Dialogue City episode #012: on Public Education, with Julie Hrdlicka
A conversation with Julie Hrdlicka, an elected Trustee on the Calgary Board of Education.
[Note: Sitting in with us for this episode were local students Branka Cavar and Emma Dooley, who were featured in episode 10: Knots of Love YYC.]
Some of the Topics Discussed
- diversity in the classroom
- different learning styles
- childhood mental health
- bullying
- empathy
- refugees as students
- cynicism in society
- truth and reconciliation, in the education system
Terminology
CBE is the Calgary Board of Education — the public school system in Calgary, which is overseen by an elected board of trustees. In Canada, education authority is held by the provinces. The provinces define the legislative frameworks — and determine the financing — under which their school systems operate.
Other Notes
Four key result areas that the Board monitors:
- Academics
- Personal Development
- Character
- Citizenship
In mentioning the “blind guys in a room with an elephant,” I referred to it as an analogy when it is actually a metaphor. Please trust that I have done the prescribed amount of hanging of my head in shame to atone for this.
More Questions
We welcome your contributions to the discussion on these questions, in the comments below.
- What are some ways that might help reduce, eliminate, or prevent, political cynicism?
- What are changes that could be made to the education system to advance truth and reconciliation between indigenous people & nations, and Canada and its settler population?
- How can we prevent the culture of bullying from continuing in future generations?
- What ideas do you think might make schools better?
Further Reading
Education and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action [PDF]. In particular, action 6–12 fall under the “Education” heading (although many of the other actions can apply to schools, too).
The following is certainly a bit dated now — having been published about half a century ago. But, this was the book that opened me up to the idea that radically changing the education system could be a possibility:
End Notes
We thank Julie for taking the time to share her perspectives with us. You can connect with her on Twitter at @julie_hrdlicka, on Facebook, and on her website: juliehrdlicka.ca . We also thank Branka and Emma for sitting in with us for this episode. You can connect with them on Twitter at @knotsofloveyyc.
You can find this episode and more on iTunes, Google Play, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and TuneIn. Reach us on Twitter, Facebook, and via email at dialoguecity@gmail.com.
