Mark Ramsankar is the president of the Alberta Teacher’s Association and as such is responsible for promoting the cause of education in Alberta. It is also his job to hold the provincial government to account on those same matters. This task has not been an easy one as Alberta Premier Alison Redford and minister of education Jeff Johnson have gone to great lengths to circumvent the association creating an atmosphere of antagonism that recently climaxed in a legislated -not negotiated or arbitrated- contractual framework that created a dangerous precedent and had to be eased by a personal letter to teachers from the Premier herself.
Recently, Mr. Ramsankar agreed to discuss Alberta’s successful education system, the role of the ATA and the realities of the current contractual framework between teachers and Alberta’s provincial government.
- Education is…
Mark Ramsankar: …one of the great equalizers in life and the foundation of prosperous societies. Public education provides students from all backgrounds with the learning opportunities they need in order to help them discover and develop their potential and passions, allowing them to make significant contributions to our communities.
- Teachers are…
Mark Ramsankar: …performing one of the most important roles in society by helping develop our future citizens. The collective knowledge, commitment and passion of Alberta’s teachers has helped create one of the best education systems in the world.
- The Canadian education system is…
Mark Ramsankar: …one of the best in the world but it is under stress due to a number of factors, including a lack of adequate resources to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student population.
- Education in Alberta is…
Mark Ramsankar: …world-class but our system is experiencing the same stresses as those in other provinces—perhaps even more so because of rapid population growth.
- The relationship between Alberta’s teachers and the Progressive Conservative Party is…
Mark Ramsankar: …varied, depending on individual teachers. As a nonpartisan organization, the Alberta Teachers’ Association assists its members in becoming informed about the platforms of all provincial parties and actively encourages participation in the democratic process.
- The most valuable thing about discussions on a provincial framework agreement between the Government of Alberta and the Alberta Teachers’ Association is…
Mark Ramsankar: …that we were able to bring to light many issues impacting teaching and learning conditions in Alberta. In particular, there was some good discussion on teacher workload.
- The most concerning thing about discussions on a provincial framework agreement between the Government of Alberta and the Alberta Teachers’ Association was…
Mark Ramsankar: …that the resulting settlement was legislated, not negotiated.
- The current provincial framework affects teachers most by…
Mark Ramsankar: …providing us with mechanisms through which we can start to have issues of teacher workload addressed.
- The current provincial framework affects students most by…
Mark Ramsankar: …working to address teacher workload. If we can identify and eliminate the unnecessary tasks teachers are being asked to perform, then we can empower teachers to better focus on their core work in classrooms with students.
- An external factor having a significant influence on education is…
Mark Ramsankar: …something termed the global education reform movement, or GERM. It is negative in that its focus is on deprofessionalizing teachers and supporting market-based systems that are attempting to churn students through school with the goal of creating workers for certain industries rather than fostering citizens for society.
- One thing Alberta Education Minister Jeff Johnson needs to understand is…
Mark Ramsankar: …that successful transformation in education absolutely requires the support and action of teachers. Transformation has to happen in the classroom, with the full consultation of teachers. The Alberta Teachers’ Association, as the professional organization representing teachers in this province, is a staunch supporter of education transformation, but it needs to be consulted as a meaningful partner of Alberta Education if the vision of the Inspiring Education initiative is to be achieved.
- The difference between a good teacher and a great teacher is…
Mark Ramsankar: …impossible to describe. Teaching and learning are complex processes. There are so many different traits that make each of our outstanding teachers great. We are blessed here in Alberta to have such an amazing group of professionals. Visiting international experts consistently credit Alberta’s teachers for the system’s success.
- The most exciting, cutting-edge developments in education are…
Mark Ramsankar: …the provincial government’s Inspiring Education and curriculum redesign initiatives. However, any development—no matter how cutting-edge—can be rendered futile if schools and their teachers are under-resourced and unable to meet the needs of students on an individual basis.
- Traditional practices that schools should maintain are…
Mark Ramsankar: …those that are focused on collaboration and those that allow teachers to act as professionals with the autonomy and the resources to do what is required to meet student needs.
- Traditional practices that schools should eliminate are…
Mark Ramsankar: …those that don’t respect the role of teachers as professionals and those that are holdovers from a more authoritarian, factory model of education.
- If I could communicate one message to Albertans it would be…
Mark Ramsankar: …that they should be proud of the world-class education system we have built here and the role it plays in developing society. Investment in public education is a responsibility of all Albertans, and we need to ensure that it remains a priority.
- If I could communicate one message to Alison Redford, premier of Alberta, it would be…
Mark Ramsankar: …that she has a real opportunity here to make a significant long-term impact on Alberta’s future. We are one of the wealthiest jurisdictions in the world, and we have a world-class public education system. The potential that exists in this province is immense, but we need to make sure that education is made a priority and that it is at the forefront of policy making going forward.
You can learn more about Mark Ramsankar by visiting the ATA’s website or by following him on Twitter.
———————-
Theodore Wiebe is a writer living in Calgary. You can follow more of his important nonsense on Twitter (@TheodoreWiebe) or Tumblr (writingafterdark.tumblr.com).
Follow us on Twitter @SpectatorTrib