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Youth Development

Back-to-school plans cause much doubt and chaos

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BY PAUL JUNOR

The release of Ontario-back-school plans on June 23rd, 2020 and finalization on August 6th, 2020 has left school boards in a state of confusion and uncertainty. The four teachers’ unions: ETFO, OSSTF, OECTA and AEFO as well as parents groups and opposition members have been critical of the plan. The unions, in a letter dated Thursday, August 13th, 2020 responded that about $3 billion has to be spent in order to ensure the safe reopening of elementary and secondary schools. They argue that smaller class sizes are needed for K-8 students, and not the stipulated maximum average of 24.5 students per class across each school board and the hiring of extra teachers.

A demonstration was held at Queen’s Park on Wednesday, August 12th, 2020, which comprised of parents and teacher coalitions. There was the depiction of a mock classroom that dramatized the necessity of smaller class sizes in order to ensure that physical distancing is possible.

In response to the mounting criticism, the Minister of Education, Stephen Leece announced on Thursday, August 12th, that school boards would be able to access $500 million by dipping into their reserve funds. This would be in addition to the $309 million that they had been promised earlier, of which $60 million and $100 million was for personal protective equipment, and 500 custodians and nurses. $50 million would be spent on upgrading of ventilation systems and $18 million for online learning and students’ safety.

The Ministry of Education released a memorandum on Thursday, August 13th, 2020 in which it provides additional deals with respect to its reopening plans. It is expected that there is a minimum of 300 minutes of engaged, synchronous (real -time, live) and asynchronous learning. They must be based on: the Ontario curriculum, guided instruction, large and small group learning, synchronous checks -in and asynchronous independent-assigned work. It is expected that teachers are accessible to work with their students during their teaching schedule.

The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) submitted their plan at a special meeting on August 13th, 2020. According to the August 16th issue of The Canadian Press, the TDSB plan that was presented involves the reduction of the average size sizes to 15 students for kindergarten to Grade 3 and 20 students for Grades 4 to Grades 8. This would necessitate hiring 200 extra teachers at a cost of $20 million. In addition, the TDSB’s plans foresee high school students being in class 25% of the time.

The Ministry of Education rejected this plan after TDSB officials met with Ministry personnel on the weekend. As reported in the Toronto Star on Sunday, August 16th, 2020, the Ministry expected high school students to spend 50% of their time in classrooms and to increase the length of the school day. The TDSB finance committee also met, and the board finalized a new K-12 plan on Tuesday, August 18th, 2020. It will spend $30 million to hire 366 teachers to reduce class sizes for elementary students.

The four teachers’ unions have threatened to go to the labour relations board because they are concerned that the province’s back-to-school plan violates occupational health and safety standards. They do not believe that students, teachers and school staff should be exposed to unsafe work conditions.

All school boards in the Greater Toronto Area finalized their back-to-school plans. Parents, guardians and caregivers have been informed. They should be aware of start dates, mask/face-covering guidelines, learning models (K-12), and registration procedures for in-person or virtual schooling, bussing schedules, exemption and accommodations rules. There are still many details that need to be ironed out.

With a last name that means “Faithful and loyal,” it is no wonder that Paul Junor has become a welcomed addition to the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper Team. Since 1992, Paul has dedicated his life to become what you call a great teacher. Throughout the years, he has formed strong relationships with his students and continues to show them that he cares about them as people. Paul is a warm, accessible, enthusiastic and caring individual who not only makes himself available for his students, but for his community as well.

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Youth Development

Understanding the multiple layers involved in navigating education spaces Parents of Black Children launch Navigating the Education System

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BY PAUL JUNOR

The work of the advocacy group Parents of Black Children (PoBC) has made a significant and revolutionary difference by bringing issues to the forefront that help Black families at all levels.

For over two years now, it has organized events, workshops and initiatives that have provided important information to the Black community to bring empowerment, knowledge and deep understanding of the multiple layers of the complex dynamics involved in navigating education spaces.

There are five core principles that underlie PoBC understanding of racism:

  1. Racialization
  2. Racism is about power
  3. Critical racial theory
  4. Our stories matter
  5. Racism is founded on White supremacy

On Tuesday, November 23rd, 2021, they launched the document Navigating the Education System,” which was a very empowering, enriching and inspiring tool for diverse Black families. Kearie Daniels, one of the cofounders of PoBC and author of the document, moderated the launch. Furthermore, Claudette Rutherford, one of the cofounders of PoBC and author gave an extensive presentation of the details of the document, sharing useful insights, practical knowledge and interesting information.

PoBC shared a pdf document subsequent to the launch, which provided additional details in a fifty-three-page package. It contained relevant, contextual and vital resources. PoBC’s Advocacy Team supported the document, which includes Charline Grant and Xavier McLaughin.

In the introduction to the document the mission of PoBC is to “Provide support to parents of Black children across Canada and the United States. We advocate and work towards change and concrete action in our education system and adjacent systems such child welfare and the justice system.”

The launch of this vital document is a culmination of all the advocacy and activist work that PoBC has been extensively involved in. It serves to remind members of the Black community that there are resources, tools and supports available to ensure that Black children are able to thrive academically, excel mentally and flourish intellectually in spaces that may not be welcoming to their presence.

The document states that the navigate guide is “Geared towards families in Ontario, but the information can be applied to any jurisdiction where there are Black children and families.”

The document “Table of Contents” is useful and helpful. There is vital information on:

  • School board terms you need to know
  • Education organization you need to know in Ontario
  • Black families and the Child Welfare System
  • Black families and the education system
  • Black students and Individual Education Plans (IEPs)
  • Black students in High School.
  • Developmental delays in learning exceptionalities
  • Supporting students with learning exceptionalities
  • Selecting a school system
  • System abuse

PoBC presented a webinar on “System Abuse”. The document states,

“The system is not neutral. These systems were designed as part of a colonial framework that must be dismantled.” Furthermore, the document “Serves as a means to demystify the pitfalls within the education system and light a path towards a decolonized education system.”

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Youth Development

Toronto prepares families for COVID-19 vaccination of children

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Photo by Charles Deluvio Library on Unsplash

BY PAUL JUNOR

There have been concerns, fears and anxieties as parents, caregivers and guardians anticipate the possibility of having their children under twelve vaccinated.

The Boston Globe reported on Friday, October 29th, 2021, that the FDA approved the administration of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to children between the ages of five to eleven. These children will receive one-third of the dose administered to teens and adults.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention met on Tuesday, November 2nd, 2021, in order to finalize details with respect to which children should be vaccinated first. In anticipation of these developments, Team Toronto has initiated a series of outreach and education sessions, as well as town halls in order to inform the Toronto community.

Parents of children between the ages of five to eleven who attend public schools will be receiving an email and an invitation to respond to a survey to “Support vaccine planning.”  This invitation will also be extended to parents whose children attend private independent schools as well. The survey will be administered by Toronto Public Health (TPH) and the City of Toronto VaxTO in order to “Better understand parents’ intent to vaccinate their children, how they would prefer to have their children receive their COVID-19 vaccine, and to obtain critical information on socio-demographic factors such as race and income.”

John Tory, Mayor of Toronto, is optimistic and positive about this development. He states in the press release, “While our work to get 90% of eligible residents vaccinated is continuing, we are also readying for when the vaccine will be available to protect kids five to eleven. We want to hear from parents, so we made sure we designed a vaccination program that works for kids and their families. This is just one more example of the outreach we are doing to prepare for this effort. This work is so important and will help us get kids vaccinated so they have the best protection against COVID-19 and so our schools can be as safe and as open as possible.”

Councillor Joe Cressy, Chair of Toronto’s Board of Health who has been at the forefront of advocating for the vaccination of margnizalied and at-risk communities is supportive of this campaign. He states, “At every stage of our immunization campaign, connecting with people on the ground has been critical to our success. Now, as we prepare for the rollout of vaccines to children aged five to eleven, we’re committed to engaging directly with parents, families, and community leaders to have active conversations about vaccinations for kids.”

In addition, Dr Eileen De Villa, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health is a strong proponent of this campaign. She states,” When vaccines are approved for use and when we have supply we will ensure that we bring every resource to bear on this critical component of the vaccination campaign.”

The survey will be available as of Sunday, November 7th, 2021. It consists of fifteen questions that will be available online at s.tphsurvey.chkmkt.com in multiple languages. Parents and guardians will receive them from their children’s public school boards. In addition, there will be town halls for specified multilingual communities as well as neighbourhood-based telephone halls to ensure that the public has access to timely, necessary and relevant information for informed decision-making.

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Youth Development

Act as if what you do makes a difference. IT DOES

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BY SABRINA S. – 12 YEARS OLD

The school year is coming to an end, I’m sure that this year was hectic for everyone. Last year, we had a pandemic strike in the middle of the year and the world was sent into lockdown.

We didn’t get to go to school for the rest of the year.

Many students got to choose if they wanted to do school in-person or online, I chose online since I didn’t feel safe.

First day of school was very weird, most people don’t turn their cameras on, don’t even get me started on the wifi issues. I would lag out of the google meet many times and miss most of the instructions on the assignment. That is when friends come in handy, though I don’t get to see my friends that often, we still connect with some online games and phone calls through snap chat.

I don’t know where the time went, it just flew by. Last month was September and suddenly, I feel like we skipped eight months. I only have a week of school left! Because it is the last week of school, I have a lot of homework and final assignments to do but I know I’ll get through them and finish the school year.

I haven’t had time to go outside as well, I’ve been too busy with my assignments.

If my school year was this hectic, imagine the teacher’s year. I’m very grateful for everything my teachers have done for me and my classmates this year, they definitely deserve the three-month summer break. I’m sure my teachers doubted teaching online, but everything went okay and I learned lots.

“No matter how hard it is, or how hard it gets. I’m going to make it!”

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