I find myself very comfortably situated in a beautiful part of the world, in a temperate climate, close to the vibrant city of Vancouver. Though happy in life, with the extreme fortune of having healthy children and my own health, I worry about the health of public education.
I am increasingly displeased about the stance British Columbia seems to be taking regarding public education. I am concerned that our political leaders are emulating the corporate-driven model of education reform found in our sister country to the south. Having worked with the more vulnerable segments of the population over the past 10 years in Alternate Education, I have seen what I believe to be the direct result of the billions of dollars the government has removed from public education funding. Many teachers like myself are reporting that more students are struggling and are farther behind the competency levels seen previously in students of similar ages. I believe that this is due to students being unable to receive the necessary learning interventions from teachers and support staff over the last 12 years of cuts. Christy's kids, as I refer to them, are those students, who since 2002, have had less and less support learning to overcome the obstacles they face because of their learning differences. Like the huge costs homeowners incur when they ignore important maintenance issues, communities are now seeing the result of neglecting to maintain proper levels of education support for children, but it is the students who are ultimately paying the price.
With that being said, I also believe, that the education system is outdated. Teachers are struggling to make learning relevant for their students. Creating engaging learning activities while keeping up with the strong societal expectations and government mandates to "cover curriculum" (which is arguably unappealing and irrelevant to children and youth growing up in the 21st Century) becomes quite the task. The politicos and pundits will argue that they are re-visioning education, paving the way for personalized learning and innovating new means to demonstrate competencies. Watching what happens on the front lines may lead one to believe that this is indeed the case since students may be using new technologies as a means of representing their learning, but the bulk of what is being learned has changed little since 1892, when major decisions about the framework and structure of public education in North America was decided in Saratoga, New York, by a committee of ten men appointed to the task.
In response to this philosophical dilemma, I have worked over the past decade to create my own framework for re-visioning public education which includes a teacher mentorship component, individualized learning strategies and community based partnerships that I believe can change the face of public education. Technology use is of significance importance in this model. Being able to integrate technology in meaningful ways both at a distance and in a face-to-face environment is critical to the success of any educational program today and is what has brought me to Vancouver Island University's Online Learning and Teaching Diploma program.
I am increasingly displeased about the stance British Columbia seems to be taking regarding public education. I am concerned that our political leaders are emulating the corporate-driven model of education reform found in our sister country to the south. Having worked with the more vulnerable segments of the population over the past 10 years in Alternate Education, I have seen what I believe to be the direct result of the billions of dollars the government has removed from public education funding. Many teachers like myself are reporting that more students are struggling and are farther behind the competency levels seen previously in students of similar ages. I believe that this is due to students being unable to receive the necessary learning interventions from teachers and support staff over the last 12 years of cuts. Christy's kids, as I refer to them, are those students, who since 2002, have had less and less support learning to overcome the obstacles they face because of their learning differences. Like the huge costs homeowners incur when they ignore important maintenance issues, communities are now seeing the result of neglecting to maintain proper levels of education support for children, but it is the students who are ultimately paying the price.
With that being said, I also believe, that the education system is outdated. Teachers are struggling to make learning relevant for their students. Creating engaging learning activities while keeping up with the strong societal expectations and government mandates to "cover curriculum" (which is arguably unappealing and irrelevant to children and youth growing up in the 21st Century) becomes quite the task. The politicos and pundits will argue that they are re-visioning education, paving the way for personalized learning and innovating new means to demonstrate competencies. Watching what happens on the front lines may lead one to believe that this is indeed the case since students may be using new technologies as a means of representing their learning, but the bulk of what is being learned has changed little since 1892, when major decisions about the framework and structure of public education in North America was decided in Saratoga, New York, by a committee of ten men appointed to the task.
In response to this philosophical dilemma, I have worked over the past decade to create my own framework for re-visioning public education which includes a teacher mentorship component, individualized learning strategies and community based partnerships that I believe can change the face of public education. Technology use is of significance importance in this model. Being able to integrate technology in meaningful ways both at a distance and in a face-to-face environment is critical to the success of any educational program today and is what has brought me to Vancouver Island University's Online Learning and Teaching Diploma program.