Where I Stand
My issues on education, community safety and Post-secondary
About the Issues
I am proud to be an Ontarian, however I do have some concerns on the well-being of students in the classrooms, as well as the safety of our neighborhoods and how to deal after high-school. Here are my concerns:
Education
We are fortunate to have steady school boards in Ontario, however as a student myself, I want to see change. I think that:
- Classrooms should have a smaller number of students. Some of my classes used almost 30 kids in one room, I feel as if it is hard to receive help with that many students for one teacher to handle. Not to mention a teacher trying to handle 30 kids in one classroom, especially if they are younger students. (see link)
- Students aren't learning things that will benefit them in the long-run. I feel as if teachers waste time teaching pointless things that more than half of the students aren't going to use in future. From the start of high school, students should pick all of their courses, so students looking to be something in the English field, will make that their top priority, and not maybe something more mathematical.
- I feel as if technology should be used more in the classroom. I am fortunate to be in a technology-based school, however most schools are not. Students will listen and learn easier if the teaching methods are more like their modern world.
Community Safety
We are so fortunate to have very good police systems in our communities, however I feel as if parts of our province still needs help.
- We need to take control of broken communities. Communities with higher crime rates need to be taken care of. We need more police presence as well as public support to take out the bad blood in the communities. The York Regional Police are fortunately training the public about safety with their safety village. (see link)
- We need policemen to be people that we can trust. Too many people are afraid of our policemen, because they use immediate force on suspects. Thankfully, we do not have many of those incidents in Ontario, however we still need to be cautious.
- We need to have more easy and cheap help for those who are mentally-ill or suffering with addiction. Getting these people proper care, instead of shunning them from communities, will help them to not turn to violent or criminal activity.
Training, Colleges and Universities
Everyone is nervous after they finish high school, here are my suggestions to make the transitions easier for them. For more information on Ontario's issues and plans with post-secondary education, view the video below.
- Make tuition fees cheaper for students. Too many students find themselves struggling to pay, I think that tuition fees shouldn't have to be something you spend your entire life savings on.
- Campuses need to be safer. We hear too many stories of assaults on school campuses going un-noticed. There needs to be more awareness as to who is entering these schools.
- I think that it would be a good idea for high school departments to offer apprenticeships for students interested in that field. The students will get more help directly from that subject.
Glen Murray: Ontario's Post-Secondary Vision
Overview
These are my issues regarding the province's government. Obviously, Ontario does have an amazing plan for the future, however there is always room for improvement.