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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, February 1, 2013 · 26 HOME IMPROVEMENTS 905-845-3824 ext. 278 ahowe@oakvillebeaver.com AIR CONDITIONING/APPLIANCES Danny's Appliance Service 905-827-9559 ARBORIST Superior Tree Solutions 905-849-6395 BLINDS Emcoss Blinds 416-888-3444 www.emcossblinds.ca CHIMNEYS A.M. Masonry 416-893-7354 Chimneys Brick & Concrete 905-335-8943 CONTRACTOR ATD Contracting Services 905-510-7724 www.atdcontractors.com DECKS Alpine Deck 905-828-1320 www.alpinedeck.com Artistic Deck & Fence 905-844-4456 Sunshine Deck and Fence 905-875-3325 EAVESTROUGHS/ROOFING Roof Pro + 1-888-677-7757 ELECTRICAL D. Sayers Electric Inc. 905-257-3728 Furena Electric Ltd. 905-274-2363 Warren Electrical 905-580-9408 FLOORING/RENO Wood N' Floor 905-338-1881 www.woodnfloor.ca GARAGE DOORS B&M Garage Doors 905-569-9133 www.bmgaragedoor.com GROUT Grout Expectations 905-257-0055 www.groutexpectations.ca HANDYMAN Ely Building Contractors 416-339-6075 Elybuilding@cogeco.ca Handyman 905-510-0015 HEATING/COOLING Ralph's Heating & Cooling 289-259-9121 To Advertise in this section call Alycia Howe Handbook 'open to interpretation' Continued from page 25 HOME IMPROVEMENTS Bittar Construction INC 905-829-5204 416 725 5068 Canadian Home Pro 416-708-7269 Ceiling Restoration 905-541-5292 Clarke Renovation Services 905-465-5387 DB Contracting 416-417-6600 Dunn-Right Contracting 416-988-1382 Eastlake Home Improvements 905-847-7054 Halton Home Improvements 416-543-2081 License to Art & Design Inc. 905-464-5129 National Construction Services 416-455-8350 P. Jay Contracting 905-616-3150 Ruby Renos 905-691-0124 www.rubyrenos.com Total Upgrade 647-898-3753 HOME RENOVATIONS Optibuild Design Inc. 905-464-2261 RenPro 416-605-4431 MASONRY A&M Masonry 647-618-4261 PAINTING Halton Painting & Decorating 905-339-0952 Inter-Can Painting Inc. 905-469-0092 Paint All 905-822-9338 Pipe's Paint 416-558-8756 Richard Professional Painting 647-449-1775 Xtreme Pro Painting 905-334-2120 PAVING C. Valley Paving 905-637-0155 ext. 301 PLUMBING Delex Plumbing 416-910-2550 POOLS Ontario Pools & Backyards Inc. 289-242-2518 WINDOWS/EAVES Crownseal Inc. 905-564-3575 Soften That Spot 905-338-8942 "Taking any of those resources out that support that professional learning is really out of context," O'Connor said. "Definitely we have a handbook. When I inherited it, it was a lot thinner. Six years ago, we worked on supporting it a bit so that the generalist teacher would understand some criteria they need to balance. Items in that handbook are to support that balance, rather than the letter of the law." There also seems to be some room for translation in those passages from the handbook, particularly about the word `participation.' Does the promise of the opportunity for children to participate OFTEN imply significant playing time, or is that satisfied by the ability to practise, compete for playing time and simply be part of the team environment? "To equate that phrasology with playing time in games is open to interpretation," said Lisa Stocco, the HCDSB's head of strategic communications, "but I think that's stretching it a bit." Should elementary school sports be like rep? "I don't really understand why we go through this in rep sports. And even in rep sports, all the kids play. The last five minutes, the coach can do what they want," said the parent. "I asked the coach, and (the coach) said `It's the (playoffs).' Well, I don't care!" the parent continued. "We ended up losing, and the next day I asked the principal, `Has life changed now? Is the school in mourning? Is the flag hung at half mast? What's the big deal?'" The big deal isn't necessarily the outcome of that day's games. There's a broader picture, an educational aspect, to sport at any level, perhaps nowhere more so than in elementary school. Would a student who doesn't receive significant playing time have been better off not being a member of the team in the first place? Not necessarily. There are still some life lessons being taught here. Even if children don't get regular playing time in games, they have the opportunity to improve through practise and coaching. They can enjoy the camaraderie with peers and teachers that being part of a team can provide. And in a society that is progressively developing more and more of an `everyone should get a trophy' mentality, particularly when it comes to children, it can teach the lesson of accepting your limitations and learning to deal with them -- much like the score- board teaches children how to graciously accept both winning and losing. To see the entire Stewarttown team, not just the players on the court at the time, celebrate after winning the Halton volleyball title in December reinforced that these values are very much in play. Of course, there remains an argument (and it is a valid one) that regularly sitting on the bench while peers play a larger role can be damaging to a child's psyche and self esteem. "I've told (the coach) I'd rather you just cut her from Day 1," said the parent, who alleges the coach never informed his daughter she wouldn't receive meaningful playing time. "She would have cried for 10 minutes, and it would have been over with." But, while not seeing regular time on the court, floor or ice can be difficult for a child to come to terms with, there is also the danger of potential damage that could be done to a child not adequately equipped for the competitive environment. "If you look at assessment in general, which is what education is, you use assessment practices to give a child an opportunity to show what they can or cannot do," said O'Connor. "The game is like the test. Is the child ready to take that test? Where is the child in the ability to handle the stresses of the game? If something happens and they were the last person to touch the ball, will they perceive that as, `Oh my gosh, I just lost the game.' "Sometimes it may not have been in the best interest of the child to put them in the game... and there's a need to balance. Are we meeting the needs of all the kids on the team?" That last question is also one that needs to be considered as the season progresses and the stakes get higher and higher. It doesn't seem fair that stronger players' chances to advance to municipal or regional championship tournaments and gain exposure to those types of environments should be hindered because of a commitment to equal playing time for all. "When you get to this point of the year," Rus said at the HDSB volleyball finals, "the boys who have been your starters should be playing." -- Jon Kuiperij can be followed on Twitter @Beaversports and reached via e-mail at sports@oakvillebeaver.com ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Tuesday, February 19, 2013 ­ 7:00 p.m. Town Hall, 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville Room In addition to recapping highlights from 2012 and discussing goals and objectives for 2013, Sport Oakville will elect four (4) Directors to its Board for 2013. If you have a keen interest in sport and are an Oakville citizen, Sport Oakville invites you to submit a nomination. Please forward your application to nominations@sportoakville.ca by Tuesday, February 12. Experience in fundraising, sponsorship, event organization and/or marketing and promotions are assets. Your participation is needed to support Oakville's sport community and to help shape the future of sport in Oakville. For more information and nomination form, visit www.sportoakville.ca or contact Cathy at 905-815-6160 or nominations@sportoakville.ca. See full Home Improvements section in The Oakville Beaver every Thursday