Will the bcedplan actually listen?
I was pleasantly surprised to read through the summary of commentary provided to the bcedplan web site set up by the Ministry of Education last year. In fact, many of…
Tara Ehrcke
22 marathons against Bill 22
As the dog days of summer slowly come to an end, one BC teacher is putting is feet where his heart is. Ian Cunliffe, a BC public school teacher, is…
Summer reading
One of my regular readers asked me to post ideas for summer reading. Here is some of what I’ve been reading this past year: 1. The Death and Life of…
Will the NDP be better for teachers?
Much of the commentary about the tentative agreement suggests that teachers will do better negotiating with an NDP government. I’m not so sure about that. While I think it would…
More reasons for a "no" vote
Victoria teachers met yesterday to take a look at the tentative agreement. Feelings are mixed. While there is certainly some sense of relief that the concessions are now off the…
Attn: BCTF – Why I will be voting no
Many of us were surprised to hear this morning that a tentative agreement has been reached between BCTF and BCPSEA. Although I certainly appreciate the time and commitment of our…
School choice and special needs
A new study in the US has shown how school choice can result in subtle forms of segregation and discrimination for students with special needs. The Wall Street Journal reports:…
Why did Scott Walker win?
There has been a lot of commentary about the Wisconsin election in which recalled governor Scott Walker won his seat back. Scott Walker made headlines just over a year ago…
Personalized learning, choice, and democracy
What could be wrong with “personalized” learning or school “choice”? From the perspective of the student and family, it would seem that nothing could be better than an educational program…
Solidarity with Quebec students
For months now, students in Quebec have been on strike and protesting daily to stop tuition increases of 75%. They have named their movement the “Printemps Erable” – the Maple…
Why seniority matters
I’ve written before about the dangers of hiring systems that are not transparent or fair, but recently our very own School District, Greater Victoria, has become the subject of apparent…
Is "no zeros" just gaming the stats?
An Edmonton teacher was suspended indefinitely for refusing to follow a Principal’s “no zero” policy. The policy requires that teachers do not assign zeros to incomplete work. Instead, teachers are…
Cowichan Trustees take courageous stand
School Trustees in Cowichan have taken a courageous stand to confront the BC government over inadequate funding. They have submitted a deficit budget, based on the restoration of all needed…
Excerpt from Our Times article
Today’s post is something a little different…an exerpt from an article I wrote for this month’s issue of Our Times magazine. THE PRIVATIZATION OF PUBLIC EDUCATION Only in America or…
Education reform and the folly of school choice
I am a regular reader of Diane Ravitch’s excellent blog Bridging Differences (http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/Bridging-Differences/). She writes about the state of US education policy and she is very alive to the dangers…
BC’s adult education program victim of "choice"
The BC government has announced that it will no longer fund many of the adult education courses that were previously available at no cost, unless they are taken online. Among…
Teacher morale and the role of Principals
This week, the Principals and Vice Principals Association put out a memo commenting on the mood in schools. They are worried that another year of dispute will irreparably harm relationships.…
Parents take note – Bill 36 is an attack on you
Having successfully removed teachers as an “obstacle” to the BC Education Plan, yesterday George Abbott introduced enabling legislation to change the school year, day, and total instructional time provided to…
On Bill 22, the LRB, report cards, and raw power
On Friday last week, the Labour Relations Board issued an order insisting that BC teachers complete an extra report card by this Friday. There is a lot to say about…