day. True, it would have been illegal to have 4 passengers, but it was already illegal to drive erratically, without seatbelts etc. The driver was ok with breaking those laws, why would he follow these new ones? My cousin is dead because an 18 year old male was irresponsible and immature. How do these changes make a young person responsible & mature? I say unplug the play station & toss the 10 year olds on to riding lawnmowers, go-karts, snowmobiles, dirt bikes and any other motorized vehicle that will force them to think, react, judge distance & speed and most of all, respect the power of the vehicle. They will learn their limits, gain experience, build character & common sense. Then, develop a driver’s training program that actually prepares them for the road and back it up with recommendations from experienced drivers that have spent significant time as passengers with the youth at the wheel. It would be a much better indicator of whether or not a teen has the necessary maturity required to hold a driver’s license. Yeah, I guess its better to dream up new laws...

Great points everyone & I appreciate the insights. I have a few thoughts and points to add. I agree that if parents & teachers are doing the fundraisers then it defeats the purpose. I read some ideas on the Ontario Student Debating Union website & was really impressed with the concepts that the group suggested. They talk about the students organizing & executing original events that offer real value to the community. The position on trips & fundraising was the opinion of a particular principal and not the District School Board. I understand that each school has its own procedures & policies. The end result in this case was that there was a division in the classes. The students that did not attend the trip were left out of the excitement and discussions before and after the event. In a small town, it is not reasonable to expect a parent that works hard to keep things on track to approach a school, hat in hand, and ask for the other parents to pay their child's way. They would feel completely humiliated. A wise old man recently said simply, "If you have a hundred dolla...dont spend a hundred ten dolla" Is a trip to see a play worth putting that much pressure on a parent? Couldn't there be more economical options closer to home? Would it be fair to give parents more than 2 days notice for such an event? If you are a teacher or administrator- you don't have to worry about your hours being cut next month due to economic conditions. You don't have to fear a lay-off or job loss. You don't have the risk of losing your business and life savings during a recession. There are real issues facing many of us in the community & it would be nice if the staff at our schools showed the appropriate respect for the time, money and responsibilities of parents when planning trips and events.

Hello all! Just looking for some opinions & I am hoping that this is the right place to ask. Recently I had an experience with my teen’s high school. The music teacher planned a trip to a musical production about 1hr 15 min bus ride from the school. The plan was to attend the show & then have dinner & do some shopping in the city afterwards. The show & bus would cost $50.00 per student and the kids would need extra cash for dinner and shopping. The permission form came home on a Wednesday & had to be in by Friday as the trip was scheduled for the following Wednesday. I was told by the teacher that it was “part of the curriculum” but then I was told that my child wasn’t required to go. I was also told that if I “couldn’t afford” the trip, the school would fund my child’s participation. They explained that I shouldn’t feel uncomfortable with them paying the bill & that they wouldn’t tell anyone. I was told that the school would not participate or allow the students to participate in fundraisers for trips, only for charity. I understand that schools make up their own rules about this stuff but I was wondering if some guidelines might be a good idea. I fully support kids taking part in trips and activities. I would love to see them put effort into raising a portion of the money needed through creative and innovative fundraising events. The lessons they would learn in the pursuit of the goal might just be as important as the goal itself. As our economic condition changes, educators have an opportunity to show consideration when making decisions that affect parents. I would love to have better communication with the school but right now, it seems like the teachers & administrators are an elite group that don’t want to be bothered with the input from a mere parent. Has anyone else had any similar experiences? Any advice or solutions that might be appropriate?