Getting schooled: teachers, students and parents have a lot to read 

Posted on September 7, 2022 by Ryan Dahlman

By Ryan Dahlman

Last week there was the sounds of screaming and yelling at schools as the 2022-23 new school year started in Alberta. However, it wasn’t the kindergarten to Grade 6 yelling with excitement of a new school  year.

It’s the teachers trying to make to make sure they have some semblance of the new curriculum ordered by the Alberta provincial government.

It must be disheartening for the teachers who are aware of the new curriculum, which when first presented was widely panned and ridiculed for mistakes it contained. 

Public Interest Alberta issued a statement “in April 2022, the provincial government announced the final step in its phased approach to implementing the new K-6 draft curriculum. Despite serious concerns from families, community members, education workers, education experts, curricular experts, and education advocates, the government is moving ahead with fundamental changes this fall to English Language Arts and Literature (K-3), Mathematics (K-3) and Physical Education and Wellness (K-6) curricula in every public school classroom across the province, with the remainder of the changes to all other subjects in K-6 slated to be implemented in September 2023 and 2024.”

The process for updating the curriculum was flawed and despite the best efforts made by many, the experts, namely the educators to protest the updates, nothing changed. 

This will be an interesting year in education. Everyone who complains about the “new” math, may have other aspects to complain about. 

The new leader of the UCP will have an interesting decision to make and one that will be scrutinized by many.

Reading writing and arithmetic have been replaced apparently… watch that homework of your favourite students. Schooling will have never been so different.