Each month, we will profile individuals who have signed the Proclamation for the Separation of School & State.

Canadians need Separation, too,
says Ontario's Gayle Remisch

Separating school and state is a good idea for more places than just the U.S. It's good for Canada, too, thinks Gayle Remisch. The London, Ontario, mother and day-care provider has become active in spreading the Separation message north of the border, although she concedes that her task is not an easy one. The notion that it is the right and obligation of government to provide education is at least as firmly entrenched in Canada as it is in the States.

Remisch, who describes herself as "Anglo-Brazilian" in origin, has lived in enough different places to realize that government schooling is a bad idea anywhere. While homeschooling her five-year-old daughter, she researches education issues via the Internet. That's how she discovered the Separation Alliance. "I came across it while doing a search on John Taylor Gatto," she explains. "I found Separation to be very congruent with my own belief in freedom."

Remisch attended SepCon'96 in Washington, D.C. Attendees remember her as the timing lady in the back of the room with the big "STOP" sign she had to use a couple of times. Conference goers who spoke with her learned that the Canadian school system also is in a serious decline. Her job, she believes, is to help popularize Separation "to offer people a glimmer of hope" for a viable alternative to the currently reigning system. Already, she has spoken on radio about the idea.

"I freely and happily accept the responsiblity for my child's education," she says, "and I would like for other parents to take that same responsibility for their children."

This article is copyrighted by the Alliance for the Separation of School & State. Permission is granted to freely distribute this article as long as this copyright notice is included in its entirety.

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