Today, Ontario is a hugely, diverse province. Our students come to our schools from different countries, from many communities and from every part of the world. They have different learning patterns and they speak many languages. From this diversity, we must create a single society which offers equality of opportunity for all. But to reach that goal we must understand and accept that the education of children is a shared responsibility between educators in the schools and parents at homes.
Teachers provide instruction, guidance and support from day to day.
But teachers can never replace parents whose task it is to ensure that children understand from an early age both the importance of education and the joy of learning. It is now a proved fact that when young children experience this parental direction at home, they arrive at school ready to learn. While parents are at the heart of education far too often they are viewed by the education community and thus view themselves as secondary players in the learning process. We have done far too little to ensure that parents are involved, truly involved, in the education system. In a world characterized by rapid changes, it is all the more important that parents understand that they need to be participants in every aspect of their children s schooling.