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***** The difference in opinion, stress or no stress in student's life is a matter of changed (Canadian) reality.

Canadians of previous generation (like John's parents) were hardworking, honest, intelligent, technologically advanced, great people who made Canada to a respected (by the world) and powerful nation. They also showed and helped many third-world nations how to prosper.

Unfortunately, they failed to teach their own children any of the 'good' qualities. The NEW REALITY: Even raising a family of their own became too stressful for them. As a result the population declined. The governments (created by John) made business-plans to woo and bring immigrants, to ensure the well being of the host aging-generation and for the comfortable future of the new-generation (students). Today, we have the expendable immigrants to handle the stress. What the new-generation needs today to ensure their success (in Canada, to get and hang on a job) is the identity (a pale-skin and fluency in English).

If the present off-the-school Canadians can enjoy 'life sans stress', why can not their children! (note: In Ontario, the retirement age has eliminated and you can still hang on your jobs with same designation and pay, until the staff from your funeral home throw you into the flames. Some underpaid young immigrant will do the actual stressful part of your job for you).

Considering this new reality, the stress and challenges in student's life is totally unnecessary!.

//Anthony McJackson//

If I vividly recall the post dramatic stress Mr. Harris pushed onto straight A student, Kimberly Rogers, it’s Ma and Pa Rate Payers that are scratching their heads wondering about juniors grades when the mandatory Social Assistance Reform Bill became the corner stone for suicides.

Pending from a PAGG Forum, March 23 2001, the Region of Peel decided to fund the theory that the $315 per day costs to feed off real prisoners was more lucrative than to have students breaking out of class rooms because they’d only get house arrest for good grades.

Kimberly’s been deceased for 4 years and we’ll never find out who's been stealing Mississauga’s property taxes.

Stress can be as exhausting as a good physical workout. Stress, like a good physical workout, can also be exhilarating.

I recall the stresses of my high school years with something of nostalgia. It is not that things were easier back then, it was our attitude towards the stress. I think the term originally used in the physical fitness industry, ‘No pain -No Gain’, sums it up nicely.

If everything were easy, where would be the fun? If all playing fields are level; what is the challenge in the game? Where would be the satisfaction in getting a difficult job done and done well and on time if anybody or even a robotic process could have accomplished the same thing?

Did I always succeed at everything I did in high school or the extracurricular activities I joined? No, not always, but more often than not I did very well. Did I feel at the end of a semester or school year that I had earned my holiday break? Yes I did because I and the majority of my fellow students had worked hard under much stress for long periods of time.

If you lower expectations you will lower results. To expect a break after a period of hard work under stress is reasonable. To expect a break before and after a period of work under stress; is, in my old fogy’s opinion, just plain ridiculous.

Picture what life for those no-stress-high-school-students would be like after graduation. What if one of them were to get a job, get married, have children and then, oh –my-god, they come home and had to make dinner. Could they handle the challenge; or would they go to bed hungry because they were too stressed?

Most of it’s just bashing the proverbial head against the concrete wall because of pooling and structural problems in the system in the first place. Even the regional Bachelor of Arts in Social Services, David Szwarc’s knows the biggest bucks in government business are those Welfare job search statements after a scholar can lob off student loans.

As I recall as a High School graduate, some 30 years ago, it might be better to bring a few pee shooters to council meetings just to keep these guys awake!

I'm not certain how helpful a ban would be for students.

When i was in high school (6 years ago) teachers were so tight on teaching time that they had to introduce new material right up to the last day.

The fact is if you students don't do the homework they won't learn the material and will be in trouble when it comes time to write the exam.

Hey there, John,

I agree with crazyrabbits on this one if for no other reason that it goes a baby step to level the obscenely uneven playing field that highschool kids nowadays have to face.

I agree with all your points too. But to me, bottomline is a fairness thing.

Highschool students in an affluent area don't need to work and help out their families like some kids do.

So you got kids competing for university marks where the rich kids can do homework and study because that's all parents require of them.

I was lucky that way. My parents would tell me my only "job" was school.

Other kids weren't that lucky. I've seen kids doing homework on breaks in their fastfood jobs. Or study while working evenings too.

Yes, some kids work as a choice. They're not the ones I care about.

It's The Others. And they can use that break. Especially when the marks can mean whether they make it into university or not.

Toodles,
The Mississauga Muse

As I recall, the last few weeks of high school (at least, when I was there) saw many people suffering from almost-breakdowns after being swamped with exams AND homework. If this can raise student marks and put less pressure on the teachers to scrounge for year-end assignments, I'm all for it.