I hoped beyond hope that it wouldn’t happen, but it did. Lynden Dorval, the teacher at the centre of the no zero policy debate in Edmonton was fired by Edmonton Public Schools.
Mr. Dorval is the man many of us consider brave for going against this nonsensical policy and trying to hold students accountable. For the record, he didn’t sit behind his desk, red sharpie in hand, just waiting to hand out a zero. I spoke to him for some background on the situation. Mr. Dorval assured me that every effort is made to get a student to finish their assignments. Lates are forgiven, phone calls home are made, meetings are scheduled, but sometimes, some kids just don’t care. That’s when, he maintains, and so do most common sense Albertans, that a zero is the honest and most effective result.
In our home we have a philosophy where our kids are concerned: “prepare your children for the path, don’t prepare the path for your children.” Sometimes that means dishing out tough love. It means saying no from time to time. What a novel concept. All games do not end in a tie, and that’s ok. That’s how the real world works. I think we have a culture of entitlement in government and we don’t want that way of thinking to spread.
We would be wise to remember who built the Alberta advantage. It was forward thinking, entrepreneurial, confident, risk taking, common sense people. They are people who understand that you are rewarded for hard work. They are people how understand that you get out of life what you put into it.
Think back to your days in the classroom and imagine this “no zero” policy in effect. I remember getting a zero on a trigonometry quiz in high school. Not because i didn’tdo the quiz, but because my teacher caught me looking at the paper of the girl beside me. Do you think my dad raced to the school to defend my honour and demand a re-write? That’s almost comical. The truth is he scolded me and told me to study my formulas and do my homework.
I don’t think we’re teaching students anything useful here. In fact, I’d suggest we’re doing them a major injustice by giving them a false sense of how the real world works. We want them prepared for university, for trade school, and the work force.
As the education critic for the official opposition wildrose party, i look forward to standing up for people like Mr. Dorval. I don’t believe government should be in the business of telling educators what to do and how to mark, but sometimes, and this is one of those times, we have to show some leadership. Teachers should be free to give a zero if they feel a student deserves it.
As for Mr. Dorval, I’m devastated for him. The man devoted 35 years of his life to Alberta students. How was he rewarded? He was thrown under the bus. I hope his efforts in the classroom and his courage in bringing this issue to the forefront are not forgotten. I hope we can affect some positive change. Maybe, just maybe, we can talk Mr. Dorval and more people like him into running for a position with the Edmonton School Board. We could use more people like him in the education system.
No zero policy makes zero sense
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Common sense is lost in our education system. Great Article, Bruce! Someone else needs to lose their job over this.
Well said . There classes i didnt like and thus performed poorly in them earning myself appropriately poor grades in them. This was not a result of a teacher who handed out a zero but of my own actions. As a parent now my kids know that they choose there path. As the poem by robert frost goes two roads diverged…and that has made all the difference…well as this teacher travels there path as do the former students those that believe there not so much earned grades will take them right where there path they made for themselves will…and yes i will have fries with that. Well said bruce
Great article Bruce. I was just having this conversation with one of my co-workers, a retired teacher with multiple Masters degrees.
I discovered this gentleman retired from the EPSB early. Why? He couldn’t stomach the “feel good” system developing that would lead to doing our kids more harm than good. What good is artificially increasing the graduation rate if the very students graduating are being set up to fail at the next education level, or in the workplace.
As an employer I am going to expect deadlines to be met, work to be done properly, and anyone not meeting expectation is not going to be working for me. I can’t base a business on “Not enough information to evaluate.”
It is time to stop doing our kids a disservice and teach them the real facts of life before turning them out to a world that isn’t going to cut them slack or accept sub-standard work.
this is a good ARTICLE.. This zero policy needs to go. Thirty five years in the class room, and for his career to end like this is a disgrace to every teacher, student and person in Alberta. I hope that people will remember when they elect new trustees in 2013 . any one who listened to the last 29 minute’s of the school board meeting, will soon realize that there are several things wrong with this board. wonderful that a private school asked him to teach there
Thank you for your comments about recent news stories related to “no-zero” policies. This story has two distinct aspects. One relates to the efficacy of a no-zero policy; the other relates to the employment of teachers.
On the policy question, the Alberta Teachers’ Association believes assessment and evaluation are the primary responsibility of the individual teacher. To that extent, we are not favourable to blanket policies across schools or school jurisdictions that do not reflect the individual learning environments. Furthermore, we also believe that the primary purpose for student assessment and evaluation is to facilitate the learning process. Assessment should be directed at determining what students are capable of in relation to the curricular objectives and then informing decisions about the next steps for learning. Ultimately, teachers use a variety of methods to assess student progress and so the use of a zero grade in assessments should be decided in light of the overall purpose of assessment.
On the employment issue, directives to teachers issued by a school board or principal are deemed to be lawful orders, and teachers are obligated under the School Act to comply with lawful orders of the board. If teachers disagree with a directive, they are to protest the assignment through appropriate channels while still complying with the order. Unfortunately, ATA policy positions are not sufficient grounds for teachers to reject a lawful order. In these situations, the ATA’s policy statement is moot and the legal framework around teacher supervision, termination and evaluation takes precedence. The ATA’s role is to provide advice and to make representations on behalf of teachers, when necessary and requested. ATA staff will provide teachers with advice and information on different options and, if requested, help teachers through the steps they wish to follow. Ultimately, it is the role of the Alberta Teachers’ Association to ensure that a teacher facing an employment matter receives the support and the due processes to which he or she is entitled.