I put this table together today to share with parents and community members at our information forum this evening, but please feel free to share. It is a slight simplification as it doesn’t deal with exempted classes like music, classes in distributed learning, special education class, the “fudge factor” allowing
Continue readingTag: bc
staffroom confidential: Class size and composition – a short visual history
I put this table together today to share with parents and community members at our information forum this evening, but please feel free to share.It is a slight simplification as it doesn’t deal with exempted classes like music, classes in distributed l…
Continue readingStaffroom Confidential: Class size and composition – a short visual history
I put this table together today to share with parents and community members at our information forum this evening, but please feel free to share. It is a slight simplification as it doesn’t deal with exempted classes like music, classes in distributed learning, special education class, the “fudge factor” allowing
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Should Welfare Recipients Try Harder to Find Work?
This morning the Social Research and Demonstration Corporation released a new report about “motivational interviewing” for welfare recipients. The link to the full report is here, and the link to the executive summary is here. Authored by Reuben Ford, Jenn Dixon, Shek-wai Hui, Isaac Kwakye and Danielle Patry, the study
Continue readingstaffroom confidential: Guest post – I WILL HOLD THE LINE
This guest post is from a Victoria teacher explaining to her colleagues why she is willing to hold the line in our strike. —Hi. My name is Dana Bjornson. I’ve been teaching Math and Physics at Esquimalt for 15 years and I’m a teach-aholic.I am at this mic to PROUDLY
Continue readingstaffroom confidential: Guest post – I WILL HOLD THE LINE
This guest post is from a Victoria teacher explaining to her colleagues why she is willing to hold the line in our strike.
—
Hi. My name is Dana Bjornson. I’ve been teaching Math and Physics at Esquimalt for 15 years and I’m a teach-aholic.
I am at this mic to PROUDLY say that I WILL HOLD THE LINE.
I WILL HOLD THE LINE because I am sick and tired of the children of this province being treated like crap by their government.
I WILL HOLD THE LINE for those students who need the extra help, the extra time, the extra resources because life didn’t deal them the same hand as the rest of their classmates.
I WILL HOLD THE LINE because I only have time to put out the fires and help the squeaky wheel kids and I often wonder how many of my amazingly talented introverts are falling through the cracks because I don’t have time to ask them how they are doing that week.
I WILL HOLD THE LINE for the parents on my Facebook that have practically begged me to hold the line.
I WILL HOLD THE LINE because I shouldn’t have to send my kids to private school to receive the same education I had in public school.
I WILL HOLD THE LINE because when you read the fine print on Christy Clark’s winning campaign mantra, “Families First”, it turns out she actually meant “Wealthy Families First”.
I WILL HOLD THE LINE because I have accepted “The Duct Tape Challenge.” This challenge requires teachers to stop allowing themselves to be treated as the duct tape holding this system together, then to share videos of themselves on social media actually having a life outside of school.
Now I don’t know about you, but I am pretty busy these days… raising kids, maintaining a cleanish household, usually working, binge watching on Netflix… I don’t have time to build a school in Ecuador. <but I will donate to those who do.> I don’t have the energy to paddle/cycle/run/moonwalk to raise money for social causes. <but I will donate to those who do.>
What I can do, though, is HOLD THE FREAKING LINE. We need to hold this government accountable! No more band aid approaches! No more Mrs. Nice Bjornson and NO MORE DUCT TAPE! Thank you.
Left Over: SuperCrusty and the Lazy Opposition Don’t Come to Blows
B.C. teachers’ strike: Union rejects premier’s demand to suspend strike Union says government remains entrenched, inflexibile and unwilling to bargain. CBC News Posted: Sep 03, 2014 10:51 AM PT Last Updated: Sep 04, 2014 7:58 AM PT All of you 5 cent a comment Liberal trolls can say and think
Continue readingstaffroom confidential: Teachers – let your leadership know it is time to hold the line
As teachers return to picket lines in BC there is considerable discussion as to strategy and tactics for the coming weeks. I argued in my last blog post that now is the time to hold the line. Should teachers return, the pressure on government would immediately evaporate and their program
Continue readingstaffroom confidential: Teachers – let your leadership know it is time to hold the line
As teachers return to picket lines in BC there is considerable discussion as to strategy and tactics for the coming weeks. I argued in my last blog post that now is the time to hold the line. Should teachers return, the pressure on government would imm…
Continue readingstaffroom confidential: Protecting public education: Hold the line for as long as it takes…
Holding the line for as long as it takes. This should be the disposition of not just teachers, but also parents, students and citizens who care about public education. With the latest failed talks between the BCTF and government, it is clearer than ever that the government objective during this
Continue readingstaffroom confidential: Protecting public education: Hold the line for as long as it takes…
Holding the line for as long as it takes. This should be the disposition of not just teachers, but also parents, students and citizens who care about public education. With the latest failed talks between the BCTF and government, it is clearer than eve…
Continue readingstaffroom confidential: Ranking & Sorting – An Essential Service
What is schooling for? In the midst of a teacher strike that is now entering its second week, the BC Labour Relations Board provided an answer – to rank and sort students. Upon application from the BC government, they declared that providing Grade 12 student marks was an essential service,
Continue readingstaffroom confidential: Ranking & Sorting – An Essential Service
What is schooling for? In the midst of a teacher strike that is now entering its second week, the BC Labour Relations Board provided an answer – to rank and sort students. Upon application from the BC government, they declared that providing Grade 12 student marks was an essential service,
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Will Enbridge’s pipeline ever get built?
You have to wonder why the Harper government bothered with process at all. It’s like there was never any doubt that Enbridge’s Northern Gateway pipeline would get approved. But historians may look back on this moment as the beginning of the end of pipeline politics. Opposition to Enbridge’s Northern Gateway
Continue readingLeft Over: Chretien’s Lesson for the Harper at the Gate(way)
Northern Gateway decision holds no easy political options for Harper On the controversial B.C. pipeline, PM can say yes, no or not yet, but all answers come with a cost By Max Paris, CBC News Posted: Jun 16, 2014 6:02 PM ET Last Updated: Jun 16, 2014 11:13 PM ET All this bleating about
Continue readingeaves.ca: Government Procurement Failure: BC Ministry of Education Case Study
Apologies for the lack of posts. I’ve been in business mode – both helping a number of organizations I’m proud of and working on my own business. For those interested in a frightening tale of inept procurement, poor judgement and downright dirty tactics when it comes to software procurement and
Continue readingstaffroom confidential: Can we afford smaller classes? Absolutely.
Education Minister Fassbender seems to have backed off his stance that class sizes don’t matter. Not surprisingly, it was one of the first concerns raised at the annual general meeting of the BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Council’s Q & A discussion: Education Minister Peter Fassbender spoke to conference delegates
Continue readingLeft Over: Dirty Oil Wars…..This is Just the Beginning
http://montrealsimon.blogspot.ca/2014/05/stephen-harper-and-final-battle-for.html Here in BC, we appreciate any and all support for this issue..but where is the rest of the country on all the damage this MonsterCon has caused? They can’t all be the drooling knuckle-draggers of Ford Nation, but I have to wonder if it isn’t already too late…the
Continue readingEclectic Lip: Pondering a palatable pipeline…
I guest-hosted TWiE podcast episode 137 a few days ago, an episode devoted to the Alberta oil sands / tar sands. If you ask me (and I realize none of you have 🙂 ) it’s well worth a listen! The week’s guest was US energy analyst Robert Rapier, who had
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Don’t believe the (LNG) hype
Today we released a new report, Path to Prosperity? A Closer Look at British Columbia’s Natural Gas Royalties and Proposed LNG Income Tax, about liquefied natural gas (LNG ) development in BC, and the public revenues that might be expected. So far, LNG has lacked a real public debate. On one
Continue reading