Page Content
Dennis Theobald
Over the past three weeks, hundreds of Albertans have been engaged in a public conversation about the values and purposes of public education in Alberta, albeit not the one envisioned by the minister of education when he launched Inspiring Education: A Dialogue with Albertans.
The conversation to which I am referring is occurring in the pages of newspapers, Internet blogs, Facebook and Twitter, on the floor of the legislature, and in schools and homes across the province. It began in response to Bill 44 and the Alberta government’s proposed amendments to the human rights act that would require teachers to notify parents before they teach any material that explicitly deals with religion, sexuality or sexual orientation.
While the various arguments raised by teachers, students, parents, trustees and others about Bill 44 are interesting in their own right, what fascinates me is that these arguments go to the soul of our democracy. They tell us about Albertans’ values and their understanding of the place of public education in a democratic society.
The critics of Bill 44—and, ironically, those supporters of the bill, such as Minister of Education Dave Hancock, who argue that it will have no substantial effect—see public education as playing an essential role in preparing students to function in democracy. In their view, our schools have a responsibility to teach students how to think critically and function effectively in a diverse society where they will be exposed to beliefs that are very different from their own.
The more unapologetic supporters of Bill 44 emphasize the unencumbered right and duty of individual parents to choose whether, where and when their children will be exposed to particular ideas and information. From their perspective, classroom conversations that challenge their closely held beliefs are a form of indoctrination from which their children should be protected.
As a citizen, I understand the importance of building an inclusive and tolerant civil society. As a father, I understand the visceral desire to protect one’s children from perceived harm. And as a teacher, I understand the damage that the prior notification requirements of Bill 44 would do to the quality of classroom discourse and to the potential for real learning. So Bill 44 has left me with hard choices—but that does not mean that choices should not be made.
I choose a public education system that serves and is accountable to the entire community in all its richness and diversity. I choose an education system that respects the role of parents to direct their child’s education but also respects the right of the child to learn and develop as an individual. I choose an education system that approaches the subject matter of education with discernment, integrity and rigour. I choose an education system that will not sacrifice the quality of my child’s learning to accommodate the parenting choices made by another.
Above all, I choose an education system where conscientious teachers exercise professional judgment to facilitate real learning in safe and caring classrooms. Let’s hope that our MLAs will allow teachers to do this important work without being hampered by the unnecessary and unwelcomed intrusion of Bill 44.
I welcome your comments—contact me at dennis.theobald@ata.ab.ca.
