Belated and conflicted (beflicted?) position on Bill 44

I originally started writing this post a few weeks ago as it became apparent that the Alberta Tories would succeed in passing Bill 44. For those who don't already know, Bill 44 gives parents the right to withdraw their children from classes where potentially sensitive material is going to be discussed. This particularly pertains to issues involving sexuality, and some religious matters.

On the one hand, it is rewarding to see more recognition for my role as a parent in deciding what my kids are exposed to. The world can be a pretty crazy place and naturally, I wish to avoid exposing my kids to things that aren't going to help them. However, I find that this usually relates to more tangible risks such as substance abuse and other social matters.

On the other hand, I'm somewhat wary of the government limiting my role as a teacher. The passage of Bill 44 leaves me feeling like I almost need to be watching over my shoulder to make sure I'm not doing anything wrong. This is not the kind of feeling that one should have in a school. I shouldn't have to feel like I have to adhere to certain talking points so that I can avoid offending anyone, or even losing my job.

Education plays a fundamental role in the development of our society. It is not only in our schools but as we interact with those around us that we can better appreciate the world around us. The closed-mindedness that continues to infect healthy dialogue does not in any way help people to resolve differences, or at least accept that people are different.

I'm not about to argue that people hold hands and delude themselves into accepting some false sense of society-imposed harmony. There is generally no harm, however, in being able to learn about what we don't already know. As we are challenged we are made to think for ourselves and form our own opinions. I fear that Bill 44 will lead some individuals to neglect these opportunities for growth and development. That is the real controversy, not necessarily the topics in question.

Parent-Teacher Interviews

Things have been busy for the past couple of nights which leaves little time for posting. I enjoy meeting and visiting with those parents who clearly care about what their kids are up to. I wish more parents would come and talk to me, though instead of just getting mad at me when it's their kids who are lazy and/or stupid. Signs of the times, I guess...

The dirty work of education

This semester I teach about 70 students across three different classes with one spare,usually reserved for recovery meaning I lock my door, play some music, and down a diet Dr. Pepper. Report cards are due out at the end of the week . This is an extremely busy time for all staff as all marking needs to be completed, and other documents like IPPs (Individualized Program Plans) are meticulously filled out and completed.

Back in January I revised my late policy. Last semester I would take any assignment that came in no matter how late. This time around I expect work in by the assigned deadline but offer a maximum of three additional days, with a minor late penalty, until I refuse to accept the material. Last night, I plugged in a lot of zeros and watched my class averages drop like a rock. It is extremely frustrating for me.

What bothers me most is that for too long, too many of these students have refused to take real initiative when it comes to their learning. Most of them are good kids who are not much different than I was at that age. The common problems, though, remain extreme laziness and a general lack of concern for their own academic welfare. I am hoping that the report cards sent home at the end of the week serve as a wake-up call to the nearly 20 students that I have that are now failing their respective courses.

I was venting with a colleague last night and we both came to the conclusion that our education systems have been too quick to give passing marks to those who don't deserve them. We have become unwilling to 'hurt the feelings' of students who fail so we avoid giving them the crushing news that they're lazy, clearly don't understand the material, and shouldn't be in the course. Too many teachers feel sorry and rather than do what needs to be done, they pass these kids through the system and on to future teachers who rightfully demand more than what their new students know how to offer. And so on.

I love my job and I hate being the bearer of bad news. But I have to ask myself if I don't do it, who will?

Education Review: Who's to Blame?

The high school where I teach recently went through a comprehensive review this past week. The review team would identify where improvements could be made and provide direction to assist us in our quest to improve the education that we provide to our community. As a first-year teacher, I've become accustomed to a near-continual state of assessment that surrounds me so I didn't really concern myself too much with the whole process.

The findings were nothing surprising: students 'appear' to demonstrate some disrespect towards teachers, academic performance could be improved, etc. The recommendation, though? In addition to the general 'do a better job' schtick, it seems as if the school will be adding an additional four instructional days to the upcoming school year. Wow. It's not really too unlike simply throwing more money at a problem to make it go away.

The big problem I have with this is that it reflects the continued knee-jerk response of society to look for the problem in 'the system.' What about the economy? Oh, the government should do more to fix it. And education? Well, obviously the teachers should be doing more to reach out to our students. In very few circles is it okay for me as a teacher to say that the big problem is that too many of my students are too lazy to actually be bothered to care about their own learning.

I've been eagerly reading America Alone by Mark Steyn (very interesting albeit a bit pragmatically bleak) and a frequent theme addressed in his work is the inability for too many in our 'modern' societies to wean themselves from the collective trough and hindering collectivist mentalities. It's one thing to identify with certain groups, whether it be your Canadian nationality, church, or bowling club. This constant big-picture denial of individual responsibility is going to get us into more trouble if we can't even admit that we screw up as people from time to time.