The political fallout of Bill 44 continues and the opposition to it's darkness and danger grows. In the immortal words of Buffalo Springfield, "Something's happening here. What it is ain't exactly clear. Think it's time we stop, Hey what's that sound, Everybody look what's going down."
Well in Medicine Hat yesterday the "sound" about Bill 44 from 200 high school students was silence. A group of students from Crescent Heights High School in Medicine Hat acted as engaged citizens yesterday. They staged a protest by taping up their mouths with the message "I've been silenced by Bill 44." They are right at so many levels. The really cool thing is that a group of high school students get it about their role and responsibility as citizens. They are showing the rest of Alberta, by this protest, that we have to dust off our citizenship and re-engage in the political and public policy culture of our society.
Once again we see the power of social media in gathering like-minded people into a community to make their voices heard. Daniel Jessome and Dylan Beyak started a Facebook group and put up posters around the school about the protest. There is a very powerful Facebook group "Student Against Bill 44" that has over 7100 members as I write this. It started just 10 days ago encourage you to join.
These students rightly fear that their teachers "...will start holding back in class for fear of being hauled up in front of a human rights tribunal." They get it when they say "It's going to affect our education, because we're not going to have those sporadic discussions in class anymore." "If we can't talk about the issues of today, how are we supposed to learn anything" is another accurate observation by these student leaders.
Congratulations to the students of Crescent Heights High School in Medicine Hat. You are right. Your freedom of speech has been diminished by the backward thinking that is the basis of Bill 44. Your actions speak louder than your words ;-) Thanks for showing up and not opting out. You set a good example for the elected representative that form your government. Keep up the good work!
Looks like a teacher is getting in their last dig before the Bill becomes law and they actually have to plan and stick to the curriculum.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous @ 10:09 - who are you and on what basis do you come to that conclusion? Got any evidence or are we just supposed to trust your anonymous allegations?
ReplyDeletePeople are getting tired of such vacuous anonymous comments. Show up with something substantial to say or just shut up. You are wasting our time.
Nice "Anonymous". Students think and you blame teachers. I guess teachers are required to keep them from thinking - just accept what the "right" tells them to do. These students are getting involved in the political process. You can disagree with them but they are at least thinking. Many younger people do not vote - they have given up on the political process. Let us hope that Bill 44 has a positive effect by increasing the younger voter turnout at the next election.
ReplyDeleteCome on 'Anonymous'?!
ReplyDeletewhat do you mean? show us your evidence and either Put Up or shut up. 'Random Rants From The Right' are so BORING.
Mr Chapman, For some reason when I open your blog, particulary the comments section I get and internet explorer error and explorer shuts down. Should I be setting something in the settings differently, has any one else experienced this?
ReplyDeleteRe-Pete - others have mentioned the same problem recently. I am not a Conspiracy Theory kinda guy and have said very little about China recently. I have said lots about Bill 44 in Alberta though ;-)
ReplyDeleteBill 44 should have gone further in eliminating s. 3 of the Human Rights act.
ReplyDeleteThey staged a protest by taping up their mouths with the message "I've been silenced by Bill 44." They are right at so many levels.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I'll bite. How have students been silenced by Bill 44?
Btw, love the facebook group. "ED Stalmac is becomeing a dictartor" Maybe our schools should spend less time talking about SSM and more time teaching spelling. :)
(I should note that I don't even like "Stalmac" and am rather ambivalent towards Bill 44.)
Actually, Bill 44 was a teachable moment at home between this parent and her high school student that involved a lot of research from a variety of sources. Neither of us is happy with the outcome.
ReplyDeleteWonderful to see students speaking up and thinking for themselves. I had the chance to run into Minister Lindsay Blackett multiple times while he is at Banff in the last few days. I had a chance to interview him first on June 6th. And them I read up ATA's submission to the Alberta Premier re Bill 44 and then did a followup interview with Mr. Blackett again last night (June 8th).
ReplyDeleteI will try to add to this blog entry some more soon
http://kempton.wordpress.com/2009/06/06/blackett-bill-44/
and then post the video clips later.
@The Invisible Hand: An example. A gay student, as part of a genetics project for Biology 30, decides to report on the genetics of homosexuality. The assignment involves discussion of the reports in the classroom. Since it was part of an assignment given by the teacher, it is no longer "incidental". The teacher may need to inform parents ahead of time (it involves sexuality) or reject the topic. The law, as it stands, is not clear about such cases. I would not want to be the teacher making a decision is this case. What decision would you make - silence the student?
ReplyDeleteKempton - looking fwd to the video and update with Minister Blackett on your blog
ReplyDeleteI'm Proud of the CHHS students for standing up to Bill 44...and totally agree...What is Blackett thinking!
ReplyDeleteKen, I have posted the two video interviews on YouTube and my blog. Feel free to link to my blog entry.
ReplyDeletehttp://kempton.wordpress.com/2009/06/06/blackett-bill-44/
Strike! Strike! Strike! It's not illegal for teachers to strike, is it? Take a lesson from the book Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand; the teachers should go on strike because this is the only course of action left to wake up the old boys club in the Legislature.
ReplyDeleteIt is ilegal for teachers to strike for 3 more years. They have a 5 year contract with 3 years left. Striking teachers is not the solution - engaged informed inclusive citizens enraged at THEIR politicians is where the forces for change has to come from.
ReplyDeleteDon't accuse MLAs of passing the buck and say a twacher's strike is a solution.
Your points are well taken, Mr. Chapman, and thank you for clarifying that a teacher strike would be illegal (at this point). However, I am struggling with what to do to continue to oppose this opt-out portion of Bill 44 (Section 11.1 as your May 18, 2009 mentioned).
ReplyDeleteWhat can I, a single guy in his thirties with no kids, do and hope to achieve to fight Section 11.1? To me, a teachers' strike seems like the only way to get the attention of our MLAs, as they would seem to have ignored all other forms of protest. How can one person, like me, hope to make a difference?