If future students have more time to critically think about education, are working towards reconciliation with Indigenous people and have fewer standardized tests, they may have some current Gleneagle students to thank.
A group of School District 43 leadership students was picked to attend the ninth annual International Working Group Meeting for the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Education Project 2030, with the idea of helping shape the future of education for member countries.
And judging by a recent interview with the teens Renée Boldut, Lucas Hung, Yahya Kahlid, Jiwon Hwang and Jay Hamidova, they weren’t wallflowers but articulate contributors to the discussion.
The students told The Tri-City News they were among a group of 30 students asked to give their ideas about the future of education for the working group that will eventually distill the input into a recommendations for teaching strategies and courses that should be taught to students to achieve success.
Many of the students who attended hailed from countries that have a lot of exams and the Gleneagle students said they came to appreciate B.C.’s diverse curriculum, which focuses more on competencies than content.
The Gleneagle students were asked about what makes good teachers, about their work/life balance, how social media can be used to engage students more and how social and emotional learning should be embedded in curriculum.
“It made us realize how lucky we are,” Hamidova told The Tri-City News.
Among the issues raised was B.C.’s emphasis on Indigenous learning principles, colonial history and the importance of reconciliation, which the students said, was embraced by other students as something that should be done worldwide.
Students were also asked to talk about their weekly schedules, with some commenting that high school life is too busy and that there’s not enough time to relax and reflect.
“We have no time to ourselves,” Hamidova said.
Hwang said one of the things she learned at the conference was how long it takes to change something, like an education system, but how important it is to at least try to achieve progress.
“It’s slow and there’s so many things to consider,” Hwang said.
Hung said attending the conference was valuable to have a say in something so important and was also a relief to know that despite international tensions, there’s a global effort to improve lives for people through education.
“It’s very comforting and reassuring,” Hung said.
