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CS Community News page 19 Operation Action page Home Newspaper of Halton Hills TIM lit Mil tlnbrr IBi9 i SECOND SECTION Halton s Director of Education School system is no Titanic Lavender will II face be facing many with declining enrollments In and differing opinion about the role or education In preparing people or the The Herald talked to director of motion Ijivendrr about the problems ahead and how they can be molded Realistic optimism Is the phrase of cation Lavender uses to describe his view of duration in hi His outlook is mort hopeful than an hi once made comparing the ncxi loyears in education to he maiden age of he Tilanic When one talks about the analogy of and education It sounds like a pessimistic outlook Mr 1 hope my is realistic tempered with Mr Lavender said thai he was known by every body to he the safes ship ever built latest technology a qualified crew and the latest in design The whole maiden voyage was surrounded an of confidence and optimism Mr Lavender said Thin the ship ran wind and struck an iceberg They knew the iceberg wis there but he I turn in time he said What com pounded he trageds wis the fact that l lit radio system failed and the Titanic wasnt in with the ships around Mr in Ontirlo has just starlet on lis maiden vovagc through the BO s and we know some fog and some wind and Icebergs here 1 Ontario Ins been highly rcspecled and the 70s Willi a greal del of promise hi said to an problem TOWARDS KG is headed low an iceberg but we know its there and Hut where my optimism comes In Mr Lnv said When know ol that Ontario population and Canada as well will be aging overall Then will be fewer children number and by percentage in population and he numb Mr Thin for llu ildirlj and the will hive be somewhere to find tin money Tin re has to be a in the fund Mr Lai The burden on homeowner our the ncxl six it its present rate Hi aid it would take not just oik i bul a group of chant is lo turn education away from hi Reform of lax structure is one of hi first things Out will ban to be Mr I I know whit liny can do will probibly end up bin a federal decision he The next step is a ion of ihe role of the school he slid schools expand with hi number of children thev had and also with what we as pioplc said schools mid do Mr said Many Ihlngs ges to loo involved in hi I it it private rs lake a look at job While main problem fie in is her in many side issues clouding Ihe dun Mr Lavender aiMblifitio11 isiile of il with our Mr i ixpermice rem a ill n ind we have Mr If we go along in present circumstances well face fiscal revolt with fair of Oni area which arm clear on in Ontario and too Mr Lavmder sail is winch agency should be raining kers lulo mechanics workers skillet labor yel affected by Iht m ispcually when compared lo the siiuation in metro where tin board w ill lose slud enls or he equivalent of the inlin Hilton Hi fiw years he soul In hi mix of people mil change and tin population Mr lavcn said The popul is shifting from of the Waj to north of the We II plenty of pupil but lies- where he In it ifw Manpower office this morning we would find an irunicsilualiun he said We find i lot of little pieces of paper all over the wills with Job vacancies for skilled people Am we find a line up of vount people able willing to work who don I wmt to be a drug on society who want to contribute lo who don I have the skills for Ihc work Suppose we were of teenage children he said As parenls of teenagers we agree they should have skills but if people tend re big issue er till little one well One ex of expanding expectations Willi regard to whit ols should be provid s the i Education like the Titanic is headed towards an iceberg but we can turn in time fro o clock in the morning the schools should be open lo the public for use free of clnrge Mr Lav said The argument tint because the hive alrcidj paid fur Ihe use of the ficihl they shiuld hive Ihc rlfhl to use them is a pilatible one rather simplistic Mr haid board is open I slid of schools arc people who say kids I have inj pride in linn louniry he continued disc friend of mini wis on a trip recently he literally tumbled over Lister Pears on grave II was unkempt overgrown weeds If w in lo inslil in our kids a sense if gnat In our men like Mr Pearson Mr we hive their graves Willi While schools hue a responsibility Instil in children we as people have responsibility show respect loo re a funny kind of li win il il lo that kind of thing Mr said he Americans are emotional When il comes to the Ihej their witch so carefully our Ihcir historical monum soon but how can we proud of the unkempt grave of i Novel Pence Prize win by members of Ihe public that the of ilion has in the pisi thirl or so are part he wind which is surround nig Ihe main Issue ion Mr Lavender said It isy for to say hive been saying that nctd lo w about it he 1 think literacy and some meter director of education for In Hit field of education sin as former teacher and Italian board From hi ind his work In administration he talked to The Herald about he future of education In he 1980 and problems the ship of education will be lacing Herald photo Hani as it seems lo believe now but when 1 is a pnncip al Ihe lenglh of a boys hair was directly lo learn mgwcikncsses Mr Hut not pirenls are talking when Ihev abaul di upline re I liking about the ivinr of students their peers in tin company of adults him etoll ir The disaster ly in wait for he ship Iceberg labelled finances Mr I said and he firs symptom was Proposition in la That is ironic he pointed out because it carries the analogy or the Tilanic even further The ship closest the the night she sank was the S S Mr Lav said The education system has hit the ice berg with Proposition 13 and it bless for Ontario Mr Lavender said because educators in On ano can watch from a dislan and observe what happens Before the BO arc something will happen In cation and funding in Ontar Mr Lavendcrsajd If we go along in present laugh hen And you should understand that my child should become a university professor and yours should become an auto meeh want the best for their children and hey tend to translate lhal into post secon dary school education and a profession he continued Mr Lavender said educators know there are jobs wailing for skilled people I think schools hive a significant role to play in providing technical programs of sufficient relevance and I think it he done involving a great additional expense IIAISON Mr said he does I think it is necessary for teachers and so on or on gymnastic St IIOOI People don I undersiind that opening a school outside school hours I simply a mailer of turning i key Mr slid must come in look ifler school property and school caret i kirs an unionised must be paid overtime People ask why tint be turned over a trusted citizen he but tie high incidence of which occurs on school properly school hours would mike for a he iv burden for the respous for key Tin public tint for every education find i child tin child wilh dlsabil itit hire will be pressure for and better inn pii rims of ion is involved in mill program to find new methods of discovering learn disabilities as early as possible Mr lavender said Hilton has the Idenllficition Study which urns to identify Icirning the child enters kindergirien dunlors arc trying find better ways of determin ing children strengths in and matching Ihe inching program I hose Mr Lavender said of desciplme has a problem for mil il is insing the meitngivc public probli in lools Mr Lavender Its light the scl but ilso the schools lo the students self and thai in be done unless you gut Die the freedom Ihat self discipline he employee since Ihc passlrif ol Hill which gave teachers I hi right to rclnleii to working The fait tint the right strike has environment of neotnli mis Mr Hoards and e got much different ions requiring a much higher if skill he The right is deeply Mr said he eels then will be made to change Dill 100 but he said he docsn think any at lo remove the rih to will hi successful lhiukliercwlibeamose 10 re Ihe right to the principals si people s ly lhal arc m tin since they re pre sent Ihe bo schools Mr Lavender said There s been i suggestion he prineipil out of the Icachcrs federations and possibly form an of their own One of lie m pressing concerns of teachers now is the Ihat declining enrollment will me in ihi loss of teachers jobs one of bandied in discussions is tin pupil leieher The board reed I ist during ncgotial lo lure addition teachers for spccnl education pro Mr slid trying lo ipil teacher ratio can and lev to I Main full point if would leachcrs he said We have Mils and the iffeit of less thin one teacher r school wouldn be fell It would SI million and would provide almost no feel Mr discussing the role of in pripiring sludenls for I fi it is possible ilk either in i ra I it us or specifics He in out lhal role of iiluiatiin is different for the ixuplii be he exec p- gified or menially ippul The common headed approach as be necessary to moke the changes in the educational system which will be survive There will be a cutback in services of some kind with consolidation of courses in certain schools mainly in south half of region and here may be other changes as well It has been suggested for example he said schools should charge for Iheir exlbooks People Hunk lint this would instill in a grealcr sense of towards property as well as creating a large lal saving or boards of The role of extracurricular activities Is a contentious one Mr Lavender said Its purely a American Ira dilion bul why do we do if I know people say morale In the classroom comes from icam sports but wc will have take a long hard look at why we re spending thai kind of money on peripheral Mr Lavender said he sees many many positive things Ihe system particularly in I I want to leave Ihe impression re going to hell in a basket he said When I started in I960 as a teacher in secondary schools of 100 in grade nine you mighl have six or seven from Grade 13 and fewer than going on university We had a minority of the in has the deal with public and with what principals know about education and about kids has also increased VIVO THING Ihe really things lhal has happened is way par are contributing their Mr Lavender said We have bet ween and parents giving an average of two Ihrce hours a week of their time more lhan anywhere else in Canada been studied by Onlano Institute for willingness of parents to with schools and parents and teachers work together is so accepted in it s almost d he continued years ago it hove happened The schools are more open and secure and parents arc more willing and it win win win for every Mr Lavender who has been director of education in since said he has very warm affectionate memories of the schools and people in north He was the first area chairman in north after the amalgamation of all boards of education into the board I really really enjoyed it he said There had been eight school up there and now there was one and I was Ihe representative of board in the soulh trying to pull It all lominator whit II be proud of much tie tame for worry about passing and falling Herald strike and tells board Don later Ihc public says don i cent but pot Ihem hick in school In let the public says 1 think it si set which education develop in illitude of relating oilier people Mr Lavender said Well eve a preccpl hone sty senlial has i responsibility to morality not total responsibility There ire people who say schools should have total resp onsibility or morahly illy when somelhlng goes wrong hi said When you cnlir those areas however the people siy you re enter field of the parent have to Ihank the University Worn en s Club or reminding us of fitness ind the being fit Mr Laven tier said Schools have the re of Instilling the personil fitness Discipline ranks high in polls showing what parents think schools should provide Nowadays we re ing more children of more people for longer periods of lime he said Thlrly years ago over half the kids in school now t have been II would be so easy to each as did in the Mr Lavender continued I lay British history on you and il you t like It leave school The qualifications of teach ers and what wc know about teaching and about kids has Improved greatly over the years he sold The quality of leadership has Improved as together The relationship I had with the principals was terrific I look back on it with It a proud thing to be a teacher o be on educator of children Mr Lavender said It always has been It always will be Turning a light on in a child mind I cant think of anything more commendable lhan that Maybe been bo pec- occupied with problems lately that we ve forgotten what our mission is to turn lights on and what an exciting thing that