WindyJMusic.com
  • Blog
  • Biography
    • Online Curriculum Vitae
  • Bookings
  • Contact
  • Research

Education Schmeducation

8/12/2014

2 Comments

 
I had the pleasure of watching a forum on education last night.

Scratch that.  There was no forum.  There was a discussion.  Punctuated with humour.

We had to laugh.  It was the only way to look passed the fact that two potential Premiers of Alberta skipped it.

Thomas Lukaszuk, Ric McIver and Jim Prentice are all running for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta, and therefore our next Premier.

But Lukaszuk was the only one who showed up for a forum focussing on education at the Alberta Teachers' Association Summer Conference.

Prentice and McIver were given the opportunity to come long in advance.  They were given significant encouragements to come.  But they didn't.

You see, they don't care about education.  Not that they don't care about teachers ... they don't care about education.

You know, the second largest, and arguably the most tumultuous, portfolio in the Alberta Government? Yeah, that one.  They don't care about it.

So Prentice and McIver chose to let preconceptions about their positions speak for them.  So Prentice is seen as a Jeff Johnson supporter, which is not a friendly position for education.  McIver is seen as a tiny Wildroser in training, with a policy on education that is very similar to theirs.

These preconceptions could be totally wrong.  But we have no way of knowing.

Lukaszuk was up front and honest with me after the forum; he pandered to his audience.  He mentioned how he would have preferred to have been held more to account for what he was saying (moderator Ken Chapman did a great job trying to do that, but he was a moderator, and so couldn't firmly hold his feet to the fire).  A good public forum would have done that.

That being said, if he felt like he had to pander to teachers, good.  Because obviously Prentice and McIver provide no hope for Alberta Education's future whatsoever.

He didn't pander enough.  He didn't lay all concerns about the Taskforce on Education to rest.  He didn't commit fully to public education above all else.  He didn't provide actionable ways of improving revenues for the province.  So while he pandered well with what his platform and party would allow, he didn't pander well enough to convince me to lend even a single red cent to his party.

Thankfully the Alberta Teachers' Association, in the absence of the other PC leadership candidates, were able to bump the opposition Education critics in their place.  Kent Hehr (Liberals), Bruce McAllister (Wildrose) and Deron Bilous (NDP) all were going to come on Tuesday, but came on Monday instead.  It was truly an incredible opportunity for delegates to get a clearer understanding of the differences between the parties.

Well, at least the elected ones.

If we are having so many problems with the elected parties, then we should be made aware of actionable policies of other, not-yet-elected parties.  I would have liked to have seen the Alberta Party and Green Party leaders have an opportunity to share their policies.

Nonetheless, we heard from four oppositions last night.  Yes, Lukaszuk is in opposition.  With two PC leadership contenders who do not value education, Lukaszuk is in the minority.

When are we going to hear from a government?

To see the live tweeting from the forum at the ATA Summer Conference, check out the hashtag #atasc on Monday, August 11, 2014.
2 Comments
Marion Leithead
8/14/2014 03:14:19 am

How can we believe anything we hear?
Lukaszuk says his "track record" speaks for itself... well he cut 7.2% in Secondary Ed funding (instead of giving them the promised 2% increase). When Ed Minister, Lukaszuk's solution to Education's decline was a useless "10-point plan" which recommended giving every kid who rode a school bus a lap-top, so [s]he could do her/his homework....

Apparently Prentice praised Johnson during his tour through Athabasca-Sturgeon-Redwater, saying Johnson was a strong leader, and that we needed more like him, saying "There is no one with a greater sense of ethics and nobody I have more confidence in." (Aug 8/14). BUT Prentice earlier spoke disparagingly of Johnson's "Inspiring Education", Johnson's complete K-12 Curricula revision, Johnson's "Task Force
for Teaching Excellence"... and hinted that IF Prentice becomes Premier, he will replace Johnson with a more "Senior" person.

He can't have it both ways!
They all talk out of both sides of their mouths.

Reply
Joel Windsor link
8/14/2014 05:45:48 am

Hi Marion,
The short of the long of it is: No, you can't believe everything you hear. Back it up with evidence if you can.

And as you have suggested, perhaps here you can't.
Thanks for your comment!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Tweet
    Picture

    Archives

    October 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    April 2019
    March 2019
    October 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    October 2011
    September 2011

    Categories

    All
    2013 Flood
    Abuse
    Accountable
    Advocate
    AEMA
    Agriculture
    AHRA
    Airplanes
    Aisi
    Alberta
    Alberta Human Rights
    Alberta Initiative For School Improvement
    Alberta NDP
    Alberta Party
    Alberta School Boards Association
    Alberta Teachers Association
    Alison Redford
    Art
    Arts
    Arts Education
    Asba
    Ata
    ATASC
    AUMA
    Band
    Barack Obama
    Bargaining
    Berm
    Big Listen
    Black Diamond
    Bragg Creek
    Bridge
    Bruce Masterman
    Bruce Mcallister
    Budget
    Bully
    Byelection
    Calgary
    Calgary Centre
    Calgary-Elbow
    Calgary Foothills
    Calgary Sun
    Canada
    Canadian
    Cathy Couey
    Choir
    Christian
    Chuck Shifflett
    Class Of 2014
    Community
    Competency
    Composition
    Concert Bands
    Conduct
    Conservative
    Corporate
    Corporations
    Council
    Councillor
    Craig Snodgrass
    Culture
    Curriculum
    Danielle Larivee
    Danielle Smith
    David Eggen
    David Staples
    Deron Bilous
    Diana Mcqueen
    Didsbury
    Dike
    Dirty Thirties
    Discipline
    Diversification
    Donations
    Don Moore
    Doug Griffiths
    Doug Horner
    Downtown
    Dragan Brankovich
    Drama
    Drp
    DRP Advocacy Committee
    Education
    Elbow
    Election
    Electoral Reform
    Emile Blokland
    Energy
    Environment
    Esrd
    Evan Berger
    Exshaw
    Federal
    Festival
    Fine Arts
    Flood
    Floodplain
    Floodway
    Foothills
    Forced Entry
    Fort Macleod
    Fort Mcmurray
    Fred Horne
    Gay-Straight Alliance
    Golf Course
    Gordon Dirks
    Government
    Grads
    Graduation
    Grassroots
    Green
    Greg Clark
    Greg Weadick
    GSA
    Guitar
    Gun
    Guns
    Hamptons
    High River
    Highway 63
    Highwood
    Homeless
    Honourable
    Hope
    Hotels
    Ian Donovan
    Jamie Kinghorn
    Jazz
    Jeff Johnson
    Jennifer Burgess
    Jim Morgan
    Jim Prentice
    Joe Ceci
    Joel Windsor
    John Barlow
    Justin Trudeau
    Kathy Macdonald
    Ken Hughes
    Kent Hehr
    Kerry Towle
    Keystone XL
    Lake
    Laurie Blakeman
    Legislature
    Liberal
    Liberalberta
    Liberals
    Lions
    Local
    London
    Macleod
    Mayor
    Medicine Hat
    Melissa Mathieson
    Mentally Ill
    Michelle Glavin
    Mitigation
    Mla
    Modulars
    Mount Royal
    Mru
    Municipal
    Municipalities
    Music
    Musical Theatre
    Ndp
    New Year
    NFA
    No Zero
    Nra
    OECD
    Oil
    Okotoks
    Olympics
    Parents
    Parking
    Pc
    Peter Loran
    Philosophy
    Phil Rowland
    Piano
    Pipeline
    PISA
    Police
    Political
    Politics
    Polly Knowlton Cockett
    Portables
    Practice Review
    Premier
    Privacy
    Professional
    Progressive Conservative
    Protest
    Provincial
    Question Period
    Rachel Notley
    Raj Sherman
    Rally
    Rcmp
    Reality Check
    Richard Murray
    Rick Fraser
    Ric McIver
    Rob Anderson
    Robert Prcic
    Sandy Hook
    School
    School Boards
    Scott Wagner
    Self Regulation
    Self-regulation
    Service
    Shane Schreiber
    Siksika
    Socialist
    Speaker
    Stephen Mandel
    Stompin' Tom Connors
    Strings
    Students
    Sustainable Resource Development
    Teach
    Teacher
    Theatre
    Thomas Lukaszuk
    Todd Van Vliet
    Tran-Davies
    TransCanada
    Tripartite
    Trustee
    Twin
    United States
    Urban
    Vocal
    Water
    Water For Life
    Wayne Anderson
    Wedderburn
    Western Wheel
    Wildrose
    William Munsey
    WREM

    View my profile on LinkedIn

    RSS Feed

In my world, we don't accept "I can't." When you enter my world, you enter the realm of "I can't yet." It acknowledges a challenge, opens doors, and calls for action. Then, in my world, we act, and we always find success.

Social Media

Photo used under Creative Commons from Sam Howzit
  • Blog
  • Biography
    • Online Curriculum Vitae
  • Bookings
  • Contact
  • Research