To: mkim@sd100.bc.ca
Subject: What Every Canadian Needs to Know
Hi Mister,
First off, welcome to Canada! We hope to provide you with a valuable and memorable teaching experience in our country. All the staff – including myself – here at UBC Secondary School will ensure that you are as comfortable as possible and that you really get to experience our culture and our education system in the best possible way. We have a lot to offer in terms of the various methods and means of educating our students. I understand that the education system here may be very different from that in South Korea. I am sure it will be fascinating for us both when we compare how the two systems work.
One of the most important facets of the Canadian education system is the significance and celebration of individualism. Canada is known as a multi-cultural country where each culture and belief is respected and best incorporated into one unified nation. As educators, we must respect and embrace students as individuals. We know that every person is unique and every person carries with them their own set of interests and inspirations. So, in our education system we offer many different courses in order to cater to as many different students as possible. Personally, I teach Technology Education and you will be joining me in teaching students applied skills such as: Woodworking, Metalworking, Engineering, Electronics, and Automotive studies. Our school also offers courses such as Business, Art, Theatre, Cooking, and many more that are vastly different from each other. We as a nation take pride in our ability to guide students to careers in areas of interest at an early age.
Technology Education is considered an elective course, meaning that the course is optional and students may choose to take it or not. In my personal and professional opinion I believe Technology Education should be incorporated into the core curriculum in British Columbia. This is my own belief based on two reasons. Firstly, there are a countless number of students who may not be successful in traditional academics but may excel in a hands-on environment. Not all students will graduate high school and proceed to university to earn a bachelor’s degree. Many of these students will go into a skilled trade. Secondly, according to the BC Ministry of Education’s 2013/2014 Transformation Plan, technological literacy and skilled trades are two skills that will be crucial to BC’s future. Essentially, in Technology Education we are focusing on these two skills. Therefore, I believe that my class should be considered mandatory based on the fact that our program offers practical experience and an introduction into the trades which is currently an area of demand in British Columbia.
Although these are the wishes of an opinionated Technology Education teacher, I do still believe we have one of the best education systems in the world. We offer such variety to our students and highly value the important of self-discovery. In an article written by Patrick Dias, titled “Cultural Literacy, National Curriculum: What Does Every Canadian Student Really Need to Know?” he states his opinion on what every student should know. Although the importance of reading and writing literacy is very existent, there are other forms of literacy that our students should be exposed to know and educated about. If you have the time you should read the article as it contains some valuable and interesting information.
I look forward seeing you soon. Please do not hesitate to call me if you have any further questions. I have attached the mentioned article as well as the BC Ministry of Education’s 2013/2014 Transformation Plan.
Best regards,
Abraham Kang
PS – References
Dias, P. (1992). Cultural Literacy, National Curriculum: What (and How) Does Every Canadian Student Really Need to Know? English Quarterly, 10-19.
https://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/pubs/tt-plan/2013-2014_bced_tt_plan.pdf