Michael Zwaagstra

The revised and expanded version of my book, A Sage on the Stage, is now available from @JohncattUsa. us.johncattbookshop.com/collections/fr…

"Instead of assuming that teachers will create their own content, curriculum guides must be heavy on subject-specific content so that all students develop a common base of knowledge." frontiercentre.org/2026/04/04/sch…

@JasminLaine_ @FoodProfessor There's no greater reward for a teacher than to see one of his former students being successful in life. You are doing very well, Jasmin. Keep it up! m.youtube.com/watch?v=dGU-RQ…

That also reminds me of when I was speaking at a provincial conservative event, and saw my favourite high school teacher in the front row. He had no idea I was in his classes until we started chatting more about other students etc, then it all clicked! He’s since joined me for an interview… what a lovely full circle moment!

I occasionally receive emails like this ⬇️from former media professionals—now retired and finally able to speak freely. I’ve withheld the name for obvious reasons. This one comes from a very well-known figure. Thought I’d share this one with my followers tonight.

I recently did a long-form interview with Pedro Wolf. We discussed my personal background, my nearly 20 years of service on Steinbach City Council, my philosophy of education, and why I'm running for the PC nomination in the Steinbach Constituency. youtu.be/gKbRabH00os?si…

"Clearly, requiring students to write regular tests is the best way to ensure students are being fairly assessed on their own work, rather than on work done by AI." fraserinstitute.org/commentary/sch…

"Don't let students get away with disrespecting teachers. If you ignore this problem, it will only become worse." winnipegsun.com/opinion/zwaags…

"If we want students to develop critical thinking skills, we need them to read entire books, not just short excerpts." fraserinstitute.org/commentary/stu…

"Students don't need fancy tablets to learn how to read, nor do they need Chromebooks to do basic math. As for written assignments, there's nothing wrong with using old-fashioned pen and paper." trendingpolitics.ca/many-b-c-schoo…

"Students are far more likely to become strong readers when teachers use the most effective reading instruction methods." fraserinstitute.org/commentary/scr…

"Clearly, professional judgment is one of the most important things teachers need to have." winnipegsun.com/opinion/one-ba…

"The last thing we need in Canada is to import failed educational theories from the United States." fraserinstitute.org/commentary/so-…

"Students need to continue learning their math facts, and they also need to memorize plenty of historical and scientific facts." winnipegsun.com/opinion/column…

"AI is here to stay, but this doesn't mean schools should let this new technology take over the classroom." fraserinstitute.org/commentary/sch…

"But if we recognize that specialization is a good thing, especially in high school, then we will keep at least some streaming in place." fraserinstitute.org/commentary/pol…

"Recognizing top students at graduation sends an important message: academic excellence matters." winnipegsun.com/opinion/zwaags…

"Simply put, teacher strikes should not be part of how education disputes are resolved." troymedia.com/viewpoint/sick…

"Thus, if we are serious about cracking down on academic dishonesty, we should ensure that final exams remain for all high school subjects." winnipegsun.com/opinion/zwaags…

"It's about time the provincial government took decisive action to crack down on school boards that focus more on social justice activism than on improving classroom instruction." thestar.com/opinion/contri…

"Since AI isn't going away, it's important that we assess students with measurement tools where students cannot use AI to cheat." fraserinstitute.org/commentary/stu…

"If the point of report cards is to communicate accurate information to parents, then it makes sense to use terminology parents understand." fraserinstitute.org/commentary/bc-…

@kvalanne fraserinstitute.org/commentary/cha…

@ZwaagstraM Interested on your take on AI and education, specifically the humanities.