[timsbella]

There's hope. My children moved into public school this year in Mississauga, and when we went for parent-teacher interviews a week ago, there were trees and Santa and Christmas references everywhere. My 9 year old daughter showed me the song list for their concert, and lo, some traditional tunes are on the list - it was made up of kids requests.

Plus there was a Chanukkah poster on the entrance door (some reference to "faith forward in Peel" on it). My daughter is probably the only Jew in that school, but it made me feel good. Another positive sign - of the books they've read in class this year were "Number the Stars" and "Hana's Suitcase". Maybe it's an exception, but it's possible the pendulum is swinging to where it should be.

[Alexander Rubin]

That sounds great.

[GMMAC]

"My children moved into public school this year in Mississauga ..."

As we be talkin' the Peel Board, you be always keepin' your guard up FRiend.

Dunno if you're aware but, right up until she left for Ottawa in 1993, its Chair was the incredibly vile Carolyn Parrish. To say she left her mark is putting it mildly. If it's not the most communistic school board in all of Canada - which, personally, I'd be willing to argue - it would definitely make the top 10, if not top 2 or 3!, of any conservative who follows education fairly closely.

BTW, not that our local Catholic Board is all that much better:
Back in the 1980's, at a meeting of it's elementary teachers' union executive, a motion failed to carry be a single vote which would have imposed a compulsory additional dues checkoff on all of its members to provide on-going funding to the damned Sandinistas !!!
Straight goods - you can't make stuff like that up.

[-YYZ-]

Glad to hear it (I'm just down the road in Hamilton). I have fond memories of Christmas plays and concerts I took part it as a child, with my parents watching, in costumes they helped make. This despite the fact that I was brought up in an essentially secular home with little awareness of things religious. Even my father, who was more or less atheist, as I am now, could see the value in the traditional message of Christianity and Christmas. Certainly wasn't offended by public displays of Christmas at all.