The Alberta Teachers’ Association

The following media excerpts do not necessarily reflect the views of the ATA.

Canada, not Christianity in public schools

I’ve changed my mind about whether the Lord’s Prayer belongs in public schools. It does not.The recent to-do over the prayer’s recitation at a Taber public school made me consider my position that the prayer was just an innocuous reminder that the country’s majority religion is Christianity. … If parents want their children to be educated in their world view, then it’s up to them to take their children to church, synagogue, private school or other faith-based institution to get that education. They have no right to demand the public school system provide it. There is only one thing children in public schools should recite every morning, and that is O Canada. Religion has no place in the classroom, but these kids are all Canadians together.
—Naomi Lakritz, Calgary Herald, November 30, 2013

The “Don” of a new era?

Edmonton will get only two of the 19 schools the province is funding over the next two years—not enough. … The new city council needs to get serious about pushing its target to put 25 per cent of the new growth into mature neighbourhoods to make use of older schools and other infrastructure. There are lessons in the 2012 Elevate report from Stephen Mandel’s community sustainability task force that called for closer co-operation between city planners and school boards. It’s true the education minister of the day, Thomas Lukaszuk, was cool to the idea of joint planning. But it’s time for a new start with a new mayor on this stubborn problem. Public school board chairman Sarah Hoffman said she and Don Iveson spoke about the Elevate report before the election. “He really wants to be part of the conversation, so I’m really hopeful for where we’re going to go on that,” she said. Citizens who want to see better planning, more schools in the suburbs and consolidation of schools in older communities should call for that conversation, too.
—Editorial, Edmonton Journal, November 28, 2013

Small classes important—and so are teachers

A recent newspaper editorial stated the impact small class sizes has on learning may be a myth. I could not disagree more. It states class size has no consistent effect on student outcome. This may be so, but the larger class size, especially in the lower grades, I would challenge the researchers to prove there was no difference in student achievement. … Building trust in a relationship between a teacher and their students on a one-on-one basis or as close as possible, makes the student more adaptable to their environment and more desirous of knowledge. … Always be cognizant of how extremely important teachers and students are. Smaller class sizes will definitely increase the depth of enrichment for all of mankind.
—Allen King, Okotoks Western Wheel, November 14, 2013