Recently, I participated in a meeting where Manitoba Education shared some basic information about the new Manitoba K-12 Education Action Plan. The plan has been in the works since 2018 and has included a lot of discussion and consultation from many people over the past few years.
The vision for this plan begins with a description of “The Good Life”. What is “The Good Life”? It includes concepts such as hope, belonging, well-being, having a voice, feeling safe, having healthy relationships, interacting respectfully with nature, etc. These goals are foundational for a good life, for all of us.
The action plan also includes goals to support mental health and wellness, which is something we have not always prioritized. They suggest that, “Mental health and well-being, particularly as part of responding to the impacts of the pandemic, and identifying actions to remove barriers to participation in learning, including a focus on the effects of poverty on education and student engagement” (p. 14). It is also the first provincial document that I have seen, which mentions taking care of teachers, which is essential to the sustainability of our education system.
There is much more to the document than I can mention here, but it appears to have a number of important goals and a hopeful vision for the future of education in Manitoba. I hope to learn more about this action plan in the near future as Hanover School Division begins to dive into the document and discusses how it will be implemented in our communities.
Sincerely,
Dale Martens
Principal
in: General