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w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le | T hu rs da y, Ju ly 28 ,2 02 2 | 8 ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 70 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the news- paper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca editorial@waterloochronicle.ca facebook.com/waterloochronicle @wlchronicle WHO WE ARE VP, Regional Publisher Donna Luelo Director of Content Lee Ann Waterman Regional General Manager Nelson Parreira Regional Director of Media Heather Dunbar Advertising Representatives Fran Hendry, Katrina Anderson, Jan Bodanka, Matt Miller, Lisa Humphreys, Cassandra Dellow, Zaid Shahabuddin, Managing Editor Robyn Wilkinson Online Editor Loraine Centeno News Editor Ned Bekavac Reporter Bill Jackson Director Creative Services Katherine Porcheron CONTACT US Waterloo Chronicle 219 Labrador Dr. Suite 203, Waterloo, On., N2K 4M8 Phone: 519-886-2830 Web: www.waterloochronicle.ca Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 320 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Published letters will appear in print and/or online at waterloochronicle.ca Delivery For all delivery inquiries, e-mail customerservice@metroland.com or call 519-894-3000. OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA It is no secret that since the advent of public educa- tion, identity has been a predictor of outcome. There are too many studies that highlight the dispro- portionate number of In- digenous, Black, racial- ized, queer, students in spe- cial education and stu- dents coming out of poverty who do not reach their full potential in school. Throughout my career in education, I have made it my purpose to address these issues. When I took on the position of director of education at the Water- loo Region District School Board (WRDSB), I commit- ted to ensuring that stu- dents' identities, abilities and lived experiences are fully embraced and ho- noured. In this way, learn- ing opportunities will al- low all students to rise to their full potential. Our recent student cen- sus showed us that one- third of census partici- pants identified as racial- ized, and three per cent identified as Indigenous. Students reported over 200 ethnic and cultural back- grounds. Nearly 24 per cent of students in Grades 7-12 self-identified with at least one 2SLGBTQIA+ sexual orientation. Seven per cent of respondents reported a disability or health condi- tion. Approximately 13 per cent reported an annual household income of less than $40,000. Using our census data, and guided by our strategic plan, we have much work planned to address inequi- ties and eliminate barriers for students. This is the only way we can use an evidence-based approach to change out- comes. We will be analyz- ing census data with re- spect to student achieve- ment, program enrolment, suspension and expulsion data, and graduation rates to identify gaps and dispar- ities based on identity. The strategies we employ that will be necessary for some will be good for all stu- dents. Recently, our efforts to- ward building equity and inclusion in our schools have been under attack by a deliberate campaign of misinformation. To be clear, none of this is a "woke agenda." Notwith- standing that this is a pro- vincial expectation, ad- dressing inequitable out- comes serves everyone. By challenging the way things have always been done, we get the opportuni- ty to innovate and create something new toward a future in which we all be- long. As we look to the up- coming 2022-2023 school year, our focus will be on creating environments for students to benefit from ad- ditional tutorial support and engage in innovative and creative learning op- portunities. We have lots of work to do, and I'm sure there will be challenges along the way, but I hope you'll join me as we work to educate students and prepare them for their futures with kind- ness and compassion, so that all students and fami- lies in our Waterloo region know that they belong, feel supported and achieve their fullest potential. jeewan chanicka is director of education at the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB), with over 20 years experi- ence as an educator and leading change in public education. BRINGING THE FOCUS BACK TO THE STUDENTS WE SERVE USING CENSUS DATA, 'WE HAVE MUCH WORK PLANNED TO ADDRESS INEQUITIES AND ELIMINATE BARRIERS FOR STUDENTS,' WRITES JEEWAN CHANICKA I came across an article recently that listed "con- troversial" parenting top- ics -- things like taking a baby to a bar, allowing chil- dren to play with toy guns, or vaccinating or not vacci- nating children. Personally, over many years of writing parenting columns, I have drawn the conclusion that virtually all parenting topics are controversial since there is virtually no consensus on any topic. Different strokes for different folks, and kids. Parenting permutations can help to explain some of this. First, every mother has her own ideas. So, too, does her partner. As do her mother and mother-in-law and any other relative within hearing distance. And so does the child, whose personality may take the best idea for an earlier child and turn it on its head. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, there are plenty of experts, from medical personnel to edu- cation personnel, to weigh in on any issue, many of them with widely diverg- ing strategies for dealing with each one. Most people can agree on the importance of cer- tain outcomes. Every par- ent wants their child to be healthy, to be happy, to have unlimited opportuni- ties to pursue their own passions in life. The path to get them there has, howev- er, many forks in the road, and a single-remedy high- way to the endpoint is an il- lusion at best. Perhaps the most im- portant lesson I learned in the earliest days of my par- enting was that parenting was going to have its ups and downs, and you had to listen to many options from others, listen and re- spond to your child's per- sonality and, eventually, make a decision on the path to take while main- taining an open mind to change direction if it be- came obvious the path cho- sen was going nowhere. In other words, you have to learn and adapt on the fly. No single book or no specific parenting "meth- od" is going to work for ev- ery parent and every child in every situation every day. Of course, it is OK to have an opinion based on your own experience and the experiences of those with whom you interact. In fact, you want to have a framework of "parenting basics" from which to work -- simple things like daily routines, partner agree- ments on expectations and consequences, and regular all-hands-on-deck commu- nication strategies for is- sues that arise and need a resolution. It would even be my sug- gestion that lovebirds con- sider a conversation on these kinds of things long before they tie the knot, at least if they agree that they both want to have a family. If there are widely diver- gent views, some negotia- tion regarding compromis- es might be fruitful long be- fore the exhaustion of par- enting throws a serious monkey-wrench into fu- ture negotiations. I am a parenting opti- mist, for the most part. I have met a lot of parents who found a pathway that worked for them and their children, but, for the most part, they shared one com- mon characteristic -- they remained open-minded, learning and adapting as they grew themselves and as their children went through various stages that necessitated new pa- rameters of routines, ex- pectations and communi- cation. They kept their tar- gets in mind while coming up with new ways to reach those targets if the current method was not being ef- fective. Graham Hookey is the author of "Parenting Is A Team Sport" and can be reached at ghookey@ya- hoo.com. CONTROVERSIAL PARENTING TOPICS EVERY MOTHER HAS HER OWN IDEAS FOR RAISING A CHILD, SAYS GRAHAM HOOKEY GRAHAM HOOKEY Column JEEWAN CHANICKA Column SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA