What's up with the doc?

is coming to a town near you in 2010!

The documentary project I've been working on for the past two years (which I've mentioned many times since meeting Tanya on the picket lines where the ideas for the documentary began) is now getting ready to hit the road, and you my dear friends and family (and random Canadians that visit this blog now and then) have a chance to have your say and help "Educate Me!?" in the process. :)

Next year Mark, Sasha and I will begin a road trip journey around Canada and back again to sit with people coast to coast at their kitchen tables and hear what they have to say about public education. My quest is to find out what it would take for all Canadian parents to simply say with enthusiasm "I can't wait for my child to go to our community school!" Is such a thing possible in our nation of diversity?
After two years of development (plenty of soul searching, research, seeking of feedback, submitting of ideas, writing writing and more writing...and even more editing) the project has evolved and now I know we're on the right path with it. The family road trip, and the circles of people who invite me into their homes, will provide the basis for the documentary which follows our family journey.

The footage collected during the casual conversations across the country on what education is for, how people feel about the system as it is now, and what potential they feel there is for the future, along with other material will also be used for a follow up series which explores the big political and cultural issues I hope to unravel with this project.

While it may be true that there are many hard obstacles to overcome for an education system everyone can be happy with, I know we are capable of achieving this lofty goal one day. But we need new frames to the debate, and we need to become comfortable with thinking outside the simple 'school as a building' box.

I believe the time has come for all Canadians to really participate in a more meaningful dialogue. I know the thirst for a deeper discussion is out there, and I want to build on the process that lead to the development of the Charter for Public Education, a journey into communities province wide to listen to a vision of what public education can be, and an experience that changed my life. My path since then has me following my desire to carry this dialogue further and further. Beyond the amazing debates that exist within and between stakeholders, which influence change at a snails pace when all come from different sides. For genuine progress to occur, and to get the most bang for our buck in tough economic times, we need to get beyond what the talking heads have to say...now its your turn!

When Sasha starts school in 2 years, my life will become even more community focused. I know I will committ time to her school as an active PAC member, and maybe one day I'll let someone finally twist my arm and seek the votes of the people for a chance to put my education knowledge to use for our school district as a trustee. I've enough positive role models at all levels to feel comfortable with the ways I can be a helpful influence on Sasha's learning experience along the way.

Before I put all my focus on the local level though, I need to put a whole lot of energy into my compulsive need to find answers to the big picture issues that have parents everywhere debating education options for their children. Quality education is right for all of our children, so why do we even have to 'shop' for schools at all? I feel the answers lie in our lack of common ground on what 'quality' means, and wonder if our diverse nation can find any consensus on the matter.

So now we turn to the people, yourself included, and say "what do you think?". The small casual conversations we will film across Canada will be focused on trying to provide as many views as possible by having a diverse range of age and exprience at each table. The response I'm receiving so far has been amazingly encouraging, with people from many provinces and diverse backgrounds eager to participate. I'm more confident than ever that this will be a huge challenge, and also a rewarding one. The learning curve to get my documetary project idea this far has been enormous and now I feel ready for whatever unfolds as we take it to the next level.

A road trip I could never consider taking without your support of my ideas as this project has evolved. And a journey I could never do without taking my family along for the ride...our grandest adventure yet! We are still looking for people interested in participating in many provinces so please spread the word...and we look forward to seeing you along our way :D

Please visit www.educate-me.ca/thedoc.htm for more of the project overview, and feel free to share any thoughts, feedback, statements of support and other queries with me at kathy@educate-me.ca

More updates to come...for now, back to your regular blog viewing enjoyment with more pics and stories of Sasha and life in general in the posts to come. Hugs of gratitude for your support and encouragement! OOOOO