“In a prairie province, education is going downhill” with STF President Samantha Becotte
In our tenth episode of Public Good, Shannon and Stephen are joined by Samantha Becotte.
Samantha Becotte is the president of the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation. She has bachelor’s degrees in education and science and a Master of Mathematics for Teachers. Prior to taking on the role of president of the STF, she taught mathematics and financial literacy. Samantha actively participates in the community by supporting local not-for-profit organizations. She is passionate about women in leadership and values continued professional development.
In this episode Samantha gives an overview of the Saskatchewan education landscape. She outlines how the reformers are employing the privatization playbook, including changes in tax structures, boasting about spending rather than actual spending, vilification of teachers, and a reliance on consultants. Sound familiar? Drawing on the recent revelations about Legacy Christian Academy, Becotte outlines the broader concerns surrounding public dollars going to private schools. She also speaks about the governments plan to develop a new Distance Learning Crown Corporation. As the president of STF, Samantha shares what she is hearing from teachers about the consequences of government reforms, and the efforts that teachers in Saskatchewan are making to stand up for public education. If anyone happens to be in Saskatchwan on April 19th, you can join Samantha and the STF, at a rally for public education: https://www.stf.sk.ca/sites/default/files/stf-001406d_20230217_hn.pdf
Shannon is a public education advocate, and a founding member of People for Public Education Manitoba (@PublicEdMB).
Moore’s research interests include media and digital literacies in the social studies classroom, the impacts of online learning on teachers and teaching, and the impacts of neoliberalism on public education.
He has a strong relationship with the EdCan Network (formerly the Canadian Education Association), an organization that inspired the launch and evolution of voicEd Radio Canada.
Hurley believes that stronger connections between education research, practice and policy are essential to the type of change that will be necessary in Canada's public education systems moving forward.
