We’ve all heard the quote, “Two things are guaranteed in life: death and taxes.”
This Benjamin Franklin quote is always misquoted; the actual quote is, “In this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.”
No matter how you say it, the meaning is the same.
However, in Ontario you can add a third item to that list: the provincial government will throw $200 your way when there is a problem.
On Oct. 20, the province announced parents are eligible to apply for “catch up payments” after the results of the EQAO testing were released.
In a nutshell, Ontario students in Grade 3, 6 and 9 are not so good in math, reading and writing.
Not that anyone is surprised by this.
Let’s put curriculums and resources aside – for much of the past two years, students were left to their own devices to learn, or their parents were left in charge of teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
I can tell you this: math is no longer the math I know. Boxes are used to divide numbers, however that works.
When you have a bunch of parents like me who are expected to help teach things we were never taught, the results are going to be poor.
The provincial government even acknowledged as much in their press release last week.
“Following the release of EQAO results for 2021-22, which are consistent with global trends, it is clear that Ontario students need to remain in class without interruption, with a special focus on catching up in math, reading and writing.”
When I read that line, I thought for sure this was going to lead to more money for the education system – money for more teachers to make smaller classes, for example.
But alas, the next line was more in line for this government.
“Building on the government’s Plan to Catch Up investments, new initiatives announced today include the launch of the Catch Up Payments web portal for direct payments to parents for additional tutoring supports, supplies or equipment that enhance student learning.”
Yup, instead of doing something, throw money at the parents.
According to said release, parents can apply for between $200 ($250 if your child has special education needs) per school-age child to help pay for tutors, etc. And there are no strings attached. That’s right, just pass go and collect $200.
Let’s be real. Raise your hand if you are going to spend that money getting Little Jimmy a math tutor.
Didn’t think so.
In a time where we have record-high inflation numbers, increasing fuel and food costs, and with Christmas right around the corner, families will use that money for other things.
And where are you going to find all these tutors for these students? It’s not like we have math tutors lined up by the hundreds applying for unemployment. Heck, we have the lowest unemployment rate in the province here in midwestern Ontario – we can’t find anybody to do anything!
The province’s plan, on paper, is not all flawed. The plan is to continually adapt the curriculum so it is relevant to the needs of the day, and having students in class learning from teachers who actually know what they are teaching – not mom and dad – will be a huge boost to these numbers during the next testing cycle.
But that $200 per kid is nothing but a payoff for parents in the province.
Education Minister Stephen Lecce said last week he trusts parents will make the right decisions for their kids.
“I know they will do the right thing because we’ve done this multiple times before,” he said.
To summarize: here is $200 because all of the other times we gave you $200 didn’t work.
That $200 per student would be better off in our classrooms, be it for new resources or hiring more teachers.
What’s next? Here’s $200 per person and a first aid kit to help with the current health care crisis?
I sure hope not.
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Mike Wilson is the editor of Midwestern Newspapers. He is considered a jack of all trades, master of none, and learned during the COVID-19 pandemic that he doesn’t know modern math. He does know, however, that $200 x 3 = $600, which is what the province will be giving him thanks to poor EQAO results. Comments and feedback are welcome at mwilson@midwesternnewspapers.com.
