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I’ve never been more proud to be an Alberta teacher.
I’ve had a long career as a teacher, school division curriculum co-ordinator, manager with Alberta Education, and the ATA’s co-ordinator of Professional Development and assistant executive secretary. I have many memorable moments and achievements, but my most recent one is special.
Like all of you, I was surprised and disappointed that Alberta teachers were pushed out of the curriculum development process. It felt abusive when some people even suggested that Alberta teachers were indoctrinating students with leftist, communist views. (How could this be possible when teachers are required by law to follow provincially mandated curriculum?) When the Association’s curriculum report was released on Sept. 29, some columnists, along with their uninformed readers reacting on social media, called the report political and aligned with the left.
What makes me proud to be a teacher when teachers have been marginalized, discredited and undermined so much over the past year? On Sept. 29 the Association released the Professional Curriculum Analysis and Critique of Alberta Education’s 2021 Draft Curriculum. I’m deeply honoured to have been the project manager for this review and lead author of the report.
After poring through all of the data and the thoughtful submissions from teachers, I emerged with overwhelming pride to be a member of Alberta’s teaching profession.
Alberta teachers meet high standards of certification, quality teaching and learnership, and ongoing professional growth. The culture of our profession is to focus on student learning and to work collegially and collaboratively to enhance our practice. We have the right and responsibility to voice our professional opinion on this draft curriculum.
The Association’s review of the draft curriculum is a shining star of that professionalism. Work on it started the same day the draft curriculum was released. The goal of the review was to gather teachers’ feedback on the quality and utility of the draft curriculum and to share teachers’ collective voice.
Between March 29 and May 30, more than 6,500 teachers reviewed the draft curriculum, responded to the Association’s survey, developed written submissions and participated in discussion groups to analyze and evaluate the draft. These activities resulted in a huge amount of data for the analysis, which was astonishing to read. On every measure, between 65 and 95 per cent of teachers disagreed or somewhat disagreed that the curriculum met Alberta Education guidelines. Many teachers took great time to deeply analyze the draft and provide thoughtful, detailed responses that resulted in thousands of written comments for each question.
The data was overwhelming, and I was moved to read these survey comments because teachers’ professional expertise and passion for teaching was clear. Teachers expressed frustration, disappointment, disgust and anger with the curriculum philosophy, structure and the terminology used. They said this curriculum reads like one from the 1950s. Many were emotional and deeply concerned, with some being fearful about how this curriculum will negatively impact student learning. Teachers labelled it as a “rank and sort” curriculum that requires students to memorize discrete bits of knowledge instead of a modern curriculum that develops students’ knowledge, skills and competencies to prepare them to live and work in the 21st century. Teachers described the draft curriculum as “terrible,” “appalling” and a “dumpster fire.”
The results of the review and analysis are published in the report, and the view of teachers is that this curriculum has four fundamental flaws:
- It lacks the foundational elements teachers need to plan for instruction, and the learning outcomes do not adequately describe what students should know and be able to do.
- It does not reflect current research and best practices for teaching and student learning.
- It does not support the development of the whole child and establishment of inclusive learning environments.
- It is in conflict with several legal education frameworks and policies that are the foundation of Alberta’s education system.
Clearly, Alberta teachers are experts in curriculum and student learning. They care deeply for students and the future of this province. Reading the submissions made me proud to be a member of this profession, which is collegial, collaborative and deeply committed to education excellence.
As I finish work on this project, I leave you with this: as teachers, you should be proud to put forward your opinions, expertise and principles. Don’t be discouraged or pressured to back away by individuals who will attempt to discredit teachers using personal attacks. These people are mistaking your commitment to students, passion for education and expert opinion as political messaging. Well, if it is political to band together to fight for our students’ future, then wear that label proudly and continue the good work. ❚
Over her teaching career, Jacqueline Skytt has worked in the classroom, for Sturgeon School Division and for Alberta Education. She retired from the Association as assistant executive secretary in 2013.
