June 13, 2012

Laura Secord Guidance Department,

It has come to my attention that my daughter, Catherine Teichman, is interested in taking nine courses next year, but can only fit eight into her timetable. She doesn’t want to choose between the courses she’d like to take, as they are all important to her future ambitions, as well as her enrollment in the DNA Arts program. She is both interested and talented in the arts and sciences, which is why it is so hard for her to make a decision. She’s afraid to choose now, in case the course she doesn’t take is one she needs in the future, when she’s decided on a pathway. It is for this reason that I don’t want to force her to choose now. The easiest solution that I could come up with was to remove an MSIP from one semester’s timetable and fill the spot with a class. When she asked a guidance counsellor if she could do so, she was told she was unable to.

I understand that the timetable is meant to hold eight courses, and two MSIP classes, but I was hoping you’d be able to make an exception. My daughter is an excellent student. She loves to learn, and thrives in an environment where she’s challenged and must work hard to succeed. She has maintained an extremely high average the past two years, despite flooding her schedule with extracurricular activities, and she’s passionate about all of these endeavours. I believe that she would not only be able to manage a semester with five courses and no MSIP, but that this situation would increase her enthusiasm for learning and growing as a student.

Please consider this request, and if you have any other suggestions as to how to solve this dilemma, please let Catherine or me know. I can be reached at 905-685-8203 or by email at dufault@vaxxine.com.

Best Regards,

Monica Dufault