September 18, 2006
VICTORIA – Teachers from around the province will gather in Vancouver on Nov. 6 for the first annual Teachers’ Congress to discuss student achievement, Education Minister Shirley Bond announced today.
“Teachers are our front-line experts so it’s important that we hear directly from them how to bring out the best in our students,” said Bond. “This first-ever Teachers’ Congress is an opportunity for teachers to talk to the Premier personally about the important issues they see in their classrooms every day.”
All B.C. teachers are encouraged to apply online to attend the congress, entitled “Reaching Higher for B.C.’s students.” Application forms are available at www.bced.gov.bc.ca/edinfo/edevents/atc. In order to ensure a broad range of viewpoints is heard, teachers from across the education spectrum will be randomly selected, including:
- Public school teachers:
- Classroom and non-enrolling/specialist (e.g., teacher-librarians)
- Primary, intermediate and secondary
- Rural and urban school districts
- New teachers, mid-career teachers, and those nearing retirement.
- Independent school teachers.
- Band school teachers.
- Student teachers.
“The Premier and I have been visiting school districts around the province and have seen first-hand what is going on in classrooms,” said Bond. “Now, we are looking forward to sitting down with more than 100 B.C. teachers and learning from their knowledge and experience.”
The congress fulfils government’s election platform and throne speech commitment to hold an annual Teachers’ Congress and invite teachers from across B.C. to directly communicate with the Premier and education ministers.
In the speech from the throne, government also committed that the Premier and Education Minister would visit every school district in the province. Since February, Premier Campbell and Minister Bond have visited 65 schools in 21 school districts. To view Minister Bond’s journal and photo scrapbook of those school visits, go to www.bced.gov.bc.ca/news/photos/sdvisits/sbond/2006/
