A local parent is “blown away” by the support her dyslexic son receives in the Burnaby school district compared to New Westminster and says the improvement is due to a cultural difference between the two districts.
Lisa Chao told The Recordthat she has noticed a marked difference in the way teachers talk to her and how they focus on students. And it’s showing in her son’s performance, she said.
“He made the principal’s honour – that means that he has an average of over 90 per cent,” she explained.
But Chao doesn't blame New Westminster teachers, instead saying that sagging morale is related to the district’s ongoing budget woes, which have put relentless stress on teachers and reduced support for special needs students (the district cut 27 special education assistants this year).
"I don't want to say anything bad about the high school teachers, but I think after a while where you have yet another deficit coming and more cuts coming, this has happened year after year and not feeling like you necessarily have the support of the board, I think it shows in the workplace," she said.
When Chao sat down with teachers to talk about her kids – she has four – with New Westminster teachers, the focus was on what they can do as teachers and what Chao's role was at home. It's a different discussion in Burnaby, she said.
"When I was speaking with the teachers at Byrne Creek, and that was all of them across the board, the overwhelming attitude was tell me about your child so we can support them," Chao said. "The emphasis seems to be much more on the school than this is what you need to do at home."
The shift has made a difference in the support her son receives. One of the main differences she cites is the fact that her son, who's in Grade 8, gets a support block in Burnaby. A support block is one class where students don't have curriculum and they have a resource teacher to help. This was something that wasn't available to him in New Westminster because her son was doing well enough academically that his performance didn't warrant one, Chao said.
"Whereas in Byrne Creek they recognize although he might be doing well enough, he's not achieving to his potential," she said.
Chao has been a vocal critic of New Westminster in the past. She had an issue with a math teacher and her marking at the high school a couple of years ago. She is also a past member of the district parent advisory council – a group that had an adversarial relationship with the district in the past.
Chao lives in the Herbert Spencer Elementary catchment, but her sons attended school (her youngest still does) across town at Connaught Heights Elementary, a school she has been very pleased with.
Because of its proximity to the Connaught neighbourhood, a number of Connaught students do typically attend Byrne Creek, but for Chao it's still a trek to the Burnaby school, located in the Edmonds neighbourhood.
Not surprisingly, Chao loves the idea of amalgamating Burnaby and New Westminster into one school district.
New Westminster Teachers’ Union president Grant Osborne could not be reached for comment at press time.
New Westminster board of education chair Jonina Campbell was unable to comment at press time.
There are a number of students who make the trek from Burnaby to attend school in New Westminster, though the district’s secretary-treasurer Al Balanuik could not be reached to provide that number or say if the district tracks the figure.
