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EDUCATION MINISTER JEFF JOHNSON GREETS THE ASSEMBLY
Minister of Education Jeff Johnson received a relatively chilly reception at the 2014 Annual Representative Assembly. The smattering of polite but lukewarm applause that followed his official greetings to delegates the morning of May 17 fell like an ember on an iceberg.
Johnson’s greetings began with what many construed as a Freudian slip. Lamenting the characterization of the report of the Task Force on Teaching Excellence as an attack on teachers, he pointed out that “it was never meant to be anything but.” He quickly corrected himself. “It was never meant to be anything of the sort,” he said.
He assured delegates that Albertans respect teachers. “Albertans know that teachers are the reason that our system is so successful and that our kids are so successful,” he said. “We appreciate them, and if anyone is feeling that this report is drawing conclusions that our teachers are subpar or anything but exceptional—or the very vast majority of them—I’m here to tell you that’s not how the government feels, that’s not how Albertans feel and I know that that’s not how the task force feels.”
Johnson pointed out that the province’s education system is “incredible,” with its students ranking fourth, fifth and eleventh in the world in science, reading and mathematics, respectively, and its 15-year-olds ranking first in Canada and fourth in the world in problem solving. “People look to us all over this planet in terms of what we’re doing and what we have been doing,” he said.
That success is attributable not only to teachers, school trustees and Alberta Education officials but also to “continuous improvement,” he said, in segueing to the task force’s report. “Teachers are the number-one factor outside of the parent and outside of the engagement of the family, and that’s why jurisdictions all over the world are focusing in on teaching quality as the number-one item to spend time and effort and resources on because it has the best and the most results.”
After acknowledging that he “may not be the most popular guy in the room,” Johnson pointed out that government and the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) have accomplished a lot together over the last two years, including the initiation of a 907-hour threshold on teacher workload, the nascent elimination of provincial achievement tests and the establishment of the Teacher Development and Practice Advisory Committee. He suggested that the task force represents the logical next step. Nine of the 16 members of the task force are educators—two of them active members of the ATA—who collectively possess 250 years of teaching experience, he said.
“They were given a very tough job and a very wide scope,” he said. “They looked at everything from the cradle to the grave in the life of a teacher and how we can help support and assure the public that we’re doing everything we can. No topics were to be off base, and if we want to be fair to our kids, that’s the way we need to treat this education system.”
At the same time, Johnson acknowledged teachers’ “consternation” about the report. “I know there are pieces that are troubling you,” he told delegates. “I’ve heard your concerns. I appreciate your concerns.” Teachers want conversation, not confrontation, and collaboration, not command-and-control, so that they can be creative and take risks, he said. “I want that too. The government wants that too.”
He proceeded to give delegates four assurances, as President Mark Ramsankar had requested the preceding evening:
First, government does not have an agenda, an intent or a plan “to dismantle the ATA or to pull principals out of the profession,” Johnson said. While the report raises some issues and challenges, it also points government in direction of working with the ATA and trying to achieve resolution “ahead of considering other, more drastic actions.”
Second, government views the report as a starting point for discussion. Its value lies in its objective research, which Johnson characterized as “unvarnished” and “unbiased.” He said, “My commitment to you is that we want to use these opportunities, these issues as a starting point for discussion with the ATA and with other stakeholders in the system, and we can find solutions for these, and we’ll find other issues that we need to work through as part of those discussions as well.”
Third, government is in no hurry to implement the recommendations. “As we get through the public consultation, we will not be rushing to implement anything until we sit down and have discussions with the ATA. Anything that affects teachers, we will sit down and work with the ATA if there’s going to be any changes,” Johnson said.
Fourth, government will not skirt difficult issues. “Although we know that the vast, vast majority of teachers are incredibly dedicated and fantastic, we will not avoid the tough issues. We asked for a bold report, and we got it. Don’t hold that against the task force. They did what they were asked to do, which was one thing—go out there and do what’s right for kids,” he said. “There are some things in there your members love. Let’s not discard that because there are other things that are distracting us that really deal with a fraction of the profession.”
Given the smattering of lukewarm applause that followed, it didn’t much help that Johnson exited the Assembly immediately after honorary membership recipient Patrick Duffy upbraided government for flouting the democratic process. Johnson then proceeded to air his hurt feelings on social media: “We have some thorny issues Albertans have asked us to discuss, and I’m willing to do that,” he tweeted. “If that puts me offside with the ATA, that is unfortunate but I’m still committed to working with them because our kids are worth it”. ❚
