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An opinion piece in the Sept. 19 issue of the ATA News, which ran under the headline “Teachers can help create schools where everyone matters” indirectly referenced a Toronto principal. The subject was Richard Bilkszto, who worked in inner city Buffalo serving a predominantly Black student population before moving on to work in Toronto. Bilkszto espoused pro-human values and believed in the merits of vibrant discourse.
In April 2021, Bilkszto attended leadership meetings with a diversity trainer whose claims raised concerns. In response, Bilkszto acknowledged that, while the Canadian education system still needs work, the supports for struggling and minority students are better and more equitable in this country compared with the U.S. The response to his statement, as reported by various media outlets, was unfortunate.
It’s becoming more widely reported that training of this sort can be reductive and ineffective. To explore more productive options, I was directed to David Lewis-Peart. A former lecturer and DEI trainer, Lewis-Peart noticed that existing frameworks, while well intended, often fell short of producing positive outcomes and promoted ways of thinking that are unable to contend with nuance. Lewis-Peart offers two pieces of advice for moving forward: drop the emphasis on “anti” training (whether anti-homophobia, anti-racism, etc.) and instead lean into relationship-building and establishing curiosity and compassion in the diverse workplace.
Proponents of this approach include the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism (FAIR), prominent workplace unity consultant Chloé Valdary and moral courage advocate and author Irshad Manji. Lewis-Peart is adding his voice with his work around the GRACE Principle. I recognize that these ideas resonate with the principles of pro-human advocacy, which I subscribe to.
The goals and outcomes of such training should be aligned with the greater project that teachers engage in. Some of the best PD I’ve had causes me to reflect and inhabit new ideas. Ideally, this leads to synthesis and eventually action to the benefit of students. We should avoid creating an orthodoxy, a place where discourse is stymied. I believe that a substantive way of reducing bias is to engage in authentic, curious discussions with a generous spirit.
Robert Piotrkowski
Ross Sheppard High School, Edmonton
Letters to the editor: We welcome letters to the editor. Please limit your submission to 300 words. Only letters bearing a first and last name, address and daytime telephone number will be considered for publication. Teachers are also asked to indicate where and what they teach. All letters are subject to editing for length, clarity, punctuation, spelling and grammar. Email managing editor Cory Hare: cory.hare@ata.ab.ca.
This is an austerity budget, plain and simple. The UCP are ignoring the needs of Albertans to continue their disastrous record of cuts, chaos and privatization.
– Bradley Lafortune, executive director of Public Interest Alberta, reacting to the provincial budget that was tabled Feb. 29.