As far as web sites go, the Educate Me!? site up to this point had little to offer. But that has changed!
We have revamped the web site which will now be the one-stop place for all info on the Educate Me!? documentary project.
The new site is a space for the debate to begin while filming of the doc continues. We want this to be a engaging process and hope you'll choose to have your say today! With a Participate section that will grow with resources and information, and the blog as a space for folks to comment and share with one another if you feel inpsired to, there will be many ways to share and support the project.
Much gratitude for all of you who provided support which helped us get this far. This blog will no longer be updated, so please visit www.educate-me.ca to continue following the journey of this documentary project. :)
7.11.2011
3.16.2011
the story
When my daughter begins school this September she will be the third generation in my family to attend a public school in Canada.
Sasha's Oma arrived in PEI as a toddler in the mid-50's as part of a wave of immigrants who came to this country looking for a new beginning after WWII left much of Europe in a state of despair.
Her school age years in Montreal was when my mom learned to become ambidextrous because left-handed writing was deemed worthy of the strap.
I was born in a decade of community spending by all levels of government that provided me with a truly liberal learning experience. The only beatings I took were of the emotional kind from peers who liked to taunt me because I had a prominent birthmark on my face.
Sasha, born early into a new millenium, is part of a generation that will experience "21st Century Learning". And what is that you ask?
Well, that is still up for debate all over the developed world and two movements are now vying for control over the future of what education will look like for us.
One wants to build on the successes of the public system we currently have and is primarily made of people who are stakeholders within the system. The other wants to open the system up to a free market consumer model and is primarily made up of celebrities, economists and think tanks.
Both have different ideas about what public schools are good for.
Chronic underfunding for decades has turned parents, teachers, trustees and students into entrepeneurs helping to raise funds for things that were part of the status quo when I was in school.
Things got better between my moms generation and mine, so why is my daughters generation getting shafted?
Rather than letting our public education system get nickle and dimed to death I feel its time for Canadians to decide what kind of system we really want to invest in.
I want to make the case that a holistic public education system is far more beneficial to Sasha's generation than a competition based model, and then encourage Canadians to be part of the debate in their own communities to help shape the sustainable "21st Century Learning" that every child in our nation deserves.
Sasha's Oma arrived in PEI as a toddler in the mid-50's as part of a wave of immigrants who came to this country looking for a new beginning after WWII left much of Europe in a state of despair.
Her school age years in Montreal was when my mom learned to become ambidextrous because left-handed writing was deemed worthy of the strap.
I was born in a decade of community spending by all levels of government that provided me with a truly liberal learning experience. The only beatings I took were of the emotional kind from peers who liked to taunt me because I had a prominent birthmark on my face.
Sasha, born early into a new millenium, is part of a generation that will experience "21st Century Learning". And what is that you ask?
Well, that is still up for debate all over the developed world and two movements are now vying for control over the future of what education will look like for us.
One wants to build on the successes of the public system we currently have and is primarily made of people who are stakeholders within the system. The other wants to open the system up to a free market consumer model and is primarily made up of celebrities, economists and think tanks.
Both have different ideas about what public schools are good for.
Chronic underfunding for decades has turned parents, teachers, trustees and students into entrepeneurs helping to raise funds for things that were part of the status quo when I was in school.
Things got better between my moms generation and mine, so why is my daughters generation getting shafted?
Rather than letting our public education system get nickle and dimed to death I feel its time for Canadians to decide what kind of system we really want to invest in.
I want to make the case that a holistic public education system is far more beneficial to Sasha's generation than a competition based model, and then encourage Canadians to be part of the debate in their own communities to help shape the sustainable "21st Century Learning" that every child in our nation deserves.
3.15.2011
gogo complete - we're still a go
Enjoying a drink while watching the gogo clock countdown to 0.
We want to express our gratitude and say cheers to the contributers of our 1st fundraising campaign that helped us raise $2500 so far ($900 donated to Saucy Side Productions directly due to this campaign on top of the $1600 on indiegogo)...enough to rent some equipment and start filming again for a little while. :)
We are also grateful to everyone who 'liked' the campaign, got friends to join our facebook group (please keep encouraging others to join as this helps us with the "look we have an audience for this!" part of our proposal!), shared with their friends via email, twitter and their own web sites...you all helped generate some interest in the project while providing encouragement for us to see this through!
We want to express our gratitude and say cheers to the contributers of our 1st fundraising campaign that helped us raise $2500 so far ($900 donated to Saucy Side Productions directly due to this campaign on top of the $1600 on indiegogo)...enough to rent some equipment and start filming again for a little while. :)
We are also grateful to everyone who 'liked' the campaign, got friends to join our facebook group (please keep encouraging others to join as this helps us with the "look we have an audience for this!" part of our proposal!), shared with their friends via email, twitter and their own web sites...you all helped generate some interest in the project while providing encouragement for us to see this through!
In the final couple of weeks we sparked a competition by offering up a VIP perk for the person with the most referals to our site (next time I'll do this from the get go), and Jim Gorman was our lucky winner of the "high school" level perk - yay Jim for your awesome work helping us spread the word!!
I'm happy to no longer have the countdown clock ticking away, to have one less thing to stress about, and even happier that our team has the means to keep moving forward with production of our documentary!
If any of you feel like making a contribution to the project now that the indiegogo campaign is complete, you can make contributions via paypal directly on our educate-me.ca web site, or by contacting me at kathy@educate-me.ca.
I will continue to update this blog and the facebook group page for any of you who want to follow along with us to the journey's end.
be well
Kathy
be well
Kathy
on behalf of the whole Saucy Side Productions team - thank you!!
March 16 update: you can now donate via the paypal button on this blog located on the right side. Just in case you're itching to contribute right away, hehe
March 16 update: you can now donate via the paypal button on this blog located on the right side. Just in case you're itching to contribute right away, hehe
2.27.2011
2 weeks to gogo!!
Our grassroots fundraising campaign at indiegogo.com/educate-me is only 2 weeks away from completion!
Visit indiegogo.com/educate-me - to watch the trailer and other little clips we've posted! We will continue to post a few more updates and clips over the last two weeks of the campaign.
We need you to spread the word!! Be sure to 'like' it and 'share' it with your network of friends and family! (if you've already shared - thank you! - and please share again!)
Online keeners please 'join' the facebook group and 'tweet' away! Help us show there is an audience for a documentary exploring the privatization of our public education system!
Online keeners please 'join' the facebook group and 'tweet' away! Help us show there is an audience for a documentary exploring the privatization of our public education system!
We know there are way too many things to contribute towards these days (cancer research, environmental protection, disaster relief efforts, homelessness & poverty...) and if you're a parent you probably have fundraising of your own to do to cover something important for your school as well. But if you do have the means to spare any amount to our production, please take advantage of one our great VIP Perks by making a contribution today! T-shirts, signed DVD's, film credits and private screenings - what kind of perk would you like for your donation? ; )
Gratitude for all of you who choose to support our "Educate Me!?" project in whatever ways you can.
2.20.2011
on with production
When I came up with the idea for this documentary a few years back, I really had no idea what making a film actually entails. Among the many things I've learned on the fly I have found that the creative process is hard to rush and there are always setbacks to work through. And trying to fund a project as a first time filmmaker is near impossible. So much competition with highly qualified experts who also have amazing ideas to develop...and not enough grants or other funds to cover even a small percentage of them thanks to continued budget cuts to arts and culture in Canada.
So I have plugged away at this, grateful for the help of friends with enough experience to guide me to each next step I need to climb. The learning curve has been steep and at times overwhelming while juggling family, friends, 3 part time jobs, a few volunteer hats and other distracting ups and downs life throws our way. Well, the volunteer hats have fallen off as I want to be effective when I give my time and I wasn't anymore. But that gave me the energy I need to put all my extra time into finally getting this project done!
I'm lucky to have pulled together a team (Jessica, Cindy and David) that provides me with great motivation and the combined skills to do this in a professional way - could not do this on my own!! We now have a production schedule that continues to fill with interviews and other filming and things to do that will keep us busy for the next few of months, and with much gratitude to the first bunch of donations we can even pay for some equipment rental to do things right...at least for a few days!
With only 3 weeks left of the indiegogo.com/educate-me campaign we're still a long way from our fundraising goals at this point, but it sure feels good that it has continued to spread a little further every week and awareness of the project is growing. If you haven't shared it with your networks yet - please do so now! :)
To entice you to visit the indiegogo.com/educate-me page (and to return for another look if you've seen it already) I have posted a few video clips of random things we thought worth sharing in the Gallery, and we'll continue to add more clips through the final weeks of the campaign. Let me know what you think.
So I have plugged away at this, grateful for the help of friends with enough experience to guide me to each next step I need to climb. The learning curve has been steep and at times overwhelming while juggling family, friends, 3 part time jobs, a few volunteer hats and other distracting ups and downs life throws our way. Well, the volunteer hats have fallen off as I want to be effective when I give my time and I wasn't anymore. But that gave me the energy I need to put all my extra time into finally getting this project done!
I'm lucky to have pulled together a team (Jessica, Cindy and David) that provides me with great motivation and the combined skills to do this in a professional way - could not do this on my own!! We now have a production schedule that continues to fill with interviews and other filming and things to do that will keep us busy for the next few of months, and with much gratitude to the first bunch of donations we can even pay for some equipment rental to do things right...at least for a few days!
With only 3 weeks left of the indiegogo.com/educate-me campaign we're still a long way from our fundraising goals at this point, but it sure feels good that it has continued to spread a little further every week and awareness of the project is growing. If you haven't shared it with your networks yet - please do so now! :)
To entice you to visit the indiegogo.com/educate-me page (and to return for another look if you've seen it already) I have posted a few video clips of random things we thought worth sharing in the Gallery, and we'll continue to add more clips through the final weeks of the campaign. Let me know what you think.
2.09.2011
the trailer is a gogo!
After two weeks of editing footage I've collected over the past couple of years, I finally have a rough cut trailer to share. Hope you all enjoy my editing debut, with many thanks to all of my Saucy Side team for their direction and support along the way, and all the people who have participated so far!
We still have many interviews and other things to capture on film before we actually create the theatrical trailer to showcase the full documentary once its closer to completion.
In the mean time, I will use the rest of the footage I have to add little clips of interest to continue to attract attention to our indiegogo.com/educate-me fundraising campaign page and help us reach our production goals!
I'm full of gratitude to the folks who were first to make contributions towards our project by taking advantage of our VIP perks! Every little bit makes a difference! Can't wait to do a private screening for any people or groups that donate $1000 or more (nudge, nudge to all you groups with some room in your budgets to contribute to a doc like this!).
Remember the campaign ends on March 15th so enjoy the VIP Perks while you can and donate today!
Also crazy thankful for all my friends who have spread the word: 'liked' and 'shared' the campaign with their networks thru email, facebook (join the group!) and by posting on their sites, as well as chatting the doc up with people they see day-to-day...all of these efforts mean the world to me
The money is crucial to helping us get this done as an independent project, but its also a big help to simply show their is an audience for a film that explores the impacts of privatization on our education system in Canada.
I would love your feedback if you have thoughts to share about the trailer, or the project in general. Send me a note kathy@educate-me.ca
We still have many interviews and other things to capture on film before we actually create the theatrical trailer to showcase the full documentary once its closer to completion.
In the mean time, I will use the rest of the footage I have to add little clips of interest to continue to attract attention to our indiegogo.com/educate-me fundraising campaign page and help us reach our production goals!
I'm full of gratitude to the folks who were first to make contributions towards our project by taking advantage of our VIP perks! Every little bit makes a difference! Can't wait to do a private screening for any people or groups that donate $1000 or more (nudge, nudge to all you groups with some room in your budgets to contribute to a doc like this!).
Remember the campaign ends on March 15th so enjoy the VIP Perks while you can and donate today!
Also crazy thankful for all my friends who have spread the word: 'liked' and 'shared' the campaign with their networks thru email, facebook (join the group!) and by posting on their sites, as well as chatting the doc up with people they see day-to-day...all of these efforts mean the world to me
The money is crucial to helping us get this done as an independent project, but its also a big help to simply show their is an audience for a film that explores the impacts of privatization on our education system in Canada.
I would love your feedback if you have thoughts to share about the trailer, or the project in general. Send me a note kathy@educate-me.ca
1.09.2011
here we gogo
I've been researching and developing my ideas for "Educate Me!?" for a couple of years now. After a lot of talking, listening, reading, writing, pitching, and plenty of constructive revisions to these ideas along the way, my team and I are ready to finish this project with a whirlwind of filming and editing to be complete by summertime!
To help me keep this going as an independent production I've decided to use a grassroots campaign for fundraising and to get the job done! I've chosen Indiegogo to help me 'do it with others' (that is their motto) and make it easier for people to contribute in a variety of ways. ;)
I have posted the pitch and other info on our page www.indiegogo.com/Educate-Me. Along with this blog, the Indiegogo page will be the hub for finding out all that is new with the production over the next few months as I will post some video clips of interest to it often. They also offer a variety of helpful tools you can use to share the project with everyone you know...and of course you can easily make a donation to the project and take advantage of some VIP Perks!
What We Need & Why
The money raised thru Indiegogo (and thru donations made directly to Saucy Side Productions if you prefer) will be used to cover equipment rentals, legal fees, travel costs for our final destinations, payment for the hard work of my crew (can't ask everyone to volunteer all their time!) and other production costs I can't fund myself.
Please contact me at kathy@educate-me.ca if you are interested in further details regarding our budget.
Other Ways You Can Help
Aside from making a donation and taking advantage of one our great Indiegogo VIP perks (you know you want to!), we could really use your help spreading the word about the "Educate Me!?" project through your networks!
Feel free to use any of the sharing tools found on our Indiegogo page to ask your friends and family to make a donation and pass it on! The more people who 'like' us, 'share' us, 'join' us (on facebook) and 'tweet' about us, the better!! Virtual hugs and much gratitude for every person you pass this info forward to :)
To help us keep our costs low, another way you can help is by feeding our team or finding us comfy rooms to sleep in during our 3 month whirlwind of travel to collect our final footage and interviews (I'll do dishes to contribute in kind!). Contact me at kathy@educate-me.ca for more information if you think you can help us out with sustenance and good company along the way. Cheers!
Remember: visit www.indiegogo.com/Educate-Me to make a contribution of any size, use the tools to share the project with everyone you know, read the pitch, see the trailer (will be up soon) and for regular updates on the production of the documentary! There will also be many opportunities for you to add your voice to this project if you’re keen to do so...stay tuned for details!
Here we gogo! And with a little help from our friends (like you!) 2011 will be the year that “Educate Me!?” gets to spark some great national debate on whether Canadians feel education should be a public trust or a market choice.
I’m always happy to hear your thoughts, questions and suggestions – please keep that feedback coming friends. Many thanks for your continued support! :)
Be well
Kathy
To help me keep this going as an independent production I've decided to use a grassroots campaign for fundraising and to get the job done! I've chosen Indiegogo to help me 'do it with others' (that is their motto) and make it easier for people to contribute in a variety of ways. ;)
I have posted the pitch and other info on our page www.indiegogo.com/Educate-Me. Along with this blog, the Indiegogo page will be the hub for finding out all that is new with the production over the next few months as I will post some video clips of interest to it often. They also offer a variety of helpful tools you can use to share the project with everyone you know...and of course you can easily make a donation to the project and take advantage of some VIP Perks!
What We Need & Why
The money raised thru Indiegogo (and thru donations made directly to Saucy Side Productions if you prefer) will be used to cover equipment rentals, legal fees, travel costs for our final destinations, payment for the hard work of my crew (can't ask everyone to volunteer all their time!) and other production costs I can't fund myself.
Please contact me at kathy@educate-me.ca if you are interested in further details regarding our budget.
Other Ways You Can Help
Aside from making a donation and taking advantage of one our great Indiegogo VIP perks (you know you want to!), we could really use your help spreading the word about the "Educate Me!?" project through your networks!
Feel free to use any of the sharing tools found on our Indiegogo page to ask your friends and family to make a donation and pass it on! The more people who 'like' us, 'share' us, 'join' us (on facebook) and 'tweet' about us, the better!! Virtual hugs and much gratitude for every person you pass this info forward to :)
To help us keep our costs low, another way you can help is by feeding our team or finding us comfy rooms to sleep in during our 3 month whirlwind of travel to collect our final footage and interviews (I'll do dishes to contribute in kind!). Contact me at kathy@educate-me.ca for more information if you think you can help us out with sustenance and good company along the way. Cheers!
Remember: visit www.indiegogo.com/Educate-Me to make a contribution of any size, use the tools to share the project with everyone you know, read the pitch, see the trailer (will be up soon) and for regular updates on the production of the documentary! There will also be many opportunities for you to add your voice to this project if you’re keen to do so...stay tuned for details!
Here we gogo! And with a little help from our friends (like you!) 2011 will be the year that “Educate Me!?” gets to spark some great national debate on whether Canadians feel education should be a public trust or a market choice.
I’m always happy to hear your thoughts, questions and suggestions – please keep that feedback coming friends. Many thanks for your continued support! :)
Be well
Kathy
1.02.2011
why "Educate Me!?"
My introduction to education issues began in 2002 when I had the privilege to be one of five panel members traveling around British Columbia in search of the principles of public education. At the end of our journey we published the Charter for Public Education which is a document that now belongs to the public, along with a full report that expanded on each of these principles with details from our hearings.
An experience that was life changing for me in many ways! Listening to over 1500 people of all ages from all walks of life around this province. All of them sharing their frustrations and their visions for what public education could be, and should be.
This was also the time that I was introduced to the fears that many people have around the privatization of public education. As a fan of documentaries the seed was planted in my mind for a project that would explore this subject in a new way. In the 8 years since the Charter was published I've learned a few things that have helped propel me to see this project come to life.
One thing I've learned is that the stakeholders, such as the teachers, trustees, principals, superintendents and support staff (all those people involved in the day to day work of education) can't do a project like this on their own without being written off as a "special interest" group.
While I have been actively involved with the Charter for Public Education Network (CPEN), the organization we founded to keep the dialogue started with the Charter process going, I have found it a challenge to discuss the principles with those who want to dismiss the entire process because it was initially funded by the BC Teachers federation. (BCTF)
The reason I remained committed to CPEN for many years is because I wanted to make sure the voices of all the community members we heard from weren't written off because some people believe its just a tool for the teachers union. (fyi, the only stakeholder who didn't have any time for the Charter for Public Education process was the provincial Ministry of Education. The Minister of the day declined many invitations by our panel to share her thoughts on the principles of public education with us)
Another thing I've learned is that each of the stakeholder groups is caught up in their own important issues of class size, tuition hikes, special needs supports, safety, technology, maintenance and other problems which are really symptoms of a bigger challenge they all face. Everyone is dealing with continued budget cuts which sometimes has them fighting each other for needed resources.
My theory is that we can nickle and dime our education system to death, or we can invest in the system we want.
Well, what kind of system DO we want?
Lately there is a big push for more and more 'school choice' which I'm worried about. I wonder how much choice we can offer and still be able to provide quality for all learners. And here lies that slippery slope to free market reform: if parents are going to 'shop' around for the 'best' school for their child, why not just hand them the money and let them really shop?
I'm someone who suffers a wee bit of shopping anxiety, even more so when I have too much choice, which is one reason I'm nervous about this path. Do we really have that much to worry about that we need to shop? Why aren't we simply investing in quality neighbourhood schools so children can be educated in their home community?
Another reason the market approach makes me nervous is that we need to consider who we want controlling our education system, and why. If we treat education like just another free market service, who is liable when things go wrong? And does competition between schools for students and funding really improve learning outcomes?
These are the issues I want to spark debate around with Canadians.
While I still believe in the Charter for Public Education as an effective tool for dialogue, I also want to provide something a little less 'mom and apple pie'. This is the other dismissive line that I hear when some people look at the principles it expresses. I'm a big fan of moms and apple pie, and I'm also a believer in having things we can aspire towards to help us progress as a human society. We shouldn't be afraid of things that are visionary in their ideal and that give us something to live up to.
When my daughter starts kindergarten in the fall my focus will turn to the local once again, and along with getting involved with the school Parent Advisory Council (PAC) I'll likely reconnect with CPEN as I really enjoy talking with people about the principles, which ones they agree with, don't agree with and why? Which ones reflect the reality in their schools and communities?
Now is my time to explore the big picture and finish my quest to understand the politics of the privatization debate and share my findings with others who are keen to talk about the pros and cons of a public or a private system overall.
My hope is that my documentary will provide another tool for dialogue that people can use when organizing in their communities, as well as a little something that will encourage all Canadians to value what our public education system already contributes to our society...and what it might look like if we invest in its full potential for all learners.
An experience that was life changing for me in many ways! Listening to over 1500 people of all ages from all walks of life around this province. All of them sharing their frustrations and their visions for what public education could be, and should be.
This was also the time that I was introduced to the fears that many people have around the privatization of public education. As a fan of documentaries the seed was planted in my mind for a project that would explore this subject in a new way. In the 8 years since the Charter was published I've learned a few things that have helped propel me to see this project come to life.
One thing I've learned is that the stakeholders, such as the teachers, trustees, principals, superintendents and support staff (all those people involved in the day to day work of education) can't do a project like this on their own without being written off as a "special interest" group.
While I have been actively involved with the Charter for Public Education Network (CPEN), the organization we founded to keep the dialogue started with the Charter process going, I have found it a challenge to discuss the principles with those who want to dismiss the entire process because it was initially funded by the BC Teachers federation. (BCTF)
The reason I remained committed to CPEN for many years is because I wanted to make sure the voices of all the community members we heard from weren't written off because some people believe its just a tool for the teachers union. (fyi, the only stakeholder who didn't have any time for the Charter for Public Education process was the provincial Ministry of Education. The Minister of the day declined many invitations by our panel to share her thoughts on the principles of public education with us)
Another thing I've learned is that each of the stakeholder groups is caught up in their own important issues of class size, tuition hikes, special needs supports, safety, technology, maintenance and other problems which are really symptoms of a bigger challenge they all face. Everyone is dealing with continued budget cuts which sometimes has them fighting each other for needed resources.
My theory is that we can nickle and dime our education system to death, or we can invest in the system we want.
Well, what kind of system DO we want?
Lately there is a big push for more and more 'school choice' which I'm worried about. I wonder how much choice we can offer and still be able to provide quality for all learners. And here lies that slippery slope to free market reform: if parents are going to 'shop' around for the 'best' school for their child, why not just hand them the money and let them really shop?
I'm someone who suffers a wee bit of shopping anxiety, even more so when I have too much choice, which is one reason I'm nervous about this path. Do we really have that much to worry about that we need to shop? Why aren't we simply investing in quality neighbourhood schools so children can be educated in their home community?
Another reason the market approach makes me nervous is that we need to consider who we want controlling our education system, and why. If we treat education like just another free market service, who is liable when things go wrong? And does competition between schools for students and funding really improve learning outcomes?
These are the issues I want to spark debate around with Canadians.
While I still believe in the Charter for Public Education as an effective tool for dialogue, I also want to provide something a little less 'mom and apple pie'. This is the other dismissive line that I hear when some people look at the principles it expresses. I'm a big fan of moms and apple pie, and I'm also a believer in having things we can aspire towards to help us progress as a human society. We shouldn't be afraid of things that are visionary in their ideal and that give us something to live up to.
When my daughter starts kindergarten in the fall my focus will turn to the local once again, and along with getting involved with the school Parent Advisory Council (PAC) I'll likely reconnect with CPEN as I really enjoy talking with people about the principles, which ones they agree with, don't agree with and why? Which ones reflect the reality in their schools and communities?
Now is my time to explore the big picture and finish my quest to understand the politics of the privatization debate and share my findings with others who are keen to talk about the pros and cons of a public or a private system overall.
My hope is that my documentary will provide another tool for dialogue that people can use when organizing in their communities, as well as a little something that will encourage all Canadians to value what our public education system already contributes to our society...and what it might look like if we invest in its full potential for all learners.
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