12 - Trust

Trust.

If you have it, you are willing to put your life on the line. Most of us have flown on a plane, driven down the QEII in winter, or maybe even zip-lined for a team-building exercise. Without trust, I wouldn't have fallen backwards off a picnic-table into my coworkers arms, but I did. It is a simple exercise, but a mutual understanding results. 

Alberta Education and its teachers - Trust issues?


As I've explained in previous posts, I understand the reasoning behind inspiring education. A character education makes more sense than: 

Does my profession trust that Alberta Education will support us with time and training? Will the curriculum be implemented with the understanding that all learners are not innately driven? Will the frustrations with assessing competencies in an outcome-based course be discussed properly? Will teachers, as a professional organisation, still be treated as professionals?

We are at the point where people think lack of information is better than insight from industry. This is embarrassing for society. Tens of thousands of people are employed by companies like Stantec, Suncor, etc., and we don't want their input. Of course, we want ALL stakeholders' to have educational inputs, being careful that it is not for financial gains, but high profile people have said we want no input. If our brightest and most vocal people are saying no information is better that information, we have a problem.

Considering we just got legislated into a four-year 0-0-0-2 deal because of a lack of money (bitumen bubble) for the C2 work-study,  Alberta Education has only a few years to figure out its issues. Based on rumors of the delayed Task Force on Teacher Excellence's implementation of merit pay, the loss of job security, etc., they are not off to a good start. 

I admire the idea of competencies for the 21st century learner, but I'm not ready to fall into the government's arms off a picnic table.