Christopher Alcantara's blog

Seniority is a lousy way to hire teachers

Submitted by Christopher Alc... on Wed, 04/20/2016 - 23:56

As we move into teacher hiring season, it’s time for Ontario policymakers to take a hard look at Regulation 274, which makes seniority the ruling principle in hiring.

Imagine, for a minute, that you’re a recent university graduate and you get a job as a bank teller in Toronto. Over the next 10 years, you work hard at the bank and earn local, provincial and even national recognition for your work. Customers love you, co-workers look up to you, and supervisors praise your contributions to the branch.

Source: 
Toronto Star

Indigenous Origins in the "Americas"

Submitted by Christopher Alc... on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 13:19

The two main arguments centre around: Indigenous people have always been here since time immorial or that they came from Asia across a land or ice bridge.

By I have never heard anyone make the argument that some Indigenous people came here by boat!

http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/2/4/e1501385.full

Here's the abstract:

Mandatory Indigenous Studies Classes: A Debate over the Role of Universities

Submitted by Christopher Alc... on Wed, 02/24/2016 - 13:43

Over on the Northern Public Affairs blog, there is a great piece on some of the dangers of instituting mandatory Indigenous Studies courses at the university level.  

For me, the key theme in the essay is the role of universities.  Should they be places that challenge students to question their beliefs? Or should they be places that reinforce certain dogmas?

Don’t change how Canadians vote

Submitted by Christopher Alc... on Mon, 01/18/2016 - 10:54

There's an old saying in Canada that if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

According to Prime Minister Trudeau and many others, however, our electoral system is broken.

The fact that a political party can win 100 per cent of the power with less than 50 per cent of the vote is a huge problem for those who worry about the tyranny of majority governments and wasted votes.

But does this mean our electoral system is broken and needs to be replaced?

The answer is no.

Source: 
Waterloo Region Record

The Rumours are True...

Submitted by Christopher Alc... on Fri, 12/11/2015 - 06:56

I am leaving WLU to take a position at Western University.

Last year, I decided to go on the market.  Why? Well, I figured this might be my last chance to consider moving for some time, given the scarcity of associate jobs (and there happened to be two associate jobs last year) and more importantly, my kids are starting to get older (thus making a move more difficult for them as each year passes).