I wrote the following profile and statement of beliefs for the Alberta Teachers' Association and their website www.vote4kids.ca. You can find my profile here and I am posting it below.
I am married to Marianne, a former teacher. We have four children: John, Andrew, Daniel and James who have all attended Red Deer Public Schools. I have taught for twenty-four years in the Red Deer Public School District. My teaching career has always been student focused. One of my accomplishments was implementing the MicroSociety program at Aspen Heights School, where a school based society is modeled on real life. The program was so successful that I was recognized as the MicroSociety Coordinator of the Year in 2012 at the MicroSociety International Conference held in Philadelphia, USA.
I have experience in business as the Store Manager of Operations for a national furniture chain. I have also owned and managed small businesses.
The knowledge I have gained, in business, as a parent and teacher in Red Deer Public Schools will provide insights to share with my colleagues on our School Board, resulting in sound decisions for our students.
Students need a safe and caring environment to grow to their potential. Reasonable class sizes are very important. With large classes, quiet students and struggling students lose out. We need to prepare our students to be critical thinkers and responsible leaders. Education is an investment, which enables students to become contributing members of society. Students learn by experience. To help improve this experience the District must build more bridges between schools, businesses and the community. How can this be done? Invite businesses and non-profits like the Food Bank, SPCA, and many others, in to speak to students. Take classes to see businesses and non-profits in action. Work with the Chamber of Commerce. I will advocate for a student representative to attend Board meetings and add a student’s perspective to discussions. A student rep will provide insights that Board members do not possess on contemporary issues relevant to students like cyber bullying and technology usage in schools. I firmly believe every decision big or small must be made considering the impact on our students. My job, as a trustee, will be to represent you in making decisions that create the best possible learning environment for Red Deer’s children. I bring a unique perspective as a father of students who attended Red Deer Public Schools, as a teacher and as an experienced business person. I believe this background will help me in providing useful insights during School Board discussions.
What should be the three priority areas of focus for the school board this year?
We need to increase the High School Completion rate. In 2012 we had 79.6% of our students graduate within 5 years of starting grade 10. We need to put supports in place which will help the other 20.4%
Funding needs to at least keep pace with the rate of inflation if we are to maintain the current level of education.
Inspiring Education - we need to make sure the voices of our Board, superintendent, teachers and parents are not only heard but also have considerable input into the design and implementation.
My understanding is that Red Deer Public received a 0% funding increase for this year. There has been an increase of over 200 students into Red Deer Public this year. According to Troy Media the Alberta Consumer price index in May and June, 2013 increased from last year by 2.3%. In July it increased 2.2% The August increase was 1.4%. Education funding is not keeping up with rate of inflation. Children are our future - we need to provide them with a fully funded education or society will suffer in the long run. We need to voice our concerns about funding levels to the government!
Students need a safe and caring environment to grow to their potential. Reasonable class sizes are important. With large classes, quiet students and struggling students lose out. “A teacher’s working conditions are a student’s learning conditions” Stop piling more work onto staff without taking something away. As a former business owner I know that if you download too much onto your staff productivity goes down and this leads to the quality of work going down. Same thing in Education, if you want a quality education for the students do not over burdened the teachers, EA’s and office staff.
I applaud Alberta Education for moving away from Provincial Achievement Tests. I learn everyday and haven't written a test in a long time. I believe in Less Provincial and District testing more teacher designed authentic assessment (A form of assessment in which students are asked to perform real-world tasks that demonstrate meaningful application of essential knowledge and skills - Jon Mueller http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/whatisit.htm) Teachers know their students learning styles and which form of assessment is the best for their class.
Technology is a good learning tool. But it is only one tool for a teacher to use in educating our children. When new technology is introduced into schools teachers need to be provided with ongoing professional development on how to use the new technology properly. The dump and run method does not work with technology. Without providing teachers with proper knowledge, instruction and time to explore, technology will be used for drill and practice when it is capable of so much more.
I am married to Marianne, a former teacher. We have four children: John, Andrew, Daniel and James who have all attended Red Deer Public Schools. I have taught for twenty-four years in the Red Deer Public School District. My teaching career has always been student focused. One of my accomplishments was implementing the MicroSociety program at Aspen Heights School, where a school based society is modeled on real life. The program was so successful that I was recognized as the MicroSociety Coordinator of the Year in 2012 at the MicroSociety International Conference held in Philadelphia, USA.
I have experience in business as the Store Manager of Operations for a national furniture chain. I have also owned and managed small businesses.
The knowledge I have gained, in business, as a parent and teacher in Red Deer Public Schools will provide insights to share with my colleagues on our School Board, resulting in sound decisions for our students.
Statement of beliefs
Students need a safe and caring environment to grow to their potential. Reasonable class sizes are very important. With large classes, quiet students and struggling students lose out. We need to prepare our students to be critical thinkers and responsible leaders. Education is an investment, which enables students to become contributing members of society. Students learn by experience. To help improve this experience the District must build more bridges between schools, businesses and the community. How can this be done? Invite businesses and non-profits like the Food Bank, SPCA, and many others, in to speak to students. Take classes to see businesses and non-profits in action. Work with the Chamber of Commerce. I will advocate for a student representative to attend Board meetings and add a student’s perspective to discussions. A student rep will provide insights that Board members do not possess on contemporary issues relevant to students like cyber bullying and technology usage in schools. I firmly believe every decision big or small must be made considering the impact on our students. My job, as a trustee, will be to represent you in making decisions that create the best possible learning environment for Red Deer’s children. I bring a unique perspective as a father of students who attended Red Deer Public Schools, as a teacher and as an experienced business person. I believe this background will help me in providing useful insights during School Board discussions.
What should be the three priority areas of focus for the school board this year?
Focus 1
We need to increase the High School Completion rate. In 2012 we had 79.6% of our students graduate within 5 years of starting grade 10. We need to put supports in place which will help the other 20.4%
Focus 2
Funding needs to at least keep pace with the rate of inflation if we are to maintain the current level of education.
Focus 3
Inspiring Education - we need to make sure the voices of our Board, superintendent, teachers and parents are not only heard but also have considerable input into the design and implementation.
What are your views on education funding in Alberta and the role of school boards in funding decisions?
My understanding is that Red Deer Public received a 0% funding increase for this year. There has been an increase of over 200 students into Red Deer Public this year. According to Troy Media the Alberta Consumer price index in May and June, 2013 increased from last year by 2.3%. In July it increased 2.2% The August increase was 1.4%. Education funding is not keeping up with rate of inflation. Children are our future - we need to provide them with a fully funded education or society will suffer in the long run. We need to voice our concerns about funding levels to the government!
How can learning conditions in schools be improved?
Students need a safe and caring environment to grow to their potential. Reasonable class sizes are important. With large classes, quiet students and struggling students lose out. “A teacher’s working conditions are a student’s learning conditions” Stop piling more work onto staff without taking something away. As a former business owner I know that if you download too much onto your staff productivity goes down and this leads to the quality of work going down. Same thing in Education, if you want a quality education for the students do not over burdened the teachers, EA’s and office staff.
What are your views on student assessment?
I applaud Alberta Education for moving away from Provincial Achievement Tests. I learn everyday and haven't written a test in a long time. I believe in Less Provincial and District testing more teacher designed authentic assessment (A form of assessment in which students are asked to perform real-world tasks that demonstrate meaningful application of essential knowledge and skills - Jon Mueller http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/whatisit.htm) Teachers know their students learning styles and which form of assessment is the best for their class.
What are your views about appropriate use of technology in school?
Technology is a good learning tool. But it is only one tool for a teacher to use in educating our children. When new technology is introduced into schools teachers need to be provided with ongoing professional development on how to use the new technology properly. The dump and run method does not work with technology. Without providing teachers with proper knowledge, instruction and time to explore, technology will be used for drill and practice when it is capable of so much more.
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