Monday, November 14, 2011
Keeping up
Please check out the three short "streeter" type videos I made for the spring 2011 federal election:
Smart Economy
Strong Communities
True Democracy
Keep up with me, Erich Jacoby-Hawkins, at
www.ErichtheGreen.ca
and
www.BarrieGreenParty.ca
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Move past blame to find solutions
This article was written for the PCMH series in the Barrie Examiner.
This summer I took part in a unique workshop put on by the Parents for Children’s Mental Health. Participants were forced into uncomfortable conditions, then ordered to write answers. A normally simple task became impossible, because our seats were awkwardly-placed or uncomfortable, our pencils were sticky and slimy, there was loud static noise being played, the “teacher” was speaking quickly and critically, etc. The intent was to simulate the kinds of challenges people face at school or work when they have a mental illness or learning disability.
The good news was that our disability was temporary, the discomfort brief. And since it was just an exercise, not a real job or class, we had the option to wait it out, knowing there would be no repercussions. But earlier this year I experienced a similar situation which was not so brief, and could not be escaped at will.
Back in March, just before leaving on a family vacation, an ear infection became a ruptured ear drum. My left ear was in excruciating pain and I could not hear from it; worse, the roaring sound made it hard to hear from my other ear. I couldn’t see a family doctor before we left, so I didn’t know what to expect, how long it might last, or what problems it might cause.
It was really bad for a few days, and took weeks to heal. During that time I experienced the challenges of an invisible disability, just like we experienced in the exercise. Often I could not understand people, especially if they had an accent. I might not even know they were talking to me, unless I was looking at them. My “phone ear” was blown, so taking notes on the phone became harder. Any background noise was amplified, making it hard to hear with my good ear. I couldn’t tell if I was speaking too quietly or too loudly.
The worst was that no-one could see the problem. They would not realize I hadn’t heard, or didn’t understand what they were saying. Simple tasks like ordering food or getting directions became fraught with peril, as a critical point was miscommunicated. I would come across as rude or inattentive, and not even know I was offending someone.
This experience deeply affected me, and repeating those struggles at the PCMH workshop really put it into focus. For people with an illness or disability affecting their perception, concentration, or communication, the standard classroom (or office) situation won’t work. What is normal and easy for us is for them a strain at best, an insurmountable challenge at worst.
While our classroom and work situations are designed to satisfy the average person’s needs, many people are outside this “average”. If the setup does not work for them, they will probably get stressed, frustrated, and upset, and those feelings will influence their reactions. Students with classroom problems may anger and misbehave, or detach and ignore their lessons. Then we blame them for it, without understanding that it’s not of their choice. Before condemning someone as “stupid”, “disobedient”, or a “troublemaker”, we really need to understand what is going on. It may be a normal human reaction to an intolerable situation.
Understanding different needs and learning styles is critical for a successful education system. Teachers can do this, but only if we give them the space. When you have too many students, you can’t give each the time it takes to find their right path. And when frustration leads to misbehaviour, that takes away even more time, in a vicious circle. When students with behavioural issues are dumped with those who have an identified learning disability, problems only worsen for everyone.
An education system for all our children must be able to know each of them, to find their special needs, and provide suitable systems or routines. It must be tolerant when things go wrong, understanding that most of us really want success but face obstacles or feelings that can get in our way. Whenever I see a situation of miscommunication or dispute, I recall my temporary invisible disability and remember how problems arose through no-one’s fault. We must move past blame to understanding and solutions.
This summer I took part in a unique workshop put on by the Parents for Children’s Mental Health. Participants were forced into uncomfortable conditions, then ordered to write answers. A normally simple task became impossible, because our seats were awkwardly-placed or uncomfortable, our pencils were sticky and slimy, there was loud static noise being played, the “teacher” was speaking quickly and critically, etc. The intent was to simulate the kinds of challenges people face at school or work when they have a mental illness or learning disability.
The good news was that our disability was temporary, the discomfort brief. And since it was just an exercise, not a real job or class, we had the option to wait it out, knowing there would be no repercussions. But earlier this year I experienced a similar situation which was not so brief, and could not be escaped at will.
Back in March, just before leaving on a family vacation, an ear infection became a ruptured ear drum. My left ear was in excruciating pain and I could not hear from it; worse, the roaring sound made it hard to hear from my other ear. I couldn’t see a family doctor before we left, so I didn’t know what to expect, how long it might last, or what problems it might cause.
It was really bad for a few days, and took weeks to heal. During that time I experienced the challenges of an invisible disability, just like we experienced in the exercise. Often I could not understand people, especially if they had an accent. I might not even know they were talking to me, unless I was looking at them. My “phone ear” was blown, so taking notes on the phone became harder. Any background noise was amplified, making it hard to hear with my good ear. I couldn’t tell if I was speaking too quietly or too loudly.
The worst was that no-one could see the problem. They would not realize I hadn’t heard, or didn’t understand what they were saying. Simple tasks like ordering food or getting directions became fraught with peril, as a critical point was miscommunicated. I would come across as rude or inattentive, and not even know I was offending someone.
This experience deeply affected me, and repeating those struggles at the PCMH workshop really put it into focus. For people with an illness or disability affecting their perception, concentration, or communication, the standard classroom (or office) situation won’t work. What is normal and easy for us is for them a strain at best, an insurmountable challenge at worst.
While our classroom and work situations are designed to satisfy the average person’s needs, many people are outside this “average”. If the setup does not work for them, they will probably get stressed, frustrated, and upset, and those feelings will influence their reactions. Students with classroom problems may anger and misbehave, or detach and ignore their lessons. Then we blame them for it, without understanding that it’s not of their choice. Before condemning someone as “stupid”, “disobedient”, or a “troublemaker”, we really need to understand what is going on. It may be a normal human reaction to an intolerable situation.
Understanding different needs and learning styles is critical for a successful education system. Teachers can do this, but only if we give them the space. When you have too many students, you can’t give each the time it takes to find their right path. And when frustration leads to misbehaviour, that takes away even more time, in a vicious circle. When students with behavioural issues are dumped with those who have an identified learning disability, problems only worsen for everyone.
An education system for all our children must be able to know each of them, to find their special needs, and provide suitable systems or routines. It must be tolerant when things go wrong, understanding that most of us really want success but face obstacles or feelings that can get in our way. Whenever I see a situation of miscommunication or dispute, I recall my temporary invisible disability and remember how problems arose through no-one’s fault. We must move past blame to understanding and solutions.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Associate Director moves on
Yesterday it was announced that Carol McAulay, Associate Director of the Simcoe County District School Board, has been appointed Vice-President, Administration, for Laurentian University, effective February 14, 2011.
Since she is the person responsible for buildings and facilities, she has a huge role in the ARC and school closure, building, and re-building process. She is not an official ARC member but many of the ARC queries relate directly to her portfolio.
It's too soon to tell how this staff change (her replacement is not yet named) might affect the process or the staff's attitude towards school closures vs. rebuilding.
Since she is the person responsible for buildings and facilities, she has a huge role in the ARC and school closure, building, and re-building process. She is not an official ARC member but many of the ARC queries relate directly to her portfolio.
It's too soon to tell how this staff change (her replacement is not yet named) might affect the process or the staff's attitude towards school closures vs. rebuilding.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Update on Board's true requests for funding (FOI results)
This article was written for Root Issues in the Barrie Examiner; published under the title "ARC timing will teach new trustees a lesson". It reports on the findings from my FOI request, which indicate that our board was not wery energetic in asking for BCC funding even when they claimed it was a top priority. More information to follow in coming days.
The future of Barrie’s downtown remains imperiled as the threat of Central Collegiate’s closure looms closer.
And for the first time, I retract something from an earlier column. Last April, I criticized MPP Aileen Carroll for securing funding for a secondary school in Essa, yet failing to do the same for Barrie Central. In her defense, Carroll has gone on record that it was the Essa school, not Central, which Simcoe School Board officials asked her to champion, so she did. This created a discrepancy: Board staff and Trustees have consistently maintained that rebuilding Central was their top capital priority during that time.
To reconcile this, I filed a Freedom of Information request to see just what the Board had lobbied for through our MPP. Was their messaging ambiguous? This week I got the response, and it confirms Carroll’s statement precisely. In the March 2008 meeting, the Board specifically asked her to lobby for Essa school funding, and only “shared thoughts” about a downtown secondary/elementary school.
It’s become clear over the last year that the Board is committed to closing Central instead of trying to rebuild; this new information indicates the attitude goes back further, to the time when a Central re-do was supposedly Job One.
Which brings us to now. A community consultation process called an accommodation review committee (ARC) began in September and is due to report in March. It may decide to endorse the staff option presented last month which recommends closing Central, sending students to other over-capacity schools in Barrie, hoping the Ministry of Education will then fund a brand new growth school to the south. Or, in theory, the ARC could come up with a plan for repairing or rebuilding Central, delaying the need for new schools until expansion lands are actually developed and populated.
But there’s a serious catch to this theory: the Ministry needs the board’s capital priorities expressed now, not next spring. The request can be revised in January 2011, but the ARC won’t report until March. How can the ARC recommend keeping Central open if the window for capital requests is closed? The staff option, supposedly unofficial and not in effect until the ARC reports and the Trustees decide, is already driving the capital requests which will determine Central’s fate.
At this point I don’t believe it’s enough to attend ARC meetings and let the process run its course. The timing seems to deny the ARC any chance of providing an option to keep all our 5 Barrie high schools open. The newly-elected Trustees must re-examine the ARC timing, provide more complete information, and keep options open with the Ministry rather than prejudicing funding requests against Central’s future.
The future of Barrie’s downtown remains imperiled as the threat of Central Collegiate’s closure looms closer.
And for the first time, I retract something from an earlier column. Last April, I criticized MPP Aileen Carroll for securing funding for a secondary school in Essa, yet failing to do the same for Barrie Central. In her defense, Carroll has gone on record that it was the Essa school, not Central, which Simcoe School Board officials asked her to champion, so she did. This created a discrepancy: Board staff and Trustees have consistently maintained that rebuilding Central was their top capital priority during that time.
To reconcile this, I filed a Freedom of Information request to see just what the Board had lobbied for through our MPP. Was their messaging ambiguous? This week I got the response, and it confirms Carroll’s statement precisely. In the March 2008 meeting, the Board specifically asked her to lobby for Essa school funding, and only “shared thoughts” about a downtown secondary/elementary school.
It’s become clear over the last year that the Board is committed to closing Central instead of trying to rebuild; this new information indicates the attitude goes back further, to the time when a Central re-do was supposedly Job One.
Which brings us to now. A community consultation process called an accommodation review committee (ARC) began in September and is due to report in March. It may decide to endorse the staff option presented last month which recommends closing Central, sending students to other over-capacity schools in Barrie, hoping the Ministry of Education will then fund a brand new growth school to the south. Or, in theory, the ARC could come up with a plan for repairing or rebuilding Central, delaying the need for new schools until expansion lands are actually developed and populated.
But there’s a serious catch to this theory: the Ministry needs the board’s capital priorities expressed now, not next spring. The request can be revised in January 2011, but the ARC won’t report until March. How can the ARC recommend keeping Central open if the window for capital requests is closed? The staff option, supposedly unofficial and not in effect until the ARC reports and the Trustees decide, is already driving the capital requests which will determine Central’s fate.
At this point I don’t believe it’s enough to attend ARC meetings and let the process run its course. The timing seems to deny the ARC any chance of providing an option to keep all our 5 Barrie high schools open. The newly-elected Trustees must re-examine the ARC timing, provide more complete information, and keep options open with the Ministry rather than prejudicing funding requests against Central’s future.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Thanks to Barrie for great support
Thank you to the many people who asked me to run, then provided volunteer & financial support, hosted signs, and cast ballots.
Our incumbent Sue Ley will return as area 1 Trustee. The fight to save Central and our other schools continues, you must all keep the pressure on. The final decisions rest with the Board, and with 2 new Barrie trustees, perhaps the winds can shift.
I will keep this site open for a few more days to post the information that the Board will provide me today in response to my Freedom of Information request.
Special congratulations to our Mayor-elect Jeff Lehman for his powerful showing at the polls. He now has a strong mandate to craft a real plan for Barrie, and for his already clearly-expressed support for Central and our other schools. I hope the new Council recognize this, and that the Board's arms are truly open to partnership offers.
Our incumbent Sue Ley will return as area 1 Trustee. The fight to save Central and our other schools continues, you must all keep the pressure on. The final decisions rest with the Board, and with 2 new Barrie trustees, perhaps the winds can shift.
I will keep this site open for a few more days to post the information that the Board will provide me today in response to my Freedom of Information request.
Special congratulations to our Mayor-elect Jeff Lehman for his powerful showing at the polls. He now has a strong mandate to craft a real plan for Barrie, and for his already clearly-expressed support for Central and our other schools. I hope the new Council recognize this, and that the Board's arms are truly open to partnership offers.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Elect Erich to Help Save Central - and ALL our Schools
Bob Bruton, senior reporter at the Barrie Examiner, made a clear request today to voters: pay attention to the candidates for public school board trustee, and support those who are commited to saving Barrie Central and have a plan to do so.
If you agree with Bob, then I am your choice for Area 1. I am committed to saving Barrie Central, and beyond that, to changing the direction of the board which has seen a series of closures of older schools and seems headed further down that same road, with Barrie North and Eastview the next targets.
Of course, this is not something that one trustee, or even three Barrie trustees, can accomplish alone. It will take a wide range of partnerships. The opportunities are there, but our Board and our current Area 1 trustee are not taking full advantage of them. This is, in fact, why I am seeking election as your Area 1 representative. My first goal will be to form strategic alliances with other voting trustees, and follow-up on the many ideas and opportunities which have been pouring in from the wider community.
The City of Barrie has clearly expressed interest and even commitment to helping keep our downtown schools open - first Prince of Wales, and more recently Barrie Central. We are in an election now, and many of the candidates who will form the next council have reiterated those same promises of support. So that potential partnership is already primed, just waiting for the Board to respond.
Our MP Patrick Brown has repeatedly expressed willingness to help with whatever federal funding or initiatives he can find. Last week he phoned me personally to express willingness to work with me to save Central.
Our MPP Aileen Carroll has gone on record that she will support whatever capital priorities the Board establishes. However, that will depend on what the current trustees decide (which is beyond my influence), and what those elected next week follow up with.
There have also been many expressions of interest from businesses, social agencies, and other organizations in possible partnerships, but the Board has yet to explore these fully.
Barrie is a swing riding provincially, and with a provincial election next year there is a great opportunity for Barrie voters to put pressure on the McGuinty government to provide needed funding. However, that will require outreach to the public. For the past year, I have already been working to keep this issue in the public eye through my Root Issues column at the Barrie Examiner. Our previous elected Trustee, the late Mary Anne Wilson, was also very vocal on this issue. We need a Trustee who will follow in her footsteps.
There is also the serious issue of the conflicting statements about their intention for Barrie Central that have come from the board. Because our current trustees do not seem to have acted to clarify this issue, I have filed official requests to try and bring the facts to light. As your Trustee I will ensure that decisions about Barrie Central (and other schools) are always transparent.
Finally, I will ensure that our schools are no longer unfairly starved of funds for upkeep and repair. Over the past 6 years, the amount of funding provided to each of Barrie's 5 high schools tells a damning story. Since 2005, here is how much has been spent at each secondary school on refit or upgrade projects: Innisdale $1.6 million, Barrie North $3.3 million, Bear Creek $6.2 million, and Eastview $7.2 million! How much was spent in this period at Barrie Central? Less than one million dollars. (Figures available here, under the "Value to the Board" section).
Although the train seems to be racing down the track towards closing Central, the final decision rests with the Board. Opportunities exist to save BCC and prevent the extra strain that will fall on Barrie's other high schools (espeically North and Eastview) if it closes. I will work hard to help the Board capitalize on those opportunities and follow the community's clearly expressed desire to preserve and maintain, rather than close, our excellent schools.
If you agree with Bob, then I am your choice for Area 1. I am committed to saving Barrie Central, and beyond that, to changing the direction of the board which has seen a series of closures of older schools and seems headed further down that same road, with Barrie North and Eastview the next targets.
Of course, this is not something that one trustee, or even three Barrie trustees, can accomplish alone. It will take a wide range of partnerships. The opportunities are there, but our Board and our current Area 1 trustee are not taking full advantage of them. This is, in fact, why I am seeking election as your Area 1 representative. My first goal will be to form strategic alliances with other voting trustees, and follow-up on the many ideas and opportunities which have been pouring in from the wider community.
The City of Barrie has clearly expressed interest and even commitment to helping keep our downtown schools open - first Prince of Wales, and more recently Barrie Central. We are in an election now, and many of the candidates who will form the next council have reiterated those same promises of support. So that potential partnership is already primed, just waiting for the Board to respond.
Our MP Patrick Brown has repeatedly expressed willingness to help with whatever federal funding or initiatives he can find. Last week he phoned me personally to express willingness to work with me to save Central.
Our MPP Aileen Carroll has gone on record that she will support whatever capital priorities the Board establishes. However, that will depend on what the current trustees decide (which is beyond my influence), and what those elected next week follow up with.
There have also been many expressions of interest from businesses, social agencies, and other organizations in possible partnerships, but the Board has yet to explore these fully.
Barrie is a swing riding provincially, and with a provincial election next year there is a great opportunity for Barrie voters to put pressure on the McGuinty government to provide needed funding. However, that will require outreach to the public. For the past year, I have already been working to keep this issue in the public eye through my Root Issues column at the Barrie Examiner. Our previous elected Trustee, the late Mary Anne Wilson, was also very vocal on this issue. We need a Trustee who will follow in her footsteps.
There is also the serious issue of the conflicting statements about their intention for Barrie Central that have come from the board. Because our current trustees do not seem to have acted to clarify this issue, I have filed official requests to try and bring the facts to light. As your Trustee I will ensure that decisions about Barrie Central (and other schools) are always transparent.
Finally, I will ensure that our schools are no longer unfairly starved of funds for upkeep and repair. Over the past 6 years, the amount of funding provided to each of Barrie's 5 high schools tells a damning story. Since 2005, here is how much has been spent at each secondary school on refit or upgrade projects: Innisdale $1.6 million, Barrie North $3.3 million, Bear Creek $6.2 million, and Eastview $7.2 million! How much was spent in this period at Barrie Central? Less than one million dollars. (Figures available here, under the "Value to the Board" section).
Although the train seems to be racing down the track towards closing Central, the final decision rests with the Board. Opportunities exist to save BCC and prevent the extra strain that will fall on Barrie's other high schools (espeically North and Eastview) if it closes. I will work hard to help the Board capitalize on those opportunities and follow the community's clearly expressed desire to preserve and maintain, rather than close, our excellent schools.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Issue: Contradictory Statements
NEW: My initiative on this issue has been reported in the Barrie Advance. Twice.
Update: Laurie Watt's new Barrie Advance article notes that the 2008 and 2009 capital plans are very inconsistent when it comes to their statements about and predictions for Barrie Central Collegiate student population and repair situation. Compare page 12 of this document with page 20 of this one. A lot seems to have changed in just one year!
Right now there is a major unresolved issue which speaks the transparency, or rather lack of it, amongst our elected officials.
In 2008, the Ministry of Education asked each School Board to create and present a list of their capital priorities - existing schools which needed to be refurbished or rebuilt, or new schools that needed to be built. The Simcoe County board created such a list, and the top listed priority was to rebuild Barrie Central Collegiate (BCC).
However, instead of funding that, the Ministry funded a new high school in Essa township, which was number 5 on our priority list.
Our MPP, Aileen Carroll, has repeatedly stated that she met with top members of the Board and they conveyed to her that their top priority was the Essa school, so she advocated successfully for that funding.
Since then, trustees and the Associate Director have continued to state that the Board's top priority was then, and for the year after, to rebuild BCC.
Something doesn't add up. Assuming our MPP is telling the truth (and that's what I believe), then there must have been mixed messages coming to her from the Board. How did this happen? As a trustee, I would demand an answer to this question.
When our MPP Aileen Carroll recently published a letter citing specific meetings with top board officials, I filed a Freedom of Information request to access whatever minutes, notes, or reports might exist pertaining to those meetings. If messages the Board are giving behind closed doors don't match those they are giving in public, then there is a serious problem and we are not being fairly represented.
This is not an issue about Barrie Central, it's an issue about transparency, honesty, and consistency - all of which we have a right to expect from our Board, and which you will receive from me as your Trustee. Until then, if the FOI request provides documentation to shed light on this discrepancy, I will report it here.
Update: Laurie Watt's new Barrie Advance article notes that the 2008 and 2009 capital plans are very inconsistent when it comes to their statements about and predictions for Barrie Central Collegiate student population and repair situation. Compare page 12 of this document with page 20 of this one. A lot seems to have changed in just one year!
Right now there is a major unresolved issue which speaks the transparency, or rather lack of it, amongst our elected officials.
In 2008, the Ministry of Education asked each School Board to create and present a list of their capital priorities - existing schools which needed to be refurbished or rebuilt, or new schools that needed to be built. The Simcoe County board created such a list, and the top listed priority was to rebuild Barrie Central Collegiate (BCC).
However, instead of funding that, the Ministry funded a new high school in Essa township, which was number 5 on our priority list.
Our MPP, Aileen Carroll, has repeatedly stated that she met with top members of the Board and they conveyed to her that their top priority was the Essa school, so she advocated successfully for that funding.
Since then, trustees and the Associate Director have continued to state that the Board's top priority was then, and for the year after, to rebuild BCC.
Something doesn't add up. Assuming our MPP is telling the truth (and that's what I believe), then there must have been mixed messages coming to her from the Board. How did this happen? As a trustee, I would demand an answer to this question.
When our MPP Aileen Carroll recently published a letter citing specific meetings with top board officials, I filed a Freedom of Information request to access whatever minutes, notes, or reports might exist pertaining to those meetings. If messages the Board are giving behind closed doors don't match those they are giving in public, then there is a serious problem and we are not being fairly represented.
This is not an issue about Barrie Central, it's an issue about transparency, honesty, and consistency - all of which we have a right to expect from our Board, and which you will receive from me as your Trustee. Until then, if the FOI request provides documentation to shed light on this discrepancy, I will report it here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)