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The second wave of the pandemic now has a date. The beginning of the school year.
“The Alberta government is targeting a return to “near-normal” conditions with students returning to classrooms across the province for the beginning of the 2020-21 school year, Education Minister Adriana LaGrange says.
“Our goal is to get us back to normal learning as soon as possible,” LaGrange said Wednesday at news conference. “We are targeting a return to new-normal operations with some health measures in place.”
LaGrange laid out three scenarios that have been part of the planning for weeks now.
The first scenario would see near-normal operations resume with students returning to daily in-school classes with some health measures…”
Wow. We’re just gonna throw the kids back into the mix.
“Jason Schilling, president of the Alberta Teachers’ Association, said there are outstanding questions about safety.
“If you have a look at staffing as well, as teachers can’t spend the day cleaning their classrooms because they’ll be busy teaching, and if we have students that are in cohorts that are expected to be socially distanced, how is that going to work in some of our classrooms where we have 30 or 40 students? And are they going to split those grades and then hire more teachers?” he said.
“Unbelievable to me that we would move forward on a plan to restart school without making sure that it is adequately funded and that everything that needs to be in place for students, teachers and staff and the broader community, for that matter, are safe.”
Oh, and masks won’t be mandatory.
“LaGrange says wearing masks to school will not be mandated for either staff or students.
“From what Dr. [Deena] Hinshaw has been advising us, the data shows that particularly in young children that it is not something that is required.”
Students or staff who choose to wear a mask may do so, but there is no standalone funding for this type of thing.”
Yep. Looking forward to the second wave.
This is a case of the Educational system, although technically right, is looking very stupid and out of touch with reality when it comes to giving zeros to students who have not done their work. It is shameful though that a veteran teacher is going to lose his job over the issue.
“The Edmonton physics teacher who broke school policy by giving zeros to his students has decided not to appeal his suspension.
Lynden Dorval, a 35-year teaching veteran, had until Friday to file an appeal. He consulted with a lawyer who told him that based on past cases, his odds of winning are slim — a position also taken by the Alberta Teachers’ Association.”
Fighting the system is never cheap. The economic requirements essentially make the appeal process a joke.
“There’s a rare chance, or small chance, that I may have to pay for the whole hearing if I lose,” Dorval said on Friday. “I can’t take that kind of hit.”
Dorval became a hero to many for refusing to comply with the so-called ‘no-zero’ policy for incomplete assignments and missed tests at Edmonton’s Ross Sheppard High School.
We should seize the spirit of the Montreal protests and hold a demonstration to show our support for Mr.Dorval. It won’t happen because, unlike Quebec, the atomization and “me first” attitude quashes most impulses of solidarity before they begin.
“The thinking behind the policy, which was adopted by the school a year and a half ago, is that a failure to complete assignments is a behavourial issue, and marks should reflect ability, not behaviour.
But Dorval believes not giving zeros tells students that they don’t need to be accountable for their actions.”
The EPSB completely dropped that ball on this one. The PR that is dominating the news is almost completely negative against them. The issue of accountability is one that most people out of school can quickly and easily relate to. It spurs the gut reaction and the quick media analysis, as people tune out the explanation of why the board has a no zero policy in this particular school.
It should be a lesson to the Administration of the school and the superintendent as how not deal with an issue. This should have been resolved in house, because the nuance involved in putting forth their position is a no-win PR proposition.
“Dorval admits he first wondered if it was right to take a stand. But the response he’s received since then — calls, emails and letters from complete strangers, and talks with frustrated teachers — has validated his decision.
“It certainly has made my resolve even stronger than ever because the support I’m getting from people is just unbelievable,” he said.
Last week, Dorval said that he spoke out because as a 35-year veteran, he could retire and live on his pension if he lost his job, a price he expects to pay for speaking out.
He still hopes he can return to teaching, even on a part-time basis, once his suspension is complete.”
People of principle are hard to come by these days, I think Mr.Dorval would be an asset to any school that employs him.
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