"Education is catastrophically deficient in trust. Pro-accountability education reformers presume that, absent carrots and sticks, classrooms would be overrun with lazy and incapable teachers. Traditional instructors presume that, absent carrots and sticks, classrooms would be overrun with lazy and incapable students. Both viewpoints emerge from a noble desire to make classrooms high-performance spaces, but in actuality they suppress excellence."
This year, I was asked to attend as a Canadian Teacher Representative, along with Ontario Ministry Officer, Colette Ruduck and our Ontario Deputy Minister of Education, George Zegarac.
the theme of “Trust and Regulation”
my Canadian values of equality, diversity, safety and choice
high degree of trust for teachers, administrators and district decision makers
Our regulations are meant to encourage equality and diversity, choice, opportunity, innovation – fundamental values in our society.
In contrast to many of the other countries represented, our Canadian context was unique in that the regulations (organizations, federations, policies, curriculum) imposed actually tie in Trust and Relationship building and partnerships as key factors to increase capacity building with a wide range of stakeholders.
We need our profession to be respected, which includes paying us well, treating us fairly, supporting us with resources, nurturing our learning and leadership opportunities
systems of education can achieve and can be highly ranked without the use of formalized testing
We need to feel safe to make mistakes because we too are learners, especially in a profession that is changing so drastically in the 21st Century
We need to feel trusted and with that, we want our skills, our education, our talents and our passions to be respected so we -together – can become the creators of our own pedagogies
these passionate and experienced leaders agreed that such tests don’t work when used to rate, or punish teachers
can even sometimes do more harm then good
First and foremost, teacher voice needs to be heard and respected
such tests are not always authentic
As principals, we need to empower our teachers and community
the importance of the teacher/principal relationship came up over and over and over
Trust – allows me to teach in my style, developing my own curriculum
I wonder if there is a correlation between that supportive, trusting principal and the fact that we have incredibly dynamic teachers here, at Van Leer from all over the globe
We too need to think different because change can start with us
By sharing and reflecting our learning openly and even by sometimes being vulnerable and asking for help and challenging the status quo
We need to make our voices heard by be socially active
we need to recognize that our learning environments are changing and are very different from how we were once trained and educated
We need to remind our leaders that we are not just teachers of academics but we teach the whole person
Many of us struggle, without supports – to help impoverished families, students with mental health disabilities, learning disabilities, students that speak a different language, large class sizes, violence, inequalities
The conference in Jerusalem, Israel that Van Leer hosts each year is intended to encourage professional dialogue among educators, academics, representatives of the Third Sector, and policymakers from diverse areas and places in Israel and abroad. This year, I was asked to attend as a Canadian Teacher Representative, along with Ontario Ministry Officer, Colette Ruduck and our Ontario Deputy Minister of Education, George Zegarac.
With the theme of "Trust and Regulation" at the center of our discussions, it did not take long to realize that my context, as a Canadian Educator, a parent, and a student - was one of privilege and opportunity.