EYE ON A CRAZY PLANET
Showing posts with label Chris Bolton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chris Bolton. Show all posts
Monday, May 20, 2013
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Toronto District School Board's top officials tacitly acknowledge Marxism pervades the curriculum
In a meeting room at Central Technical School a couple of Tuesdays ago, about two dozen representatives from most of the schools in Toronto's downtown Ward 10 sat in an inward facing circle with their attention focused on Toronto District School Board Acting Director Donna Quan.
To Quan's left sat TDSB Chair Chris Bolton and to her right, the area School Superintendent as the Acting Director delivered a presentation on findings from the recent census of the Board's students.
Entering the meeting while it was in progress, I was eyeballed suspiciously by both Mr. Bolton and Ms Quan. It could have been my generally unsavory appearance, or possibly they were familiar with some of my interviews on the Sun News Network in which I had made rather critical remarks about the attempts at social engineering and promotion of Marxist theory infused into the Board's curriculum.
The Census, compiled during the 2011-2012 school years, covered basic data such as ages, family incomes, et cetera, to questions that would normally be found on a psychological evaluation, such as "How comfortable do you feel discussing problems with your teachers or other adults?" and questions about their anxieties.
As Ms Quan discussed the results of the census, it quickly became apparent that the problem with the data is that it is wide open to a variety of interpretations and could be used to "prove" any presupposition one wants.
For instance, a great deal of effort went into categorizing data based on race. On the whole, certain racial groups have a better academic performance than others. But I pointed out to Ms Quan that there is an overlap between race and culture, two independent factors which are frequently conflated. There's no evidence that skin pigmentation has anything to do with academic performance, but factors such as a cultural emphasis on the importance of education and achievement and maintaining cohesive family structure do affect scholastic outcomes.
Responding to my inquiry about whether the census collected data about national and cultural origin so that could be contrasted with race-based data, she said it was. However nowhere in the resulting public report can that data be found as of now.
My concern is that the TDSB will ascribe differences in performance based on the race-based data they collected to "white privilege." Indeed Ms Quan spoke at a TDSB conference last year in which the keynote speaker, a race-huckster named Tim Wise, attributed all the inequities in the school system to just that, and was met with a rousing ovation from that almost all-white audience of teachers. The problem with Wise's pitch, which the TDSB has swallowed hook, line, and sinker, is that the children of second and third generation East Asian immigrants do better in school than white students, which renders the "white privilege" argument preposterous.
A great deal of the census was devoted to what they called "emotional and social well-being." and it is in this area in particular where the data could be construed in any number of ways.
Of concern to the TDSB officials was that a large number of high school students did not feel comfortable speaking with an adult about their problems. They thought this was unusual and a significant problem. I pointed out that it's totally natural for teenagers to feel alienated from adults and it is not limited to Toronto in 2013. Anyone familiar with literature, from the Classical era to our own, would know that this has been a human characteristic for pretty much the entirety of recorded history. If youth felt ease in communicating with adults, Tom Brown's School Days could have been a haiku instead a of classic novel.
The absurdity of over-analyzing the TDSB's finding that a large number of teenagers often feel anxiety should be self-evident, but unfortunately was not to the Board's officials. High school kids are going through puberty and discovering their sexuality. They are at an age where they feel the need to assert independence but are more conscious of having their freedoms constrained by their parents. Coupling all that with exams plus the other varied pressures of being a teen, a young person would have to be abnormal not to feel anxiety on a regular basis. Think of all the John Hughes movies that wouldn't make any sense if that premise weren't true.
Another statistic rife for misinterpretation was that a high number of TDSB students feel worried about the future.
From the School Board's perspective, the cause was Canada's changing social environment and economic factors. There are, however, alternate explanations and I offered one.
In previous years, the curriculum had more of a nationalistic tone. It promoted Canada as a noble nation that could take pride in its past, its military history and victories, and conveyed a sense of optimism that those traditions would continue and improve. But today, as I pointed out, the Board's students are receive lessons fraught with anti-oppression and critical race theory, which teaches that we have been and are a nation of oppressive racists, and that cultural Marxism, which is inherently pessimistic, permeates the curriculum. So with a an onslaught of pessimism in the classroom, it's hardly surprising we're producing a generation of students fearful about the future.
After saying all that, I looked around the room, waiting for blow-back, mainly about the assertion of cultural Marxism informing the TDSB curriculum. I was ready to back it up with a litany of evidence that demonstrates the truth of that statement, but I had expected at least the School Board officials to challenge me. After all, if someone had accused the TDSB of promoting another totalitarian ideology, for example, cultural fascism, I would have demanded examples.
But no one batted an eyelid. Not any of the parent representatives, not the TDSB Chair, not the Acting Director. No one.
The only comment came from the area Superintendent who observed that no single factor necessarily explains the phenomenon they were discussing and in that I agreed. But no one denied we are conditioning our students with Marxist ideology.
We have arrived at a stage where a thought system that prioritizes collectivism over individuality as the basis for instructing our children is uncontroversial. It was a shock to me, if no one else at the meeting.
The blame for the poison in the schools cannot be laid solely at the feet of the TDSB. The province's Ministry of Education is responsible for approving the curriculum and things have only gotten worse under the Liberal governments of Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne.
Every time Marxism has been implemented, it has resulted in some form of totalitarianism. That we have an Education Ministry run by people incapable of learning that lesson from history should be a cause of worry to every parent in Ontario.
It was mildly encouraging that a few representatives from the Ward's schools urged the TDSB officials to put more focus on core subjects. Rather than spending so much class time on trying to produce a particular type of "global person" they should be producing students who are competent at math, reading and history.
Unfortunately, with the low turnout at meetings about school policies populated with plenty of apathetic observers, trends in the education system likely will continue their downward spiral. At least until enough parents begin to take notice and speak out against it.
To Quan's left sat TDSB Chair Chris Bolton and to her right, the area School Superintendent as the Acting Director delivered a presentation on findings from the recent census of the Board's students.
Entering the meeting while it was in progress, I was eyeballed suspiciously by both Mr. Bolton and Ms Quan. It could have been my generally unsavory appearance, or possibly they were familiar with some of my interviews on the Sun News Network in which I had made rather critical remarks about the attempts at social engineering and promotion of Marxist theory infused into the Board's curriculum.
The Census, compiled during the 2011-2012 school years, covered basic data such as ages, family incomes, et cetera, to questions that would normally be found on a psychological evaluation, such as "How comfortable do you feel discussing problems with your teachers or other adults?" and questions about their anxieties.
As Ms Quan discussed the results of the census, it quickly became apparent that the problem with the data is that it is wide open to a variety of interpretations and could be used to "prove" any presupposition one wants.
For instance, a great deal of effort went into categorizing data based on race. On the whole, certain racial groups have a better academic performance than others. But I pointed out to Ms Quan that there is an overlap between race and culture, two independent factors which are frequently conflated. There's no evidence that skin pigmentation has anything to do with academic performance, but factors such as a cultural emphasis on the importance of education and achievement and maintaining cohesive family structure do affect scholastic outcomes.
Responding to my inquiry about whether the census collected data about national and cultural origin so that could be contrasted with race-based data, she said it was. However nowhere in the resulting public report can that data be found as of now.
My concern is that the TDSB will ascribe differences in performance based on the race-based data they collected to "white privilege." Indeed Ms Quan spoke at a TDSB conference last year in which the keynote speaker, a race-huckster named Tim Wise, attributed all the inequities in the school system to just that, and was met with a rousing ovation from that almost all-white audience of teachers. The problem with Wise's pitch, which the TDSB has swallowed hook, line, and sinker, is that the children of second and third generation East Asian immigrants do better in school than white students, which renders the "white privilege" argument preposterous.
A great deal of the census was devoted to what they called "emotional and social well-being." and it is in this area in particular where the data could be construed in any number of ways.
The absurdity of over-analyzing the TDSB's finding that a large number of teenagers often feel anxiety should be self-evident, but unfortunately was not to the Board's officials. High school kids are going through puberty and discovering their sexuality. They are at an age where they feel the need to assert independence but are more conscious of having their freedoms constrained by their parents. Coupling all that with exams plus the other varied pressures of being a teen, a young person would have to be abnormal not to feel anxiety on a regular basis. Think of all the John Hughes movies that wouldn't make any sense if that premise weren't true.
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| from THIS TDSB lesson plan |
From the School Board's perspective, the cause was Canada's changing social environment and economic factors. There are, however, alternate explanations and I offered one.
In previous years, the curriculum had more of a nationalistic tone. It promoted Canada as a noble nation that could take pride in its past, its military history and victories, and conveyed a sense of optimism that those traditions would continue and improve. But today, as I pointed out, the Board's students are receive lessons fraught with anti-oppression and critical race theory, which teaches that we have been and are a nation of oppressive racists, and that cultural Marxism, which is inherently pessimistic, permeates the curriculum. So with a an onslaught of pessimism in the classroom, it's hardly surprising we're producing a generation of students fearful about the future.
But no one batted an eyelid. Not any of the parent representatives, not the TDSB Chair, not the Acting Director. No one.
The only comment came from the area Superintendent who observed that no single factor necessarily explains the phenomenon they were discussing and in that I agreed. But no one denied we are conditioning our students with Marxist ideology.
We have arrived at a stage where a thought system that prioritizes collectivism over individuality as the basis for instructing our children is uncontroversial. It was a shock to me, if no one else at the meeting.
The blame for the poison in the schools cannot be laid solely at the feet of the TDSB. The province's Ministry of Education is responsible for approving the curriculum and things have only gotten worse under the Liberal governments of Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne.
Every time Marxism has been implemented, it has resulted in some form of totalitarianism. That we have an Education Ministry run by people incapable of learning that lesson from history should be a cause of worry to every parent in Ontario.
It was mildly encouraging that a few representatives from the Ward's schools urged the TDSB officials to put more focus on core subjects. Rather than spending so much class time on trying to produce a particular type of "global person" they should be producing students who are competent at math, reading and history.
Unfortunately, with the low turnout at meetings about school policies populated with plenty of apathetic observers, trends in the education system likely will continue their downward spiral. At least until enough parents begin to take notice and speak out against it.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
With Chris Spence's departure, the Toronto District School Board could get even worse
One of the ironies of the humiliating plagiarism scandal at the Toronto District School Board that led to the resignation of Education Director Chris Spence is that it need never have happened.
Spence got his EdD. degree at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, a place with such ridiculously low standards that he could have written a 120 word essay about his feelings and still have been awarded an advanced degree from them.
Naturally, as is her style, OISE Dean Julia O'Sullivan has not commented on the controversy. But it is interesting that it took a Globe and Mail researcher one day of inquiry to find Spence's plagiarism, while it went unnoticed by OISE professors and thesis advisers who are supposed to be experts in the field.
But those who think Spence's resignation is a victory over the TDSB's ludicrous so-called social justice agenda are wrong. The people waiting in the wings to take over from Spence are no better and in all likelihood may be even worse. These same people participated in the TDSB and Ministry of Education's "Futures" conference, where all the ills in the education system were blamed on white privilege. At that same conference, keynote speaker Uzma Shakir, a woman who once wrote that Muslim immigrants don't owe full loyalty to Canada because of the government's pro-Israel policies, condemned Canada as a paternalistic, racist society while lavishing praise on her native Pakistan.
Spence's successors will still push race-based nonsense in classrooms, plus neo-Marxist activism disguised as education.
The only way change will happen is if pressure is put on politicians at the provincial level, because ultimately it is the provincial Ministry of Education that is responsible for the school curriculum. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't continue to also pressure your local school Trustee, because they are politicians too and need to be reminded they can be removed from office at the next election.
See also: Chris Spence's Golden Parachute
Spence got his EdD. degree at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, a place with such ridiculously low standards that he could have written a 120 word essay about his feelings and still have been awarded an advanced degree from them.
Naturally, as is her style, OISE Dean Julia O'Sullivan has not commented on the controversy. But it is interesting that it took a Globe and Mail researcher one day of inquiry to find Spence's plagiarism, while it went unnoticed by OISE professors and thesis advisers who are supposed to be experts in the field.
But those who think Spence's resignation is a victory over the TDSB's ludicrous so-called social justice agenda are wrong. The people waiting in the wings to take over from Spence are no better and in all likelihood may be even worse. These same people participated in the TDSB and Ministry of Education's "Futures" conference, where all the ills in the education system were blamed on white privilege. At that same conference, keynote speaker Uzma Shakir, a woman who once wrote that Muslim immigrants don't owe full loyalty to Canada because of the government's pro-Israel policies, condemned Canada as a paternalistic, racist society while lavishing praise on her native Pakistan.
Spence's successors will still push race-based nonsense in classrooms, plus neo-Marxist activism disguised as education.
The only way change will happen is if pressure is put on politicians at the provincial level, because ultimately it is the provincial Ministry of Education that is responsible for the school curriculum. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't continue to also pressure your local school Trustee, because they are politicians too and need to be reminded they can be removed from office at the next election.
See also: Chris Spence's Golden Parachute
Thursday, October 11, 2012
As Bill 115 dispute drags, parents need to ensure School Trustees are putting children first
Always on the lookout for new ways to get into trouble, last week I became the co-Chair of the Parents Council (what used to be called PTA in America) for this academic year at one of Toronto's largest high schools. Central Technical School is at the heart of Toronto's downtown Ward 10 and in addition to an outstanding football legacy, boasts the best high school fine arts and computer programs in the city.
Since we hadn't yet appointed a regular delegate to it, one of my first duties was to attend a meeting of what is known as the Ward 10 Council. The meeting has parent representatives from all of the schools in the Ward, community members and representatives from the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) , a body of which I have been highly critical in the past for using the education system to indoctrinate children to particular (and frequently peculiar) social beliefs. The meeting was held in a sparse room at the Scadding Court Community Centre, which is on the northwestern edge of the notoriously crime-infested Alexandra Park community housing neighborhood. Among the thirty or so people in attendance was the ward's School Trustee, who is also the Chair of the Board of Trustees, Chris Bolton.
The Liberal Government's Bill 115 which, among other aspects, will freeze pay increases to teachers' salaries, was the subject of lengthy discussion. Bolton twice repeated the phrase "real or imagined" when discussing the government's concerns about the need for fiscal restraint that has led to the introduction of Bill 115. It's in no one's imagination that Ontario's credit rating was downgraded earlier this year, that we are facing huge deficits and there is need to make sure we don't spend more money than we take in. What, if any concern Mr. Bolton has for those governmental responsibilities went unaddressed at the meeting. But there were other priorities he did make clear.
The particular focus on Bill 115 that evening was the way that Teachers' Unions reactions to it will affect extracurricular school programs. Regardless of the varied opinions about the merits and wisdom of the concerned unions and the sometimes bizarre dictates of the TDSB, there was unanimity in recognizing that individual teachers are for the most part exemplary, dedicated individuals tasked with performing a difficult job and generally are very good at it.
However, some teachers are withdrawing their participation in extracurricular activities, hoping that parents will register enough displeasure that it will put negotiating pressure on the Provincial government. The result being that many children will lose out on a valuable part of their school experience as long as the dispute continues.
One parent representing an elementary school introduced the possibility of qualified parent volunteers taking on supervision of extracurricular activities until teachers resumed that task.His understanding was that Parents' Councils are able to take out insurance so that it was permissible and he wanted clarification on that from School Board Chair Bolton.
With what appeared to be great reluctance, Bolton conceded that as long as the school principle was on premises, such insurance could be acquired and parents could indeed facilitate on-site after-school programming. After 6 PM, the principle's presence was not required and anyone could get a permit to use school premises for activities.
What seemed to me of greater priority to Mr. Bolton was his stated concern that teachers and their unions would be offended that parents were undermining their efforts at putting pressure on the government.
Red flags went up as soon as I heard that remark. Speaking up, I felt the need to remind Mr. Bolton that we all recognized the fine work of most teachers. But insofar as any trade-offs in the labor dispute goes, it's the interests of the children that need to be his first priority. Mr. Bolton gave a response that acknowledged that. But a number of us remained unconvinced about his willingness to follow through.
Mr. Bolton is closely affiliated with local City Councilor Adam Vaughan, who is considered one of the leaders of the "left wing" of Toronto's City Council. Though unions are prohibited from making direct financial donations, they make significant contributions to campaigns of politicians they support, like Vaughan and Bolton, by strongly encouraging members to volunteering manpower.
Following the meeting I was approached by some of the parents there. One of them said to me about Bolton, "he obviously knew about it, but wasn't going to say a word about us being able to continue extracurricular activities unless someone had brought it up." Many came out of the meeting unsure of whose interests he was trying to protect.
The episode was a reminder that parents cannot simply trust to the faith that their School Trustees are acting in their interests rather than those of the unions on whose support they have become accustomed. I am not sure of Mr. Bolton's or each school trustee's priorities. Clearly it is incumbent on any parent who cares about their child's well-being that they let these elected representatives know that we will be watching to ensure they put our children ahead of their political concerns.
Since we hadn't yet appointed a regular delegate to it, one of my first duties was to attend a meeting of what is known as the Ward 10 Council. The meeting has parent representatives from all of the schools in the Ward, community members and representatives from the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) , a body of which I have been highly critical in the past for using the education system to indoctrinate children to particular (and frequently peculiar) social beliefs. The meeting was held in a sparse room at the Scadding Court Community Centre, which is on the northwestern edge of the notoriously crime-infested Alexandra Park community housing neighborhood. Among the thirty or so people in attendance was the ward's School Trustee, who is also the Chair of the Board of Trustees, Chris Bolton.
The Liberal Government's Bill 115 which, among other aspects, will freeze pay increases to teachers' salaries, was the subject of lengthy discussion. Bolton twice repeated the phrase "real or imagined" when discussing the government's concerns about the need for fiscal restraint that has led to the introduction of Bill 115. It's in no one's imagination that Ontario's credit rating was downgraded earlier this year, that we are facing huge deficits and there is need to make sure we don't spend more money than we take in. What, if any concern Mr. Bolton has for those governmental responsibilities went unaddressed at the meeting. But there were other priorities he did make clear.
The particular focus on Bill 115 that evening was the way that Teachers' Unions reactions to it will affect extracurricular school programs. Regardless of the varied opinions about the merits and wisdom of the concerned unions and the sometimes bizarre dictates of the TDSB, there was unanimity in recognizing that individual teachers are for the most part exemplary, dedicated individuals tasked with performing a difficult job and generally are very good at it.
However, some teachers are withdrawing their participation in extracurricular activities, hoping that parents will register enough displeasure that it will put negotiating pressure on the Provincial government. The result being that many children will lose out on a valuable part of their school experience as long as the dispute continues.
One parent representing an elementary school introduced the possibility of qualified parent volunteers taking on supervision of extracurricular activities until teachers resumed that task.His understanding was that Parents' Councils are able to take out insurance so that it was permissible and he wanted clarification on that from School Board Chair Bolton.
With what appeared to be great reluctance, Bolton conceded that as long as the school principle was on premises, such insurance could be acquired and parents could indeed facilitate on-site after-school programming. After 6 PM, the principle's presence was not required and anyone could get a permit to use school premises for activities.
What seemed to me of greater priority to Mr. Bolton was his stated concern that teachers and their unions would be offended that parents were undermining their efforts at putting pressure on the government.
Red flags went up as soon as I heard that remark. Speaking up, I felt the need to remind Mr. Bolton that we all recognized the fine work of most teachers. But insofar as any trade-offs in the labor dispute goes, it's the interests of the children that need to be his first priority. Mr. Bolton gave a response that acknowledged that. But a number of us remained unconvinced about his willingness to follow through.
Mr. Bolton is closely affiliated with local City Councilor Adam Vaughan, who is considered one of the leaders of the "left wing" of Toronto's City Council. Though unions are prohibited from making direct financial donations, they make significant contributions to campaigns of politicians they support, like Vaughan and Bolton, by strongly encouraging members to volunteering manpower.
Following the meeting I was approached by some of the parents there. One of them said to me about Bolton, "he obviously knew about it, but wasn't going to say a word about us being able to continue extracurricular activities unless someone had brought it up." Many came out of the meeting unsure of whose interests he was trying to protect.
The episode was a reminder that parents cannot simply trust to the faith that their School Trustees are acting in their interests rather than those of the unions on whose support they have become accustomed. I am not sure of Mr. Bolton's or each school trustee's priorities. Clearly it is incumbent on any parent who cares about their child's well-being that they let these elected representatives know that we will be watching to ensure they put our children ahead of their political concerns.
Monday, August 22, 2011
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