Economics teacher Alison Rimell - Photo: Goh Iromoto - Copyright: NFB
We’ve been in touch with Alison Rimell – featured in Goh Iromoto’s photo-essay Class consciousness – since last summer, when we were still in pre-production phase on the GDP project. I was referred to her by Karen Sheppard, one of her professors at Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE). At the time Alison had just graduated and was about to start her career – teaching economics and other social sciences at Dr Norman Bethune Collegiate in Scarborough.
The interesting timing of events did not escape our notice. She was about to start teaching economics at a time when the global economy was going through its most severe crisis since the Great Depression. Six months later she says: “Teaching economics in a recessionary period provides rich material for students. They’re experiencing what they’re learning.”
Classroom recession poster - Photo: Goh Iromoto - Copyright: NFB
From the outset Alison told us she was interested in how economics intersect with human rights and environmental issues, and in Class consciousness, we observe her class on the distribution of wealth, in which she employs a lesson plan from Challenging Class Bias, a publication of the Toronto District School Board Class. It makes a great addition to the GDP project – so a big thanks to Alison and her students.
If you’re interested in learning more about the growing gap between rich and poor in Canada, check out this video from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
Philip Lewis, writer-researcher
©2009 Le blogue PIB / The GDP blog
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