Today’s letters: A high school diploma in Ottawa must have meaning

In my experience, the schools have already, unofficially, maintained an inclusive stance on their commencement ceremonies. In fact, my last school never called it graduation day, but commencement. And the last commencement I attended had a very special moment for a student who could never graduate in the “normal” sense.

But there is a problem. Recognizing the achievements of kids who could never do the heavy duty academics is one thing. But there are students who fail to achieve the credit count for other reasons.

I had one student who skipped more than 60 classes in one of my courses. Said student was well able to do the work, and I did allow late submission of work and the attempt at the exam when the student realized that actions (or non-actions) have consequences. But they failed. The student’s mother was upset, wanting to know why the child could not cross the stage with the rest of the students who had actually made an effort.

There are a lot of conflicts inherent in this idea. I would really like to see the school board give the discretion wholly to the school staff, who know the students and their struggles, to reward the hard work and the dedication of many students. But if students like my example get to cross the stage, a diploma becomes a participation ribbon.

Eleanor Abra, retired teacher, Ottawa

Don’t diminish student achievement

I have to hand it to the Ottawa District School Board: In one fell swoop, it may formalize the academic equivalent of the participation trophy for those students who have not yet achieved sufficient credit to graduate, as well as diminish the actual achievements of outstanding students with the doing away of “awards,” making them simply “achievements.”

If current education philosophy preaches that all students do not achieve milestones at the same time, why should those students who, for whatever reason, have not completed the requirements for graduation, be denied the opportunity to fulfil these requirements at their own pace and then experience the thrill of accomplishment when they cross the stage to receive their diploma? To me, the message this “participation walk” sends is “We don’t think you can do it.”

Finally, the word game the board is trying to sell about “commencement” not being “graduation” simply doesn’t wash. At university, the ceremony is also called commencement, and believe me, if you have not completed the requirements for the degree, you are not walking across that stage simply because you registered for the program.

Please rethink this ham-handed attempt at “inclusiveness” and equity. It does nothing to promote education or self-esteem.

Sharon W. Moren, Kanata

Remember what we’re trying to teach

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board wants to ditch the generations-old high-school-leaving graduation ceremony for what it calls a commencement ceremony. As a result, students who — for a variety of reasons — have not completed all the requirements for leaving high school will be able to join their peers (who did!) and celebrate their achievements.

Huh?

Apart from hopefully having matured at least a little bit over four years of high school, the only achievement that really matters is whether or not a student has demonstrated her/his grasp of the body of knowledge the community believes is necessary to enjoy and build a successful life.

There are three keys to success in that life: turn up; do the work; keep doing it.

The school board would actually be encouraging those who have not learned those lessons to celebrate, in contrast to those students who have done the work.

Sure, there are students who start high school at a disadvantage, often overwhelmingly profound challenges, arising from poverty, immigration, illness, racism  — it can easily become a long list.

But it would be far better and far more honest if the school board devoted significantly more resources to identifying and helping those kids than by deceiving those who don’t graduate into thinking they are well-poised for life’s challenges. They are not ready. But this ceremony will tell them that they are.

The school board should be embarrassed to participate in such a hoax.

Frank Koller, Ottawa

There are other ways we can be inclusive

What a terrible idea. The purpose of schooling is to educate students and help prepare them for life after high school. If a student does not meet the educational standards to graduate, then the student and school have not met the first objective.

Letting these people walk across the stage with graduates conflicts with the second objective. Life is hard and results matter. Success is results-driven. Just showing up doesn’t count.

If the OCDSB wants to emphasize inclusion, it should establish a ceremony halfway through the year, giving out a medal or certificate to recognize students’ participation at each school. Graduation ceremonies should continue and non-graduates should not attend. It sends the wrong message.

James Bruce, Ottawa

Some find a way to celebrate all students

A few years ago, I attended a high school graduation ceremony in a community on Georgian Bay. The vast majority of students walked across the stage and received a diploma. A small number received a Certificate of Completion. All students participated equally in the ceremony. It was obvious from the printed program which document each student received.

I assume that some of those who received a Certificate of Completion had learning disabilities. It was obvious from their families’ reactions and the applause from the audience that they were equally valued members of the community.

Bruce Couchman, Ottawa

Teacher deserves better than being scammed

Re: Retired Ottawa teacher fights with bank over $18,000 bilked from his account, March 7.

I was saddened to see such an unhappy story attached to a photo of a cherished, long-ago-familiar face.

To say that Peter MacLeod was “a teacher” seems the epitome of understatement. I can’t believe there would be even one student who had the good fortune to sit in MacLeod’s (legendary) geography class at Philemon Wright High School who didn’t feel privileged. He was an engaging, entertaining, interesting, thinking-outside-the-box teacher.

The year he was my teacher (1969-70), he bused all his students out to the Ottawa Airport, where we excitedly boarded a plane he had chartered and flew over Aylmer, Hull, Gatineau and nearby communities. While this was ostensibly to familiarize us with the local geography, my biggest thrill was spotting my home waaaaaay down below.

Although I never excelled in geography, I always looked so forward to his class. Peter MacLeod was a master teacher and a kind, caring, giving man. I hope his problems are soon resolved. I hate to think of his well-deserved retirement marred by a heartless scammer.

Mary Larose, Aylmer

Focus on The Driveway, not on Wellington Street

Re: Act now to transform Wellington Street, and Let’s give Ottawa a downtown befitting a G7 capital, March 12.

The late Globe and Mail columnist Richard J. Needham noted that city centres become deserts in the off-hours, as the things that make a community have yielded to commercial buildings. Wellington Street is a thoroughfare, with people using it to get to and from Gatineau and from one side of the city to the other.

On the authors’ point about Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington: On Jan. 6, 2021, the American Capitol Building was stormed. Here, however, the convoy was a legal protest extremely poorly handled by politicians and law enforcement. It is a facile argument to say security will be enhanced by turning Wellington into a pedestrian mall as in Washington.

And the arts? In Canada, professional artists make less than pensioners. They can’t afford studios in the city centre.

It makes far more sense for the NCC, in conjunction with the City of Ottawa, to turn Queen Elizabeth Driveway, with the Rideau Canal and its parks, into a pedestrian space.

Dave Prichard, Vanier

We’ll still require an east-west roadway

The newspaper lately has been full of justification, pretty pictures and neat ideas for the gentrification of Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill. This concept is hard to argue with. However, it seems to me the first order of business has to be to plan the decommissioning of this portion of Wellington as a major cross-town thoroughfare.

This, in turn, would require designating another east-west roadway, such as Albert/Slater or Laurier Avenue to fulfil this role. Once chosen, the portion of Wellington Street connecting the Portage Bridge and Kichi Zibi Mikan could then be extended further south through largely undeveloped land to link up. Any better ideas?

Jim Lyons, Orléans

Drug addiction: We can’t sugarcoat social problems

Re: Dehumanizing drug users solves nothing, so stop it, March 6.

I, for one, totally agree with Coun. Stéphanie Plante who says “we should go into high schools and scare the s—t out of kids by taking them on tours of encampments drug sights.” I disagree profoundly with Farnaz Farhang saying that this is dehumanizing to drug addicts and homeless people. Here’s why.

First, we have become too complacent: We want to put the responsibility on government agencies to do society’s work, without taking any responsibility ourselves. The first people who should visit such sights are the parents, friends and relatives of the drug addicts and homeless; maybe some could devote time to instil in their children good habits.

Second, telling the truth is seen by some people as dehumanizing. I believe in being transparent, rude and straight to the point rather than beating around the bush. Confronting people does not mean inflicting harm on these people.

Last but not least, needle exchanges and handing money to people on every corner is a Band-Aid solution and not sustainable. To control the problem, every human should be involved financially and socially. The idea of just being nice is not the answer.

Badih Shadid, Ottawa

DND management clearly needs a clean-up

Re: DND and military personnel OK to have side contracts with federal government, March 13.

Wow, no rules for in-house contracting at the Department of National Defence! Why aren’t the employees doing a full day’s work in-house? They have enough energy left over to take on multi-million-dollar contracts in their spare time? Who is looking after conflicts of interest?

And the department cannot answer the simple question of how many employees are currently also vendors to the department. No wonder it takes an eternity to get anything actually done in this department. Shareholders in a private corporation would not accept this. Neither should citizens who expect to have an effective defence department, which surely cannot be the case at the moment.

The Secretary General of NATO is calling for two per cent of GDP to be spent on defence. For Canada, he should add a rider: a measure of effectivenes in spending money on defence to secure the military requirements on time and budget.

This is a management problem more than a political problem. What the politicians can do is clean out the management stable.

John Hollins, Gloucester

Tory cheerleading was over the top

The March 9 Ottawa Citizen set a new benchmark for Conservative cheerleading. First, Postmedia gets a Leger poll that basically uses Pierre Poilievre’s rallying cry “Canada is broken” as its question. Then it reports the results that “Canada is broken” on the top of the front-page advertising wrap, then again on the front page, before the actual story appears on the front of the NP section of the paper.

But just in case the readers were not swayed by these results, there is Andrew MacDougall’s opinion piece reminiscing about past Conservative glory, and not if Poilievre will win the next election, but by how much.

Charles Crisp, Ottawa

Axe the tax? Or just Poilievre?

I would be pleased to pay for a course for Pierre Poilievre on climate change and traditional Conservative positions.

Climate change is devastating for billions around the world and Canada is already fighting climate change-related forest fires. Economic advisers all favour carbon pricing as the most effective instrument to alter our fossil fuel-dependent lifestyles.  Meanwhile, we have been celebrating the environmental contribution of former prime minister Brian Mulroney. Yet Poilievre offers nothing.

Time to axe Poilievre.

Michael Wiggin, Ottawa

The other side of professional policing

At 86 and with serious medical challenges, I sometimes experience severe fatigue.

Recently, the kind ladies at Giant Tiger in Arnprior were worried about my ability to drive home safely and called police to check on me.

When I did safely return home and unpacked my groceries, there was a police officer at my door in Constance Bay. He was efficient and professional in assuring me that this was “purely a precautionary visit to ensure my safety.”

I was both relieved and impressed by this other-dimension in modern policing and wanted to share it.

Don Pajot, Constance Bay

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