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Sigh….the last long weekend of the summer is now upon us. Labour Day also brings on a variation of the “Sunday scaries” – the anxiety and dread many people feel at the end of the weekend. For Labour Day, it’s the “back-to-school scaries,” something that everyone feels even if your school days are a long way back in the rearview mirror.
Whether it’s at the elementary, high school or college-university level, heading back to the classroom presents special challenges. This year, both educators and students at universities have new worries – the need for safer campuses given the increased polarization around gender studies and other issues.
Susannah Schmidt, our dedicated and excellent Education Editor, has been working on several back-to-school themed stories over the last few weeks. I’ve included a selection of them here for your long weekend reading.
Whether you’re a student or the parent or grandparent of students, we hope these articles will bring some insight into the coming academic year. Please enjoy and share them.
Our newsroom will also be enjoying the long weekend, so we won’t be back in your Inbox until Tuesday.
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Weekend Reads: Back to School
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Shandell Houlden, Royal Roads University; George Veletsianos, Royal Roads University
Adapting post-secondary education through technological, social and cultural shifts depends on paying attention to healthy connection, social justice and amplifying what’s now going well.
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Lana Parker, University of Windsor
A new report from UNESCO analyzes the many challenges of the growing presence of technology in education and notes 14 per cent of countries have policies that ban mobile phones.
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Shelagh McCartney, Toronto Metropolitan University; Ximena Rosenvasser, Toronto Metropolitan University
Student residences built in recent decades prioritize privacy, yet research shows a lack of student socialization spaces negatively affects students’ academic performance and well-being.
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Hetty Roessingh, University of Calgary
Handwriting is a learned skill that must be taught through direct, developmentally progressive, consistent and sustained instruction. Teachers will need professional development and resources.
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David Philpott, Memorial University of Newfoundland
Access to schooling for four-year-olds is inconsistent across Canada. Families need to know children are immersed in high-quality early learning, and they shouldn’t be exhausted searching for it.
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Julia Kontak, Dalhousie University; Sara F.L. Kirk, Dalhousie University
Involving youth in promoting health in schools can catalyze students’ ability to bring about positive change. On International Youth Day and year round, more adults could lift up youth voices.
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Stephanie Ross, McMaster University; Larry Savage, Brock University
Trading the right to strike for binding interest arbitration is a minefield for unions.
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Shana MacDonald, University of Waterloo; Alysia Kolentsis, University of Waterloo
The stabbings at the University of Waterloo remind us that violence for daring to stand in a classroom and speak is still ever-present.
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Andrea Garner, University of New Brunswick; Melissa Dockrill Garrett, University of New Brunswick
Guided by policy, practice and relationships with students, families and communities, teachers are charged with helping all students thrive. To suggest otherwise is disturbing.
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Conor Barker, Mount Saint Vincent University; Patrick Richards, University of Saskatchewan
Elected officials must consider relevant research and legal context when shaping education policies. Otherwise, they risk destabilizing classrooms and harming students.
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