I know I shouldn't do another #ABleg 🧵 but I really wanna clear something up because certain politicians are now parroting bad-faith arguments about class sizes in #Alberta. They're using overarching numbers with no context. Here we go... The argument they are now going with is that we have 750,000 K-12 students in #Alberta and 35,000 (plus or minus a few) teachers, which means we SHOULD have class sizes of 21. So they're essentially insinuating that school boards are screwing this up. #ABleg

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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

Given that it was a month ago that I made my #freeagency known, thought I'd provide a bit of a status update. First off, I have really been soaking in the "new dad" experience. Yeah, the hours suck but the company is cute as a button. #LochlanConor #yyc I have also been keeping myself occupied on the side with #sports stuff. @ABDugoutStories has kept me busy & I have done some video work with @Okotoks_Dawgs. It helps fill the void left behind by lack of @calstampeders & @WHLHitmen games to host. So that has been fun. #yyc

I'm sorry... what? Where the heck has our government been since being elected? And now you want a hero cookie for "coming to play"? We could have been light years ahead of everyone else but #ABleg scrapped the progress being made. Even in the depths of recession, #Alberta was...

https://twitter.com/doug_schweitzer/status/1307342704695586817

...growing. People were still moving here. Why? Because they still felt this was the land of opportunity. Now, we keep hearing stories of families moving out of province. The brain-drain is seemingly underway. And yet this minister is basically saying "please come back." #ABleg

As discussed on the new @ABDugoutStories podcast, I find the future of live, in-person sports to be fascinating heading into the future. As someone at the forefront of sports in #yyc hosting with @calstampeders & @WHLHitmen, it will be a challenge. #RandomJoeThoughts It isn't just going to be a challenge to convince fans to come back to their favourite barns to be shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers in a post-#COVID19 world. That is only going to be one aspect of it. The other is very consumer-centric. #sports

I was thinking about my radio career today. Early on, it seemed like politicians were much more accessible. I had @BradWall306 on speed dial in #YLL. I had many #ABleg ministers' personal cells. Does that happen nowadays or are the only connections through press secretaries? It felt like there was a level of accountability that came with the job & there was no go-between. I will say this: trying to lineup #ABleg ministers for my show over the last year was nearly impossible. A few came on (@AdrianaLaGrange, @tanya_fir & @RicMcIver come to mind).

Crazy to think back 19 years. I had just graduated high school & had been working for my dad all summer. Had already planned my schooling sabbatical, so was working in the shop when my uncle called to ask if we had been watching TV at all. #September11 #Remember911 If memory serves me right, we were actually a bit irate at him because we were expecting him at the shop that morning as well & were wondering where he was at. So he explains the situation & we stand there in disbelief, first turning on @770CHQR then heading inside. #September11

Want to take a moment to thank @charlesadler for opening up in this must-read thread. As someone who grew up in a small-c conservative household, the idea that I can sit under the same "big tent" as some of these characters is laughable at best. #cdnpoli

https://twitter.com/charlesadler/status/1300033463173615616

Why is it that social liberalism & fiscal responsibilitarianism are 2 mutually-exclusive terms nowadays? Why do I have to hate business to be a liberal & why do I have to hate public services to be a conservative? Current politics cater to the fringes when most sit in the middle.

There is something profound happening in the #sports world right now & I hope everyone realizes it. Our worlds stood still in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder. Everyone was glued to the TV set to see what was going to happen next. #JoeRantsAgain #BlackLivesMatter But then the world sort of went back to normal for many of us. We could turn the channel to escape the uncomfortable realities of the world & we had #sports to thank for that. No more reruns. Something live & competitive to occupy our minds with. #BlackLivesMatter

Just wanted to weigh in quickly on the #BackToSchool convo in #Alberta here & it is in response to those who say the level of infection & death among kids isn’t that high. There seems to always be one key element missing in their deductions. #ABleg And that is the fact that schools haven’t been open since mid-March. The proactive step taken has actually buffered us from knowing anything about what the true infection rate is or could be for kids in #Alberta & other jurisdictions that took that initial step. ##ABleg

Hey friends! As I have said previously, there has been so much news lately, but I have stayed relatively off-radar, focusing more on the little family. Wanted to weigh in on the #ABleg decision to reopen schools in September. Another thread is on the way... #AnotherJoeThread Let me start off by saying: I think this was the end-game from the onset. When the province outlined the 3 options, I said on the show that full opening would be the goal for everyone involved. Online learning wasn't viable long-term the way it was done in March. #ABleg

The first time I met Russ Peake was randomly at a @770CHQR Minot Hockey Road Show. I was making my way up to the broadcast booth at Max Bell when I saw this guy milling around. It was Russ. I was a bit befuddled because I had watched him growing up. #yyc And there I was, trying not to be giddy talking sports & announcing. He was a super-humble guy & seemed more content on showering me with compliments for my work with the @WHLHitmen & @calstampeders. I was definitely taken aback hearing that from a #yyc legend.

We've had some really interesting conversations in the @770CHQR newsroom about #sports & what all these cancellations mean for our sports show or even for the sports networks. "What are they going to talk about when they don't have the results?" I have a solution... #coronavirus And it is more in-depth conversations with the athletes, builders, organizers, parents & many others involved in their respective #sports. Give us some insight into the human beings rather than the typical "give it 110%" we are inundated with on a day-to-day basis. #coronavirus

Had a fascinating convo with a colleague this afternoon about time management. Subconsciously, I have done a bit of an audit of my time in an effort to maximize every waking hour. People ask how I have done so much in my career. Here's how... #JoesLifeLessons There are 24 hours a day. 8 hours sleeping & 8 hours working. That leaves 8 hours of _____. That's why it was easy for me to say yes to hosting @WHLHitmen & @calstampeders games or helping start up @ABDugoutStories. #JoesLifeLessons

Just wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a safe & happy #NYE2020! What a year it was personally & professionally. The best part of it, obviously, was getting married in April to the love of my life. #JoeLovesErin On the professional side, my first full calendar year in hosting @CalgaryToday & all I can say is I am continually humbled by how all of you welcomed me into your daily routines. My favourite convo: this one with @underdogakh. #NYE2020 omny.fm/shows/calgary-…