Yet Another New Education Minister Tries To Tame The Beasts!

A new Minister of Education – the fifth in 9 years – has just been appointed (Oct 25/10) in British Columbia, Canada.

The field of education reform is rife with pitfalls – lurking dangers and ferocious adversaries. Any education reformer these days has their hands full.  This has never been better captured than in this cartoon by David Parkins of the Globe and Mail, a national newspaper in Canada.

Both Parkins and the author of the article “The new kid in school: Abbott readies for education challenges” are to be applauded for getting the cartoon and story so spot-on!  See story HERE  

Look at the cartoon – threatening jungle beasts, hooded eyes, no smiley faces, gritted gnashing teeth –  all facing a “Hi, glad to meet you.” sweet George Abbott, the new Education Minister. (Find 3 other sets of eyes – lurking in the background, scared and leery.) 

OOPS, what’s that slimy, gooey, slippery green stuff he’s just about to step in?

The story by Justine Hunter cautions that the new  “affable” Minister will have to be a skilled “mediator, tactful disciplinarian and ever-so-patient educator.”  She mentions that at least two of the “beasts” he will have to deal with are the “BC Teachers’ Federation [which] has warred with government of every stripe” and the school boards with their “insatiable” demands.

Mr. Abbott will need all the sympathy, support and encouragement we can provide as he deals with the education snake pit in BC.

(UPDATE:  A number of people close to education scenarios in BC have commented how apt and pertinent the cartoon is.  Someone did add that the only creatures missing in the cartoon are Hyenas!)