Chess-in-all-schools-in-Yerevan, Armenia

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  • Chess-in-all-schools-in-Yerevan, Armenia

    http://susanpolgar.blogspot.ca/2013/...n-armenia.html

    Will it happen in Canada ? I doubt so ? Much depends on CMA then ?

    If Armenia ( such a small country ) can do it, why not Canada ?

  • #2
    Re: Chess-in-all-schools-in-Yerevan, Armenia

    They got the juice! The President of their Chess Fed is the President of the country - Serzh Sargsian.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Chess-in-all-schools-in-Yerevan, Armenia

      It's a nation of around 3 million population (slightly more than Toronto) and maybe around a half million under 15 years of age.

      You should also take into consideration education is a provincial matter in Canada. Each province decides for themselves on such things as chess on the curriculum.
      Gary Ruben
      CC - IA and SIM

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      • #4
        Re: Chess-in-all-schools-in-Yerevan, Armenia

        The 'New Statesman' has an interesting article on Armenia and chess.

        http://www.newstatesman.com/world-af...es-chess-world

        Comment


        • #5
          In BC, Canada, a teacher could be fired for teaching chess.

          Originally posted by Gary Hua View Post
          Will it happen in Canada ? I doubt so ? Much depends on CMA then ?

          If Armenia ( such a small country ) can do it, why not Canada ?
          As noted already, education is a provincial matter in Canada. (Except if you were a First Nations person forced to attend Residential School. But that is a whole nother story.)

          However, given the mood of some provincial governments in Canada, like the one in BC, teachers could get FIRED for teaching chess in schools. Children are being used as political footballs by governments intent on making war on those who teach and care for children. Blecch.

          President Jim Iker says the premier is to blame for the entire mess, noting teachers soon won’t be allowed at the school 45 before or after the day wraps up.

          “That means no more extra-curricular activities. In adopting this strategy, Christy Clark could be the cause of many cancelled field trips, sports tournaments, theatre productions, music concerts, and many other events.”

          Iker says the union has tried to minimize the impact on students, but the latest government move shows that it doesn’t care.

          “Premier Clark would rather shut down extra-curriculars, prevent teachers from working with students at lunch hour, and block teachers from talking to parents about a properly funded education system,” he argues.
          Dogs will bark, but the caravan of chess moves on.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: In BC, Canada, a teacher could be fired for teaching chess.

            [QUOTE=Nigel Hanrahan;80984...

            However, given the mood of some provincial governments in Canada, like the one in BC,
            teachers could get FIRED for teaching chess in schools.
            Children are being used as political footballs by governments intent on making war on those who teach and care for children. Blecch.[/QUOTE]

            Hold on here. They would not be fired for teaching chess, they would be fired for supervising extra-curricular activities, no?
            There is a HUGE difference in the two statements. Somehow you are conflating chess with this particular grievance and I
            suppose that sort of makes sense on a chess related message board, but I am not buying it. Replace "chess" with ANY other
            activity and you claim is probably still technically correct, misleading and not apropos.
            ...Mike Pence: the Lord of the fly.

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            • #7
              Re: In BC, Canada, a teacher could be fired for teaching chess.

              Originally posted by Kerry Liles View Post
              Hold on here. They would not be fired for teaching chess, they would be fired for supervising extra-curricular activities, no?
              Near as I can make out, you and I agree that chess is an extra-curricular activity. I don't know how I can be "technically" correct and misleading at the same time. However, let's leave that aside as there are more developments. Further, since this is an Armenian thread, I will make this brief and you can look at the lockout thread for more details.

              Basically, the employer wants to lock out the teachers without suffering the consequences, especially in the eyes of the public, for such an action. It is a matter of public record, remarks made by no less than a Supreme Court Judge, that the Clark jackboot regime has already deliberately provoked conflict with the teachers and their representatives for the purpose of demonizing the latter ... in preparation for an election. I should not have to remind anyone that that is the sort of thing that extreme right wing governments do; they make scapegoats (jews, communists, immigrants, people of colour, GLBTT people, whatever) in order to distract the public from their barbaric policies.

              I've added to the other thread a quote from a rather clever teacher who has summarized the "position" of the employers in this dispute. It is as I've noted; an effort to avoid the conseq of their actions while blaming others for them.
              Last edited by Nigel Hanrahan; Sunday, 25th May, 2014, 11:44 PM. Reason: added stuff
              Dogs will bark, but the caravan of chess moves on.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: In BC, Canada, a teacher could be fired for teaching chess.

                Originally posted by Kerry Liles View Post
                Hold on here. They would not be fired for teaching chess, they would be fired for supervising extra-curricular activities, no?
                There is a HUGE difference in the two statements. Somehow you are conflating chess with this particular grievance and I
                suppose that sort of makes sense on a chess related message board, but I am not buying it. Replace "chess" with ANY other
                activity and you claim is probably still technically correct, misleading and not apropos.
                Apart from not being apropos, they would not be fired at all. The government has clearly stated that extra curricular activities are not covered by the proposed lockout. Nigel has given a very one sided account and has chosen to ignore that the union is planning to strike which would have much the same effect on extra curricular activities and in previous labour disputes, the union has forbidden teachers from taking part in extra curricular activities.

                But you probably figured out the one sided part when jackboots etc. were mentioned....

                Comment


                • #9
                  Yes, really, a teacher could be fired for teaching chess.

                  Originally posted by Roger Patterson View Post
                  Apart from not being apropos, they would not be fired at all. The government has clearly stated that extra curricular activities are not covered by the proposed lockout. Nigel has given a very one sided account and has chosen to ignore that the union is planning to strike which would have much the same effect on extra curricular activities and in previous labour disputes, the union has forbidden teachers from taking part in extra curricular activities.
                  OK, here's the relevant quote from 22 May.

                  Yesterday BCTF President Jim Iker received a letter from Michael Marchbank, Premier Christy Clark’s appointed head of the BC Public School Employers’ Association, in which he states that because teachers are starting rotating strikes, government intends to claw back 10% of their wages. The pay cut will be in effect even on days when teachers are in their classrooms working with students to meet their needs.

                  In order to justify the pay cuts, government now is imposing a series of partial and full lockouts. Starting Monday, May 26, teachers are prohibited from being at school more than 45 minutes before and after class time, and they are forbidden from working during recess or lunch hour. In addition, all secondary teachers will be locked out on June 25 and 26, and both elementary and secondary teachers are to be locked out on June 27.

                  Iker said that as a result of these latest directives, teachers could be disciplined for helping a struggling student at lunch hour. What’s more, extra-curricular activities including clubs, drama, music, sports will be cancelled, graduation ceremonies will be impacted, and final exams for some senior secondary students will not be marked. None of these impacts would have occurred under the teachers’ job action plan.

                  “We were careful to ensure that already scheduled extra-curricular and volunteer activities continued. We wanted to minimize the impact on students,” Iker said. “During rotating strikes, teachers would continue all volunteer activities four out of five days a week.
                  Now Jim Iker is quoting directly from a letter he received from Christy Clark's gauleiter at the BCPSEA, Michael Marchbank, so this would have been challenged if not true, hmm?

                  So,

                  1. Yes, they could be fired for insubordination by working during lunch hour or recess (long or short recess they are called now).

                  2. The government has been clear as mud. They say one thing and instruct the school boards to say another. (See the other thread, fyi). Incidently, this is no longer a "proposed lockout" which is important as you've made claims about what could have happened had the teachers gone on strike (something the Victoria regime simply makes illegal).

                  3. In the last paragraph, we see that it turns out that the BCTF has actually anticipated this eventuality and "took steps to ensure that extra-curricular and volunteer activities" would continue; it's the Victoria regime that has taken steps to close the door on this sequence of events.

                  I'd say Nigel 3, Roger 0. But then I'm so horribly one-sided. Call it a draw.

                  But you probably figured out the one sided part when jackboots etc. were mentioned....
                  I realize that I'm invoking the Gods of Godwin's Law here, but I found a curious little historical truth from a TV show a few years ago. George Stromboloupolous hosted a mini-series on propaganda in which he pointed out that when the Nazis created a puppet regime in France during WW2, one of the first things they did was to make a vicious attack on teachers in France. It seems French teachers had far too high a regard for French culture and not enough "respect" for German superiority. So the strategy was to attack those who taught French culture. Attacking teachers has a long and ignoble history right back to the early 1940's.

                  Vive la France.

                  News release.

                  Correction: the members of the BCTF are involved in "rotating" strikes as noted here ...

                  BC teachers to begin rotating strikes on Monday, May 26, 2014

                  The rotating strikes will begin on Monday, May 26 and continue May 27, 28, and 29. All school districts will be impacted on one of those days. All schools will be open on Friday, May 30. Any extension of the rotating job action will depend on events at the bargaining table.

                  The rotating closures are part of a two-stage strike plan voted on by teachers in March. During that vote, teachers gave their bargaining team an overwhelming mandate to begin low-level job action and then move to rotating strikes if meaningful progress was not made in negotiations. In all, 29,301 teachers cast ballots—89% voted in favour of the two-stage job action plan.
                  The two sides are tailoring their strategies to maximum advantage and this stuff changes almost on a daily basis depending on results, etc.
                  Last edited by Nigel Hanrahan; Monday, 26th May, 2014, 05:36 PM. Reason: correction!
                  Dogs will bark, but the caravan of chess moves on.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Yes, really, a teacher could be fired for teaching chess.

                    In many countries they executed the teachers after the revolution. It still happens too often these days.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Yes, really, a teacher could be fired for teaching chess.

                      Originally posted by Vlad Drkulec View Post
                      In many countries they executed the teachers after the revolution. It still happens too often these days.
                      With the Pol Pot regime, it was anyone who was educated, wore glasses, you name it.
                      Dogs will bark, but the caravan of chess moves on.

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