Thinking intensively and critically
By Leela Sharon Aheer Chestermere-Strathmore MLA
Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The function of education is to teach me to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.”
I wanted to take a moment to write a letter of gratitude to our teachers. These past few months have pushed us to our limits to be the most creative, positive, flexible and adaptive in a more uncertain world than any of us could have imagined. I think back to last December; I have a difficult time remembering life before masks, hand sanitizer and social distancing. The inability to hug people, hold their hands and embrace them has had a profound and lasting impact on all of us. Still, here we are, in the midst of this new world, and what I heard every day leading up to the school year has been “I can’t wait to see my friends and teachers.”
Teachers are experts in projecting calm during this storm. You are present in our children’s lives and we see the love you have for our kids. You are integral in supporting our kids in the move from fear to coping and resilience; for that, I am grateful. Thank you for your bravery in helping our children to be brave. Thank you for continuing to move forward and helping us, as families, to find hope. You became an educator because you believe in our children’s futures. This time in history will be remembered for many things; among them will be our educator’s commitment, resilience and professionalism.
Maintaining open lines of communication regarding the pandemic and its impact will be essential to the wellbeing of our children. They have developed empathy, appreciation and resilience, which are all skills that will allow them to become amazing leaders as we work together to live in a COVID-19 world. Ours will be a story of strength, surviving and thriving because of the relationships we will build, supporting those vulnerable in our communities and building ourselves back up again. Globally we are facing many challenges economically, socially and personally. There will be many difficult decisions that lie ahead, but we are in this together and we will face them together. You and your students will achieve great things regardless of the hardship and we will tell stories of how new systems were created using innovation to support students. We have a lot of work to do and I am inspired by you every day.
For the latest information on COVID-19 and public health measures in Alberta, please visit alberta.ca/covid19.
On another front, Alberta’s government is inviting industry to submit qualifications to deliver five new high schools through a public-private partnership. A request for qualifications for the public-private partnership bundle, which includes high schools in Blackfalds, Edmonton, Leduc and Langdon, is posted on the Alberta Purchasing Connection.
Once the request is closed on Oct. 8, a short list of up to three proponents will be invited to bid on the project through the request for proposal stage. A contract with the successful proponent is expected to be in place by the end of September 2021. The five new high schools are anticipated to open in September 2024 with a total student capacity of about 6,938 students.
These future schools will provide modern learning environments for their students, and I am excited that we are another step closer towards getting shovels in the ground.
As always, we love to hear from you.
(Leela Sharon Aheer is the MLA Elect for Chestermere-Strathmore, Minister of Status of Women and Minister of Culture and Multiculturalism)