Michael Zwaagstra is a senior fellow at the Frontier Centre and public high school teacher. He received his Bachelor of Education and Master of Education from the University of Manitoba and Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Liberty University in Virginia. He is the author of A Sage on the Stage: Common Sense Reflections on Teaching and Learning, and co-author of What’s Wrong with Our Schools and How We Can Fix Them. He is a frequent author of education policy research and newspaper columns across Canada. His research mainly focuses on curricula, teaching instruction and public education. Michael’s research and commentary have been featured in radio, television and newspapers across the country. Michael lives with his wife and children in Steinbach, Manitoba.
Artificial intelligence has come a long way. Unlike the rudimentary software of the past, modern-day programs such as ChatGPT are truly impressive. Whether you need a 1,000-word essay summarizing the history of Manitoba, a 500-word article extolling the virtues of...
The Grade 12 provincial math and English exams are coming back to Manitoba. While they were suspended for several years during the COVID-19 pandemic, the province recently announced plans to reinstate them next year. Not everyone is happy to see these exams returning....
The good news is that inflation appears to be slowing down. The bad news is that no one seems to have told the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) since they plan to impose a 17.64 percent fee hike on all Ontario teachers this year. Unsurprisingly, teachers are not...
If there was a prize for the most dysfunctional school board in the country, the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) would be a serious contender. Not content with the chaos and divisiveness that took place last year, WRDSB trustees appear determined to...
Artificial intelligence has come a long way. Unlike the rudimentary software of the past, modern-day programs such as ChatGPT are truly impressive. Whether you need a 1,000-word essay summarizing the history of Manitoba, a 500-word article extolling the virtues of...
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a recent rush visit to the Saskatchewan Research Council’s experimental rare earth refining facility in Saskatoon. He touted his government’s efforts to promote rare earth discovery, development, and extraction, along with the...
The Manitoba government recently released its back-to-school plan. As with all COVID-related things, people are bitterly divided on the merits of this plan. Before jumping into this debate, I propose we accept two premises. First, everyone wants students to be safe,...
More than 500 years ago, Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press revolutionized the world of letters. Instead of having to painstakingly copy books by hand, books could be printed by the thousands. The very first book that came off Gutenberg’s printing press was the...
If you visit the website of any Canadian teachers’ union, you might think that all teachers reside on the far left of the political spectrum. For example, the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) is not shy about taking left-leaning stands on controversial...
The Vancouver School Board (VSB) strives for excellence in educating students. At least that’s what its vision statement says. However, the VSB’s recent decision to cancel all of its math and science honours programs calls this commitment into question. Instead of...
Principals and teachers should not be in the same union. That was a key recommendation of the K-12 Education Review Commission report. Clearly, the Manitoba government has taken this recommendation to heart. Bill 64, the Education Modernization Act, proposes to...
I’ve flown on a lot of planes over the years. Each one of them landed safely, thanks to the pilots in the cockpit. However, I don’t remember the name of a single one of those pilots. Nor do I recall their gender, race, sexual orientation, or religion. That’s because...
Think back to last August when Manitoba announced its back-to-school plan. Critics argued the plan to reopen schools would put students and teachers at risk of catching COVID-19. Not surprisingly, opposition politicians denounced the plan. Despite these criticisms,...
Everyone likes positive affirmation. It’s nice knowing that while the rest of the world has gone crazy, your friends have your back. It feels even better when you have thousands of friends agreeing with everything you say. Frankly, that is the power of social media,...
“Amen and awoman.” This was how a U.S. congressman concluded a prayer recently in the House of Representatives. No doubt he meant to be inclusive of both men and women. However, he sounded ridiculous. That’s because the word “amen” comes from Hebrew and means “so...