18 Sunnyview Ave.,
						Pointe Claire, P.Q.
						October 7, 1968.

The Rennigade,
John Rennie High School,
Pointe Claire, P.Q.

Dear Sirs,

Today I happened to pick up an issue of your newspaper and read, with
great interest, the article on "student power". Permit me to make one
or two commemts.

You use the words "ruling class", followed by parents. Since when did
parents become a "ruling class"? Are you reporting or griping because
you're not allowed out late on school night?

The author suggests wonderful, idealistic solutions which, if followed,
would create confusion rather than a better educational system. Discu-
ssion and study sessions are fine if the students are mature and have
a s1ncere desire to learn, but you forget that you are deal1ng with
adult minds. End the lecture system and some atudents will benef1t but
the majority will take advantage of the groups to gossip and will
therefore suffer.

I agree entirely with your estimation of exams as "irrelevant", but your
solution is, again, not practical. Exams cannot be abolished, they
must be phased out, the reforem which lasts is the one that comes about
slowly.

You wish to co-ordinate universities and industries to create real sit-
uations. There is only one flaw in this plan, before you can work
with real situations you must have examined the concepts you wish to
work with in a simulated situation where complicating factors will not
arise to confuse the issue. Once you understand the pure theory, only
then are you able to competently work with real situations.

You claim that the curriculum is irrelevant but you m1ss the main idea.
The world doesn't care if you know when the Magna Carta was signed, it
cares only whether your mind has been trained to its full capacity.
The curriculum is not to teach you facts, but to teach you how to use
them.

If you are so interested in improving the education you receive, why
don't you hold study sessions after school?

When I went to John Rennie, I felt Mrs. Swan didn't know very much. Now
I am astounded by how much she has learnt in the short time I have been
away from John Rennie. Read the srticle she wrote in the same issue,
she says what I feel much better then I can. Lis-ten to her and you may
learn how a newspaper should be written.


						M. J. Hill
						McGill university, B.Sc.2