By Dale Wallace

For whom does the bell toll? Right now it’s tolling for some students in the Calgary Catholic School System. The Catholic School Board runs six schools that operate on a year-round schedule. These kids were back in classes as of Thursday. Continue Reading

By Dale Wallace 

 The Calgary Board of Education (CBE) has announced that they are cutting 192 teaching positions, 79 support staff positions and 6 caretakers. The CBE is not the only school board to do so; teachers and support staff are being laid off around the province. It is very sad, but the CBE and other school boards are taking the correct action in light of government cuts to education funding. Continue Reading

By Dale Wallace 

On June 8, the Calgary Beacon published a column by Michael Zwaagstra. In the column he was critical of the Inspiring Education Report released by the Education Minister of Alberta Dave Hancock. Unfortunately, Mr. Zwaagstra’s column is evidence of luddite-like thinking. Continue Reading

By Dale Wallace 

In my column entitled “Apologies or Apologist?” I wrote the following sentence: “Schools that have been supported by religions have long thought they have a monopoly on morality.” The point being that religious schools are in fact falling down in the area of morality. Continue Reading

By Dale Wallace

It seems like the Department of Education in Ontario has pulled a boner and found themselves crotch-deep in hot holy water this past week. Continue Reading

In the media there is a lot of apologizing going on these days. Tiger Woods, Jesse James, and even Pope Benedict XVI are just a few that have come forward to apologize for their own misbehaviour or that of the institution that they lead. Apologies are good. It is the first step in making restitution for wrong doing. The next step is for the individual or institution to change their behaviour so the wrong doing does not reoccur. Continue Reading

By Dale Wallace

 In his March 22nd Hammer Time column, Markham Hislop reported on the Big Ideas Conference held at the Calgary Public Library on March 19, 2010. Apparently, the problem with the conference was that there were few big ideas brought up. Continue Reading

 In Craig Chandler’s latest How I See It column, he comments on how the fledgling Wildrose Alliance Party is far ahead in the opinion polls in Calgary and rural Alberta. If an election happened today there is a very good chance the Wildrose might form the next government. Continue Reading

By Dale Wallace

On March 7th, 2010, I read an interesting article by Alan Shanoff “Freedom to read needs freedom from censors” in the Toronto Sun. In the article he argues strongly for people to have free choice of what they read. As well, he made the following interesting statement: “Schools are at the mercy of parents who not only want to choose what their children read but also what other children may read.” Unfortunately, in some schools in Calgary Alan Shanoff’s statement rings alarmingly true. Continue Reading

By Dale Wallace

Last month, two high school teachers in Winnipeg were suspended with pay for humorously simulating a lap dance in front of students at the school spirit day. The entire dance was videoed and placed on YouTube. As of March 2nd the video had over 66,000 hits. Plus, news agencies from around the world had picked up on the story. Now it has been officially removed from YouTube. Continue Reading