WHITBY FREE PRESS. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29.1987. PAGE 5 In education, the debate continues: should the province of Ontario hold standardized examinations to measure performance? The answer, put quite simply, is yes and no. I am old enough to have actually written Grade 13 examinations (1957). I was also nurtured in an elementary school system which taught to provincial standards. in addition I have spent the past 16 years in post-secondary education, and in such capacity have seen the handiwork of elementary and high schools first hand. Let's be blunt: some of today's high school graduates cannot read or write well enough to function in college. Significant numbers of others cannot do elementary arithmetic with precision or understanding. And most of us, at some level, feel that this reveals fatal flaws in our educational system. The answer, say many, lies in the administration of province-wide examinations. Standards, they say, would creep back into the classroom. The nation could hold high its head.. Of course, it is nice to believe in Trolls, and Santa Claus, and other single-reply solutions to insoluble problems. But what is wrong with our educational system goes deeper. Standardized exams have existed in the past. Grade 13 examinations were administered until 1967. Until about 1952, the province also gave standard exams to students in Grade 8. Those entrance exams.also included questions which today would be challenging for most of today's high school graduates. (Quick, now: A house is assessed at $2,439 and the total taxation rate for the area is 152 mills. What is the homeowner's tax bill?) (Parse the following sentence, and tell the part of speech and function of every word in it: "Let me not to the WITH OUR FEET UP by Bill Swan AYESANDNO ANSWER marriage of true minds admit impediments.") At the time those questions were asked of Grade 8 students, it is likely one student in a thousand could an- swer both such questions perfectly. The same ratio likely exists today: one in a thousand college students could an- swer both questions correctly. The real problem of our schools lies not in the lack of examinations or standards, but in the surfeit of them. In short, we cannot decide as a society, as a nation, as a province, what we want schools to do. Then, when studen- ts can't perform what we haven't defined, the catcalls begin. Many believe schools should teach kids to sit up straight, arrive on time, be polite, not talk in class, leave. at the last bell and do homework every night. Others believe schools should concentrate on sports, and competitive excellence in the classroom, to prepare students for the 'real world'. And some say schools should expose children to other cultures, and democracy, and the running of organizations. Some radicals even want schools to teach reading and writing and arithmetic. The teachers today, in both elementary and high schools, are superbly qualified; only a chosen few are now allowed into the education studies at universities. In the bad old days people taught up to Grade Bon the strength of a six-week course after Grade 12. So the teachers are better; schools cost more, are better equipped: why don't they work? And the answer is: they do. Take any criterion you wish. Math? We're turning 'em out better'n ever. English? We have the best-read generation ever. Socialized? Today's kids are organized as our generation could never be. Polite, well-behaved? Frontal lobotomies could not have worked better. The trick is, the grads can't excel at everything at once. Some are good in math; some aren't. Some understand computers as none of us can; some have computer phobia. Would standard exams help any? Not a bit. What would help is if every parent took more time to be part of a school, to offer skills and time. What will help is if we can break away from the prison-guard settings most schools still provide. The medium is the message. What would help is if our society were more interested in learning than earning. But that's a column for another day. Police shortage 'critical,' says association The Durham Regional Police Association says a "critical man- power shortage" is affecting quality of service by Durham Police. The association wants the On- tario Police Commission to in- vestigate the operation of the purham force. Concerned about safety of police and citizens, association president Dale Allan says a "serious sistuation" is developing because of the shortage. The association, which represen- ts most of the department's 400-plus officers, has requested more staff to keep up with growth in the Region. "The police commission has allowed the force to fall well below the level of other regions and the quality of police service has suf- fered accordingly," Allan says. The association cited statistics which show that the population has increased 23.5 per cent since 1979 while crime has gone up 43.8 per cent during the same priod. Calls for police service have in- creased 54 per cent, according to the association, but staff has in- creased by only 16 per cent. The force will be increased by 23 officers. Three cadets and eight civilians this year, the largest in- crease in five years. Chief Jon Jenkins says the new additions are "less than a third" of what is needed to bring the force up to the average of other regional police forces. Allan says most citizens would be "outraged" if they knew how few Former officer pleads guilty A Whitby man who was a mem- bér of the Metropolitan Toronto Police Departmenthas pleaded guilty to four counts of break, enter and theft and two of break and en- ter with intent. Const. Michael Bavington, 37, resigned from the force 10 days Brief escape An Oshawa man briefly escaped custody Monday evening while being led to the Whitby jail after appearing at a bail hearing. The man, Gregory Hatherly, of 49 Wellington St., slipped out of his handcuffs. He was arrested five minutes later on Charles St. direc- tly across from the jail. Hatherly had been charged with a break-in at Cliff Mills Motors in Oshawa. The break-in occurred Sunday. Lumber stolen Lumber valued at $1,000 was stolen from a Dewbrook Ct. con- truction site over the weekend. Stolen were 365 planks of wood. FURNITURE& UPHOLSTERY LTD. *ANTIQUES «NO-DIP RESTORED STRIPPING *CUSTOM eREPAIRS UPHOLSTERY •REFINISHING A large selection of Victorian parlour furniture available 413 DUNDAS ST. E. WHITBY 668-5481 ago. been an alcoholic for the last four A Toronto district court heard years. Police caught Bavington in that Bavington was trailed by un- February 1986 leaving a business dercover cops and a police plane on with a typewriter. No charges were the night of March 18, 1986, a night laid at that time. of four break-ms. Bavington collected $351 and a Bavington's lawyer said he has television from the break-ms. police officers are patrolling the streets at certain times of the day. "Ask anyone who has needed the police how long it takes us to get· there," he says. VARIETIESOF 3 F7HSIA'S VARIETI ES OF ANIUM'S BEDDING PLANTS ALL KINDS OF HANGING BASKETS SOME IN SHADE 655-4411 Hwy. 12,8300 Baldwin St. Brooklin "What benefit is there to a 911 system if there is no police officer available to answer the cati?" he adds. 25 YEARS EXPERIENCE Why buy Retail? Buy Direct & Save 14x28 ECONOLI NE WlI LADDER Reg.$7495.""1 Limited Time $6495.00 SOLAR HEATING PANELS Reg. $699. Limited Time $599.0° AUTO. CHEMICAL FEEDERS Reg. $149."l Limited Time $79.°° 284 RITSON RD. 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