Joe McFarland Profile picture
Apr 6 16 tweets 6 min read
It's been a while since I've gone on a lengthy Twitter 🧵 about #ABleg & #education, but I've been thinking a lot about the debate about the new curriculum & certain pundits who believe our kids' grades in English language arts are cratering. Before I begin, lemme preface...
...that yes, my wife is a teacher. But that doesn't preclude me from being able to articulate my opinion, which is based off my own life experiences + what I hear from her + what I've witnessed in her classroom as a volunteer in the pre-COVID days. Okay...here we go. #ABleg
Something that has bothered me about the select few who are trying to treat our illiteracy issues as a "curriculum" issue are either being wilfully ignorant or are being misleading. Does that mean the curriculum shouldn't change? Of course not. But it's not the silver bullet.
There are so many other factors weighing on kids today that have become more commonplace than some people might understand. All you need to do is step inside a classroom and talk to these young kids about their reading & writing journeys to find out. #ABleg
For example: how many kids struggling with literacy come from a home where their parents, for whatever reason, have never read to them? I believe it would break a lot of hearts knowing how often this occurs. And again, this could be for any number of reasons. #ABleg
The parents could be working three jobs just to keep a roof over their heads. The parents could be divorced & going through a bitter custody battle. I've seen situations where parents simply think it's up to the school to teach & they get to do the fun stuff like hockey.
As the kids enter the school system, how many of these kids in the early years are able to access the supports they actually need? Maybe they qualify for an aide but there isn't enough funding for the school to get them that aide. Maybe their teachers weren't equipped to help.
Maybe they have an underlying condition, like dyslexia, that has gone undiagnosed? Even that can have some issues. Teachers might know something is wrong, but the parents won't consent to having a dyslexia test being done. How do you help that child succeed? #ABleg #education
I'm not a doctor. I'm not an educator. As a reporter, I classified myself as an observationalist. I called them like I saw them. Within 10 minutes of sitting down with kids to do reading tests, I could tell what was up with some of the kids. My wife would almost always confirm.
It's not rocket science. It really isn't. We have to stop pretending that the curriculum will solve all of the ills in our #education system when it comes to literacy. There is no silver bullet that will really make it better, because it's a societal issue. #ABleg
By that, I mean we're overlooking the challenges brought forward by poverty, family dynamics, underlying health issues, societal norms & values, etc. This isn't about casting blame, it's about understanding what we are up against in educating our kids.
Just like anything, we're all in the same storm, but not everyone has the same boat. Fixing the yachts does nothing for those who are in the sailboats, rubber dinghies, or those who don't even have an inflatable swim jackets. #ABleg #education
We also need to understand that the pandemic has actually widened the gulf. We've always had a difference in learning abilities. But the last 2 years have only made it worse, especially for the kids whose families couldn't help them keep up. That needs to be recognized. #ABleg
Not only that, it needs to be dealt with in a thoughtful way. Schools need to double-down on using their subject experts to get those who have fallen behind back on track. Kids in grade 3 shouldn't have pre-kindergarten reading & writing skills. But that's a reality for some.
If there's ever been a time for us to focus more on individual learning & less on systemic change, now is probably that time. Otherwise, more kids will fall through the cracks. We need to be thoughtful & non-partisan about this. Hopefully this thread helps start that convo.
If you've made it this far into what's turned into a novel, thanks so much for reading it. I really appreciate you for following me, as I'm all over the map on interests & passions. I just want the best for the kids (mine included) & 🧵 like this help me articulate. Much love! ❤

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More from @JoeMcFarland

Mar 4
It's been a while since I've written an #ABleg 🧵. To be honest, I've just grown tired of it all. After a while, it starts to feel like yelling into the abyss. Realistically, it's all noise in what's become a really noisy space, where nuance & reason are foreign ideas. #Alberta
That being said, I did wanna put pen to paper on something that I've been thinking a lot about lately. I hate that we've reached the point where it feels like we're cheering against ourselves. Even when good news comes, it feels like it's bad. And that's not healthy. #ABleg
This has been going on for a while. I remember how Alison Redford could say the sky was blue & Danielle Smith would hold a news conference to say the sky was red. That's how ridiculous the divide in this province seemed to be. It continued with the NDP & now continues with UCP.
Read 13 tweets
Aug 3, 2021
Looking back, 7 different people sat in #Alberta's highest office while I was in radio (Klein, Stelmach, Redford, Hancock, Prentice, Notley, Kenney). Interviewed all but one while they were in that office (Kenney, despite numerous attempts). Also interviewed numerous opposition.
I don't recall a time where a leader, a cabinet & a party had such contempt for anyone who wasn't an active cheerleader for them. I don't recall a time where asking tough questions of a leader or cabinet minster led to demonization of any member of media. #ABleg
I also don't recall a time where so many backroom people within government acted like children. Granted, never before has social media been used like it is. But can you imagine Rod Love taking to Twitter to troll Albertans who didn't agree with Ralph's decisions? #ABleg
Read 5 tweets
May 27, 2021
Time for another patented #ABleg thread from yours truly. I went down a bit of a rabbit hole this morning, as it irritates me that @jkenney & @AdrianaLaGrange are painting people who aren't in favour of their proposed curriculum as "leftist activists." This isn't about politics.
This is about what my child will have to learn in a few years if this curriculum is implemented. As a parent, I have wanted to do my research because, at some point, I will be asked to help my child with their homework. So I went down a rabbit hole. #ABleg
If you head to the province's curriculum website, you can sort each subject by grade. Then each outcome is sorted by "knowledge", "understanding" & "skills & procedures." The latter is essentially what each child is expected to be able to do by the end of the year. #ABleg
Read 16 tweets
Dec 29, 2020
Time for another one of my patented threads on #education in #Alberta. I couldn't let this one from @DavidStaplesYEG go unchecked. I know he tries to carry water for @jkenney but this one misses a lot of key points. Here we go... #ABleg edmontonjournal.com/opinion/column…
I don't know what it is but there seems to be a belief that if we could only slay the beast known as "discovery math", all will be good in the world. For anyone who has actually been in a classroom in the last decade, they know its more complex than that. #ABleg #education
Full disclosure (again because people tend to claim I have some sort of hidden agenda): my wife is a grade 3 teacher. I volunteer in her school fairly often. I've also covered education as a reporter & I'm a product of small town public schools. So I have observations & opinions.
Read 22 tweets
Oct 26, 2020
Alrighty, my friends, time for another world-famous #JoeTwitterThread. I wanna give a little more background on this #ABleg curriculum review & rewrite. Firstly, yes my wife is a teacher. I volunteered in her classroom often & have seen all of the work her kids do. #Education
Secondly, I have a son who will be entering the system in a few short years. So yeah, I have pecuniary interests in how this all shakes down. Thirdly, I spent a lot of time reporting on #education issues in this province as a reporter & news director. And there's a fourthly...
And that is I have been involved in #education myself. A few years ago, I approached @JoyBowenEyre to get a pilot program going, aimed at teaching kids about game-day presentation, sports & public speaking. I ended up running it for 2 years before taking a break. #ABleg
Read 20 tweets
Sep 29, 2020
Something has been bothering me over the last couple of days. And I do this knowing my mentions are potentially going to get blown up again & probably not in a nice way. But something has to be said & it is about the Rebel's attempted assassination of @ryanjespersen's character.
The question is: why? Why the sudden interest in what a local talk show host has to say? Why the focus when it is conceivable that Ryan didn't know the makeup of the councillor's office staff? Why, when the Rebel is supposedly against "cancel culture"? #ABleg #yeg
And then it occurs to me: the Rebel was recently granted media access to #ABleg. We all know the Matts weren't fans of Ryan. They didn't want ministers on his show. They also knew he held the government to account & they didn't like that. They also have documented ties to Rebel.
Read 6 tweets

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