Principal George Couros
Mr. Couros came to our classroom today to give us some information on whats going on in schools. I found it very interesting that the Alberta schools are a lot different from Saskatchewan schools.
how are they different? The Alberta schools system allows each schools to be unique. It allows the principals’ to decide where they want their money to go. This means that if one school felt that technology is something they would like to use in their schools then that is what they can put their money towards.
The main thing I would like to talk about is the different hiring techniques that schools use. Mr. Couros in particular talked about when he is hiring he gets around 300 applicants to choose from and he needs some kind of process to choose who he thinks would be good for the job. One of the first things he looks at is your Facebook page. If your Facebook page has any inappropriate pictures or pictures with you holding alcoholic beverages he will not hiring no matter how good your resume is. There are also a lot of questions they ask, for example they may give you a subject and a topic and ask how you would teach the subject. They may also ask you what your philosophy of education is, how you deal with issues in the class, and one question that I found very interesting and important is if you as a teacher treat all the chidlren the same or if each child should be treat differently.
I personally believe that every child should be treat different. The reason I believe this is because every child is different, they all have their own abilities and disabilities, which means they have to be taught the way that best suites them. With punishment, as well, as a teacher you get to know the children in your classroom and should be able to tell if the student intentionally did something or not and should be punished accordingly. I also believe that no matter what happens that you need information from both sides and you should give the children the opportunity to have a say on what the outcome will be. I do not think that the children need to be sent to the principal’s office either, I feel that you are responsible for the ld at that time and you know them best, so it should be you to deal with the situations.
Jenna Jelinski 
I found your post interesting Jenna. Just so you know, not all schools in Alberta have what we call, “site based management”, where funds are allocated to schools and they get to decide where that money is allocated. Fortunately, I am in a school division that does this in Alberta. It is something that is being done more widespread, and, although it can be challenging, it is definitely beneficial because different schools can work on different strengths and weaknesses. I liken it to students in your classroom; some students need to focus on certain areas, while others have different needs. This is the same for schools.
I appreciate that you wrote that you see the differences in each child. Looking at the whole child is something that I think is really important, and you have to try to get the best understanding of each unique situation. I really appreciate how you said that you would talk with all students involved. That ensures you are getting the best story and are being fair with all students. I also appreciated that you are including students in the consequences of each situation. This is definitely a way that you are focusing on working with the students to be responsible in their own lives, as opposed to being simply the judge and jury of a child.
Great post!