WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 1987, PAGE 7 PAGE SEVEN THE REAL WORLD The school year is winding down and high school students across the province are writing exams this week. But some students who have spent all or part of the last term on co-op education are already finished. Co-op education is work experience - a co-operative arrangement with employers to provide experience to students in a field of their interest. To some students co-op is regarded as easy credits - a chance to get away from the restrictions of the classroom -and dangle their feet in the stream of life. And in fact, that is its chief benefit - a taste of the real world - something the classroom can never teach. I have had a direct involvement with co-op ed now for five years, not an especially long time, but I suspect my involvement has been far more diverse than most. Through the years as chief technologist of a hospital labol-atory, president of the Whitby Historical Society and currently publisher of this paper, I have had the opportunity to work with and supervise students in such diverse subjects as art, English, history, biology and marketing. I have seen the enthusiasm with which some students have tackled their placements, I have seen the realization dawn on others that the real world is not an easy ride. I have seen some go on to build a career from their placement while others opted for a different path because of it. Some have had the self-motivation and drive to suc- ceed with ease and others have needed constant supervision and direction and failed in spite of it. Al have learned a lot. Not what they or the school system expected them to learn - they learned more about themselves than they did about any particular subject. My first contact with co-op was when, as- president of the Historical Society, I inquired of the printing teacher at Henry Street High School what would be involved in getting some printing done. The teacher, Alan Jeffrey, happened to be the co-op ed co- ordinator and out of our discussions came a unique project which involved the production of a calendar of historic photographs. The pictures were from the collection of the HistOrical Society archives and the layout was done by a student working at General Printers in Oshawa under the supervision of their graphic designer, Rob Donald. My role was the overall co-ordination of the project, the selection of the photos and ultimately the marketing of what turned out to be a very professional product. That particular project continued for three years - the last calen- dar (1986) was sponsored by the Ontario Historical Society and was distributed by them throughout Ontario. It died only because the wider its distribution, the greater the competition - the rewards never quite matched the effort that went into it. Another project done through the Historical Society was a research project tracing the family of Whitby's founder, Peter Perry. For the two history students who tackled that one it was a unique opprotunity to experience what history as a career would be like - not the classroom regurgitation of textbook facts, but the frequently tedious deciphering of old books, badly written old let- ters and microfilms of wills and deeds, looking for the rare tidbit of useful information. As chief technologist of the laboratory of the (then) J.O. Ruddy Hospital, I ha. several Anderson Collegiate students working in my lab on co-op placements over a period of a few years. I found that although the specific interpretive knowledge was missing, the ability to learn the operation of the equipment and turn out quality work was there in the vast majority of cases. The students gained a real sense of accomplishment by contributing to the health care of real people in real life situations. They also experienced the tedium of paper work. For the past year as a neophyte publisher of this newspaper i have had students working at the Whitby Free Press writing news stories, doing graphie design and doing special advertising promotions. I doubt if there are many employers who can claim the same breadth of involvement in co-op placements. The students' transition from a classroom environment to one where they are accountable for their own actions can be a difficult one. Add to that the awkwardness for an employer to discipline a student (employee) whom he may regard as a volunteer (because he's not being paid). The potential (at the extreme) is for a student to spend his timedoing nothing, learning nothing and getting a bare passing grade out of the goodness of the boss's heart. Ideally, both the employer and the student benefit from co-op ed - the employer gets useful work done and the student gets valuable experience. The future of co-op ed depends on both sides being win- ners. The relationships need to be well defined - a clear definition to the students of their accountability to the employer, a clear definition to the employers that they can and are expected to discipline the students and a clear definition of where the school fits into the equation. Good communications will lead to a strengthened program and a wider range of possibilities for work experience. The chief strength of co-op ed is that it gives the student the chan- ce to explore a career in the real work environment, not the con- trived atmosphere of the guidance office. Every student should have the chance, not just once, but as often as is necessary to en- sure that their career choice is appropriate. Our educational budgets are already stretched to the limit but at the higher education levels, we waste a lot of money training students for jobs- that exist only in their own imaginations. Column outstanding example explaining Meech Lake talks To the editor: I would like to make this statement in the form of an open letter to our M.P., Mr. Scott Fen- nell. Dear Mr. Fennell, You surely must have read Doug Anderson's column on the recent Meech Lake proceedings (the column that appeared on page 7 of the June 3rd issue of this newsp- aper, -right beside your article in which you defended Bill C-22).* Nonetheless, I dearly wish that every caring Canadian would read the aforementioned column very carefully. As a professional writer myself, I judge the said piece to be an outstanding example of ex- plication, exhibiting a high level of analytical thinking, clear, dilligent observation and an uncommon ability to communicate facts lucidly and succinctly. We must be thankful to have such writers who can beautifully pre-digest for us the confusing particulars of some of the political issues that are of great concern to us all. Unless I miss my bet, Mr. Fen- nell, W.F.P. readers must have already inundated you with signed copies of Anderson's columns. To thèse readers who have not yet sent you any indication of their concurrence with Anderson's timely, caring statement I would strongly urge them to alert you of the majority who love Canada and object to the balkanization of it as a way of buying Mulroney some Quebec votes. Surely anyone who loves Canada (including Quebec), should agree with Anderson about the Meech Lake rush job, that "this needs a lot more consideration and con- sultation than it's been given up to now.11 Itnwould be great, Mr. Fennell, if Anderson's astute observations served to help most of your con- stituents as well as yourself to see the urgent need to draw this matter into the democratic process of our Respectfully yours, G. Tatchman Ajax,Ont. Public hearings a must By MPP GEORGE ASHE The people of Ontario should have a chance to voice their views and ask questions about the Meech Lake accord. In my view, the Ontario gover- nment should hold at least a week of public hearings on the accord, just as the governments of Manitoba and Quebec are doing. Public interest in the accord is understandably high and the people of Ontario deserve to have input in- to the constitution that governs their nation's life. Premier David Peterson, after weeks of saying he doesn't believe public hearings before a legisiative committee are necessary, has finally agreed to Opposition demands to allow public hearings later this year. Will Ottawa still have the same powers it used under the Canada Health Act three years ago to make provinces end extra-billing by doc- tors. The constitutional agreement designates Quebec as a distinct society. How will this affect the federal government's ability to serve and legislate for all Canadians? The accord also calls on the federal government to choose senators and Supreme Court judges from lists submitted by the provin- ces. Do you think lists should be open to public scrutiny before going to Ottawa? Premier Peterson says he will not make his list public. I would also like to know if the immigration part of the agreement will restrict who can settle in cer- tain provinces on the basis of languageor any other criteria. My party has always believed in a strong central government. All- we seek here is to find out how strong it will remain. What do you think? It Is your country! Need help from seniors To the eaitor: Those who are over sixty-five... We want your stories detailing experiences you have had with caregivers, (doctors, nurses, health care aides, social workers, etc). We are particularly interested in instances where you have felt that the person you were dealing with was sensitive or insensitive to you as a person. We are expecting to'compile your edited stories into a book to be made available to training programs for health and social ser- vices professionals. Please write your stories to us at: The Caregivers Sensitivity Project, 15 Elizabeth Street, Suite 9, Orangeville, Ontario L9W 3X3. Julie Ann Lefever Caregivers Sensitivity Project r - j country.