School board members are voted into their positions by district area residents.

I have been
voting for trustees since I came of age, basing my decision on their campaigns and positions
on matters of concern to me. It was fascinating to realize upon going into the governance
inquiry that I actually knew very little about their actual role and responsibilities. Considering
this ignorance on my part, I realized I actually knew very little about the education structure
in this province full stop, beyond government politics, the basic role of the BCTF in
representing teachers, and some of the tensions therein.

Examining the overarching systemic structure of the education system was pretty
fascinating. There are an awful lot of fingers in the pot, with overlapping areas of concern
and competing interests at almost every level. The government, for example, is responsible
for provincial programming, oversight, and evaluation, yet this has to also include input from
teachers, administrators, and the public for both planning and execution. While in theory the
end goal is a common one - to create socially responsible, capable, and contributing citizens
- there are a lot of competing ideas as to what this means and how best to achieve this,
especially in light of financial constraints, teachers needs (livelihood, class composition and
teaching success, etc.), and community concerns in a geographically and culturally diverse
province. Indeed, the sheer number of organizations and acronyms associated with
education in BC is pretty staggering. For every stakeholder - parents, teachers,
administrators, and governors - there seems to be a local, regional, and provincial
organization. There is even a lack of consensus between these different groupings at the
different levels. Not all local PAC concerns are dPAC concerns, let alone BCCPAC concerns
and in fact these differing concerns occasionally create conflict at the different levels even
within the same stakeholder grouping never mind between different stakeholders. No
wonder the system seems slow to respond and change at best and highly dysfunctional at
worst.

As a new teacher it seems a little overwhelming to consider entering this complex, multi-
layered, and seemingly conflict-ridden system. Certainly the book for this week reinforced
the perception of competing interests and tension between the government and the BCTF. I
did find it interesting that the things the BCTF has been advocating for since the beginning
havent really changed according to Thomas Fleming - an individualized or personalized
approach to education/learning with flexible learning environments and assessment that are
more cross-curricular in approach. These are the very things the new curriculum is supposed
to be putting into place. Perhaps our education system isnt quite as archaic as it first
appears.

One of the other things that really stood out for me from the reading is that the system which
currently governs our education system was put in place at a dramatically different time - a
small population dispersed over a large and diverse geographical area. The impacts of
industrialization, especially increasing urbanization and population growth, further
exacerbated by the period of affluence following the second world war (baby boom) seemed
to result in a reactionary response for education. The system became firmly entrenched with
overhauls related only to content and execution rather than to the system itself. I dont know
how one affects total systemic change, but I cant help thinking this is whats actually
needed. Perhaps this is related to the rise in the number of students who are home-schooled
or otherwise exposed to alternative education methodologies? (raise in rates is supposition
on my part based only on anecdotal evidence. I have no actual evidence to back this up).
Back to the idea of entering this profession as a new teacher. It seems to me that as a new
teacher I am most likely to be affected by the TRB, the BCTF, and the school and district
administration of where I am working. The TRB is responsible for actually certifying me as a
teacher and ensuring my ongoing practice meets the professional standard. The BCTF is my
voice in this chaotic seeming system and also offers advice and benefits to teachers
including around professional practice and professional development. The principal and vice
principal of any given school are responsible for the day-to-day administration, including
budgeting for the school including acquisition of new equipment, textbooks, field trips, etc.
They are also there to support teachers in executing their teaching duties and in the
provision of such regulated actions as student suspensions. I suppose that PACs, with their
fundraising and disbursement activities, will also play into this. I find it fascinating that
principals and vice principals are moved around at the whim of the school board! Finding an
environment with school leadership that works for me as an employee is no guarantee that it
will continue to do so! Coming from a more traditional work environment this blows my mind.
Not that such changes cant or dont happen in the traditional workplace, but such change is
usually mandated more by performance issues (promoted and accepted - or fired) or by the
person themselves, in which case it is often somewhat foreshadowed (a person choosing to
change jobs for better money or working conditions or a new challenge). It seems crazy to
me that the school board can just tell someone they are working in a different place next
September! Finally, the superintendent and school board will be responsible for setting much
of the policy that drives the district as a whole, affecting all the schools therein. 80 minute
blocks in SD68 secondary schools is an example of this.

As multi-faceted and multi-factorial as our education system is Im sure I will discover all
kinds of additional ways in which the governance thereof affects and impacts me and my
practice (district curriculum or program development, for example). At least at this point I
have a general understanding of the whole, where the general responsibilities lie, and a
better picture of the intersecting and/or conflicting viewpoints and complexities that result.

Mondays talk about FASD was fascinating - a knowledgeable and engaging speaker with a
wealth of information to share. I had no idea about the variety of ways FASD could manifest
and really appreciated the extra insights and coping strategies like the accompanying sleep
difficulties and the potential benefits of a nap or ways of addressing short term memory
difficulties, both of which are applicable to a wide variety of situations. These coping
strategies took on even more importance when considering the potential challenges
associated with a designation. As I learned from Lis even before a designation is considered
differentiated instruction and coping strategies are to be attempted to determine what works
and/or doesnt work for the child. Not only does this hopefully help the child to succeed in
class it also provides important information for the school based team should a referral be
necessary. Understanding that the teacher and teaching colleagues are the first line,
followed by assessment by the school based team and then the possibility of a designation
really highlights the importance of familiarity with a number of differentiated approaches.
This will allow one to better support the child pre-assessment, during assessment, and post-
assessment regardless of outcome. I guess on another level this is another example of
governance as it will affect my teaching life - the policies and procedures governing the
designation, support and funding for a child with some kind of learning barrier.