• Kids these days are missing out on learning because of the adults currently in power.
• Kids these days have unmet needs in the education system, and if the systems meant to protect and educate them don’t improve, they will grow up to be adults with unmet needs.
A NEW NARRATIVE FOR MY COLLEAGUES
Tis past March, I had the opportunity to read ETFO’s new policy paper, Promises Unfulfilled: Addressing the Special Education Crisis in Ontario. Page aſter page, I experi- enced an overwhelming sense of validation. It took my feelings and experiences and put them into facts and data. Tat validation was closely followed by anger and hurt. You see, I have spent years watching my
the significant consequences of students not receiving proactive support is that we oſten end up in situations requiring reactive sup- port and de-escalation. Some students with unmet learning needs
can easily disrupt the learning of others and/ or can be violent and aggressive. Tis can result in a classroom evacuation, a student causing harm to others and/or themselves and potentially necessitate physical inter- vention. Every student loses out because, in many situations, the best we can do is react. In some cases, we aren’t able to teach skills and strategies because our focus must be on mitigating risks. Students are demonstrating their need for
connection and learning every day, and edu- cators hear them loud and clear. Te system, however, isn’t listening, as it fails to provide the range of placements and supports that honour a child as a whole person. We are all aware of the saying “Kids these
days ...” which is typically followed by a nega- tive comment about today’s youth. I would like to shiſt this narrative.
30 ETFO VOICE | FALL 2025 SO, HERE IS THE REAL STORY:
• Kids these days are trying desperately to keep up with the onslaught of things that are negatively impacting their well-being and mental health.
• Kids these days are experiencing high levels of stress and witnessing violence in schools.
• Kids these days are creating untrue stories about themselves because they are in a system that does not honour their strengths and support their needs. Tey are too young in their development to recognize that it is the system’s fault, not their fault.
• Kids these days deserve timely assess- ments, especially when their families can- not afford to pay to get one done privately.
• Kids these days are demonstrating kind- ness, empathy and compassion based on how others model it.
• Kids these days are some of our best role models of true inclusivity.
colleagues be professionally gaslit by vague government responses to our cries of crisis. Tey are feeding us breadcrumbs and tell- ing us it is dinner. I listen to individuals who repackage past theories as a shiny new way to suggest, “If you just did XYZ, then every student in your class would be doing great,” without ever successfully implementing any- thing themselves or considering the condi- tions needed for learning. I recently watched a webinar where the presenter stated, “All learners can access grade-level curriculum,” which is entirely dismissive of students who have a learning profile that cannot keep pace with curricular expectations but are just as worthy of a quality public education. I have witnessed the normalization of
teacher burnout, only to have it weapon- ized against us by suggesting that teachers are not working hard enough for students and are taking too many days off. Te real- ity is that the system has created the perfect storm for burnout. Teachers are eager to learn more and im-
plement best practices for all their students, but they lack the necessary conditions, pro- fessional development, time, resources and support to do so. Students are, by far, the best part of my job and I am deeply committed to them, but underfunding is affecting schools across Ontario. My school lost over a million dollars in funding since the Ford Conser- vative government came to power in 2018. Tat is more than $1,500 per student. My colleagues and I cannot make up for that loss. Aſter the press conference in March to
release Promises Unfulfilled, the Ministry of Education responded disdainfully, using a blanket statement that it has “never spent
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