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Your Views

December 6, 2016

On the Twittersphere

Support Our Students @SOSAlberta
Learning what healthy relationships are is an important part of a comprehensive sex ed curriculum.

On curriculum redesign

David Staples @DavidStaplesYEG
@Ninjarale @jkenney no special interest group — a business or a union — should be writing our curriculum.

Dan Grassick @Ninjarale
Who better to develop curriculum than teachers?! They have the degrees and work experience!

Jonathan Teghtmeyer @atypicalalbertn
The “special interest” of the professional association of teachers is public education.

David Staples @DavidStaplesYEG
Teachers have always written our Alberta curriculum. They should write it. But there’s no need for the teachers’ union to be involved.

Sean Beaton @backcountrynut
Lots of fear related to current curriculum redesign/update. Teachers are leading the process. That’s a good thing.

On PISA testing

Jeff Leroux @jeffleroux
Why are teachers so afraid of accountability? If this test is so ‘terrible’ why would any school conduct any testing ever? #abed

Phil McRae @philmcrae
@jeffleroux It’s about narrowing outcomes not fear of testing. Teachers are accountable every single day for Alberta’s children & youth.

 

Letters to the editor

Anti-abuse column worthy of praise

Re: “Teachers have a duty to trump the Trumps of the world,” ATA News, Nov. 8, 2016

Plaudits for your talented feature on student abuse. I used to refer to my office in a junior high school as the abuse recovery centre. Teachers couldn’t believe that so much of student misbehaviour resulted from home abuse. Since the subject is such a political hot potato, only the most noble knight of the realm can carry the torch!

The ATA never backed away from a tough challenge so let’s not back off now — even perhaps a special staff officer. You can do it, m’darlin’ and we’ll love you for it.

Nick Gass, retired teacher, Edmonton

 

Letters to the editor: We welcome letters to the editor. Please limit your submission to 300 words. Only letters bearing a first and last name, address and daytime telephone number will be considered for publication. Teachers are also asked to indicate where and what they teach. All letters are subject to editing for length, clarity, punctuation, spelling and grammar.

Email managing editor Cory Hare: cory.hare@ata.ab.ca.

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