TDSB approves Canada's first activist-oriented elementary school

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Sat, 2009-02-21 14:52

Souviens

The Toronto District School Board has given the green light to Canada's first public elementary school oriented to future activists. The Grove Community School, an alternative school focused on social justice, environmentalism and community activism, will be opening in September, 2009 inside an existing public school, Alexander Muir/Gladstone (AMG).

The public school, which is open to anybody in Toronto, will offer JK-grade 3 in the first year, adding a grade each year until grade 6. There will also be a strong focus on arts infusion. An organizing committee of progressive west-end parents have been working together for almost two years to make the school a reality.

The Grove Community School will be having an open house on Wednesday Feb. 25 from 7-9 PM at AMG (108 Gladstone Ave.), for parents who wish to enroll their children in September or who would like to learn more.

For more info about the school and its mission or to read the application to the TDSB, go to http://www.thegrovecommunityschool.ca.

Or email [email protected] with questions.

Sat, 2009-02-21 20:40

Sunday Hat

Wouldn't you think that the best way to produce future activists would be to have them interact with "non-activists" so that they know how the rest of the province thinks, acts and reaches their political beliefs?

It's never struck me that the problem with Toronto's "Left" was that they didn't have lifelong "activist" training. And it's certainly never suffered from a lack of artists. I'd say their tendency to group into self-absorbed enclaves that sepatrate them from the vast majority is a much much much bigger problem.

Also, who decides to become an activist at age 4? Or is this something we decide for them?

I don't like to crap on effort - and I'm sure people have worked very hard to set this up - but it sets off my alarm bells.

Fri, 2009-04-24 13:04

anotherworldpossible

i agree,

in fact I attended the open house and found disappointingly little evidence the organizers were leading activists. The fundamental difference of the school seemed to be 'equity admissions', 'enquiry-based learning', and a proportionately large amount of outdoor education. On the first, they couldn't even lobby the board of education to approve equity admissions - and still went ahead with promoting their proposal! On the second, they admitted the curriculum needed to work within the TDSB guidelines. On the third, it was never pointed out how these extra field trips were going to be paid for - my assumption is from parents who can afford paying for buses and extra supervisors, which leaves us on the outside looking in. If they are genuinely interested in building 'truly democratic societies', why not invest in the one remaining (it seems to me) truly democratic institution we have left, the public school system? Every child is given the right to equal resources of education and has the opportunity to learn values of diverse culture and transcend social class barriers. Let's use our activist skills to reform what we have, not further segregate our agendas by socializing our kids into silos.