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jan@peopleforeducation.com
June 15, 2009
Last post I start talking about
Consumed…How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults and Swallow Citizens Whole, by Benjamin R. Barber.
This is chunky book and I suspect it could be a wee bit shorter. Published in 2007, Barber says “(when) the needy are without income and the well-heeled are without needs, radical inequality is just assumed”. If the poor cannot be made rich enough to become consumers, then those who have wealth but no real material needs will have to be persuaded to shop. Otherwise the system will not grow and, if does not grow, it will die. This is the dilemma and his book looks at the market response to this. At risk is everything, including democracy.
Most damaging is the “infantilist” ethic of consumption, where people no longer value the different stages of life but yearn to be forever young. This refusal to grow old is important because it in part diminishes our adult lives. “Adult cultures are plural and distinctive, but youth culture is remarkably universal”. And it is easier to sell to a broad universal culture. Kid culture.
Well I'm not sure about all this. I quite enjoy lots of different kinds of markets and I've no great desire to be young but I do keep hearing about education as a consumer choice issue.
Next post I’ll talk about the impact of this on education.
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Over ninety percent of Canada's young people attend public schools, in Ontario that percentage is even higher. We believe that strong public schools, linked to strong communities can provide every student with an opportunity to develop the skills, imagination and sense of citizenship necessary to meet the challenges of the 21st Century. We'd like to spark some new conversations! Find out more.
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We released our report on Monday June 8th!
Blog Posts
Schools as community centres: opening doors
Posted by Tony Maxwell on January 14, 2009 at 5:36pm — 2 Comments
Book Chat
Posted by Jan Sugerman on April 3, 2009 at 9:30am — 6 Comments
Minister axes Provincial Parent Voice
Posted by Catherine on June 10, 2009 at 8:21am — 14 Comments
Discussions
Online Discussion Netiquette 1 Reply
Once you've read these guidelines, you'll feel confident to begin sharing your ideas, views and information with others in our online community. Lurk for a While Hanging out and just reading the m...
Started by People for Education in Netiquette. Last reply by People for Education Mar 24.
Are School Boards required to consult with stakeholders? 6 Replies
I am trying to find something written in the Education legislation or other documentation regarding a school board's "requirement" to consult with stakeholders on importation issues or impending ch...
Tagged: governance, consultation
Started by Tanya in Post your questions about school or education here.. Last reply by Catherine Jun 9.
Grades 7 & 8 students being moved into the High School to Help in Declining Enrollment. 7 Replies
We are presently going thru the Accommodation review, we have felt from the very beginning that the School Board wants to solve the declining enrollment In the Elementary and Secondary schools, by ...
Started by Christine Gulutzen in Post your questions about school or education here.. Last reply by Catherine May 12.
Parent Council- voting 11 Replies
Hello, I am hoping for some direction. Thank you in advance for your time. An issue ( purchasing sports equipment) for voting was presented and the Principal squashed the issue and would not supp...
Started by Ali in Post your questions about school or education here.. Last reply by Ali Jun 12.
ARCs and school closings - what's working and what's not 18 Replies
People are writing to us about their Accommodation Review Committees(ARC). There are hundreds of schools under review right now, and in some areas the ARCs seem to be going well, but in other areas...
Started by Annie Kidder in General. Last reply by Catherine May 12.
School Generated Funds 5 Replies
My Board (Upper Grand) is reviewing its School Generated Funds policy. (I'm a parent rep. on the cttee.) Has anyone else been through this? Is there research / news / articles that we should know...
Tagged: accountability, financial, reporting, tax, audit
Started by Tony Maxwell in Post your questions about school or education here.. Last reply by Tony Maxwell Apr 23.
Parent Involvement Committees, Regional Parent Groups and Voting Rights, Oh My! 39 Replies
In response to an inquiry about who has voting rights on Parent Involvement Committees, I got some very interesting and varied responses from across the province. But one of the most interesting th...
Started by Jacqui Strachan in General. Last reply by Catherine Jun 9.
2009-2010 School Start Date 18 Replies
I am curious to know how many school councils canvassed their parents to find out how they felt about the start date of the 2009-2010 school year? From listening to the radio talkshows it seems tha...
Started by Mike in Post your questions about school or education here.. Last reply by Joanne Schmidt Jun 16.
Getting rid of EQAO 115 Replies
Any feelings about doing away with EQAO? This has become a monster tail wagging the dog of education. If the Ministry is looking to save money (given these lean days) then eliminating EQAO would be...
Started by Frank Loreto in General. Last reply by Archana Jun 18.
What's your great parent inclusion idea? 11 Replies
Many people out there are doing incredible work to reach out to parents, and I'd love to hear about them. For the past three years, People for Education has been researching parent inclusion and so...
Started by Jacqui Strachan in Bank of ideas. Last reply by Jacqui Strachan Apr 17.
Read the highlights from our school council survey!
This year, People for Education piloted a new survey for school councils.We received over 500 responses, and 95% of the school boards in Ontario are represented in the results. Thank you to everyone who participated!
Click here to read the school council survey highlights.
Stay tuned! More results will be published in the fall in our Annual Report on Schools.
Watch Annie Kidder on TVO Parents!
Beyond The Basics: What should schools teach kids? Are literacy and numeracy skills enough - or do elementary students need more? This is the topic of the upcoming show on TVO. Annie Kidder gives her opinion. Featured guests are: Penny Milton, Paul Sandrock, and Avis Glaze. They will discuss:What should schools teach elementary kids?
Why aren't literacy and numeracy skills enough?
What are 21st century skills?
How do we teach kids to be critical or ethical?
How can parents prepare their kids for the future?
The show will be streamed online on Friday, June 5th so you can watch it any time after that.
It will also be broadcast on TVO on Sunday, June 14th at 6:00 p.m.
Annie Kidder was a guest, along with Claudia Hepburn, on last week's Your Voice program on TVO Parents. The topic they discussed was 'Shopping for Schools in Ontario'.
To access both shows online, go to TVO Parents and click on the box "Shopping for Public Schools" or "Beyond the Basics".
About
5 THINGS WE LEARNED
- New director of TDSB supports schools as community hubs saying if we are sincere about helping kids, we have to help their families as well.
Read: Listen, Learn, and Lead.
- Parents no longer complain about cell phone bills! This Scarborough teen texts her way to $25,000 win
- Teens become pro musicians faster nowadays says jazz icon Benny Golson. They have so much material upon which to draw, schools and all kinds of places to learn to play and write. At college, they told him if he got caught playing jazz he'd be expelled; that's how bad it was. Read more.
- In praise of the trades, crafts worthy of your head, your hands, and your heart. Matthew B. Crawford's new book, Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work.
Read Jim Coyle's article.
- Library's secret: Volume! Volume! Volume! Bitten by the reading bug, Scarborough high school students borrow up to 100 books for summer... Read about this amazing teacher-librarian.
A Celebration of Amazing Community Work
People for Education got a Vital Ideas grant last year to produce our Toronto Parent Toolbox, and we were invited today to celebrate with this year's grant recipients.
The event always inspires me, because we get to hear about some truly innovative and exciting programs that make our community a better place to live.
Congratulations to all of this year's winners (especially Rachel McGarry). To find out more about this year's grant recipients, go to www.tcf.ca.
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