Just what is the goal of our education system?

What exactly is this world coming to?

Kathleen Wynne, Ontario Minister of Education appeared to lend her support to a report submitted to Toronto school trustees last week. What's wrong with that? The report basically stated that students were getting too much homework. If the report causes a school board to draft and implement some new policy, homework will be banned on holidays and limited to one hour per night for children in grades 7 and 8 and to two hours for high-school aged kids.

Excuse me? Where do these people come up with these ideas?!

Back in the 1990's the thought of the day was to "destream" classes and have every student in a one-size-fits-all classroom. I predicted at the time that it would not work but it was nonetheless implemented... only to see that decision reversed when it became clear that nobody benefitted from the ill-conceived plan. Students only suffered in the end.

Later on, a "nobody can lose, everybody wins" policy became the rage of the day. You see, "losing" would scar the poor little kid for life, so games with "winners and losers" were either banned or redesigned so everyone came out winners. Everybody got trophies, all would live happily ever after.

Finally, it essentially became impossible for a teacher or school to make a student "repeat a grade" or "fail". You see, that too would "permanently scar" the fragile psyche of the student, and we couldn't have that, could we?

Today, the "fact" that students are getting too much homework is now being debated. What's next? Ban school altogether because it's hard?

I'd love Kathleen Wynne to answer one question for me. When, exactly, is the school system supposed to prepare students for life in the "real world"? If teachers can't punish children for mis-behaving, give them failing grades for substandard work or missing deadlines, how are they supposed to learn how to act responsibly as employees when they get their first "big person job"?

Too much homework? When is the last time a lawyer was allowed to go home at 5:30 and told not to bother preparing for the big case tomorrow? Was I ever allowed to not prepare a financial statement or some proposal for a funder when I worked in the non-profit sector? Of course not!

In the real world, deadlines are real. In the real world, failing to meet standards is not an option. Or is it?

Perhaps not. I still can't get over how an employee told me last winter that he or she was shocked when I expressed my being unhappy with repeated tardiness when it snowed. Not only was I to expect him or her to be late, I was told that to expect otherwise was unreasonable! Shocked that I, a superior in the office, might chastise an employee for not meeting obligations and expectations?

Well, that's what the school system seems to be breaching. A child can never be wrong - a child can never lose... one must give time outs, one cannot discipline. If one is never taught in school that there are consequences to one's actions, when does one learn?

60 Minutes aired a story about some "generation y" or whatever came after it. The general idea behind the story is that 20-somethings are hitting the job market and they're expecting high salaries for little work and, further, they expect their employers to be happy that they are working for them. Excuse me? Shouldn't it be the other way around? Employees should consider themselves lucky to have been hired!

That story described how boundaries are being pushed by these young upstarters... and how their sheer numbers are in some cases forcing that invisible line to shift ever so slightly. This is the case, apparently, because they know that if one employer doesn't "endure" it, another will. Will the IRS allow Americans to file their taxes when they want to because that's what they were taught? Don't think so! Should an employer be able to fire someone for insubordination? Absolutely... and should be able to do so without fear of some crazy wrongful dismissal suit. Insubordination is insubordination.

I started a new job in January. There were certain legislated requirements I had to meet throughout my training. Had I not met them, I'd have been thanked for my efforts and I would have been shown the door.

That's the REAL world, kids. What happened to "suck it up" or "whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger"? Those were the real lessons to be learned. These days, however, we're dumbing down requirements and settling for the lowest common denominator seems to be the encouraged way to go. That might work in the academic world, but when Junior gets fired for showing up late three times before his probationary period is over, he'll wonder where he went wrong. The sad thing is, he'll think he was the victim of injustice. He never was taught how to be responsible.

Come on, Minister Wynne, you wouldn't tolerate second-rate service from your staff - so why cater to the bizarre whims of some unknown force that is dumbing down our education system so much that a diploma soon won't be worth the paper it's printed on?

Think about it - kids are supposed to learn in school. If not through academic standards and homework, how? School isn't supposed to be fun or easy. It's supposed to help students become productive members of society after they graduate.

Hair brained schemes like "homework is bad" won't do that. When will we learn?!

Only when it's too late.