Financing Public Education in Canada

In our Professional Teacher class we had the opportunity to look at the financial side of things in the education system. It was unbelievable to see the amount of money spent on education in one year.  In class I found it difficult to decide where the money should be spent.  It is important that you incorporate all the necessities into the budget however what is a necessity? To some people some things are more important than others and this varies from person to person.   I would not spend a lot of money on drama and music but I would put more money into helping students with learning disabilities.

The most important financial grant to teachers is the operating grant. This grant provides us with money for teaching. This grant is based on the number of students.  The money is used for busing, instruction, special/exceptional students, and extra money is given to the rural and isolated areas.

As teachers, it is important to be aware of all of the grants however I feel that the one we should be most aware of is the operating grant.

The budget-cut activity we did in class was an eye opener for me. It helped me look at the bigger picture and made me think about the finanical side of education. As teachers, we don't really focus on this! I enjoyed discussing it!  

Governance of Public Education

I believe the governance structure of public education in Canada is seriously important to understand since I am becoming becoming a teacher and will be playing an active role in the education system.  The governance of education has implications for teachers, parents, community members, and administration.

*The federal government plays the role of funding.

*The provincial government  is responsible for the programming of the schools.

*The school board involves an elected group of people in the community.  This is where the superintendent stands in our education systems.  The superintendent is the head person involved between the school and the division. They are responsible for making sure that the school policies and procedures set into place are being followed. 

*Politics is everywhere, and when I become a teacher it is important to understand the "politics of teaching" as it will help guide me to be successful and help me with decisions. The teachers in the schools help make decisions with things such as recess and lunch duty schedules.

*Parents of students in the education systems can be involved in making decisions by becoming active members of the parent advisory council.

*The community can be involved with the school by attending concerts, plays and fundraisers that the school may be hosting. I think that every school needs the community support :)

*I believe being a principal can be a very tough job because they are essentially the center of a school system. They interact with the superintendent, the teachers, the parents, and the community. They are responsible for creating a warm, and welcoming environment for EVERYONE! They are the individuals who make the big decisions for the school and are responsible for everyone in the school.  I think being a principal would be a very rewarding career as they essentially are running the school!

I believe you need the knowledge about money in order to make decisions!  People who do not have the knowledge and the background should not make decisions!  I agree that the board should be making the decisions about money.  As teachers and educators we do not have the knowledge to make money decisions.  I think teachers need to have conversational/concrete knowledge.

The governance of public education looks at many levels of governance and it is important to understand how it works and who is in charge of what!   It is important to know what role we play as a teacher :)

History of Education in Canada

It is very interesting to look at the Development of Education in Canada over the years and what has influenced the development of our education systems. I learned a lot in the classroom discussion as I believe it is important to understand the history of Education in order to understand the education systems are today!
The French, English, American and Scottish  education systems were all very unique from each other. 

• The French focused on elementary education where the boys and girls were separated. The boys received a better education than the girls. The classes were taught by priests and funded by the Catholic Church.  The French schools focused on a religious curriculum plus needs based on education.  
• The English schools were separated by class structure.  There were public school available for the children who come from wealthy families. The children who were came from lower class homes were educated by the church or in "Dame School" which were ran by widows and housewives.  All of the English schools were ran by the Church of England.  
• The American tradition came about when the British Loyalists moved to Canada from the United States following the War of Independence because they wanted to live in the British Colony.  The lower class children received essential curriculum material needed to learn to read so that they could read the Bible.The upper class children received college preparation curriculum.   
• The Scottish tradition was very interesting to learn about. There was democratic tradition within the education system. The majority of Scottish children attended school. Interestingly, education did have a class structure.  The boys and girls were educated together in both elementary and secondary levels.  Science and art were included in the school curriculum.  The Scottish traditions were easy to implement in early Canada because they solved the problems of religious differences. 

It was interesting to discover that there were some current trends in education such as evaluation and assessment, students with special needs, ancillary services, technology, curriculum development and second language acquisition.  

While looking at the differences of education throughout the provinces, there were many different actions that occurred in the past that I was unaware of.   I now have a better understanding of how our education systems began and how they developed and changed significantly over the years. Today, many children of various cultures and religious backgrounds attend the same public schools.  Also, in many of the schools, the topic of religion is disregarded and individual differences are all accepted.   

Today, I think it is important to know that there are 4 alternate types of schools: independent schools, Montessori schools, home schooling, and virtual schools. 

Looking at the history of education, it makes me wonder what is going to happen in the next 20 years with the rapid population growth of immigrants into Canada and how the cultural differences will affect today's education systems.