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The following are excerpts from newspapers throughout Alberta. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the ATA.
Guilty of aggravated stupidity
She was The 40-Year-Old Teenager. … A teacher who aroused erotic fantasies in the secret life of boys. …There is no objective evidence, one way or the other, only duelling accounts of a relationship that was, at the very least, blatantly inappropriate between teacher and former pupil.
Mary Gowans isn’t a teacher anymore and may never be again. She lost that job, and a husband, and a reputation, all on the uncorroborated word of a youth who once yearned for her, crushing in that intense teenage way. On [September 21, 2012] Gowans, 43, left the University Ave. courthouse an innocent woman. And ruined. … “I didn’t do anything wrong.” Except, she did. Not wrong to the criminal extent of sexual assault and sexual interference, the charges on which she was acquitted by Justice John McMahon in the judge-alone trial. Yet wrong, all the same, for cultivating a personal relationship that observed few boundaries expected of a teacher, of any adult who interacts with minors, particularly those entrusted to their care. ... It’s not in the Criminal Code but Gowans is guilty of aggravated stupidity.
—Rosie DiManno, Toronto Star, September 21, 2012
A chill from Bill 44
For over a year now, parents in Alberta have had the right to compel a teacher to defend herself before a human rights tribunal for discussing topics such as gay marriage or aboriginal spirituality in the classroom. … Like most teachers, Dale Wallace, former head of the English literature department at Calgary’s Lord Beaverbrook High School, was vehemently opposed to the legislation when it was first proposed even though literature courses weren’t supposed to be the target. … Wallace asserts that it’s almost impossible to teach high-school English literature that doesn’t have references to sex, homosexuality or religion. Canterbury Tales has a religious theme; The Merchant of Venice includes homosexuality; Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale has sexual content as does Timothy Findley’s The Wars. “As a result, challenging novels such as 1984 are replaced with safer ones, like Pride and Prejudice . . . provocative, thoughtful films such as Apocalypse Now are replaced by films with different themes altogether, like Cast Away,” Wallace says. … Premier Alison Redford has hinted that she might reconsider the legislation. But so far nothing has changed. In the meantime, as a new school year gets underway, high-school students can expect ever more bland books and movies for their English courses and only “safe” topics in other courses. A sure recipe for boredom.
—Gillian Steward, Toronto Star, September 12, 2012
Cash for kids
While “unethical” may be a bit of a stretch, offering teachers more money to teach bigger classes is certainly no way to improve the education system in British Columbia. The government has proposed that school districts pay each teacher an additional $2,500 for each student beyond the standard 30-student cap. … Of all the ideas that have been put forth in the effort to keep the provincial education budget in check, this is perhaps one of the most disappointing. Larger class sizes would not be good for students, teachers hate the idea and school districts wouldn’t be able to afford such compensation. The government seems to believe this is an incentive for school districts to improve efficiency. How they come to the conclusion that this idea would lead to more classes with fewer than 30 students is difficult to figure out.
—Editorial, Nanaimo Daily News, September 12, 2012
