Your Thoughts on an Anxious and Uncertain Return to Classes |
Two weeks ago, the Canada Letter looked at the impending return to school in most provinces. Since then, the federal government and teachers’ unions have been making adjustments to the plans as they figure out how to get students back in classrooms in the middle of a pandemic. |
 | | Uncertainty surrounds the return to school.Ian Austen/The New York Times |
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In Quebec, where many schools have already reopened, there are new coronavirus cases. The province has not detailed the school outbreaks, but unofficial accounts indicate that more than 200 students are in isolation. |
A large number of you took up my request in the earlier newsletter for your thoughts about the back-to-school plans in your parts of the country. I heard from parents, teachers and school board trustees. And with a few exceptions, most of you are anxious and find your province’s spending and plans inadequate. |
Here are some of your comments, which have been edited for length and clarity: |
Ontario should cancel first year kindergarten for the year. These young kids have never been to school and many have not been in a setting away from their parents. Yet we’re expecting these 3- and 4-year-olds to social distance. Really? Lisa Lewis, kindergarten teacher, Keswick, Ontario From a parent perspective, with a son entering 11th grade and a daughter in ninth grade, what is striking to me is how the schools aren’t regularly involving parents in the plans for what the school year will be like. This lack of communication began in mid-March at the start of the pandemic and school closures. I think that the more we all acknowledge that we are all in this together, the better. This is why many families are so worried — we are feeling left out. Judith Krajnak, St. Albert, Alberta |
 | | Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with the premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, last month.Lars Hagberg/Reuters |
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I’m a school board trustee in Toronto. Along with my colleagues I have been asking for additional protections for our students including: — Mandatory masks for all grades — A portable saliva test pilot for our students — Plexiglass for students and teachers We’ve been doing everything we can, but we need funding from the Ministry of Education so that we can have smaller cohorts across the school system. They have been providing the minimum and changing the plan constantly, leading to more confusion and upheaval. Norm Di Pasquale, Toronto |
 | | Special entrance measures at a private school in Ottawa.Ian Austen/The New York Times |
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I am a high school teacher on Vancouver Island. I have very little confidence that I will be safe at my school. Why do we wait in line to go to a bookstore because only four customers are allowed in the store, yet classrooms could have 30 students? Why are masks mandatory in crowded settings like ferries and buses, but not in classrooms? The cases of Covid-19 are on the rise in this province and yet our back-to-school plan looks pretty much like business as usual with some hand sanitizers and optional masks thrown in. Kristine Walker, Ladysmith, British Columbia As an alternative education teacher, I work with at-risk students who do not have the ability to be successful in a mainstream high school. Plans to restart school are going to change a lot over the next few months. It’s trouble if we get locked into a routine, heads in the sand. But the flip side of this flexibility is that it will create anxiety for the kids, the parents and staff. I wonder if there will be a breaking point where people just can’t handle more changes. Zach Mathews, Surrey, British Columbia. |
 | | The only way to reach Point Roberts, Wash., by land is through Canada.Ruth Fremson/The New York Times |
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- Ruth Fremson, a Times photographer, made her way to Point Roberts, Wash., a bit of the United States that is landlocked from the rest of that country by Canada. The pandemic has left its residents cut off from services in British Columbia, and this summer, without Canadian visitors and seasonal residents, its businesses are withering. Read: ‘I Am Stuck Until That Border Opens’: Marooned in Paradise
- Dan Bilefsky reports that after a prominent statue of Sir. John A. Macdonald was toppled in downtown Montreal, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s comments on the action led to “blowback on social media — from people who said he did not speak out forcefully enough against the vandalism, and also from others who said he did not take a tough enough stance against Mr. Macdonald’s record.” Read: A Statue of Canada’s First Prime Minister Is Toppled, but Politicians Want It Restored
- Salome Bey, “Canada’s first lady of the blues,” has died at the age of 86. In her obituary, Catherine Porter tells how Ms. Bey — as an actress, playwright and director — broke ground in theater opportunities for Black people in Canada. Read: Salome Bey, Soulful Singer, Actress and Playwright, Dies at 86
- Stephen Smith writes that in the context of the pandemic, “the clustering and close-fought commotion of the N.H.L. playoffs might seem like the antithesis of best public health practices, a daily tutorial — a crash course — on how not to social distance.” Read: Hockey’s Fights and Handshakes? Not Exactly Socially Distant
- A census by a team of geomorphologists at the University of Calgary found that melting glaciers are increasing the number of glacial lakes worldwide, and that their water volumes are rising. Read: Melting Glaciers Are Filling Unstable Lakes. And They’re Growing.
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A native of Windsor, Ontario, Ian Austen was educated in Toronto, lives in Ottawa and has reported about Canada for The New York Times for the past 16 years. Follow him on Twitter at @ianrausten. |
We’re eager to have your thoughts about this newsletter and events in Canada in general. Please send them to nytcanada@nytimes.com. |
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