Read on Twitter
Wanna take a moment to address something on Twitter that I talked about for a second on the show earlier this week. After having another guest on to talk about speech-language pathologists, one of our texters said I should have prefaced that I am married to a teacher. #ABleg
I have made no bones about my family & what they do. But to go out of my way to preface it every time I bring up education? Is this an attempt to delegitimize the conversation? It is such a stupid argument. I'm now tainted by the fact my wife is an elementary teacher? #ABleg
My years of being a reporter & news director where I took a specific interest in education because it affects so many homes in the communities I have worked is erased because of my marriage? I am also a product of small town, public education. That's erased too? #ABleg
Fact is: not only is my wife a teacher but I also volunteer in the school, helping her out in a variety of ways. I see what I talk about on the show first-hand. Would you rather listen to someone who hasn't stepped foot in a classroom for years because "conflict of interest"?
Truthfully, I don't know how much I would even trust administrators or government officials with their "observations" of the classroom. Why? You know how when your office admin says to "clean up your work space because the big boss is coming?" #ABleg
The same thing happens in schools. What's missing is the actual mess that sits there the other days of the week or month. We have glossed over the issues like class sizes & no failing kids & simply made it into an argument of "teachers just want more money." #ABleg
When I think "supports", I think of aides, speech language pathologists & others who help those kids move on to the next grade. Fact is: there are kids in grade 5 who still read at a grade 1 level. Something is broken there. #ABleg
Long story short: I could go on for days about this stuff because I have been passionate about education for years. It's not as simple as "more money for teachers." It's about supporting an entire system in the right way so the kids don't lose out & parents don't feel helpless.
It's an entire system that requires accountability from a government, school board, school, teacher & parent perspective. Everyone needs to be at the table to have several different conversations. I will continue to have some of them on The Drive. Hope you ride along! #ABleg #yyc
