Community schools have been under siege in Newfoundland and Labrador for ... The first Royal Commission on Education headed by Dr. Phil Warren in the mid .... Government of Newfoundland and Labrador (1996) Structuring the Education.
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The Silence of Teachers Dennis M. Mulcahy, Memorial University http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~dmulcahy/ Introduction Community schools have been under siege in Newfoundland and Labrador for almost fifty years. In the name of reform, there has been a consistent and persistent effort to “reform” these valuable social and educational resources out of existence. Fueled by a false belief that bigger must be better and mistakenly convinced that smaller schools were holding back educational progress, hundreds of these community assets have been eliminated. Today, we have more children, even the youngest ones, travelling longer distances, for increasing amounts of time, in pursuit of a purported improved educational opportunity. The first Royal Commission on Education headed by Dr. Phil Warren in the mid 1960’s initiated school consolidations. Dr. Warren concluded that the large number of small schools and multi-‐grade classrooms in the province were a major impediment to educational progress. Children could not learn as well in such educational settings, claimed the Commission. In the Report of the Royal Commission on Education and Youth (1967/1968) Warren recommended a dramatic program of closure and consolidation. As a result hundreds of small rural schools were closed. No question, there were major problems with education and schooling in the province at that time. The challenges, however, were more rooted in economic disparities, poor teacher training, inadequate resources and an archaic denominational system than the scale of schooling Unfortunately, the Royal Commission stigmatized small schools and multi-‐grade classrooms as the problem. Once that seed was planted, it became the conventional wisdom that dominated rural educational reform. The true worth of community schools was lost to our educational leaders. However, it was not lost for parents, children and teachers who experienced that value everyday. The Consolidation Wars Ever since that first Royal Commission, at various times, the province and/or the districts initiate another round of closures and consolidations. These initiatives are usually accompanied by reports (Our Children Our Future, 1992; Structuring the Education System: A Public Consultation Paper for Educational Change in Newfoundland and Labrador1996) that perpetuate the myths and conventional wisdom related to small community schools. The narrative is always the same: bigger is better, closure and consolidation will save money and improve education,
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if parents really care about their children they will agree to close their local school and bus their children to a distant one. Curiously, no evidence is ever presented to make the case for closure. Claims are made but no proof is offered. One would think that after 50 years of “reform” and hundreds of community schools having been closed there would be ample evidence to justify the actions on education or economic grounds. However, there is none. This is a point made by Ben Levin of the University of Toronto at the Education Reform in Post- Confederation Newfoundland and Labrador: Politics and Lessons conference held at Memorial University May 7, 2008. In his keynote address, Dr. Levin stated that school and district closures do not produce financial savings or raise achievement. A leading rural education researcher, Craig Howley (2011), makes a similar point from the United States,. In a research report entitled, Consolidation of Schools and Districts: What the Research Says and What it Means, Dr. Howley states that consolidation and closures “are unlikely to be a reliable way to obtain substantive fiscal or educational improvement.” He makes another significant point: “Research also suggests that impoverished regions in particular often benefit from smaller schools and districts, and they can suffer irreversible damage if consolidation occurs.” Recent Events The latest assault on community based schooling occurred this past Fall (2012). The Eastern School District (EDS) announced that it planned to close a number of small schools. A series of public meetings were held in October, November and December. Permission to speak at these meetings was required from ESD and each speaker would be given just ten minutes. Rural education is a major focus of my work at Memorial. I followed the events as they unfolded with a great deal of interest. I was granted permission to speak at two of the meetings (Swift Current and Blaketown). I also provided advice to several communities and took an active role in public discourse via the media. I believe these activities are central to my role as a university professor and a public intellectual. I also feel very strongly about the issues I raise in this essay. I was a high school teacher for 12 years on the west coast of this province and I still regard myself as first and foremost a teacher. I have the highest regard for all teachers but rural teachers are to my mind the true heroes of our educational system. They are in fact the reason rural schools are as successful that they are. I was extremely impressed by the quality of presentations made by parents and community members. It was clear they had done their homework. Their research was solid, their arguments logical and consistent and they spoke with passion and
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conviction. They knew the value of educating their children close to home; they knew the inherent dangers and disadvantages of long distance bus rides for their children. They cherished their community schools and did not want to lose them. The Silence of the Teachers Unfortunately, a very important voice was missing from the public discourse: teachers. No current teacher or administrator participated in any of the public meetings. None wrote letters to the paper or called in to open line shows or made comments on social media such as Face book. Even teachers who were parents with children in the schools affected were silent. This absence of their voice really concerned me on a personal and professional level. This was most unfortunate because teachers, in my view, have essential professional knowledge and understanding of the value of small schools and their role in the sustainability of rural communities. Who better understands the value of educating children close to home? Who better appreciates the deleterious effects of bussing on children’s health, safety and achievement? Who better understands the disappointment felt by students when denied the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities? Who better understands the supportive and nurturing atmosphere of small schools especially for at-‐risk children ? This unique professional knowledge should be part of the decision making process. Why were teachers denied permission to speak on these issues? Why were they not allowed to participate in this important public discourse? Was their professional knowledge perceived as a threat to the educational bureaucrats? Were they intimidated into silence by events several years ago when two teachers dared speak critically and publically about educational matters? Were they then taught a lesson? The last time I checked Canada was still a democracy and one of the principles of that democracy is the freedom to speak freely on important public matters. When important voices are silenced we are all losers because we are denied the insight and understanding of those who live and work in our community schools. As one of my colleagues is fond of saying, “To silence teachers is to silence the moral conscience of education.” I have to wonder as well what lessons in democracy and freedom are we teaching our children if teachers feel they must be silent. References Government of Newfoundland and Labrador (1996) Structuring the Education System: A Public Consultation Paper for Educational Change in Newfoundland and Labrador. http://www.gov.nl.ca/publicat/educate2/educate2.htm Howley, C., Johnson, J. & Petrie, J. (2011). Consolidation of schools and districts: What the research says and what it means. National Education Policy Center.
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Levin, B (2008) Education Reform in Post- Confederation Newfoundland and Labrador: Politics and Lessons. Faculty of Education, Memorial University. (Key Note) Mulcahy, D. (2012) Education Expert Warns Rural Communities Their Schools Could Be Next for Closure. CBC Radio’s Central Morning | Nov 12, 2012 | 6:04
http://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/Local+Shows/Newfoundland/Central+Mor ning/ID/2303234831/
Warren, P. (1967, 1968) Report of the Royal Commission on Education and Youth (Vols. & 2). Government of Newfoundland and Labrador Williams, L. (1992) Our Children Our Future. Report of the second Royal Commission on Education. Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.
