EPISODE 536 PREDICTIONS MADE BY GR. 10 TORONTO STUDENTS IN THE MILLENNIAL YEAR 2000
alan skeoch
Feb. 17, 2022
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF GRADE TEN STUDENTS
In the year 2000, the second millennium began. I was asked to gather a cross section of Grade Ten students
in Toronto schools to see how they viewed themselves and, particularly, to predict the future. What they thought
would happen 50 years from the year 2000.
And then to describe what a typical day was like…a TYPICAL DAY IN THE LIFE OF A GRADE TEN TORONTO STUDENT
By chance a friend gave me a copy of the book we made. I had forgotten all about it and was rather pleasantly
startled by the comments of these young people.
ROSY PREDICTIONS, were there many? Yes, there were, many of them spot on. And it did not take
50 years for these predictions to happen.
DIRE PREDICTIONS, were there many? Yes, there were and many of those were spot on.
FUNNY PREDICTIONS? were there many? Yes, Enough to keep us smiling. Such as the prediction
by Bobby Foley that the squirrels of Queen’s park will be the dominant life creatures and we will be
‘legions of maids and janitors”. We had a lot of laughs doing this project.
HOW TO TRIGGER STUDENT PREDICTIONS
SOME disturbing predictions by were made by futurist John L. Peterson, ‘Out of the Blue: Wild Cards
in our Future: I thought his ridiculous comments would trigger the students. I really did not need any
adult input though. Peterson’s predictions in 2000 seemed way out of whack! But , lo and behold, here
we are in the year 2022 and his precautions already seem fulfilled. Downers for sure.
DIRE PREDICTION IN YEAR 2000 THAT COULD NOT POSSIBLY COME TRUE?
( OR COULD THIS ACTUALLY HAPPEN…WITHOUT WAITING 50 YEARS?…Guess what,
these predictions seem to have happened or are happening right now.!!)
COMMENT:
THE final book is 134 pages long. Each of the students was asked to describe one day in his or her life. Not in the past or the future.
But a day like May 30, year 2000….MY LIFE.
What comforting days there were in the daily life of this cross section of Grade Ten students. Affectionate, caring, humorous, humdrum,
social, involved, intelligent…overwhelmingly positive.
I would hope that the same is true today. I fear that the positive predictions and positive daily life would
both be very difficult to find.
DO YOU WANT TO HEAR MORE OF THEIR PREDICTIONS?
DO YOU WANT TO READ WHAT ONE DAY, YEAR 2000, OF A TYPICAL STUDENT?
alan skeoch
Feb. 17, 2022
Post Script: I think this project deserves another Episode…so joyful. Any teacher who has had the profile of teaching
Grade Ten students knows that the future will be in good hands. At least that was my experience as a teacher. And
it was confirmed by this gang of kids we gathered together to describe one day in each of their lives.
One student,Adam Nathanson, made a prediction that I have often quoted. “Fifty years from now, human beings will
go to the furthest reaches of space only to find that re, in fact, alone.” That fact, if true, should make us value all the
wonders of our world and marvel at the spark of life within each of us.