The September I Didn't Return to School...

Teacher's Day in Wuhan, China.

Another school year is just around the corner, and for the first time in my education career, I did not accept any contracts or opportunities offered to me.

This year, I am schooling in a whole new way, and I am so excited!

(And only a little bit scared, lol.)

To be clear, I am not leaving education. I am simply changing my platform.

However, it still feels incredibly strange to write that I am not returning to a full-time education career, whether in the classroom, in the office, or behind the scenes. It feels incredibly strange that I am no longer a cog in the machine.

I've spent my whole life being a lifelong learner, and I am dedicated to continuing that. With 14+ years of experience in Canadian and international education, I've taught in classrooms, led in boardrooms, developed and edited BC Offshore and World School curriculum, developed standardized assessments, policies and procedures, and completed many, many more educational and leadership tasks thanks to the amazing opportunities I was given abroad. (More on that in other rants, blogs to come and LLP pages. Check out my socials and other website pages.)

But first and foremost, I always supported teachers. I never forgot what it was like to be in the classroom; to have 30+ students, each with individual needs, and to care for them as though they were my own. I was lucky to work with leaders from all over the world, and they, too, always put students first, not profit or budgets. (Until they didn't. And that's a whole bowl of other stories for another time.)

But let's be real, times are changing faster than ever before. Things are moving faster than ever before. More and more information is at our fingertips every second of every day, and teachers are on the front lines adapting, bending over backwards, and sacrificing more and more until they are burnt out, all with the goals of doing what is best for each and every individual child.

And that is not okay.

After living and working abroad for so long, coming home to Canada and hearing how education was being treated and discussed was a shock I never expected. As anyone who has left this continent would know, you notice things differently after you've lived somewhere else. You notice how quickly people in Canada seem to divide themselves into "us" and "them," and on each and every category imaginable.

You notice how disagreement has become personal and more commonly discussed than the weather. You notice how media is simply propaganda and how social media platforms are designed to keep people engaged by keeping people angry and fighting with each other.

And I don't believe that's who we are supposed to be.

I'm not motivated to go back into a formal education position under the current UCP government. Not because I don't love teaching. Not because I don't love students. And certainly not because I believe education is failing the next generations.

I am more motivated to be a leader and to not have or need a 'boss' when it comes to helping teachers and helping the next generation of Albertans and Turtle Island Peoples. Because, let's be real; teachers need support. Real support. And I have the time and means to support them.

Teachers need people who are willing to stand beside them without having something to gain (or lose) from it. People with no skin in the game, other than the opportunity to help and do what is right for the people who live here, work here, and call this beautiful spot on Mother Earth home.

Furthermore, I simply cannot stand by idly while we keep bombarding the public with divisive messaging about teachers and education and then wonder why people are losing faith in the system.

And this is why I particularly struggle with things like Berta Proud Dad's "report a teacher" platform, and with anyone else who dismisses the efforts of teachers. His public work is very clearly connected to Alberta's conservative and separatist political circles, and I'm sorry, but I don't think encouraging people to report on teachers is how we build better schools.

If a teacher genuinely does something wrong, absolutely address it. We have professional processes for that. We are professionals, after all, and we should be held to professional standards.

But when teachers become social and political targets, when every disagreement becomes an opportunity to publicly shame somebody, and when people who are trying to bring communities together are the ones being criticized, we've got a bigger problem.

And, unfortunately, it isn't just teachers these grifters are picking on.

It seems to me that the people who are trying to help others (whether in healthcare, transportation, housing, education, or countless other areas) are increasingly the people getting attacked. The people looking out for their neighbours are getting mocked. The people trying to build community are being accused of all sorts of bad behaviour simply because someone doesn't agree with them.

That's not okay with me.

We don't fix problems by causing more divide.

We fix it by coming together when our political leaders, with all of their money and power, don't.

We need to remember that being Canadian actually means something to Canadian teachers, and we value education, community, collaboration, problem-solving and all the good stuff that comes when we stay united.

Canada isn't perfect. Our history isn't perfect. We have plenty of things we need to fix.

But I don't want Alberta becoming the next Trumpland, where everything becomes a culture war and people are encouraged to hate one another and forget we all have human rights to our basic needs - education being one of those.

I believe 21st Century Canadians are smarter than grifters like Berta Proud Dad and cult leaders like Mitch Sylvestre.

I believe we can be proud Albertans, proud Canadians, and proud supporters of the relationships and responsibilities that come with living on Turtle Island.

And I believe that if someone genuinely doesn't want anything to do with Canada, there are other places in the world where they can build the kind of country and community they want.

So this September, I encourage you to join me and those who want to build our people up and not tear them down.

Recognize and Report Alberta Teachers

Because maybe, instead of constantly asking people to report teachers, we should give Albertans a place to say, "Hey. This teacher made a difference in my life."

Maybe we need to remind ourselves that the vast majority of teachers are simply good people trying to do a very difficult job.

Maybe we need to recognize the people who are still trying to bring us together.

Because if we keep attacking the people who are trying to help us, eventually we're going to have a lot fewer people willing to help.

And I don't think that's the Alberta, the Canada, or the Turtle Island any of us I want.

So starting this September, let's start sharing the love and not the hate!

Alberta's Public Teacher -  Recognition Form  – Fill out form

Ciao for now!

Ashley