Dear Sir/ Madam,
I am thrilled, as are my colleagues and students, that you will be visiting our school in the upcoming weeks. The question of what every Canadian should know is weighted very heavily. As I do not think that I have the ability to answer it fully, I will try my best. In Canada, each province has a curriculum created by the provincial government’s Ministry of Education so other provinces may have emphases on different concepts in comparison to those in B.C.
In British Columbia, there is a new curriculum in development for all elementary and secondary schools that will be fully implemented next school year (2015- 2016). Here is the link to the new curriculum; I encourage you to look at it even though many teachers still use the ‘old’ curriculum. (https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum)
In saying that, there is emphasis on teaching life-long skills in addition to facts and knowledge (in the form of Prescribed Learning Outcomes) in both curricula. In my opinion, these skills need not be only related to academia (like research gathering) but also to life because teachers act as primary socializers for students for 13 years of their lives. For example, the primary (age five to eight) curriculum teaches about the students’ self, family and community, which includes their school and their residential neighbourhood (if they are not the same thing). We can teach them humility and respect for self and others while also teaching them what a family is and that not all families look the same but all are important. Teaching these skills is harder than just memorizing facts but is necessary in order for students to become thoughtful, respectful human beings. After all, they will be in charge one day and I would like my government to make fair decisions that benefit everyone but future generations cannot understand this without learning it early in life.
I trust that you will have an enriching experience at our school. I cannot wait to welcome you into our community. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Katy Ogloff