Winnipeg Free Press By: John R. Wiens Save to Read Later In my career, I have asked thousands of parents what they want for their children as a result of their being educated. Invariably, the answer is “happiness,” by which they meant privately content and publicly fulfilled. Opinion In my career, I have asked thousands of parents what they want for their children as a result of their being educated. Invariably, the answer is "happiness," by which they meant privately content and publicly fulfilled. Ironically, BEST (Better Education Starts Today — Putting Students First), Bill 64’s implementation scheme, implies that children — which it describes as "our most valuable asset" — exist almost exclusively as interchangeable articles of trade in the open-market economy. When education and the people who engage in it are treated like just one more plentiful commodity, our individual and collective humanity take a big hit.