Of Youth, Sexuality and Healing

In School: Our Kids, Our Teachers, Our Classrooms
McClelland & Stewart,1995, $29.99
by Ken Dryden, LLB'73

"Good teachers don't teach subjects, they teach people." Ken Dryden repeats at both the beginning and end of In School. Everything he learned in a year-long observance at Thomas L. Kennedy Secondary School in Mississauga reinforces this simple premise.

As Ontario's former Youth Commissioner, Dryden was disturbed to meet so many drop-outs. He set out to discover why some kids succeed at learning while others surf through the system, skimming the surface uninspired and uninterested. There is, he realizes, "no conspiracy to undermine the system"; just teachers, parents and kids, flawed and harried, juggling the burdens that press in on the day.

The challenge is to involve all kids in the adventure of learning. Time, he concludes, is the solution. Teachers must take the time to project beyond the front row of achievers. Parents must devote the time required to get involved with their kids' lives and to give them a sense of importance. And kids must put in the time to "puzzle and stumble, to know what it feels like to be lost, to keep going, then to know what it feels like when you do understand, that vibration of excitement and pleasure, and the addictive need to feel it over and over." But time, it seems, is a commodity often in short supply.

Dryden was inspired to plunge himself into a high school because there, he says, "you witness the present and glimpse at the future."

Dryden cuts through to the very heart of education: the daily relationship between teachers and students in the classroom. In their interaction lies a captivating tale. Their victories and defeats are important messages for students, parents and educators.

Tod Hoffman, BA'85, MA'88

The Lives of Gays, Lesbians and Bisexuals: Children to Adults
Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1996, $41.95
by Ritch Savin-Williams and Kenneth Cohen, BA'87

Current research indicates that children who as adults are going to be lesbian, gay or bisexual feel in some way different from their peers. Later, as the child enters adolescence, he or she realizes that this difference is on a sexual level. The adolescent must then cope with internalized homophobia, "come out" to a disapproving society, and hopefully reconcile him or herself to being a member of a sexual minority. For some, this process may lead to serious physical and mental health problems, including depression, suicide and substance abuse. Later on in life other issues arise, such as relationships, children, legal problems, the death of a partner, ageism. This book, edited by Savin-Williams and Cohen, attempts to describe the current state of knowledge of the lives of sexual minorities. Chapters are devoted to topics that are not commonly addressed, such as homosexuality and ethnic minorities, including Native Americans, the elderly homosexual, and children of homosexuals. The book presents the lives of sexual minorities from an American perspective. Much of the research that is reviewed has been done against the backdrop of American society. It is important to ask if this research applies in its entirety to other societies including those of English- and French-speaking Canadians. In summary, this book provides a good overview of the research on the lives of lesbians, gays and bisexuals. The presentation is clinical and academic, which at times can be dry. Nevertheless, it serves as an excellent reference for students of this field.

Dr. Pierre Tellier
Medical Director
McGill Student Health Services

Head, Heart and Hands: The Story of Physiotherapy in Canada
Canadian Physiotherapy Association, 1995, $30 (plus $5 shipping)
by Joan Cleather, DipP&OT'54, BSc(P&OT)'58

As a former editor of Physiotherapy Canada, the author is well poised to write this interesting historical narrative of a helping profession; specifically, about the evidence of validity of treatment theory, data supporting treatment efficacy, and relevance to society's needs.

The chapters each begin with a description of the scope of practice and an explanation of how the early pioneers sought recognition by forming a strong alliance with medicine; and how a few decades later, the profession sought increased autonomy and direct public access. The chapters that cover professional education in university- based programs and the development of physiotherapy science in clinical and academic settings are well researched. Although the science aspect of physiotherapy remains its Achilles' heel, the book clearly documents steps undertaken by the CPA some 30 years earlier to correct this deficit. The last chapter deals with "Trends in Treatment." Unfortunately, "trends" as a term does not do justice to the scientific accomplishments of recent decades, which were anything but trendy.

Recent changes in health care delivery, driven by financial considerations among others, will change the face of physiotherapy in Canada. Voices are urging physiotherapists to be more "lean and mean" in the way they practise. How to remain caring and sensitive professionals in these lean times will be a momentous challenge to physiotherapists. This book provides a sterling example to the profession of how the early pioneers, with very few resources and great determination, left physiotherapists with a legacy to be proud of.

Antoine Helewa
Professor of Physiotherapy
University of Western Ontario