I was pretty certain that I wouldn’t be commuting to work in 2013 by jet pack, though I was eternally optimistic and hopeful. This mirrors my position on schools, yet I have found myself equally un-surprised.
At least in my mind, each year the school system should get better. We should end the year, look back as a society, be genuinely pleased at what we have accomplished, then resolve to achieve even more in the new year. I can absolutely assure you that this is how we approach each year at the YMCA Academy.
I ask myself today – honestly – if families of students with learning style differences and learning disabilities in the public school system here in Toronto are better or worse off today than they were one year ago. The answer is obvious and beyond disappointing. It’s also not limited to Toronto, Ontario, or to Canada. Not by any means.
If each of us takes a little more time in 2013 to become an advocate for education we will have a better chance at seeing and experiencing change. There will always be a need for schools such as ours but we should work towards a point of equilibrium between the demand for our schools and their supply. As it stands today, there are far more families who need a YMCA Academy in their community than the availability of these schools that are equipped to help.
From all of us in our community, we wish you the best year yet.
Don Adams, Head of School