A Prince Rupert teacher has taken her concerns about the state of public education on the road in hope of generating awareness and discussion with each pedal stroke.
“People seem to be losing hope and confidence in our (education) system,” said Tulani Ackerman, 30.
Ackerman was en route from Savona to Kamloops when The Daily News caught up with her Sunday morning. She was on day 18 of a 43-day bike ride from Prince Rupert to Victoria.
During the course of her 3,000-kilometre trek she hopes to create awareness of educational issues, start discussions and take action to create a more effective system of learning for students.
A teacher-on-call, Ackerman has spent four years teaching secondary school students and has heard first hand the concerns parents, teachers and youth have.
She believes the current curriculum isn’t satisfying children’s individual needs. Part of her goal on this ride is to get parents, educators and communities thinking outside of the box when it comes to how children receive their education.
“We’re not giving that broad range of education that kids need. Where are the arts? Where are the programs that are connecting kids to nature?” she said, adding important electives are being lost in the funding crunch.
“A lot of parents have said we need our children to have life skills. We want our kids outside. We want our kids in a safe environment where they feel connected to their teacher.”
She said it’s too easy for people to blame the problems on underfunding. What school administrators need to look at is how the money is being spent.
Ackerman is compiling the comments she hears along the way in a report she plans to present to the Ministry of Education in the fall. She said the document will also be part of her master’s thesis.
Kamloops-Thompson Teachers’ Association president Jason Karpuk applauds Ackerman for her effort, saying anything that raises awareness about education issues is a good thing.
Ackerman rides to Salmon Arm today. People can follow her journey online at stepsforstudents.ca/, stepsforstudents.blogspot.com, or on Twitter.
