It has forcefully come to my attention that a great injustice has been perpetrated from above upon a member of our teaching community. I elaborate:
A dedicated math teacher with whom I worked at Howe Sound Secondary has been criticized for trying to keep a ministry-designed and approved math program available to students in the district.
The program in question has been specifically designed to provide students with a curriculum of a practical nature, which would help in their specific needs after graduation.
Students are not forced to take this course; they choose it voluntarily. Many students do not need the rigorous skills required in the pre-calculus course. They do, however, have other needs. The enrolment of each student would be decided upon between the student, counsellor, and parents.
Unfortunately, it appears that the local superintendent of schools is not willing to discuss this with teachers and is standing fast by the decision to make all students take pre-calculus math. Mathematics teachers in the district were apparently unaware of this transition until this year when they were told not to offer it to students next September.
They even went so far as directing inflammatory comments like ‘systemic racism’ regarding the program. I was at a loss as to why this should happen.
It seems that the root of this depended on the inclusion of First Nations students in the program, although they all freely volunteered.
The teacher has worked tirelessly trying to engage students and share his love of mathematics.
He has spent many, many, hours designing activities and crafting creative ways to dispel the anxiety around mathematics with no motive in mind but the well-being of all his students.
I know him as a conscientious, altruistic person who should never be maligned by connecting the term, “systemic racism,” to his work in any way.”
If such a threatening thing had happened to me during my career, I would certainly have sought legal advice.
I hope this issue is resolved very soon. This also begs the question as to where exactly the chairman of the school board is in all this!?
Dave Colwell
Garibaldi Highlands
