Last week, I was fortunate enough to be invited to a small meeting at which Alberta’s Education Minister, the Honourable Jeff Johnson was invited to speak. He left me hopeful. He spoke openly and without seeming like he was reading a canned speech. He seemed intelligent and it was obvious he has been doing his homework in his new portfolio.
Johnson said a few things that really stuck with me. I’m not quoting directly, but paraphrasing from what I wrote down and remember.
- We need to blur the line between secondary and post-secondary education.
- In a competency-based system, the zero is irrelevant.
He also mentioned the things he believes the public wants more than anything else.
- They want to know that kids are earning their way through school. There should be no free passes.
- They want to know that there are competent educators in front of their kids.
It sounds to me like the guy has a pretty good handle on what is going on in Alberta right now. I’m encouraged.
I had the good fortune of meeting the Honourable Jeff Johsnon in August when he came to our school as we opened our doors for the first time. I feel that he is a down-to-earth kind of fellow who really has the pulse on what is happening in education across this province. I, too, am encouraged and optimistic about the direction Alberta Education is moving with their focus on student competencies.