Last week, like he always does, my 14-year-old son came and stood in the doorway of my home office after school. We usually have a quick check-in, but this time he lingered.
?We had an assembly at school today,? he reported. ?And they told us some of our teachers aren?t coming back.?
I could see he was upset. ?Four of them taught me this year,? he explained. I asked if he understood why, and he wondered if it might have something to do with the education cuts that were recently implemented by the Ontario provincial government. I told him it probably did.

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What exactly is happening to Ontario?s education system" What you need to knowHe just finished his first year of high school. It?s a big leap for any kid, an even bigger leap for a shy one like mine. He was careful to choose electives that suited his personality, like music and art, and felt disappointed to hear that two of those teachers had lost their positions.
In the spring, when the proposed cuts to education were all over the media, and students at high schools across Ontario were organizing protests and walk-outs, he opted not to participate. We told him it was his decision, but encouraged him to be sure he had a good understanding of the issues if he did leave class. It didn?t tak...