Elections are Looming in Canada

Election Day is October 21st.  The ability to vote allows citizens to express their opinion and choice on a variety of issues.   Remember, voting is a constitutional right and privilege that every Canadian has. Ahead of Monday’s election take some time to familiarize yourself with the policies and promises of the main parties on this election's pressing issues so you can make an informed and educated decision as you participate in this democratic right.   Every vote matters!   Below is a summary of each party’s perspective and promises on Education. 

Liberal

The Liberal party is committed to continuing to make education affordable by alleviating some of the financial pressures on students with:

• more generous Canada Student Grants giving full- and part-time students up to $1,200 more per year boosting the maximum to $4,200;
• more affordable and flexible student loans which will give students two years after graduation before they need to begin paying off their student loans, interest-free; 
• a promise that the repayment of loans will not needed to begin until students make at least $35,000, and if their income ever falls below this level, their payments will be put on hold;
• new parents will be allowed to pause their student loan repayments, interest-free, until their youngest child reaches the age of five;

Conservative

The Conservative platform focuses on boosting the Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) to help parents afford to send their children to post-secondary school.  Their strategy is to:

• increase the government’s contribution to the RESP from 20 to 30% for every dollar invested up to $2,500 a year which would increase the government’s maximum contribution to $750 a year;
• increase the maximum lifetime government grant from $7,500 to $12,000 per child;

New Democrat Party

The NDP is focused on ensuring that every Canadian has lifelong access to publicly-funded education and feel that today too many Canadians are being denied access to education because of tuition costs.  To achieve this goal they say they will:

• work with provinces and territories to put a cap on and reduce tuitions;
• work towards making post-secondary education part of our public education system eliminating the barrier of cost to education; 
• follow the lead of 5 provinces that have eliminated interest rates on student loans and eliminate federal interest rates on student loans; 
• put more money into non-repayable Canada Student Grants;
• implement a national school nutrition program;

Green Party

Greens are committed to making education accessible to all and intend on achieving this commitment by: 

• eliminating university and college tuition for all Canadian students;
• allocating $10 billion to post-secondary and trade school supports;
• forgiving any existing student debt that is held by the federal government;
• making sure all Indigenous students have access to post-secondary education while expanding curriculum on Indigenous education; 
• boost funding for training new immigrants in English and French; 
• supports a national school lunch program;

While I strongly support the notion that education should be accessible to all is the vision of the NDP and Green Party really realistic?  Eliminating tuition, making post-secondary education part of the public system and forgiving the federal interests will have to come at a significant cost.  Are we as a nation prepared to absorb that?  The Conservatives’ approach of focusing on the RESP and increasing government contributions will be helpful to those who can afford to save for their children’s education with an RESP but doesn’t offer any support to those who cannot.  The Liberals offer a pragmatic approach by offering increased flexibility around student loan repayment structures and, like the NDP, electing to improve Canadian Student Grants as a means to helping to make education most affordable for Canadians. 

What are the issues that matter most to you?  Which party platform speaks best to matters to you as a Canadian?  Comment in the appropriate section below.

Sources:

https://2019.liberal.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/292/2019/09/Forward-A-real-plan-for-the-middle-class.pdf

https://cpc-platform.s3.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com/CPC_Platform_8.5x11_FINAL_EN_OCT14_web.pdf

https://action.ndp.ca/page/-/2019/Q2/2019-06-19_Commitments-Doc_EN.pdf

https://www.greenparty.ca/sites/default/files/platform_2019_en_web_-_update_sep17.pdf

Progress Reports

Fellow teachers,

It’s that time of year again. The daunting task is upon us…progress reports! How do I prepare? How do I remain sane? 

Well for starters…you must be super organized!  Prepare yourself for progress reports well in advance. 

When I prepare for progress reports, I begin by reviewing my students’ report cards and progress reports from the previous year. This gives me an idea of how students progressed in the past. This is especially helpful, if you are a new teacher or in an LTO (contract) position.

Secondly, I choose to review the learning skills and their definition. This gives me an idea of what is expected for each learning skill. Next, I discuss what their meaning is with my class and how they can achieve each learning skill. By modelling and discussing learning skills, students will be able to attain them. 

I have students self evaluate how they believe they are doing. I give them a template of each learning skill with the following options: Needs of improvement, satisfactory, good and excellent. After students complete the template, I conference with the students and provide descriptive feedback. 

In terms of subject area, I provide students with a variety of assessments leading up to the progress reports. This is crucial in order to figure out how they are progressing. I am sure to make ongoing anecdotal notes. T

These are just some brief tips.  I am by no means an expert so I’d love to hear from you…how do you prepare for reports and ensure that you are ready for interviews with parents?  Please comment below.  

Good luck with your reports!

Teacher-guy

Summer Time

Hello all, 

Were almost at the halfway point in the summer and I am hoping you are enjoying a restful and relaxing summer vacation. As the end of the school year approaches, it seems as though the students are in desperate need of a summer vacation where they can relax and enjoy the outdoors. With teaching being our profession, you really feel a change in pace, from the hectic months of May and June to a reduction in school related duties within the months of July and August. I definitely love the time in the summer to reconnect with my family and friends, as well as, pay more attention to some of my favorite hobbies that sometimes fall by the waist side throughout the busy school year. Although summer is a great time to kick back and relax, I do tend to like to keep my mind connected to school and my upcoming duties as an educator so I’m ready when September rolls around. In fact, doing some schoolwork in July and August gives me a good opportunity to find some new ideas and creative ways of teaching for the upcoming school year. 

So what might I do during the summer related to school?

One of the first things I like to do is organize my school binders and files on my computer, to ensure they are ready to go for September. The last thing I want to do is lose some key lessons or activities prior to the beginning of the year. This is also a great way to remind me about some of the different teaching activities and strategies I have implemented the previous year, which may stay as is, or be tweaked in some way to benefit my students needs. 

Another housekeeping strategy I like to do in the summer leading up to the school year is begin to work on my schedules, long range plans and emergency plans. Although I may not get them fully done because I may be missing some key information given to me at startup, it gives me the opportunity to begin the process, which will alleviate some stress when the school year begins and it starts to get busy.  

Last but not least, I think the summer is a great way to sit back with a cup of coffee or tea (espresso for me) and search for some new ideas, lessons, strategies and videos that I might be able to use in the upcoming school year. You may or may not already know what subjects you will be teaching, therefore, it is a great way to find creative ways to teach and assess students, as there are so many great teachers out there with fantastic ideas to share. 

In any event, I hope you have the opportunity to create unforgettable memories with your loved ones over the summer! I will leave you with a few questions to share your ideas, as I would love to hear your thoughts.

1. What do you do to recharge over the summer after the school year is over?

2. What are some of your favorite websites, books or blogs to find new inspiration and ideas for your teaching craft?

3. How do you get yourself organized for the upcoming school year?

Best Wishes,

Teacher-Guy

The Value of STEM Education Within the Classroom

With the continuing change of job opportunities and demands within the twenty-first century, so must our teaching methods of delivering curriculum within the classroom. Those entering the workforce in the future will need experience within a variety of disciplines, especially those within the subjects of science and mathematics. To compliment these growing disciplines, many teachers have introduced a variety of activities within their classroom that focus and revolve around STEM Education. By definition, STEM Education “is a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific disciplines-science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, in an interdisciplinary and applied approach” (Live Science Website). Not only does STEM education compliment our ever-changing job environment, it also gives students the opportunity to work hands-on and in groups to both build and design curriculum related culminating tasks. Being an intermediate teacher for the last few years, I have had the opportunity to use STEM education within my grade 7 and 8 science and mathematics programs.

Grade 7 STEM Activity - Curriculum Connections - Structures/Measurement

Grade 7 students were asked to design a structure that would accommodate and hold their choice of either a video game, CD or DVD case. They were put in groups ranging from two to five students and were asked to first design a structure on paper, then build it using only newspaper and masking tape. Each case must be able to support and enclose five to eight cases.  Each group was given criteria to follow based on the size of their group and were given in-class time to build their structure collaboratively. While building and designing it was important for students to apply their knowledge in measurement within the math curriculum, as well as, what they had learned in the structures unit in science. This would ensure their structure was both structurally stable and aesthetically pleasing.

Grade 8 STEM Activity - Curriculum Connections - Systems and Action/Measurement

Grade 8 students were similarly asked to design a structure, however, their end product needed to be able to propel an object from the standing position. Students began to design a number of different types of catapults that would launch an object the size of a cotton ball. Within groups of two to five, students were given a choice of materials such as popsicle sticks, tape, glue, springs, spoons, and elastics. For their catapult to be successful, students needed to apply their knowledge in angles within mathematics, as well as, what they learned about simple machines and force during science class. This STEM activity acted as a rich learning experience for students because they were able to take what they had just learned and applied it using a hands-on approach. As a class, we then tested our catapults and then measured the distance each catapult was able to launch their object from a variety of angles. To consolidate our learning, we discussed as a class what they thought were the reasons why some catapults launched the farthest distance and then made curriculum connections to what they learned in science and math class. 

I hope these activities give you some ideas about how to incorporate the science and math curriculum in a fun and hands-on way. It also serves as a great opportunity to allow students to work collaboratively with their peers in the classroom setting.

Here are some links to some units I have created that incorporate STEM Education.

Feel free to check them out!

Grade 4 Science

Grade 5 Science

Grade 6 Science

Sincerely,

Teacher-guy

Introduction

Welcome,

Welcome to the first of many entries on the new “Teacher-guy Blog”. This blog will be devoted to all aspects and ideas surrounding education. I am hoping to spark conversation with my new blog about anything related to the teaching and learning field. I am excited to create a new platform to lend my voice to the resources I have made on the Teachers Pay Teachers website, to share with you the many ideas I have surrounding the vast world of teaching. The blog entries will feature ideas and valued information based on curriculum resources, teaching strategies, assessment strategies, classroom management techniques and so much more. I look forward to creating an online forum that will help teachers in their daily journey within the classroom. Please check back for more posts that will start monthly and hopefully begin on a weekly basis. Keep well, and remember, “teachers lay the foundation every day for students to flourish and be successful”. Teach on!!!!!  Please feel free to check out some of the resources I have made and take advantage of any promotions or freebies.

Best,

Teacher-guy