Working for Public Education
Students in the Waterloo Region District School Board deserve the best education and experience we can possibly give them. We need to not only provide education in core subjects, but teach them to better understand the world around them. I would like to focus on these four areas:
1. Staff and students using active transportation methods to get to and from school.
We need to work with our local municipalities to provide more bike lanes and safe walking routes for our students. Did you know according to the 2014 Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card, 58% of parents walked to school when they were kids, but only 28% of their children walk to/from school today1 and students who exercise before school are more focused and engaged, and get better grades.2 The WRDSB already has planning in place through their School Travel Planning Guide. I would like to create partnerships in Woolwich and Wellesley with others who see the value in making this happen.
2. Improve overall wellness for both staff and students.
I feel providing more resources to staff and teachers will see improved wellness to our entire WRDSB community. We need to make our well-being a priority both in and out of school. When teachers and staff feel inspired, I believe we can count on them to better serve our students. Did you know, "teachers are expected to care for their students by providing them emotional support similar to a family, and in addition to meeting their educational objectives."3 Most teachers I encounter adore this part of the "job"; however, I do feel that we are not giving our teachers enough opportunity to care for our students in the best way they can. We need improved access to mental health, wellness and other resources for both staff and students in our school board.
3. Get our students learning more outdoors!
In Canada, weather seems to play a big part in how much we can enjoy the great outdoors. I feel that if we are prepared, we can enjoy nature in almost any weather. I would like to see more schools with outdoor classrooms and nature learning spaces. As a school board, we should be providing funding for such projects. "Exposure to the natural environment can have a significant positive impact on childhood development, in terms of physical, social, emotional, and cognitive health. Current research makes it clear that our earliest experiences— the way we play, learn, and interact with the world around us as children—have a profound and formative effect on our health, thinking, and behaviour throughout our lives."4
4. Embrace all students and create safe and inclusive school culture.
Schools should be a welcoming and safe place for all students, staff and community members. I want to encourage more inclusion and accessibility within our schools. We should consult with families to see how we can make their child's educational experience better. When we consult with experts - and families and parents are the experts on their children - we can make differences in the lives of everyone. “In study after study, where culture did not support and encourage reform, it did not happen…if you don’t have a strong and healthy school culture, none of the rest will matter”5 Our school culture should be that every student gets what they need; that we should not focus on "equal", but "equality".
We need to work with our local municipalities to provide more bike lanes and safe walking routes for our students. Did you know according to the 2014 Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card, 58% of parents walked to school when they were kids, but only 28% of their children walk to/from school today1 and students who exercise before school are more focused and engaged, and get better grades.2 The WRDSB already has planning in place through their School Travel Planning Guide. I would like to create partnerships in Woolwich and Wellesley with others who see the value in making this happen.
2. Improve overall wellness for both staff and students.
I feel providing more resources to staff and teachers will see improved wellness to our entire WRDSB community. We need to make our well-being a priority both in and out of school. When teachers and staff feel inspired, I believe we can count on them to better serve our students. Did you know, "teachers are expected to care for their students by providing them emotional support similar to a family, and in addition to meeting their educational objectives."3 Most teachers I encounter adore this part of the "job"; however, I do feel that we are not giving our teachers enough opportunity to care for our students in the best way they can. We need improved access to mental health, wellness and other resources for both staff and students in our school board.
3. Get our students learning more outdoors!
In Canada, weather seems to play a big part in how much we can enjoy the great outdoors. I feel that if we are prepared, we can enjoy nature in almost any weather. I would like to see more schools with outdoor classrooms and nature learning spaces. As a school board, we should be providing funding for such projects. "Exposure to the natural environment can have a significant positive impact on childhood development, in terms of physical, social, emotional, and cognitive health. Current research makes it clear that our earliest experiences— the way we play, learn, and interact with the world around us as children—have a profound and formative effect on our health, thinking, and behaviour throughout our lives."4
4. Embrace all students and create safe and inclusive school culture.
Schools should be a welcoming and safe place for all students, staff and community members. I want to encourage more inclusion and accessibility within our schools. We should consult with families to see how we can make their child's educational experience better. When we consult with experts - and families and parents are the experts on their children - we can make differences in the lives of everyone. “In study after study, where culture did not support and encourage reform, it did not happen…if you don’t have a strong and healthy school culture, none of the rest will matter”5 Our school culture should be that every student gets what they need; that we should not focus on "equal", but "equality".
The Waterloo Region District School Board is on the right track. They have planning in place to make some of these things happen and it is a part of their Multi-Year Strategic Plan. I want to help move these initiatives along and provide the care they need to support our entire WRDSB community!
We are raising tomorrow's leaders. Let's give them the tools they need for success!
We are raising tomorrow's leaders. Let's give them the tools they need for success!
1Stone, M. R., Mammen, G., & Faulkner, G. (2012). Canadian School Travel Planning Intervention Results (National Report)
2Singh, A., Uijtdewilligen, L., Twisk, J. W., Van Mechelen, W., & Chinapaw, M. J. (2012). Physical activity and performance at school: a systematic review of the literature including a methodological quality assessment. Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine, 166(1), 49‐55.
3Danilewitz, J. (2017). Quality of Life and Sources of Stress in Teachers: A Canadian Perspective
4(Gopnik 2009).
5(Peterson 1998, p. 1)
