I answered this question before reading on: What’s currently missing in public education?
Thinking from my retired teacher, mother, and grandmother filters, I said to myself: a meaningful, useful, life-worthy education.
I agree with David: there is enough money in the system - the 'rejig' requires something else.
It does not require further bloating budgets at the Ministry, school, and teacher areas. It requires a different way of thinking about the meaning and purpose of education for children and youth in the context of our country and world. And a different way of thinking about how people learn. There is a great deal of evidence in neuroscience and cognitive neuroscience that strongly suggests education needs a different way of thinking about how people learn and by extension, teaching.
David and many others have said this before: teaching is challenging work and teachers deserve a wage that reflects both the importance of providing children and youth with a life-worthy education and the challenge of working with the reality of the cognitive, social and emotional diversity of the learners in their classrooms.
No matter how much is spent on education it’ll never be enough according to teachers unions across the country. Their sole solution to improving the education system lays in hiring more teachers (which might not be a bad thing if more were interested in teaching as opposed to indoctrinating) and increase their wages.
That's very possible. But the beauty of this reallocation of funds idea is that we can respond to persistent demands without the need for any new "investments".
I don't deny "the claim" but would be interested in seeing a more realistic cost of a school. For example, most elementary schools will have some necessary administrative staff (principal) and "non-enrolling" staff, that is, a full-time or part-time counsellor, teacher-librarian, learning assistance teacher. Most classes will be closer to 24 than 30 students, with an education assistant only when students are assessed as requiring one. There used to be art, music and physical education teachers as well. So, while it would mean more work, determining actual average costs would mean that there may be funds for other priorities, but perhaps not as much as first imagined.
My numbers were certainly only half-serious. But in their defense, the "five adults for every 30 students" could include librarians and music teachers etc. That's because such roles can easily serve multiple classes so, between them, they might all add up to the equivalent of just one full time position for this particular class.
I answered this question before reading on: What’s currently missing in public education?
Thinking from my retired teacher, mother, and grandmother filters, I said to myself: a meaningful, useful, life-worthy education.
I agree with David: there is enough money in the system - the 'rejig' requires something else.
It does not require further bloating budgets at the Ministry, school, and teacher areas. It requires a different way of thinking about the meaning and purpose of education for children and youth in the context of our country and world. And a different way of thinking about how people learn. There is a great deal of evidence in neuroscience and cognitive neuroscience that strongly suggests education needs a different way of thinking about how people learn and by extension, teaching.
David and many others have said this before: teaching is challenging work and teachers deserve a wage that reflects both the importance of providing children and youth with a life-worthy education and the challenge of working with the reality of the cognitive, social and emotional diversity of the learners in their classrooms.
No matter how much is spent on education it’ll never be enough according to teachers unions across the country. Their sole solution to improving the education system lays in hiring more teachers (which might not be a bad thing if more were interested in teaching as opposed to indoctrinating) and increase their wages.
That's very possible. But the beauty of this reallocation of funds idea is that we can respond to persistent demands without the need for any new "investments".
Asking teachers if we need more teachers is about as smart as asking your barber if you need a haircut.
I don't deny "the claim" but would be interested in seeing a more realistic cost of a school. For example, most elementary schools will have some necessary administrative staff (principal) and "non-enrolling" staff, that is, a full-time or part-time counsellor, teacher-librarian, learning assistance teacher. Most classes will be closer to 24 than 30 students, with an education assistant only when students are assessed as requiring one. There used to be art, music and physical education teachers as well. So, while it would mean more work, determining actual average costs would mean that there may be funds for other priorities, but perhaps not as much as first imagined.
My numbers were certainly only half-serious. But in their defense, the "five adults for every 30 students" could include librarians and music teachers etc. That's because such roles can easily serve multiple classes so, between them, they might all add up to the equivalent of just one full time position for this particular class.