Govt. limiting choice

I recently received the three timetables proposed for the 2013/14 school year based on the government’s rule to add 15 more minutes to the school day.

Schedule A proposes to begin at 8:45 a.m., further impacting free time and will challenge everyone in a household. Schedules B and C reduce the lunch hour and negatively impacts the time for children to eat, further limiting their time for physical activity and experiential/imaginary learning, which are critical aspects to their childhood and are representative of other important methods of learning.

If extra time was to be applied in a creative way this shift might make sense. But to tack on more of the same learning minutes, along with standardized testing, is a move in the opposite direction to progressive educational systems in North America.

Cabinet minister Tim McMillan once gave a presentation on this government’s goal to provide freedom of choice to the residents of Saskatchewan. This curriculum, how it is delivered and having more learning minutes in a day forced upon my children is without a doubt one aspect of living in Saskatchewan where I feel my freedom of choice is limited.

I oppose this rule and the testing and urge the government to look to progressive schools and educational leaders around the world to bring fresh new thinking to this tired, old education system that is based on an early 19th century model that needs to be refocused.

Jennie Avram, Regina