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.