After eight years as executive director of FISA, and a lifetime of work in education — both public and independent — Peter Froese has many strong opinions about pedagogy and policy. But his most important conclusion might surprise you. Read More …
Category: Blog
Changing the mindset about marks
There are plenty of myths associated with the idea of schools “going grade-less” or eliminating marks. And Holy Cross Secondary School vice-principal Andrea DeSantis and teacher Jill Kitching have heard them all. Andrea, who currently teaches English 9 (in addition Read More …
Connecting the curriculum to the world’s needs
Surrey Christian School — with some 1,300 students, pre-K to grade 12 — works hard to link learning with real world issues such as helping refugees. “This isn’t a play world,” says Learning Director Darryl deBoer. “We want kids Read More …
‘It’s put into perspective how fortunate we are’
Two independent elementary schools in Richmond—the Az-Zahraa Islamic Academy and the Richmond Jewish Day School— bridge multiple barriers for a joint project every year. First, they bring together Grade 6 and 7 students from the Jewish and Muslim faiths. Second, Read More …
‘We want to be thoughtful, persuasive and consistent’
The numbers are awe-inspiring. With recent retirements, the FISA board is losing more than 100 years of board experience. But rather than being daunted by this prospect, new president Ed Noot is energized by it. “We’re in a transitory year Read More …
COMMUNICATING — not reporting — is the new watchword
The BC school system is changing in ways that most parents probably haven’t yet noticed. But teachers and administrators — from both public and independent systems — have been getting ready for these changes for several years now. The biggest Read More …
‘We value the ability to know every child’
A common stereotype holds that university preparatory schools are academic hothouses designed to get top marks from students and then shoehorn them into the best possible Ivy League colleges. But the executive director of the umbrella organization for such schools Read More …
A profound and encompassing view of the child and education…
Family values don’t necessarily mean religious values. The founding director of a Montessori school in Richmond, B.C., says that most schools under the Montessori umbrella are non-denominational. “It’s a very humanistic approach to the child uncovering themselves and their place Read More …
We’ve been doing this kind of relationship building for decades
The Whistler Waldorf School started 18 years ago, a result of a parent-led initiative. But the real roots of Waldorf go back to 1919, to Stuttgart, Germany. Developed by Austrian philosopher Rudolph Steiner, the educational system was born at the Read More …
How are Independent schools funded?
There are facts. And then there are perceptions. Perceptions about how Independent schools are funded often lead to misunderstandings among BC taxpayers so FISA’s executive director, Peter Froese, is anxious to set the record straight. The first point he wants Read More …