Alberta teachers are awesome

They deal with a lot but they produce results!

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/12/07/edmonton-alberta-students-tests.html

What parents want at report card time

What parents want at report card time is honest feedback. Some schools in our division have taken to not giving grades to children in early elementary school. I understand the rationale, kids are learning so actually grading them is unfair and we want to create an atmosphere of cooperative learning rather then competitive. So instead of a report card, parents are given a checklist of things their children are working on.

The problem comes with us parents. We are responsible for raising a whole individual in which school is an important part. When they enter into school we can not be with them for many hours of the the day and we need some feedback. We need to know if they are excelling at reading or simply slipping past because we may need to do a few extra hours of reading with them at bed time. We need to know if they are in the 60 per cent range in math or the 90 per cent range because we may need to do some work with flash cards or games at home to help out.

If we get no clear feedback until grade 3, it might be more difficult to catch up. Children slip through the system quite easily especially if they are bright and quiet. Polite children often don't come to the attention of the teacher and reading skills can be difficult to evaluate in younger children if they are good listeners. They become experts at listening for directions (rather then reading) and picking up what is expected of them (with out reading).

If the school system is going to claim that parents are an important part of the process then we need information. We need that information presented in a clear straight-forward way that we can understand. I know if 60 per cent is a good grade for my child or if they are not working up to their potential because I know my child best.

Macbeth captivated students

Recently, I had a chance to see a performance of Macbeth at Racette school by the professional actors of Theatre Prospero and Racette students. I was impressed, not just with the actors but how the children were involved. The students who were selected for parts in the play were so enthusiastic but the students who came out to watch were also captivated. This group has come out to the school 4 times before and said that this is one of their favorite places to come because the students are so well prepared.

The school prepares students weeks in advance by introducing the play in English class so that they have some knowledge of the scene as it unfolds. Macbeth is of course and exciting dramatic play with sword fights, murder and a bloody head in a sack. The students watched the performance from beginning to end in near silence. They loved it!

The Artists in Education grant is being cut. This is truly sad to cut such an effective program. I can testify as a parent and as an educator that this program works. The children were learning and more then that the were enjoying learning. This is a unique experience that can not be replicated with out the talent of the Theatre Prospero actors.

I believe it is time for us to organize our children and teach them that there are causes worth fighting for. We should help them to write to their MLA and the Minister of Arts and Community to protest. It would be a great way to teach them how to have a voice in their local government and might teach them some letter writing skills at the same time.

Expulsion

At the last SPERD board meeting, Superintendent Brodziak indicated that he was in the process of writing a new expulsion policy for the division.

Expulsion and suspension is really the only punishments that schools can give out. While I do recognize the short comings of the practice, it is really all there is to deal with serious problem students.

One of the criticisms is that expulsion is not a solution, turning these problem kids out into the streets just results in gangs and an increase in crime because there is often nobody at home during the day. Agreed, this is a problem. However leaving them in the classroom is also a problem.

Remember we are not talking about kids that are making the occasional distasteful wisecrack in class, we are talking about bullying, threatening, destructive behavior that makes it difficult if not impossible to conduct class. This behavior is often repeated over and over again. The student receives a short in-school suspension or an out of school suspension, in which they are gone from the classroom for a few days but return again with the same attitude, sometimes even worse.

Other students are as frustrated as the teacher seeing disrespectful, mean kids returned to the classroom over and over again. If someone can call a teacher Fu.... B... in the classroom in front of other kids and they are back a few days later laughing about it ... its a problem. I can promise you that they are not treating their classmates with respect. Learning in this environment is difficult.

While it might be true that putting them out on the street is not a solution, keeping them in a classroom is also not a solution. Perhaps it's time for society to get together and try to propose a real solution to the problem.

In the mean time, I hope the policy has some teeth to it.

Sad but true

Draft Education Act 2011 Proposed Framework

Everyone should read this document as it may well become the new Education Act in Alberta. Education and health care are in my opinion the top priorities of our Provincial government. This is a chance to have input.

http://education.alberta.ca/media/6343692/educationactproposeframework.pdf

Increasing school age

One of the proposals of the new Alberta School Act is to increase the age of attendance in schools. Superintendent Brodziak said at the last school meeting that he preferred the system that we currently have, in which students over the age of 18 have to request permission to return. The division can the assess their reasons and accept or deny them.

I am a supporter of free public education for both children and adults, which is available in many countries in the world and therefore is financially manageable (but thats another topic), however I believe that Brodziak is right on this one.

We do have to question why the 21 year old wants to go back to public school. If it is simply to get their high school diploma because they now, as and adult, know the value of education ... then yup they should be back and yes I believe we as tax payers should cover the costs.

However chances are equally good that the 21 year old is there to sell drugs. Nobody wants to say that but its very likely. High school kids and young adults are the main consumers of drugs and as a business person it would make sense to be available to the market.

However, I would take it one step further and question if high school should be mandatory at all. All kids interested in taking school at this level should have to make a similar commitment. If a 16 year old really doesn't want to be in school, then maybe it would be better for him or her to go out and get a job for a few years and decide what they really want. Perhaps it is time to get rid of forced education for choice education.

Dangerous direction

The Education Minister Dave Hancock has been questioned about the governments practice of firing elected school board members and appointing trustees.

http://www.davehancock.ca/2010/11/question-period-school-board-g.html

This is an unacceptable power grab by the provincial government. The threat to all boards is, if you don't do what we say we will fire you. In the transcript available on Hancocks own website he asks "what's the right kind of governance model?"

The right kind according to whom? The people of this province put their voice forward when the elected these people to the school board. Are elections the wrong governance model? It is total and complete arrogance on behalf of our government to think that the people that they choose to appoint are "better" then those that we ourselves choose to represent us. That is not democracy!

This is an outrageous abuse of power and shame on the Alberta School Boards Association for not taking a more aggressive stand. Do not be surprised if there is no voice when they come for you.

Female dominated school board

When you have a problem in your local school - who you gonna call? SPERD board!

Five of seven board members are now women, which is interesting all by itself. I don't know if we have ever had a female majority before on the board but it is a nice change in politics in general. School boards can be a steppingstone into other areas of politics as is evident with Don Padlesky and Steve Upham. Also of course MLA Ray Danyluk began on school board. Both the Town of St. Paul (with no females) and the County of St. Paul (with only one female councillor) are strongly male dominated. I hope that the trend in the school board will filter into other areas increasing female representation in other areas of the political arena.

Quick re-cap

Incumbents Rhonda Lafrance, Maureen Miller, and Ron Rudkowski were returned to office by acclimation.

Raya Looy will replace Don Padlesky who is now on the Town of St. Paul council. Heather Starosielski will replace Steve Upham who won the election for Reeve of St. Paul.

Darrell Younghans easily won against challenger Perrish Tung (the Mayor of Elk Point) and Deb Pederson defeated John Pilipchuk to represent ward B.

Cyber Bullying

Parents, teachers, children and community members should be encouraged to mingle on social media sites like Facebook. Anyone who has read Lord of the Flies knows what can happen if children are left unsupervised with out authority. A recent article in the St. Albert Gazette describes an incident of cyber bullying.

http://www.stalbertgazette.com/article/20101023/SAG0801/310239965/-1/sag/students-ganging-up-in-cyberspace

Facebook is a community and a healthy community has a mix of people. I do not think that a teacher and students should be "forced" to be friends on Facebook but I think kids should have positive role models involved in their lives as much as possible. I would hope that adult community members would be more likely to interfere and decrease incidences of cyber bullying.

Social Media

The use of social media sites such as Facebook are banned in many schools along with cell phones and other electronic devices.

I feel that this is a wrong decision. There is a new Mayor in Calgary and many credit much of his success to Facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/NaheedNenshi

Effective use of Facebook and other networking tools are important to the next generation. It is often claimed that cell phones are disruptive in classrooms. However they are the future of the Internet. As more and more computer programs such as basic word processing will be located in the "cloud" of the Internet. The idea of having a large box in your house as a computer will soon be a thing of the past. A hand held device such as a cell phone will connect to your monitor and keyboard anywhere (school, home or workplace) and will connect you to all your data located on the web. That is the future.

Educators need to monitor the direction of technology and help prepare children for the future. Stop banning technology out of fear and embrace the benefits.

Diploma exam results

So the government of Alberta has announced that it is pleased with the improvement in Diploma Exam results but that critical thinking skills remains a concern.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/10/12/edmonton-diploma-exams-results.html

Wow - who could have predicted that elimination of all of the written response exams in math, physics, chemistry and biology would have resulted in an increase in exam scores but a decrease in critical thinking skills?

I would think that pretty much every person who has ever been trained in teaching and anyone who has a degree in any of these subject areas could have predicted that result. In fact anybody who took one of these courses in school most likely could have predicted that. So about 90% of the population probably would have foreseen that outcome, but the Minister of Education apparently is confused.

“Standardized testing can easily identify trends, but it can’t determine why a specific result is going up or down.”

No ... but sometimes common sense can identify a really obvious correlation. Perhaps it is time for Minister Hancock to speak to teachers and ask them. I am sure there are more then a few that would be capable of explaining it to him in simpler language so that he could understand.

Wildrose education plan - competition

Recently the Wildrose Alliance Party has released their education plan which is largely based on the concept of open competition, which is not surprising as competition seems to be a cornerstone of many of their policies. They promise to implement "school choice" legislation.

Competition is often considered contrary to the principles of education, however healthy competition is the very foundation of our society.

Competition does make schools more responsive to the concerns of parents and the community. However it also encourages schools to spend precious education dollars on marketing and advertising. It can result in trying to recruitment of students with a "name" that might attract other students.

New Zealand has had school choice legislation since the 1980's and there is no evidence from the New Zealand experience of increase on grades or standardized test scores. It has resulted in aggressive competition between schools resulting in schools having large advertising budgets.

If this policy were ever implemented, they would need to take into consideration how to cap the spending of public dollars on marketing.

This is largely a policy that once again addresses city educational issues as rural students have little choice unless they want to drive great distances. Online education offers some choice in that students can register in any online school.

Healthy lunches

We all want our children to be health but how to get kids to eat healthy is another issue altogether. Healthy lunches should include fruits, vegetables and whole grain breads - that is basic. However there are a few things in this article and others that I do question.

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/09/07/f-healthy-school-lunches.html

One is that juice is bad for kids. I really have trouble believing that we can only give our kids water and skim milk to drink.

Is it really bad if my child has a glass of orange juice or apple juice for breakfast or lunch?It has plenty of vitamin C and other nutrients, especially if it is "not from concentrate" with no sugar added. I am thinking a little bit of natural sugar may curb the craving for pop. Drinking stale, warm milk that sat in a locker for half a day may not be very appealing to a child. Have we gone to far by insisting only water and milk?

Too many drop outs in Alberta

Why do so many Alberta teens drop out? Partly its because young people believe that they can make just as much money with the oil industry with no education than with an education. While it is true that unskilled labourers are well paid in the oil patch, it is also true that when there is a down turn in the economy, they will be the first laid-off. The true "Alberta Advantage" is not for home grown Albertans. We are importing educated individuals from outside the province to fill the high paying management jobs.

"The proportion of teenagers in the 15-19 age group who were no longer in school varied from 14 per cent in New Brunswick to 26 in Alberta, the report said."

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/09/07/statscan-.html#ixzz0yrdpdiny

Some career planners in schools encourage young people into the trades. This is a mistake.

"Graduates from university programs earned considerably more —75 per cent more on average — than high school or trade and vocational program graduates."

Bill 44 again!

Its time for the government to admit that this bill 44 fiasco was a mistake. They have watered down the clause to the point where it is so very vague now that it has little meaning. All this is already covered in the school act and the last thing we need is more useless legislation. If a sensitive subject such as sex education is going to be taught a letter is already sent home for parents to sign. If they don't sign it, the child will not get the information taught in the classroom, instead they will learn it from their friends in the locker room.

Bill 44 does is keep the threat of the Human Rights Act hanging over a teachers head. It is possible for a teacher to be dragged though a really nasty tribunal for nothing. The tribunal itself "is" punishment.

What all this really amounts to in the end is more paperwork. There will be more paper for parents to sign at the beginning of the year. So along with the forms for registration, field trip permission and FOIP (permission for the child picture to be taken) there will be a few more papers to sign.

The bureaucracy grows and the lawyers get richer.

"Alberta Education has identified nine courses that will require notification, including studies on religious ethics, parenting and aboriginal spiritual views."

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/09/02/edmonton-bill-44-legislature-protests.html#ixzz0yPjt9jF7

peer pressure

For most children it is filled with possibly and optimism. It is a chance to see old friends that they didn't get a chance to see over the summer and an opportunity to meet new friends. The social value of school should not be undervalued. It should be encouraged and supported by adults in the school system and at home. Adults often dismiss the importance of "friends" to stress hard work and grades. Friends are an important part of a child's life, but should not become the main influence when making decisions.

It is important to listen to children and their stories about their friends at school. How you listen is also important. As a parent the number one thing and the hardest thing is to NOT judge. Ask questions and guide indirectly. For example if your child said "friend x went to a party and there were drugs there and she tried it." If you as a parent launch into a lecture about the dangers of drugs the child may stop talking to you about it. Better to say "how do you feel about that?" Some time a week or two later, mention some of the dangers of drugs but not at the time. Or better yet watch a movie or a read an article with your child about the dangers of drugs. Guide their decisions and avoid "telling" them what to do on important issues. It is far more powerful if they think they have made their own decisions.

ADD misdiagnosed

Interesting link as a follow up to the last post.

"As many as one million children in the U.S. may have been misdiagnosed as having an attention deficit disorder because of their age when they started kindergarten, a new study finds."

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/08/17/adhd-children-age.html#ixzz0wtutjRpM

Is mental illness on the rise?

I can't help but question some of the statistics in the article (link at the bottom). I can recall one mother telling me about her sons "ADHD" and how he was not on medication at the time. Our conversation lasted well over 1/2 hour and the boy sat quietly in the desk sipping a drink the entire time. I had doubts that a child with serious ADHD could sit politely for that long period of time listening to adults talk.

I would be willing to guess that the majority of boys and a good number of girls have been on some sort of behavior modification medication by the time they reach high school. So when I hear that record number of college students have depression and mood disorders ... I wonder.

College is a high stress environment and therefore it is to be expected that there will be some emotional response to that in any normal person. Are we over reacting by diagnosing depression and prescribing medication?

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/08/12/mental-illness-college.html

Are awards outdated?

If educators wish to celebrate the achievements of all students as individuals, should they continue to have awards nights that recognize the achievements of a few based on pre-set objectives? Awards collectivize. They force people into pursuing the same achievement rather than their individual achievements.

"As a school, we need to continue to move away from the traditional educational hierarchy that says those students who excel in language arts and maths are more important than those who excel in fine arts. We need to move away from recognizing only those students who have figured out the “game of school” and know how to do school well."

http://www.connectedprincipals.com/archives/71

confidence and knowledge

I always told my students, if you don't know the answer ... still answer with confidence. If you are right people will think that you know what you are doing for sure, if you are wrong people will brush it off as simply a mistake. Unless you are wrong all the time .... people begin to catch on after a while.

If you are completely 100% correct but appear nervous and uncertain, people will often not believe you. When you are proven correct they will believe it was "luck."

This article has some interesting comments about the subject.

"This would be fine if confidence and knowledge go hand in hand, but in fact there is almost an inverse relationship."

Read more: Knoco stories: The illusion of confidence in KM http://www.nickmilton.com/2010/07/illusion-of-confidence-in-km.html#ixzz0va58jgTr

A song a day

Hi

This is a cute blog. Mary Stewart is trying to write a song a day. She is up to number 286. Although not directly related to education I can see some possible applications, like maybe a class projects trying to write a song per day (or per week). Or perhaps simply challenging students to come up with their own blog ideas.


http://cupcakerecord-asongaday.blogspot.com/

If you think a high school education is not important, read this CNN article about how factories in the U.S. can't seem to get enough "qualified" workers.

"The problem, the companies say, is a mismatch between the kind of skilled workers needed and the ranks of the unemployed."

"Now they are looking to hire people who can operate sophisticated computerized machinery, follow complex blueprints and demonstrate higher math proficiency than was previously required of the typical assembly line worker."

http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/07/06/frum.skills.mismatch/index.html?hpt=C2

Similarly in Alberta, large numbers of jobs on the rigs, attract young people away from the classroom. However as large oil companies become more automated, those who lack an education will likely find themselves unemployed.

It never hurts to have a high school diploma but it may hurt to drop out early. Its worth the effort.

Later start to the school day good for teens

For those interested in improving high school results ... perhaps its time to try something completely different.

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/07/06/teen-school-start.html

Young people improve communities

The contributions that young people make to our society often go unrewarded. Children contribute many hours of volunteer hours through 4H, church and other organizations. Young people make a huge impact on the quality of a community. A girl from Bonnyville was one of 8 recipients recipients of Queen Elizabeth II Citizenship Medals, awarded on Monday at Government House by Lt.-Gov. Donald Ethell.

"Alexandra Wagner, Bonnyville -- part of her school's Young Adopters program, she raised money for projects for children in developing countries;"

Read more: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Young+Albertans+make+difference/3239984/story.html#ixzz0sum2ZrAa

These are but a few examples of Albertan youth making a difference. I am sure everyone can think of many more local examples as well.

Missing the point

Well Bill 44 is raising its ugly head again.

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/life/Alberta+Education+releases+changes+Guide+Education/3193229/story.html

Of course the government is intentionally trying to mislead the public about the real danger of the bill by focusing on the right of parents to pull their kids from classrooms.

Parents have always had this right on any topic. If a parent phoned the school and said that they have serious moral or social reservations about anything taught in school, then the school would let you pull your kid from the class ... no problem.

Schools are already required by Alberta Education to send permission slips home before sex ed classes or any controversial topics are taught. So that is not the issue.

The question is simply ... is it necessary to have the threat of a Human Rights tribunal hanging over the head of a teacher as they teach a class?

I taught biology and often the lessons lead to discussions of sexuality, sometimes when it was not a planned part of the lesson. For example, lessons on genetics can easily lead to discussions on sexuality and even homosexuality. Although as a teacher, you try to contain such topics because they often lead the discussion away from the lesson at hand, the thought that some parent will be able to destroy the life of some teacher because of a classroom discussion seems ridiculous.

Make no mistake simply taking someone before the Human Rights commission is a punishment. The expense of hiring lawyers to defend yourself can be financially destructive. Even if the ATA covers the cost of the lawyer, it is still emotionally distressful.

The fringe benefits of failure

As we are now immersed in graduation season, this is one commencement speech worth listening to.

http://www.ted.com/talks/jk_rowling_the_fringe_benefits_of_failure.html

Violence against teachers

This column finally addresses a very real educational issue, violence against teachers.

"Every year I encounter more teachers, veteran and new, fearing for their safety. What's more, recent research suggests that their concerns have merit. ... Another, more recent survey of over 2,000 teachers in Quebec's French system found 85 per cent had experienced some form of physical or psychological violence, including threats and intimidation, at the hands of their students."

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/06/11/f-vp-smol.html#ixzz0qwKa9Hpb"

If you think this is only in the big city schools you are wrong. Personally I have been physically threatened and sworn at on numerous occasions. A hostile working environment is one of the reasons I chose to leave the profession.

In the past year at a school in this division a teacher had their home vandalized and spray painted with racial slurs. The RCMP did get involved but the kids were back in the same school after a brief suspension.

Another incident that I was told about involved teens breaking into a teachers home and helping themselves to their food, snacks and then trashing the place before they left including defecating. The students involved were suspended for a few days and when they returned the teachers who had their home violated were taken aside and told that they had better be "nice" to the returning students.

In another incident, that happened many years ago in this division, a teacher was physically assaulted resulting in injuries that if it were committed by an adult would resulted in jail time. Guess what, the kid was suspended briefly and returned to the same school. The teacher said that she would have quit except that she had children who depended upon her for support.

I could site numerous other incidences that have occurred right here in our community.

Imagine your workplace. Imagine that someone you work with goes to your home and spray paints racial comments on your home. Imagine that person simply gets three days off work and returns and you have to work with them. Would it not result in a hostile workplace?

How do you think your child feels sitting next to these students in a classroom? Do you think that your child will feel comfortable saying "no" to this problem student when "asked" to share his lunch money? Do you think your child will report the incident to the office knowing that when the troublemaker assaulted the home of a teacher, very little was done?

We as a society must sit down and find a better solution then simply returning serious problem students to the classroom.

Inclusive Education is not an excuse to cut funds

I can't help but wonder when I see articles like this one.

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/health/School+moves+away+from+coding+kids/3125771/story.html

Integration in Education is not a new concept, locally it has been happening in St. Paul schools for over 10 years. I believe students with disabilities should be fully integrated into the classroom and I support the model which has been successful in many colleges and Universities in Alberta. Post secondary institutions have done an excellent job at integrating students with developmental disabilities, and some public schools have also been successful implementing the model.

The idea is that the integration of the student should be as invisible as possible. The handicapped child should not be given special texts or special assignments. Their presents should be almost invisible to the teacher who grades the assignments the same way for all students. Yes, it works! Students with Downs Syndrome can take the same University courses as their peers, give presentations and participate in discussions. I have seen it happen.

The modifications are done by support workers, not academic staff. There is a group of support workers, separate from the University. They work for a private organization and answer to the student, so all decisions are student focused. They are responsible for making any modifications to materials or arranging any special supports necessary. For example if a student with Downs Syndrome needs class materials read to them, then these workers are there to that or arrange for technology such as text reading software on computers. The student may require a little extra background to participate in discussions, they will do arrange for extra tutorials or supports. The student then takes part in regular classroom discussions. (note: this is different from differentiated instruction in which the lesson content is modified for students). One university professor explained, "I should never even know if you have used some sort of technology or support service." The responsibility does not fall on the instructor to modify lessons or content.

The idea is to give the individual with developmental disabilities the same experience as regular students as much as possible.

The public system has latched on to this as a cost savings system. They integrate students but provide no support services. The teaching assistants work for the school and are often busy with other duties such as photocopying class assignments or assisting teachers with discipline problems in the classroom.

Teachers are asked to provide individualized lessons or modified content with "differentiated instruction". The teacher becomes overwhelmed with the excessive workload and unrealistic expectations. This is the opposite of inclusion.

Effective support services are the critical component that makes the system works. I sincerely hope that this recent announcement is not a way to reduce funding for support workers.

Informal Education

Informal education opportunities are just as important to children as classroom learning. Summer is an excellent time for informal learning as it is simply spending time with your child and talking to them about what you are doing.

• Go for a walk outside with your child and tell them what you know about nature. It does not need to be profound, simple little bits of information can have a big impact. If you find and interesting flower or plant ask the child to find out what it is by checking on the Internet. Take pictures of local plants animals and insects and make a slide show on the computer.
• Watch TV with your kid and talk about the shows that interest them. Personally I think TV has a bad reputation, it's actually a great educational tool if used correctly. Even silly kids shows can be a way to start a conversation and anything that gets parents and kids talking is a good thing.
• Reading of course is a great activity to share with your kid. Read to them even if they are older and they will respond.

The important thing is to keep children engaged in activities and join with them.

To give or not to give

As the end of the year approaches, many students like to purchase a small gift for their teacher. These are almost always elementary students but sometimes high school students. They are almost never Jr. High teachers.

My sister teachers Jr. High in the city and is a good teacher, actively involved in taking her kids to the Lego Robotics competition, which her kids won this year. Her husband teaches grade 5 in Sherwood Park and is also a good teacher, involved with the kids. However at the end of the year, he is showered with gifts and she is lucky to get even one. This is something that makes her sulk every year, even though she knows its coming.

It is not the money. Teachers are well paid for their jobs and do not expect parents to pay for gifts. Like all presents, it is the tokens from the heart that mean the most. The hand written note from the parent saying thanks, with a hand drawn picture. These are the treasures that the teacher will tuck away and bring out on a bad day to brighten their mood.

A small flower or plant they can put in their yard is also a nice gift. A jar of home made jelly or preserves are always appreciated as teachers rarely have time to make their own.

A small token of thanks can make a teacher feel good in a profession in which it is easy to feel unappreciated but stick with the kis (keep it simple) principle. And please don't forget the Jr. High teachers :).

Free post secondary education is worth investment

Investing in education is one of the most sensible things a government can do. It reduces crime, increases employment and encourages creative business ideas. There is strong correlation between years of education for females and reduced pregnancy rates, and in a world where the population growth rampant that is no small benefit.

Ireland, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Sweden and Cuba all offer free post secondary education to their citizens. Why do we want to burden new graduates with huge debts? The cost of college and university in this country is placing education out of the reach of many. Do we want money to determine who gets an education? That keeps the rich in power, possibly limiting someone with less money.

Although education is not a class equalizer, I believe that "equal access" to education is a fundamental value that benefits all society and therefore worth considering the next time we enter the polling station.

In this article liberal leader Michael Ignatieff voices support for the idea.

He believes that post-secondary education should be open to all students who have the grades to get in.

"We know that the key to future success, the key to a life of opportunity, is post-secondary education," he said. "You get the grades, you get to go."

He acknowledged that universal access to post-secondary education would be expensive, but said it is the right way to build the country.

Read more: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/Alberta+oilsands+need+cleaned+Ignatieff/3053915/story.html#ixzz0oawLBXtq

To write or not to write

In a recent press teleconference the provincial government was busy patting themselves on the back saying that they were correct and that the written portion of the diploma exams was not necessary for high school science and math courses. They said there were a few media articles at first but that the stats prove they were absolutely correct ... lol no surprise there. Alberta Education has become the master of manipulating statistics to say what they want and everybody knows it!

Every single high school teacher I have spoken to have said that the written portion of the exam was valuable and important. Personally, having taught high school Biology I can tell you that the written portion is very valuable. In fact I think they should have gone the other way and expanded the tests to include a practical experimental exam as well as a written and multiple choice.

Now the government has gone back on its intention to include written response exams in grade 3,6 and 9. One can't help but wonder what their reasoning was to add the written portion in the first place? Were they completely out to lunch then? Or are they completely out to lunch now?

"In a time of fiscal restraint, it is not appropriate to take millions of dollars away from schools to mark a written response which can be ably assessed by teachers in the classroom," MacDonald added.

Read more: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Alberta+drops+plans+written+portion+achievement+tests/3007146/story.html#ixzz0nYlnXNcc

According to that logic, why not eliminate the standardized exams all together and just have teacher scored grades. I could support that. At least it would be more honest and kids would be evaluated on a variety of skills not just multiple choice test taking skills.

The value of standardized exams is highly questionable but if we are going to insist that it must be done lets do it right. I feel sorry for students having 50% of their grade based on one multiple choice test.

What frustrates me is that nobody seems to care! There have been a few teachers in our school division with the courage to speak up at first but where are the rest of the voices. The school board said they wrote a letter at the time.

Where are the letters? Where are the protests? Where are the petitions? Where are the parents complaints? Why are the colleges and universities not demanding accountability? If I were a school board member interested in taking a stand for education, this is one I would embrace because it is what is in the best interest of our students. I would visit schools and talk to teachers and collect names on petitions. I would take a stand. It matters! Eduction matters!

Can we not offer a division standardized written exam?

Is it enough?

I attended the press conference on this event by phone but it has been already been summarized in other articles so there is no need to re-write it all for you again. It doesn't involve any kids from our area, of course, because our kids are honest! :) We are not like those city types.

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Sound+students+caught+cheating+math+diploma+exam/2971368/story.html

All that really happened to the students is that they got a zero on the exam and can't rewrite for one year. In the press conference, it was stated that this was a more sever punishment for these students then if they had been caught with a cheat sheet (or the modern electronic equivalent).

The cheaters wrote the test in January and because this form of cheating is so serious they will not be permitted to re-write for one full year until January 2011. It was stated in the press conference that if it was a less serious situation, then they would probably be aloud to re-write in June. That really doesn't seem all that serious of a punishment to me.

If the penalty for taking a cheat sheet into the exam is that you get a zero and you can re-write next term ... it might be worth a try. If I were a student who probably wouldn't pass anyway and the worst thing that will happen is that I have to re-write the test. Hummm.... kinda tempting.

Just a thought.

Keep teachers in classrooms

Recently in a council of school councils or a meeting of parents, teachers, board members and central office staff, parents were asked to identify their priorities for the school division. One suggestion stays with me still. The parents comment was to keep teachers in the classroom and not switch to distance learning modules.

I understand his concern completely. He stated simply, "I want someone to teach my child the lessons."

Personally, I am a fan of the use of technology and of distance education, however I do understand what this man was saying. Distance education and online learning are only one style of learning and do not replace teacher taught lessons. The best lessons are those designed by teachers who work in a classroom everyday. The interaction between learner and teacher is very important and makes the difference between success and failure for most kids.

In developing programs for online education with Alberta Learning, one important lesson I learned is that you simply can not take a set of questions or instructions from a classroom setting and put them on the computer and have an effective online lesson. The two methods of instruction are completely different. Similarly a lesson designed for online instruction can not be simply be distributed to children in the classroom.

I understand that rural school systems are faced with challenges of offering a full complement of courses in small schools. For example if a school has only have 5 Physics 30 students in a year, how can the school afford to hire a qualified teacher to teach the course? They can't so they offer the course by distance education or online education. It's not the best way but it is a way.

It is a dilemma and I am not sure that I know the answer. Any suggestions?

Private vs Public education

This is a an excellent essay in support of public school school teachers in the United States. While I realize that the American education system is different then in Canada, there are those here in this country that believe that private eduation is better.

I believe it is a worthwhile read with some very relevant points.

http://www.freireproject.org/blogs/defense-public-school-teachers-time-crisis-henry-giroux

scary copyright fee

This has gone largely unnoticed but I think it's a big issue.

"Titled the Access Copyright Post-Secondary Educational Institution Tariff, this levy of $45 per student, if accepted by the board, would cover all manner of copying by students and teachers, whether digital or print, video or audio, online or offline, coursepacks or class handouts, in the library or at home, in the classroom or e-learning."

and "will apply to all manner of copying, even if the material is free to use."

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/copyright+will+students+more+learning+materials/2904884/story.html


1. Charging everyone a flat fee is a bit like making every driver pay a speeding fine at the beginning of the year. The assumption is that everyone will violate copyright in some way so lets pay the fine up front.

2. I believe, this will not stay with college students, it will soon every student in Alberta will be required to pay the fee to Access Copyright.

3. Once the fee is established they can up the rates.

4. This organizations protects the right of only some publishers and creators. Therefore the big players become stronger, reducing competition which is the cornerstone of a healthy free market economy.

This is something to be concerned about!

Interesting links

Here are a couple of cool links that would make a great teaching tool.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/04/21/solar.observatory.images/index.html?hpt=C1

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1982747_2126373,00.html

Facebook and education

This is one of my favorite blogs because it encourages the use of technology in education. Here he is experimenting with using Facebook but ran into some issues. However he is looking for a way to solve the problems rather then simply dropping the idea.


http://blog.scs.sk.ca/tado/2010/04/facebook-experiment.html


It's an interesting read for anyone using facebook.

Let teachers choose their own style

When I went to school, the teachers were not all the same and they didn't all use the same teaching style nor did they all have the same rules.

In grade 10, I thought my math teacher was evil. I started in math 10 but it was first class in the morning and he shut the door at the bell every day and didn't open it. If a student was late, they were locked out of the lesson. If you missed 5 classes he kicked you out of the course. Teachers could do that in those days!

I was perpetually late so I was soon kicked out of the course. Then he not only refused to let me back into math 10 but said no me taking math 13 too because my grade in math 10 (being zero because i got kicked out) was less then 25%. Arguing that I got the low grade not because of my work but because I got kicked out was completely pointless. Although he slammed the door in my face he did open the window just a bit, if I could get a grade of 80% or better in math 14 he might let me into math 13. If I got 80% or better in math 13 he might let me back into math 10. I was outraged and felt it was very unfair!

When I told my mother she didn't phone the school and yell at them, instead she said she would pay for me to take math at summer school. So reluctantly I accepted the offer. I took math 14, 13, 10, 20 and 30. When I got to math 30 and really needed help, guess who spent his lunch hours helping me learn algebra? Yup that nasty teacher was really a nice guy in the end.

On the other hand I had a complete fruit cake for grade 10 chemistry. He rarely arrived to class on time and dressed in goofy nerdy short pants. His lessons consisted mainly of memorizing the periodic table. To help us memorize it, he would march up and down the isles of the class chanting phrases like "HONI Brushed Clean Fingers! HONI Brushed Clean Fingers!" Which was a mnemonic device for hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, iodine, bromine, chlorine and fluorine - the diatomic molecules. He looked so ridiculous marching around in his silly clothes, arms flailing and chanting that the students were always laughing at him (not with him). But it worked! By the end of the course I could identify element on the periodic table and know the row, period, atomic weight, absolutely everything about it. That was one of the most helpful things I ever learned. In university while others spent precious test time flipping through their periodic table, I recalled the information easily and with a smile remembering probably the most manic person I had ever met.

These teachers had very different styles, neither of which would be accepted today but I learned a lot from them and more then just the lessons. From one I learned, if I work hard and follow the rules, I can succeed. From the other I learned that memorizing boring information is easy if you make it fun and silly.

Today teachers feel so bogged down with rules and regulations that they don't feel free to teach the way they think is best. If you let teachers teach the way that they want, school will be a more interesting place and grades will improve naturally. Variety is the spice of life!

I wish I worked in Wormeli world

I wish I worked in Wormeli world because it must be a wonderful place to live, I think a lot like Mr. Roger’s Neighbourhood.

He responded to my post dated Monday April 5, 2010 “Is differentiated instruction desirable?” Click on the comment link at the bottom to read them.

“Grouping students flexibly and temporarily is justified, research-based, and common sense. If you are a classical guitarist, I’m not going to make you sit through the first lesson of the E minor chord all over again while I teach those just learning how to hold a guitar properly. You’ll move on to advanced fingering and adagios.”

Common sense, I like that. I must admit I have never taught guitar so maybe differentiated instruction is a great way to teach guitar, however I have taught 30 grade 7 math students at one time. I am going to make an assumption that advanced fingering and adagios is comparable to advanced math like calculus.

So let’s say I have a class of grade 7 math students and one of them wants to sit at the back and work on advanced calculus instead of working on fractions with the rest of the class. WOOO HOOO! No teacher in the world is going to stop the child from doing advanced calculus! I have never had that happen to me in my life and if it has happened to any other teacher out there, please let me know because I want write a story on that child!

However in the real world 25 of the 30 students don’t know fractions at all even though they have learned it in a previous grade. Three of the remaining 5 could really use a review before they have to write the exam at the end of the year. The last two, well it probably won’t hurt them to review the concepts and if they really know it, they will be done the assignment very quickly and can have some extra computer time.

In Wormeli world I suppose those 5 students would be put into a group where they would sit at the back of the class and work nicely on the next chapter of math independently. They would discuss the problems and learn from each other. They would not goof around, disrupt the class or talk about the latest Lady Gaga You Tube video. Wormeli world must be a nice place to work. Common sense!

Inclusive Education

I am a person with strong opinions but also, I hope, a person who is willing to listen to the views of others. Of course it's much easier to be a critic then it is to offer solutions, so today I would like to present something I do believe in.

Inclusive education is simply including people with disabilities, physical and mental and including them in regular classroom activities. This is not a new concept, it has been embraced at a number colleges and universities. In fact the University of Alberta's "On Campus" is one that is very successful and the model has been successfully adopted at many institutions.

http://www.ualberta.ca/~jpdasddc/inclusion/oncampus/oncampus.html

Students with disabilities attend university classes and participate in the same assignments and lectures as other students.

The Learning Challenge sponsored by Disney

"Our challenge to you is to develop a learning widget that will delight inspire and reveal key learning concepts for children aged 7 - 11"

http://www.learningchallenge2010.com/

Tuition fee hike

We purchased a registered education plan for my daughter before she was one year old. However with constant increases in the cost of post- secondary education in Alberta, I am now just hoping that she will be able to afford to go to college or university even with the fund.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2010/04/07/edmonton-calgary-tuition-increases.html?ref=rss

It's really becoming a big gamble for young people to lay down tens of thousands of dollars in hopes that they will get a job in the end to help them climb out of debt.

I wonder why some countries are able to offer free post-secondary education. It seems ideal to have a system which educates the brightest and not the richest students. Although a little out of date, this article still makes some interesting comparisons of the cost of education in different countries.

http://www.studentawards.com/articleAug2008.asp

Is differentiated instruction desirable?

I remember as a child having the children in our classroom divided into reading groups. The best readers were in the A group and the worst ones were in the D group. Of course the letter D was quickly equated with the word dummy on the playground. The next year the school modified their approach by using colors instead of letters but everyone knew that the kids in the red group were the poor readers. The following year they changed to bird names … but of course it really didn’t matter what they called the group, all the kids knew who was in the smart group and who was in the dummy group.

So when I heard Rick Wormli speak about grouping kids in the classroom for differentiated instruction, it sent shivers down my spine. According to this theory students should be grouped according to their individual “learning styles” and given different instruction and assignments. Well we can rename it but it’s still labeling and it’s dangerous. Kids are very vulnerable and tend to believe what adults tell them directly and indirectly. There is such a plethora of learning theories around, I am not exactly sure on what basis Wormeli thinks kids should be grouped, but I did hear him say one clip that the teacher should know if the student is a visual, auditory or tactile learner. Some educational researcher’s have questioned this whole notion claiming that we are all a mixture of learning styles depending upon the message. Everyone is a visual learner if Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie is delivering the lesson and everyone is a auditory learner when we listen to a good joke.

Giving kids different assignments is also dangerous. Let’s say one person does a PowerPoint (or web page) and another does an essay and another does a video presentation for the class. They all learn the same material right? On the next assignment do we let them continue to do the same thing? Do we let little Jane do videos all year and then wonder why she can’t read and write? Do we let the shy little book worm hide in the corner and read books all year or do we challenge him to step out of his comfort zone and do a class presentation? Can we insist that he does a class presentation with out insisting that others do as well? Because he, and probably his parents, are going to think you are picking on him by making him do a presentation if nobody else in the class has to do it that way.

What if we have the entire class do an essay for one lesson, a web page for the next lesson and a video presentation for the third? With the children working sometimes in groups and sometimes individually. By having variety everybody will get some assignments in their area of strength and everybody will have to do something outside their comfort zone. Nobody is being labeled or unfairly singled out.

Wormeli says “fair isn’t always equal”, in my opinion, that’s a bit like inviting some friends over to your house for dinner and giving only the skinny ones dessert.

Education hoax

Reports of an elementary school production of Scarface that is making the rounds by e-mail, is a hoax.

"Instead, it's the work of director Marc Klasfeld and Rockhard Films who did the videos for Lady Gaga's 'Pokerface' and Adam Lambert's 'For Your Entertainment.' It was produced in L.A. within the last few weeks and the audience members were a mix of cast family members, colleagues and friends. As for Lil' Tony and his co-stars, they were selected through a casting agent known for finding child actor look-alikes for adult stars."

http://www.snopes.com/photos/arts/scarface.asp

Is differentiated instruction reasonable

As a mom, I like the idea of my child being special and having her unique personality nurtured however I wonder if it is reasonable to expect everyone else in the world to cater to her needs.

Let me make a comparison, my daughter likes spinach better than green beans. Is it really a big deal for me as a mom to accommodate her when we are having green beans by putting some frozen spinach in the microwave and heating it up for her? It is not a lot of extra effort and she gets a green vegetable so I am willing to accommodate her individual tastes.

If I had three kids, each with their own individual tastes and I had to accommodate each of them for three meals per day, well that might be a bit more difficult. What if I have 6 kids or 8 kids? What if I have 100 kids and 4 to 6 meals per day to prepare? The selection required to accommodate each persons individual tastes is overwhelming. Now what there was only 40 minutes per day to do all the planning organizing and preparation work???

In this situation, is it not more reasonable to prepare one or two healthy meals, making sure that over the course of the week a variety of foods are prepared. By the end of the week probably everyone would be pretty health overall and the cook would not be completely burnt out trying to accommodate every ones individual tastes.

Similarly in education, is it really necessary that teachers attempt to accommodate the individual learning styles of each student as would be the case in differentiated instruction.

In this online video by Rick Wormeli, he states in the beginning that "differentiated instruction is not individualized instruction." However a little later in the same clip he said "for example in a well run differentiated class, rarely would everybody have the exact same homework assignment ... so if I saw a teacher giving day after day the exact same assignment to everybody, then I would think that they might have differentiated their lesson but they undermine it because they didn't give different forms of practice."

http://www.schooltube.com/video/cb83856191f9470e8937/Rick-Wormeli-on-Differentiation

So if a teacher has 4 different classes in a day with around 100 students. The teacher should not be expected to compose and grade 100 different assignments, maybe only ... 4 or 5 per different assignments per class which would be about 20 different homework assignments to write in their 40 minute prep time. That is still an overwhelming workload.

Wouldn't it be more reasonable to ask the teacher to prepare one good well organized lesson per class with one homework assignment? I think fewer teachers would get burnt out with unreasonable expectations.

Sure I would like my child to be treated like an individual and have her teachers design special lessons for her personally and if I win a lottery, I might be able to hire a private tutor to do just that. However, I don't expect a public school teacher to work themselves into stress leave with unrealistic expectations.

Cartoon depicting the state of education in the United States

American is best

Why we Canadians seem to respect American ideas so very much is beyond me. One of the things that offends me about the Rick Wormeli presentation is that the money must have come out of the education budget somewhere. When education is in a financial crisis in this province, perhaps we should be looking at saving money and possibly promoting Canadian educators rather then American.

The American education system is quite honestly one of the worst in the world. They should be looking to Canada for advice on how to improve. They are considering mass school closures in which all staff would be fired. I am thinking that if Rick Wormeli really has the solution to education then perhaps he should clean up his own back yard first.

http://www.calitics.com/diary/11249/mass-school-closures-loom-especially-in-communities-of-color

We have plenty of educators right here in St. Paul with 20+ years of teaching experience who might have some really great ideas on how to improve exam grades. I am thinking that their ideas may be more relevant to our students then some American educator. I am sure one of those suggestions might be to give them more time to work on exam preparation.

Just an idea but perhaps it would be better to ask teachers who already have 4 to 6 years of University Education on a variety of teaching theories what they think would help them achieve better exam grades.

Rick Wormeli - the current trend in education

American presenter Rick Wormeli was in St. Paul on Monday to deliver his message about education. For those who could not attend his presentation here is a similar presentation done recently in Saskatchewan.

http://blogs.wsd1.org/etr/?tag=rick-wormeli

His key message is that differentiated instruction which basically means teaching each student at his or her own level. Nice idea but like so many trends in education it is not practical, nor in my opinion even really desirable. Does each child in a classroom need a separate lesson plan? Do we really need to stress teachers out with unrealistic expectations.

Clearly our school division and school board herald this teaching method as the best since they have declared this extra PD day and insisted that all teachers attend to learn about it.

I have a number of issues with this method that I will address in posts over the next while.

However if you are interested in hearing his message first hand, please check out the link above.

Underachieving kids

This article is right on the nose! I was an underachieving child for many years and can completely identify with the definition of coasters:

"Coasters make up 40 per cent of all underachievers, equal among both girls and boys. They come from all kinds of families. Coasters procrastinate at home and at school. They give up easily, get low marks, and lose interest without concern for the consequences. They have selective memories, forgetting things they deem unimportant, and while they may have good intentions, they rarely follow through. These kids seem unfazed by their lack of academic achievement."

Personally as long as I was able to maintain a passing grade I coasted. It was not until high school that I experienced failure and decided that it was in "my best interest" to try. Eventually I became an advocate of education.

"The resource teacher told me that you sometimes have to let your kid become "ready to learn" at his own pace, and although I believed her, I found it really hard to let go. You feel like you'd be a terrible parent if you don't prevent your kid from failing. But I can see that she's right, and that sometimes kids have to fall on their faces so they can find out for themselves that they actually want to succeed and find it worthwhile to do the work."

Programs like "second chances" maintain coasting and prevent the all important experience of failure which is necessary for success.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/03/10/f-barwick-underachievers.html#ixzz0i4ne8Wqi

education awards

Education awards are often difficult because they single out the efforts of a few individuals when so many teachers put in so much hard work. However personally I feel that they are good in that they shine a positive light on teachers in general.

Both Julie Dubeau from Ecole Mallaig and Corinne Pashko from Racette will receive the Excellence in Catholic Education awards. Tanya Herbert has been nominated by the board for the Edwin Parr award.

FSLW

The Family School Liaison Worker program is the only school based counseling program in our division. It receives government funds and funds from local municipalities.

There were some hints of concern about the long term viability of the program in the last school board meeting.

This is an important program offered to students. Having emotionally healthy children is a benefit to everybody, just as an educated population is a benefit to everybody. This program must be supported.

Contact your school board members and your government representatives and let them know that this program is important.

Outrageous

Apparently the students who filmed their teachers lap dancing as part of a performance at a school pep rally could face discipline charges because the school has a "zero tolerance policy" (another eduphrase I hate) with regard to cell phones and recording devices. I would think that the school would be so ashamed of this stupid behavior on the part of their staff members that they would choose not to bring anymore attention to the issue. I wonder if the school has a "zero tolerance policy" about teachers behaving like immature idiots.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/Winnipeg+students+filmed+dancing+teachers+could+face+punishment/2633050/story.html

but thats just my opinion! :)

Interesting video clip

An interesting opinion about education from a drop out.

"Society no longer cares how many facts we can memorize because in the information age, facts are free ... education is about stoking creativity and original ideas ... its about empowering students to change the world for the better."

http://www.diigo.com/bookmark/http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D-P2PGGeTOA4

Students need to learn how to think for themselves

Here is an interesting study done at a Grand Prairie College

I absolutely agree that kids should be taught and encouraged to read science reports, however I feel that the attack on the media is unfair. Most reporters do go out of their way to try to get information accurate. However now in the days of the Internet where anyone and everyone has an opinion, the ability to locate accurate information and interpret it is a critical life skill.

http://www.ccl-cca.ca/CCL/Research/FundedResearch/20100218Kropan.htm

conclusion:

"To enable lifelong learning of science, students need to be taught how to read such reports. Furthermore, because media reports on the subject of science are often incomplete (due to space limitations), and often written by a reporter who is biased or a non-expert, students must be taught to read such reports critically; knowledge gained from these reports can affect both personal decisions (e.g., whether to try a new medical treatment described in a magazine) and public decisions (e.g., whether to support the building of a local nuclear power plant)."

Calgary board signs contract with student entrepreneurs.

An innovative project by some enterprising young school children may get them an early start as entrepreneurs. 

http://www.prlog.org/10538796-student-company-signs-deal-with-calgary-board-of-education.html

Lions and Tigers

The grade 5 students at St. Paul Elementary School performed the Lion Dance to celebrate Chinese New Year. 

PD day March 22

Teachers in the school division have been given an extra day off work to listen to a full day presentation by Rick Wormeli. 

What are his ideas? Here is a good place to start. 

http://www.schooltube.com/video/cb83856191f9470e8937/Rick-Wormeli-on-Differentiation

Reading for kids

Absolutely one of the best educational ideas to come around in a long time is the AR reading program. Kids take a quick test to establish their reading levels and then select books from the library based on their personal reading level. The children then can enjoy free reading because the books are at their level. Many teachers have 10 minutes of silent reading to further encourage reading.

When the kids have completed a book they are then encouraged to take a quick quiz on the computer to give them some feedback about how well they understand what the read.

I have heard some concern that while the computer statistics indicate that kids are participating in the program, they are not achieving high enough grades on the quizzes. I wonder if it is a good idea to test kids on free reading? I wonder if it is discouraging to some if they feel they are not doing well enough on their free reading?

School teachers get large pay raise.

School teachers in Alberta will receive the 5.99 % increase in salary but what that means for education in our province is still unclear. The shortfall for this year so far is 23 million dollars. It may mean cutbacks in the number of teachers and therefore an increase in pupil teacher ratio and therefore more work for the remaining teachers. 

So far Education Minister Hancock is asking boards to wait before making staff cuts. 

It also means increases in support staff salaries and once again possible cutbacks that mean more work for those remaining. 

Interesting links

A couple of interesting links. 

1. The world clock displays ongoing calculations of population, military spending, species going extinct and more. 

http://www.peterrussell.com/Odds/WorldClock.php

2. Cool animation of Mars fly-overs. 

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/01/mars-fly-overs/

In support of teachers

One thing I always liked about Oprah is that she liked teachers. It seems to me that teachers are an easy target for everyone. 

Teachers have an extremely difficult job. They not only manage over 100 individuals per day, they also have to deal with the parents. Most parents are understanding and supportive of education, however there are a few very vocal parents who have become frustrated with the system and tend to vent on the teacher. That can be disheartening when at the end of a long day when the teacher has worked their tail off trying to accommodate the diverse needs of so many to be faced with complaints which often seem to be about small issues. 

Teachers are expected to be performers delivering effective, interesting and entertaining lessons 7 out of 8 periods per day. They are given 40 minutes to research, write lessons, mark assignments and prepare for the following day. Usually performers or public speakers, spend more time preparing for their presentation then they spend performing. That is reversed for teachers. 

If you consider that the average high school English teacher with say 80 students is expected to give a meaningful written assignment every two weeks. Each assignment should be at least 2 pages in length (most of the time much longer). Thats 80 (students) x 2 (pages) x 2 (assignments per month) which totals about 320 pages per month that the teacher is expected to read, which is about the size of a novel. Marking is not light reading but heavy, careful reading with comments and meaningful feedback for each student. Now consider that this must be done in the teachers "spare" time because all day long they are in the classroom teaching. 

Now that teacher is expected to not only offer a second chance to students but insist that they re-do assignments even if the child doesn't want to. Lets say 10 per cent or 8 out of 10 students need to re-do their high school english essays. That is another 8 x 10 x 2 or 160 pages of marking for the teacher to do in their spare time. 

Unlike most employees, teachers are not entitled to have washroom breaks because it leaves students unsupervised and are expected to eat lunch while doing supervision. 

It is a very demanding, high stress job. Thank you to teachers who keep trying to make a difference in the world. You are truly special people. 

Forced Learning

Does forced learning work? 

There has been a lot written about the "second chances" policy at our school division. The idea behind it is that if a student fails an assignment or test they should attend lunch hour or after school tutorial and re-do the work until they pass. I consider that forced learning. 

I have stated my opinion on the policy in a column in the St. Paul Journal and now the Superintendent has replied through a letter to the editor. 

After having reconsidered the issue, I still can't support it. I just don't think that you can force someone to learn. If you start taking away all of their recesses and social time and forcing them to re-do their grammar worksheets over and over again, the child will end up hating school. It is a formula to increase the number of drop outs in school.

Children need to be encouraged with meaningful assignments and not punished by taking away their free time every time they fail to complete an assignment. 

But thats just my opinion! 

 

Education minister fires school board

Education Minister firing the school board for poor student performance, is in my opinion just grand standing. 

http://edmonton.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100121/edm_school_100121/20100121/?hub=EdmontonHome

There is little doubt that we are failing aboriginal communities when it comes to education. This is a much larger issue then this one area of the province. It is certainly an issue in our area here in St. Paul as well. 

I doubt that firing this board will solve the problem. How can we reach out to aboriginal students?

Education is simply teaching and learning however it has become ridiculously complicated with idealistic theories that do not translate well to practice. Teachers are left overwhelmed and frustrated trying to live up to unpractical and unrealistic expectations. I believe that if teachers were left to teach and were surrounded with support instead of constant criticism the entire system would benefit.