As the school year draws to a close for elementary and secondary school students, here are three ideas for School District 57 trustees and superintendent Marilyn Marquis-Forster to consider over the summer:
More cursive writing instruction.
Printing and spelling remain important but far too little time is being devoted to handwriting. Yes, it is an art they may not use much in their adult lives but being able to write by hand (and being able to read handwriting) is still an essential skill in numerous disciplines, particularly any field that requires the review of letters, field notes and other documents where someone recorded their thoughts or findings using pen and paper.
The benefits of learning handwriting are obvious. Besides the obvious hand-eye coordination and visualization skills required, handwriting is literally drawing one's thoughts into language. It requires a slower, more thought-out approach than typing or texting, because mistakes are not erased by simply hitting the backspace key.
Strangely, students are still required to write out numbers and formulas in their math classes, right up through algebra and calculus, to demonstrate they understand the steps needed to reach a solution.
Likewise, students should be required to handwrite right through high school, in a variety of formats from lab notes for Grade 11 and 12 sciences, to longer form writing in English and social studies.
And in return, teachers should set an example, by taking a few extra minutes to write notes at the bottom of assignments or writing out instructions on the board at the front of the class, rather than communicating through handouts.
Maybe then, students would pass notes in class, instead of texting (see below).
Ban smartphones and tablets.
This wouldn't be that hard to implement if teachers and administrators would also set the example and leave their personal devices at home.
Smartphones add nothing to the education experience for children. To the contrary, they are a distraction, both for students but also for teachers trying to keep the interest of kids who would rather be on Snapchat. At the secondary school level, smartphones are digital weapons of mass destruction, used to harass, bully, spread rumours, tarnish reputations, take inappropriate pictures, shoot videos that celebrate fighting, drinking, drug use and vandalism, cheat on tests and discourage face-to-face socialization.
Besides fostering better verbal and written communication between teachers and students, a smartphone ban would put an end to the endless arms race, where every kid wants to have the latest device to show off and boost their status.
It's no accident that numerous private schools have banned smartphones during school hours, while the sons and daughters of the parents who work in communications technology spend less time on their devices and social media than other kids their same age.
This isn't just an educational issue, it's also a health issue. Research shows that teenagers and adults who pick up their phones fewer times each day, spend less time on them and more time doing something else are less anxious, less stressed, can concentrate better during the day and sleep better at night.
Perhaps if we stressed the negative health implications of smartphone use on young minds, we'd be quicker to act.
Mandatory concussion testing for all secondary-school athletes.
The high school players with the Prince George Cougars, the Prince George Spruce Kings and the Cariboo Cougars all go through the concussion protocol at the start of the season, so that if they later receive a head injury during play, a baseline comparison can be made to learn the severity of the problem.
Concussion testing is happening in some high schools but it depends on the school, the athletic director and the coach.
Something as important as preventing brain injury and insuring athletes aren't returning to the field of play still hurt shouldn't be left up to coaches, players or parents. Any stoppage of play in any sport due to a possible head injury should require the student athlete to not play again for the rest of the game and be banned from further play, pending the results of a concussion protocol test by a trained examiner.
Yes, this costs money but it's not significant and those costs would have to be passed onto parents. Player safety is paramount, particularly with how vulnerable the still developing brains in teenagers have been shown to be.
It's a health and safety issue but it's also an educational opportunity. Students, as well as parents and teachers, would learn more about concussions, what they are, how potentially devastating they are, how to prevent them and how to recover from them when they occur.
Have a great summer, teachers and students. You've earned it.
As for school trustees and senior administrators, it's time to get busy considering options that might make the next school year even better.
-- Editor-in-chief Neil Godbout
