Radicalized Ideologue

I’m a retired Social Studies teacher, a third generation public school teacher who lives in a modest house in a modest neighbourhood in a modest town. I go on modest holidays in my modest trailer. I’ve been married to the same man for almost 35 years- together we raised three kids who went to public school and public university  and now live their own lives. I belong to a book club, pay my taxes, shovel my walk, clean up after my dogs, donate to charity and volunteer. 

I have never thought of myself as a radical.

In fact, I’m so normal, I bore myself.

And speaking of normal, our banker once told us that loans officers love to see teachers come in. Especially teachers married to other teachers. Why? Because they are so reliable. So predictable. So careful with their money. They never default on loans. 

Teachers tend to be conventional. One might even say that most teachers' careers are all about promoting and maintaining the status quo. Sure, we try to raise up those who are struggling or marginalized. But we are just raising them up far enough to enjoy the status quo themselves. We might try to change one kid's world but we aren't trying to change the whole world.

But now Alberta's teachers are being told we are radicalized ideologues who are trying to indoctrinate students.

Sure.

Yeah.

Ok.

If believing kids should be treated equitably makes me a radical; if trying to teach them to think for themselves makes me a radical; if believing society should be a place where everyone belongs makes me a radical; if teaching kids to care about the land makes me a radical; if getting kids to think about the trade offs between prosperity and environmental protection makes me a radical?

Then yes my friends. 

I am not normal.

I am radical as fuck. 

And I make no apologies for that.

Cheating Students

I came across this website called "Course Hero" awhile ago.  While it reports itself as a "tutoring" site, it's really a place where you can buy essays and pay people to answer your math questions.  You can sell your work too, or sell the work of others as one of my teaching colleagues discovered upon finding his entire set of lesson plans. 

Cheating kids. Looking for answers.

We hear about them all the time. We hear about how lazy they are. How they're raised by parents who give them everything and ask for nothing in return.

Yes, I have had students who cheat. There are many ways to cheat these days. That doesn't make it right. I have taught far more who don't cheat and would never consider it. 

But so much rides on "success". Being a student today is a whole lot different than it was when I was a kid.

In his March 18 2016 Walrus article, Pass.Fail, University of PEI Religious Studies professor Ron Srigley discusses students at one of Canada's modern universities. He describes them as "...mostly bored youth who find themselves doing something they neither value nor desire...shrewd managers of their own careers, forced to compromise what is best in themselves—their honesty or character—in order to “make it” in the world we’ve created for them."

I wonder how true that is and why we have a system that asks students to make such compromises.

I started my post secondary education 40 years ago. You needed a 65% average to get into an arts programme. Tuition was $525 a year. I rented a three bedroom house - walking distance from campus- for $415 a month. When I graduated with a four year degree and middling marks, I was offered jobs at places where I hadn't even applied.

Today the mean admission grade for an arts degree is 82%. Government funding for post secondary education has dropped from 84% in 1982 to just over 50% today- resulting in tuition that has increased tenfold since my day while minimum wage has just tripled. It's impossible to find an apartment to rent that doesn't require a full year lease. In my daughter's geophysics graduating class, two people got jobs. She worked her tail off to be one of them.

I loved university life. I made many friends. I joined cool organizations. I had a lot of laughs. When my own kids were ready to start university, I was excited at what it would offer them. They loved learning. They were bright and hopeful and full of potential. Their reality turned out to be something quite different. 

Social life on campus has changed drastically since my time and the time of their grandparents. Nana wistfully asks, "Are you going to Sadie Hawkins?  Have you joined the womens' association?"  "Oh Nana," my kids think.  "It's not like that any more." I ask about residence socials and events. My husband asks about the university bar. "Oh Mom and Dad," they say. "It's not like that any more." With residence government, social events, dances and alcohol all but banned on campus, the sense of university as a community no longer exists. University is a factory to churn out grads, not a fellowship of human beings. 

Students sit in classes of 500 where professors cannot hear students speak. Office hours are so limited there are lineups down the hall so kids can ask the questions they could not ask in the lecture. In fact, between 1990 and 2006, the pupil:instructor ratio has increased by 40%. Full time professors are increasingly replaced by sessional instructors, perhaps resulting in the unacceptable way some behave, such as announcing the name of a failing student in front of an entire class or refusing help in humiliating ways. You're not a person, you're a number and a grade. 

University of Alberta CSIS lecture hall

It's all about where you will fall on the bell curve and what your GPA is. Kids compete for grades. Programmes do not provide a balance so students do not learn about anything outside their immediate area. An engineer just learns about engineering. And so on. My kids studied night and day to keep their GPA up. Because if you aren't succeeding, you just get told to leave.

My two oldest will tell you that they spent the last years of their initial degrees recovering from their first year which they spent in student dorms where the furniture hadn't been replaced since I lived there in the 1970s (deferred maintenance at Canadian universities now stands at 5 billion dollars), where students no longer socialize over dinner but instead pay for meal cards so they can buy overpriced and non-nutritious food. Where students suffering from GI infections were told to go to their rooms and not come out until they were better, where fruit-fly and cockroach infestations were not uncommon, where garbage piled up, where broken bathroom stalls were never fixed. When they moved into rental houses with people they didn't know, it was a relief.

Over the past 10 years, a good $500,000 has been spent on the education of my three children. They lived in crappy shared houses. They ate chickpeas and Subway and cookies from mom. They did not own vehicles. They did not expect to live a luxurious lifestyle. University was a choice and now all three hold good jobs because of their education. But they did not choose the unconscionable treatment they received.

When my eldest was finishing up her first degree, she was asked if she would give back to her alma mater. This was her response

This is not an institution that cares about my education. This is an institution that treats me as a means to an end. If they think they can get something from me, they’ll pry it from me. Are you a great student?’ Here’s some money – keep coming to school here and make sure you do something that will allow us to mention your name in one of our glossy brochures.’ Are you not a great student? ‘Let’s make this whole process of education harder on you by putting you in debt.'

At Canadian universities, more than half of all students report feeling of hopelessness and despair, while 8.5 % have suicidal thoughts. Universities don't like to talk about how many suicides take place on their campuses. There were three reported suicides on the U of A in 2015- how many go unreported, we will never know. The response of the institution is more mental health support and even then, students report a six week waiting period to get an assessment. But mental health issues are caused, at least in part, by a broken system. Treatment is a stopgap, not a solution. We can treat the symptoms but until we address the root cause of the disease, the poor mental health of our students will continue. 

What are our schools, both secondary and post-secondary, FOR?  'The uplifting of the whole people'? as Henry Marshall Tory wrote. Or to produce cogs in the wheels of our economic machine?

"Whatsoever things are true" Motto of the University of Alberta

I understand that today's kids are competing for fewer and fewer jobs. 
They are growing up in a world of unprecedented inequality.
A world where there are clear winners and losers. 
And no one wants to be a loser. But...

"You said this was going to be the time of my life," a friend's kid said. "You lied."

That is not how it should be. As a teacher and a parent, I have to ask. Who is being cheated?

Monochronic Teaching in a Polychronic World

I wrote this article in 2007. Is it still true today?

One day my daughter came home from school and watched me at work.

“Why do you always have so many windows open?” she asked.

She wasn’t talking about the glass ones, although she does complain about those being open too. She was talking about my computer. I was marking an online quiz; I had my marks programme open so I could submit a grade; I was using Wikipedia to research a question the assignment had stimulated; my web mail was open so I could hear that tell-tale “ding” of a new message, and I was in the chatroom providing homework help. From my early days as a teacher librarian, through my time as a stay home mom, I’ve been a multi-tasker, usually with a bunch of projects on the go all at once. Some people call this a “polychronic” personality.

Like personalities, cultures are also considered “polychronic” or “monochronic.” People in polychronic cultures think of time as cyclical. They work in a non-linear way with many things happening all at once. They can change plans at a moment’s notice. Time is subordinate to interpersonal relationships. That’s different from a “monochronic” culture that is time-driven, linear and orderly; where lateness and interruptions are not tolerated, and one task is always completed before the next is begun.

Most of today’s schools and classrooms are monochronic. Students must be on time, hand in their work on a prescribed day, and write their exams on a set date. For classroom teachers, classes begin and end at the same time, supervision begins and ends at the same time and the meetings begin but rarely end at the same time. And of course, attendance and marks and professional growth plans must be submitted according to a school, district or government mandated timeline. But our students are living in an increasingly polychronic world. While class is in session, they may be on MSN or YouTube or MySpace or Nexopia or even E-bay. One hand is on their cellphone, waiting for a text message and the other is on their ipod. (Remember, I said I wrote this in 2007! Nexopia! ha!)

Many teachers are not comfortable in this polychronic culture. If students are connected to the globalizing world via technology, are they connected to the classroom? If the world shines brighter to them through the window of the internet, then does the glow of a lesson appear a little dull? If they aren’t listening to teacher’s voice, whose message is being heard? It’s tempting to ban our students’ access to technology by forbidding laptops or web surfing; to ban cellphones and ipods. It’s tempting to shut our students off from their contact with the larger world. It’s tempting to try to force them to live in our monochronic world.

But a culture is not right or wrong. It’s not good or bad in and of itself. As any Canadian knows, even those who believe in pluralism to their core, when cultures come into contact, both challenges and opportunities arise. When monochronic meets polychronic, we can practice cultural imperialism, with the dominant subjugating the minority or we can promote reasonable accommodation to allow each other to flourish.

As our students walk through life with their virtual windows open, they are connected to each other and to the larger world, regardless of time and space. It’s through those windows that they see and are seen. If we close those windows, are we hiding them from the light of day? What could we see if we opened those windows ourselves?

Albertans: You are being lied to

About me: I began teaching in rural Alberta in 1980 . I taught in the NWT for a year before taking several years off to raise my children. I returned to work with Alberta Distance Learning Centre where I have worked for the past 17 years. I am currently the Social Studies Department Head.

Alberta's Social Studies curriculum is being politicized.

The UCP's Jason Kenney and Brian Jean would have Albertans believe that the current curriculum review committee is stacked with NDP activists and ideologues who are dead set on promoting "politically correct" themes in order to brainwash today's youth. They are lying.

A little history.

The current Social Studies curriculum was revised from 2000-2007 under the Progressive Conservative government with Ralph Klein as premier. At that time, I was asked to sit on the K-12 Provincial Advisory Committee for Social Studies. That committee was  primarily composed of employees of Alberta Education, including several Social Studies teachers who were seconded from their teaching positions. Also present on the committee was the President of the Alberta Home and School Association, a First Nations representative, a representative of the Métis, a Francophone representative, a representative of the College of Alberta School Superintendents, three members of the Alberta Teachers Association, two university professors, a representative of the Northwest Territories Department of Education (which at the time followed Alberta curriculum) and me, as a representative of ADLC, Alberta's largest distance education provider. 

There were no public consultations. There was little government interference. There was no expectation that committee members provide their political credentials or personal views in order to sit on the committee.  Alberta Education employees came up with an overarching structure and topics and concepts in each grade level. These were then workshopped by "curriculum circles" in which practicing teachers looked at the scope and sequence of the programme of studies and the outcomes which were broken down into "values and attitudes", "knowledge and understanding" and "skills and processes".  These teachers made suggestions which were then incorporated into the programme of studies.

During the years I sat on this committee, I only remember two incidents. One was when Peter Lougheed, long retired from politics, suggested that Canadian History be taught as a separate discipline. The committee discussed this idea but decided that the interdisciplinary approach to Social Studies education, which has been in place in Alberta for decades, was the most effective approach. The second incident involved the ATA. Some members felt a section of  Social Studies 10-1:Perspectives on Globalization needed revision which necessitated some additional curricular work. I recall no newspaper articles, no outcry from the public, nor any political posturing from the official opposition or any other political party.

Shortly after the new Social Studies curriculum came out, Alberta Education moved forward with intensive public consultations about the direction of the future of public education. "Inspiring Education" -under the leadership of Education Minister Dave Hancock- included surveys and public meetings alongside research. Innovative ideas were discussed such as competency based education, credits for real-world learning, and an end to mandated "hours of instruction"and credit based funding. I- along with hundreds of educators, parents, community members, members of the business community and the post secondary world- took part in these deep and lively conversations that looked at the challenging world in which today's young people find themselves. A world where the simple memorization of facts and formulas is not enough. Where the old "factory model" of education does not meet the needs of our students or today's society. Instead, critical thinking, learning how to learn, creativity and the ability to adapt in the ever-changing workplace are of increasing significance.  The one theme that emerged was that we need to do better in our education system to prepare kids for an uncertain and unknowable future.

Following on the heels of "Inspiring Education" came curriculum redesign and curriculum prototyping where Alberta Education employees completed significant research and built new software to develop systems whereby the entire programme of studies K-12 could be overhauled effectively.

In May of 2015, the NDP was elected in Alberta. Just four weeks later the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its report and issued a call to action which was endorsed by Canada’s premiers. The Alberta government indicated that future curricula would ensure that all Albertan students would learn about the culture, history, perspectives and contributions of the First Nations, Métis and Inuit.

Alberta Education, largely staffed by the same employees as it was under the PC government, proceeded with the work of curriculum development, following up on the work of "Inspiring Education" and including its promise regarding the TRC. However, instead of just using a handful of employees and community representatives, their new approach was to include a great deal of input. In the fall of 2016, it launched a survey to Albertans. More than 30,000 Albertans responded, the largest survey of its kind in Alberta. School divisions were asked to nominate experienced educators to be a part of "expert working groups" in each core subject area as well as the arts.  

My principal asked if I was willing to let my name stand. I submitted a resume that included my education and experience, including the curriculum development I participated in previously and my current work regarding treaty education and Aboriginal Studies. I was invited to participate and I agreed.  At no point was my ideology discussed. I live in Slave Lake, my principal lives in Calgary and my superintendent lives in Barrhead, I don't believe either of them know what my political beliefs are, nor do they care.

In our Social Studies group of about 60 people, including teachers, professors, historians, and archivists, we began by discussing the core concepts and skills we believe a Social Studies student should acquire over the course of their K-12 education. We were not told

what should be included or what should be left out, although we were tasked with considering how literacy, numeracy, inclusive education and competencies would be reflected in our subject area. 

As our work progressed, we reviewed the results of the initial survey and incorporated the thoughts of Albertans in our work, recognizing some of the shortcomings and gaps in the current programme. We listened to presentations from numerous organizations about the kinds of things they believe Albertans should learn. In smaller groups, we then grouped and sequenced and refined these outcomes which were then provided to Albertans in the form of another survey. 

The curriculum working groups are diverse. Although at my table we have never shared our own political leanings, as evidenced by the heated dialogue, there is a great diversity of views about politics. Our discussions are deep. They are lively. They are passionate. As all conversations about things that matter should be. 

Neither Kenney or Jean attended public high school yet they are of the view that all Social Studies teachers are socialists. They are mistaken. Many Alberta teachers are conservative. My son's high school teacher was a conservative who invited Brian Jean to speak to the school. A few years ago a grade 8 teacher in our town took her grade eight class to attend a rally in support of our provincial PC candidate Pearl Calahasen. In my federal riding, the first candidate to seek the Conservative nomination was a teacher from Peace River.  I've marked diploma exams numerous times and there are many conservatives who teach Social Studies, and some of them sit on the curriculum review committee. 

The curriculum review committee is not part of a socialist agenda to support a particular ideology. Neither the government nor the New Democratic Party has interfered with the development of the curriculum in any way. If Mr. Kenney and Mr. Jean think otherwise, they are at best ignorant or at worst, lying for their own political gain.

Barbaric Cultural Practices

Inuit taken to Germany by J. M. Jacobsen. Lived in zoo.L-R: Ulricke, aged 24, holding Maria; Tobias, aged 20; Abraham, aged 35; Sarah, Aged 4.All died of smallpox in Europe. 

I found this photo in the Glenbow Archives while doing research.

It is chilling.

What kind of people capture other human beings, take them across the sea, away from all they know, house them in a zoo and watch them die? 

Jason Kenney says Alberta's new Social Studies curriculum is all about "politically correct" themes such as colonialism. He says the new programme reeks of "social engineering". He thinks Alberta's Social Studies teachers should concentrate on Canada's military history.

These people were abused. Their rights were stripped away. Their treatment was nothing short of barbaric. And then they died.

They died because of colonialism and ethnocentrism. They died because of the actions of our forefathers.

Mr. Kenney can wrap himself in the flag if he wants. He can strut around full of jingoistic patriotism and willful ignorance in order to rally his supporters. He can promote Canada's "military history" to the exclusion of other more far reaching Canadian realities.

Nothing he says will negate the truth. Canada was founded on colonialism. It would not exist if not for colonialism. Colonialism is not a "politically correct" theme. It's a sometimes ugly reality that impacts the way of life of every single Canadian today. That's why it is taught.

I am not sure what Mr. Kenney thinks education is for. 

Is it to "socially engineer" a society of ignorant people who blindly support the status quo?

Or is it to help the next generation to understand their world so they can make informed decisions for a better tomorrow? 

nothing has been taught until something has been learned

• 71% of Canadians disagree with the Omar Khadr ruling.
• Brian Jean professes equalization payments are unfair to Albertans, misleading his followers into thinking transfer payments come from provincial coffers.
  

• Jason Kenney calls a university professor a "communist" after being asked simple questions about Gay Straight Alliances, what evidence he had that demonstrated right wing voices were being shut down at our post secondaries and where he would run as an MLA.
• An editorial writer at my town newspaper, joining 5% of Canadians, states climate change isn't "verifiable science".
• And let's not forget the 58,000 Albertans who signed a petition  not that long ago, demanding that the Lieutenant Governor ask for the Premier to step down.

It's a bleak and black time for teachers, as they recall their many pointless lessons on Charter Rights, transfer payments, the role of the citizen in a democracy, climate science, the role of the LG and how premiers are elected.

I mean, really. What are we doing in the classroom?  Just wasting our breath, it seems.  And if those lessons fell on deaf ears, what about all the others?

What about advocating for a healthy lifestyle?  What about their, they're, there? What about capitalization and punctuation and evolution and BEDMAS and computation and your times tables? What about nutrition and how to spell "a lot" and "measure twice, cut once" and what complementary colours are and what prejudice is and how to calculate interest rates and what the ventricle does and the laws of physics and human rights? What about basic probability and "i before e except after c" and using goddamn facts to support a position?

We've all worked with those kids who say "It's my opinion and you can't tell me it's wrong." 

Maybe an "opinion" isn't right of wrong in itself. But there is such a thing as truth. 

And this teacher ain't going down without a fight.

Send in the Clowns

Mr. Jean blames the NDP for something that hasn't happened

Not going to lie. Clowns aren't all that funny. At best they try to frighten you with loud noises or mock others for their stupidity. At worse, they are creepy and dangerous. Who likes clowns? 

Certainly not the superintendent of Fort McMurray schools who banned clown costumes from all schools this Hallowe'en.

Perhaps superintendent Doug Nicholls was thinking about the clowns Edmonton Journal cartoonist Malcolm Mayes portrayed in his recent cartoon. The clowns who are bringing "Modern Learning Ideology" (whatever that is) into our schools.

Could it be the "ideology" Mayes was mocking was inspired by Unite-the-Right hopeful Jason Kenney? Kenney, the man who spoke about "social engineering" which he claims the Alberta NDP government will implement because of their "ideology," oddly ignoring the fact that every political party has an ideology, including his own? His party that once suggested all educated Albertans should have an "entrepreneurial spirit"? 

Jumping into the fray of the misinformed, Wildrose opposition leader Brian Jean cleverly mixed his metaphors when he sent out a tweet suggesting Alberta's NDP government is irresponsibly experimenting with the children of this province, despite the fact no changes to curriculum or pedagogy have been implemented since the government took power in May of 2015.

Mr. Kenney seemed to enjoy the clown cartoon as well, tweeting the following:  account‏

"We need curriculum reform that focuses on numeracy, literacy, knowledge and skills; not on the NDP's ideological agenda & pedagogical fads."

All of this kerfuffle is based on the far right's made-up ideas about the future of our schools. IF any of these gentlemen had taken just a very few moments to review what is happening with curriculum redesign, they would know that foundational knowledge, numeracy, literacy, skills and competencies will still be taught in the future. They would also know that pedagogy will still be determined by teachers using their professional expertise.

Yes, there will be change. There must be change. Society has changed since Mr. Kenney and Mr. Jean attended school. Our demographics have changed. Jobs have changed. The way we communicate has changed. And some of the things we learned were just plain wrong. So the current government is working on curriculum change- change that has been long in the making. Some courses in Alberta's Programme of Study date back to the mid 1980s. Even the newer ones are close to ten years old.

While the PC government (the party Mr. Kenney wants to lead) was in power, there was a great deal of work done on redesigning the curriculum. Inspiring Education proposed an extensive transformation of the education system. Curriculum prototyping was designed to modernize the curriculum and streamline how we design it, based on a common language and framework and sound instructional design principles.

From "Inspiring Education" 2010

Under the current government, this work continues.  Far from being based on any experimental model or political ideology, the process uses extensive research from around the world to consider what foundational knowledge students should master, what skills they should possess and what competencies they should obtain in order to thrive today and in the future.  Hundreds of experts including university professors, teachers, and others are part of this process. A province wide survey is under way.  No politicians. No "ideological" goals. Just a plan to equip our students with the skills to thrive in an ever-changing world.

Maybe Jean, Kenney and co. are opposed to the development of students' critical thinking skills, essential in our increasingly complicated world. Skills that would help students analyze the messages they are bombarded with every day. Or maybe they believe there is no new knowledge in a world where, according to some researchers, human knowledge is doubling every 13 months. Maybe they thinking learning is sitting in a desk, reading a textbook and writing a test.

In the field of social studies, my colleagues and I describe the nature of our subject as "learning how to live well together". But perhaps Jean and Kenney have other ideas. Perhaps their version of the future does not include everyone. Maybe they all share the vision of old-stock former Social Studies teacher Wildrose MLA Mark Smith who recently boasted about how he and his neighbours successfully prevented a group home from being established on their street. 

The world today's children live in is complex. It is diverse. It is competitive.The jobs children will hold may not exist right now, whereas many of the jobs that exist now are disappearing. The future will require citizens who are flexible and hopeful and knowledgeable and empathetic. We live in a world where simple memorization of facts and figures is not enough- people will need to know how to learn, how to separate truth from fiction, and how to collaborate and communicate with others of different ethnicities, religions, orientations, political leanings and capabilities. A world where sexism and xenophobia and isolationism must not be encouraged. 

We cannot prepare our children for tomorrow by giving them yesterday's tools. 

The clowns who frighten us and mock us are not the forward-thinking educators of Alberta, who are helping students to thrive in an uncertain world. They are the politicians who deny change is needed.

You've Only Just Begun

It's that time of year, students. The time of year when your dad will get misty eyed watching his little princess, suddenly mature and beautiful. When your mom will beam with pride at the tall young man you have become, even though in her heart you will always be the little boy who makes  her smile. Yes, it is your graduation. And as you take the stage to receive your diploma, behind your parents' tears and smiles, we wonder where your life's journey will take you as you make your first faltering adult steps.

Yes, it's your high school graduation. Across the land, banquet halls, gyms and community centres are unrecognizable beneath swathes of streamers and rosettes, splendid backdrops, aromatic with fresh flowers, glittering with candles and mirror balls. So many decisions, so much work has been done to bring you to this day. Grad colours? Theme? Song? Guest speaker? Invitations to local dignitaries? Diplomas? What to serve at the banquet? How many tickets to allow? Decorations? Class gift? Awards? Scholarships? Location for group photo? Fund raising? Fall grad, full grad, spring grad, safe grad, dry grad? 

Teaching colleagues and parents, I ask you-what do you remember about your own commencement? The loser escort who threw up on your shoes? The dress you bought in another city only to find another girl identically clad? The valedictorian who reiterated every cliché in the book? The hopeful youngster- suit rented, girl invited, flowers ordered, grandparents en route-saying "What do you mean, I need phys. ed. to graduate?"

I nearly missed my own grad when my school camping group got snowed in off a back road and no one knew where we were. The theme song at gold old South Peace Senior Secondary was Diana Ross’s "Do you Know Where You're Going To?” My escort wore a polyester leisure suit and fell asleep at the party. Three girls got engaged, two others were hugely pregnant. Nobody laughed at my class prophesy. And yes, my parents were misty eyed and proud.

Me and my friend Teresa on our graduation day.

Grad was simpler then. Maybe life was simpler too. You finished high school or didn't, got a job or didn't, went to university or didn't.  You may not have known where you were going to, but the world waited. Life, like grad, is more complicated for the kids of today. But the world will wait for them too.

             

But today is not about me.  It's about you, high school graduates.  Webster's defines grad as the act of receiving a diploma, but it's also the official statement that you have come to the end of your publicly funded education.  Now you have received that gift, what will you do with it? Because today is the first day of the rest of your lives. Every journey begins with the first step. Follow your passions and never lose sight of your dreams. The world is in your hands.

You've only just begun.

It All Comes Down to This

Since the dawn of man/In today’s society/In the world today/Since time began/In our confusing world/Historically we have seen the... struggle between the rich and the poor/the bourgeoisie and the proletariat/the powerful and the exploited. From...feudal times/the days of the Agricultural/Industrial/French/American/Orange/Velvet Revolution until today we have been engaged in the seemingly never-ending quest to resolve this ideological issue, and there are many...ideas/theories/historical proof/current events that will support my point. This struggle leads us to examine the issue question so clearly identified in the source. Through my work in this position paper I will clearly and convincingly state my position on this challenging topic.

Evidence to support my position comes from the day when the Founding Fathers wrote the...Declaration of the Rights of Man/Charter of Rights and Freedoms/Declaration of Independence/Universal Declaration of the Rights of Man/Magna Carta/BNA Act/Ten Commandments they laid down an ideological foundation that can be clearly placed on the right-left continuum.  This work laid down the background for a whole new way of thinking that had not been thought of until it was, and the concepts were further elaborated upon in the seminal novel...

Mein Kampf/Das Kapital/The Wealth of Nations/Origin of the Species by...Charles Darwin/Karl Marx/ Adolf Hitler/Adam Smith/John Smith/Adam West/John Hancock/Dave Hancock/Thomas Jefferson/Theodore Roosevelt/Franklin Roosevelt who provided us with the idea of the...invisible/invincible hand/trickledown effect/scientific socialism/Social Darwinism/survival of the fittest. This important theory shows unmistakably that the perspective identified in the source has great validity both in the past and for today’s world.

Furthermore/in addition/as well/not to discount the fact that back in the day when the...right/left winged/fascist-communist/totalitarian/authoritarian/collectivist Stalin/Hitler/George Bush/Pol Pot/Ho Chi Minh/Mao Zedong/The Tsar II/Louis XVI invaded… Germany/Russia/Poland/South Vietnam/Palestine/Iraq/Afghanistan/Cambodia/France we could see a conflict developing that would have far reaching influences on the development of today’s...classical/modern/capitalist/democratic socialist/liberal economy and its fundamental rights and freedoms.

Further evidence to support my view comes from the ideas of the economic theories devised by the great...physiocrat/economic philosopher/Enlightenment thinker...JJ Rousseau/Edmund Burke/JS Mill/John Locke/Hobbes/Montesquieu/Voltaire...whose ideas of the...fundamental good/evil innate in man/man’s inherent ability/inability to reason gave rise to the...capitalist/liberal/liberalist/libertarian views that are dominant in our society today. In economic terms we can turn to the ideas of...Vladmir Lenin/Carroll Marx/Karl Marx/Josef Stalin/JM Keynes/Milton/Thomas Friedman/FA Hayek whose concepts of the...invisible hand/invincible hand/class struggle/monetarism/fiscal policy/government intervention presented a response to the ideas that had been unsuccessfully implemented in the past.

Finally/in conclusion/when all is said and done/at the end of the day/in the final analysis… I believe that the...evidence/examples/reasons/logic/explanations/details/theories that I have provided...conclusively/somewhat/to an extent support the position I have...taken/hinted at/suggested. To restate my view, society should definitely...embrace/reject/ignore the ideological position reflected in the source like a dear old aunt one hasn't seen in years, with open arms, caution, and a grain of salt.

For every Albertan, in every community, an excellent MLA.

TASK FORCE FOR
MLA EXCELLENCE

On behalf of the Task Force for MLA Excellence, I am pleased to submit my Report to Albertans. This report makes recommendations on MLA excellence to ensure that for every Albertan, in every community, there is an excellent MLA.

In our deliberations, the interest of the citizen was paramount – the citizen came first. The well-being of the citizen is job one. Not profits for the shareholder, hubris for the politician, or “getting product to market.” The Task Force believes its recommendations will help to transform the province and achieve the vision of Inspiring Democracy.

The Task Force undertook a rigorous consultation process. For this the Task Force would like to thank its 68 Twitter followers, 256 Facebook friends, and 97 blog readers who participated in its one day of consultation.

Why were no politicians or corporations invited to sit on the Task Force for MLA Excellence? 

Clearly, MLAs themselves have far too much at stake in matters that concern them and their constituents to sit on a panel making recommendations in this matter. Corporations also have a vested interest in the democratic process. While Albertans of all colors and stripes were invited to contribute to the Task Force, no MLA or corporation chose to do so.  By embargoing the process, they told Albertans they were not interested in pursuing MLA Excellence and have no one to blame but themselves if their voices were not heard.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Alberta has a very strong political system. With a 42 year long unbroken reign by one political party, it has served Albertans well. So why establish a Task Force on MLA Excellence? The largest part of the answer rests in Inspiring Democracy – Alberta’s long-term vision for democracy centered on Albertans. The aspirations set out in Inspiring Democracy can only be achieved by aligning governance with its vision. We must determine what is working well and what can be improved. Because governance is at the core of a successful democracy, we must do all we can to achieve MLA excellence.

Does the current system protect Albertans from poor MLAs?

We acknowledge that Alberta has the highest per capita income, the highest median hourly wage, the highest rate of economic growth, and the lowest unemployment rate in Canada.  That being said, we can do better. The Task Force notes that in the past 42 years there has been no case in which an MLA has been removed from office due to incompetence. Given the province has 87 MLAs, the Task Force found this statistic almost inconceivable.  We acknowledge that some struggling MLAs and their leaders may leave on their own accord but the current model does not assure competence. Albertans agreed, with only 23 per cent of Albertans expressing confidence in the ruling party.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1.    What is excellent governance? Everyone has an MLA, and everyone has an opinion of MLA excellence. Central to achieving MLA excellence is a definition of excellence and clear expectations for practice. We have not developed such a definition, nor do we intend to.

2.    How to enable MLAs to be excellent. The Task Force recommends better MLA education, a mandatory one-year internship, a province-wide mentorship framework, and expanded opportunities for further learning. The Task Force makes no recommendations on how to fund or operationalize these recommendations.

3.    Leadership The Premier has the greatest impact on MLA excellence. The right Premier can propel a province forward, creating an environment in which MLA excellence flourishes. A definition for leadership excellence should align with the definition for MLA Excellence. See item 1.

4.    Conduct The existing system requires greater openness, transparency, timeliness, fairness and efficiency. Issues of misconduct, including convictions for actions that are unbecoming to the honour and dignity of the office, must be open and transparent. Public shaming of those who commit these egregious misdemeanors is suggested.

5.    Competence The Task Force recommends a very different system than the one currently in place. Rather than the long standing practice of elections every 4-5 years, we recommend the introduction of a system of certification including a review of performance at the end of the MLA’s first year office and further continuous repeated evaluations until such time as the MLA leaves office. Failure to achieve MLA excellence will result in the MLA having his/her governance certificate revoked, thereby being banned from any further governing.

The Task Force recommends the current model of shared responsibility between voters and the government be retained, with appropriate modifications to implement the recommendations of this report. If those modifications cannot be made under the existing model, the Task Force recommends that the entire system be thrown out and replaced with a disciplinary and certification process of its own design, preferably one in which key stakeholders have no involvement. The Task Force believes adoption of its recommendations will help Albertans to achieve the vision of Inspiring Democracy and to position Albertans for success in the world. These recommendations will ensure that:

For every Albertan, in every community, there is an excellent MLA.