SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Parents gave an earful to representatives of the Yellowknife Education District No. 1 (Yk1), demanding more emphasis on the academic basics at a town hall meeting last week.
Students need to spend more time learning reading, math and writing skills, parents told the board on March 6.
A district town-hall-style meeting - divided into two sessions - was held at Mildred Hall School to allow parents an opportunity to voice concerns and make suggestions and discuss new technology the students are using in the schools, and overall academic achievement. More than 20 parents were joined by teachers, administrators and school trustees to discuss education.
Jill Herbert, who has children in grades 2, 4 and 6, was one parent concerned whether students are receiving adequate instruction in fundamental academics.
"I want them to be learning reading, writing and math," she said. "I get concerned that their day is so loaded with so much stuff and we could do so much just focusing on the basics. From 8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., I want my kids learning all that they can."
One of the other issues that came up during the discussion portion of the town hall was the lack of clarity on the report cards.
"I can't understand the report cards," said Herbert, a sentiment echoed by many of the parents in attendance. "The two most important things I want to know about are how my children are doing academically and socially."
Mira Hall, a Yk1 board trustee, said the Department of Education, Culture, and Employment has apologized for the report cards. When they were first issued at the beginning of the year, the format had been changed and computer issues caused some confusion. There is a limit to how many characters can be printed in the comments field, for example, so some parents received incomplete statements that were difficult to understand.
With academic achievement in mind, the issue of students trying to learn in classrooms with high student-to-teacher ratios was also brought up.
Metro Huculak, Yk1 superintendent, said class sizes in Yk1 schools aren't an issue. Consultants visit from the south and are amazed at the small class sizes, saying that schools in the south routinely have at least 30 students in a class.
Parents were also concerned about students learning at widely different learning levels while sharing the same class space.
Students are grouped by their age and not their ability. It's against the law to stream children into groups based on their ability, said Anita Griffore, supervisor of instruction for student support
services.
"That's the concept behind inclusive schooling. Kids get stuck in those groups and it's next to impossible to get them out."
One way Yk1 schools combat different skill levels in a single classroom is through coaches who go into the class and help the teacher develop lesson plans that work with multiple-ability levels. "They have support plans. Each school has access to coaches who go into each class to help the teachers," said Hall.
"As a challenge to a teacher, that's what they need to be developing," said trustee Terry Brookes.
Huculak said the meetings are an important communication tool.
"It gives us feedback and we'll see what we can do to further support our children," Huculak said.
