Everything will change in a post-COVID-19 world, as we have seen already. The question is what will the new future look like.
The worldwide coronavirus pandemic will not only change systems and advance technology, it will leave an indelible mark on every generation who lived through it.
It’s the crisis of a privileged generation who saw their basic freedoms taken away in the blink of an eye.
We saw governments of every political stripe unite and leaders at every level work together to get us through this pandemic.
I believe Ontarians, and society as a whole, have a different perspective of what their priorities in life are going to be coming out the other end of this crisis.
COVID-19 has not only changed the world but how we view it and more want that vision to continue.
I hope this remains top of mind when the kids go back to school — whatever form that may take in September.
As the government of the day, school boards and teacher unions get ready for whatever lies ahead in the unpredictable world of a pandemic school year, let’s keep the talk productive and moving forward.
I don’t think I have to remind any of the parties involved that no one has been hit harder in this discussion than the families — both students and parents — and they should be our top priority.
The last thing any student or parent wants to go through is the fiasco that was the pre-coronavirus school year, rife with rotating strikes and uncertainty.
Not only have many had enough of the ongoing bickering every couple of years, most may now think that focus should be more on front-line health-care workers and PSWs, rather than teachers’ unions.
It’s time to refocus on the future, not the past, and now would be a good time to start.
Scott Thompson is the host of The Scott Thompson Show on Global News Radio 900 CHML Hamilton.