[OnTheIce]

Jonny_C Jonny_C:

I taught for 34 years. You bet your sweet bippy I cared about my paycheque; I had a family of my own to raise. But the main reason I got into teaching was that I thought I would be good at it, and I was. And here's a revelation: In order to be good at teaching you have to care about kids.

Teaching isn't standing at the front of a room cracking a whip and spewing forth gems of wisdom. It's an amalgam of hundreds of personal interactions in a day, where you try to build knowledge, attitudes, skills and self esteem in every child for whom you are responsible. It's a skill and it's an art, and it stems from proper training, perseverance, empathy and pride.

There are lots of people who think they would be good at teaching; after all they're parents, aren't they? But there's a big difference between raising your own children and being responsible for the proper education of (at a mimimum) two to three dozen children who depend upon you every hour of every school day to provide a safe, disciplined and yet personalized learning environment in which they can grow.

Some of you will never understand the difference. I get that. It's too bad, but I get it.

And yet, it's amazing how fast that care disappears when things don't go your way.

As a teacher, you know how important things are too kids like sports, activities and graduation...but all of that takes a back seat so you and your brotherhood can take home a few extra dollars a year.

Teacher unions literally uses the happiness of the kids and the anger of parents as a bargaining chip and frankly, that's disgusting to me.

Your profession has been degraded by the actions of the unions that represent you and the selfish teachers that occupy their ranks.

[andyt]

[Jonny_C]

Yes, OTI, withdrawal of those things tends to focus attention.

Did you know that they are not part of teacher contracts? They are things that teachers do, and enjoy doing, because they're part of the package of a school being a good place to be.

You're not privy to the anxiety that accompanies a withdrawal of voluntary services. Most teachers are resistant to the idea when it's mandated by their federation as a bargaining tool. They even try to find ways around it until they're told "No, we have to use this temporary measure to show we're serious", and they do so rather unwillingly. I've seen and been involved in many instances of this personally.

I would prefer, and a lot of teachers would prefer, a full withdrawal (a strike) to a withdrawal of voluntary services.

You can be "disgusted" all you want, but teachers have to use the tools that are legally available to them. Temporary tools that they would rather not use.

I started teaching in an era where boards of education treated teachers much like children - "Here's what you're going to do, here's how you'll do it, here's what you'll get for it, and that's that." They could get away with it at the time because teachers were pliant and one could start teaching even without a university degree. Those days are gone.

[Brenda]

Oh there is a full strike right now. And not all teachers and definitely not all teachers assistants are very happy about it.

No report cards for my kids. No idea whether they passed their grades, or have to do some of it next year. But hey, it is ALL in the best interest of the children, RIGHT?

[fifeboy]

Several years ago I was putting in a new sink in my condo . I asked the guy at the store why there was so much difference in prices on what appeared to be very similar faucets. His reply was: "you get what you pay for ."

[OnTheIce]

Jonny_C Jonny_C:

Yes, OTI, withdrawal of those things tends to focus attention.

Did you know that they are not part of teacher contracts? They are things that teachers do, and enjoy doing, because they're part of the package of a school being a good place to be.

Millions of Canadians volunteer their time and don't have the advantage of having it right within their workplace. School activities are expected just as we expect someone to step up and coach our kids hockey and soccer teams.

I spent 240+ hours of my time last year in a hockey rink along with 5 of my vacation days and I'd never withhold my time from these kids for any reason.

You're not special because you volunteer your time.

Jonny_C Jonny_C:

You can be "disgusted" all you want, but teachers have to use the tools that are legally available to them. Temporary tools that they would rather not use.

Teacher's don't have to use them. Unions chose to use them, often as a first resort.

What teacher unions have done is turn the table and act like BOE's of the past. Parents and school boards are bullied into demands and in the end, it's the kids that get hurt so you can get a little more money.

It's inexcusable to make children suffer for your financial gain.

[Brenda]

No, you get what the union decides is good for them.

[OnTheIce]

fifeboy fifeboy:

Several years ago I was putting in a new sink in my condo . I asked the guy at the store why there was so much difference in prices on what appeared to be very similar faucets. His reply was: "you get what you pay for ."

So we get a bunch of greedy, selfish teachers the more we pay? Cool.

[OnTheIce]

Brenda Brenda:

Oh there is a full strike right now. And not all teachers and definitely not all teachers assistants are very happy about it.

No report cards for my kids. No idea whether they passed their grades, or have to do some of it next year. But hey, it is ALL in the best interest of the children, RIGHT?

Yep, because that extra 2% raise will make the classrooms and quality of education so much better.

[fifeboy]

OnTheIce OnTheIce:

fifeboy fifeboy:

Several years ago I was putting in a new sink in my condo . I asked the guy at the store why there was so much difference in prices on what appeared to be very similar faucets. His reply was: "you get what you pay for ."

So we get a bunch of greedy, selfish teachers the more we pay? Cool.

No. Ya get what you pay for. I am sure that B.C. could go to South Asia and find thousands of highly educated people willing to come and teach for half the wage and twice the extra curriculars. That would at least give the Islamophobes something to bitch about.

[stratos]

Look at it from this point of view how much is your child's education worth to you to have someone else teach them. Don't be so quick to knock a teacher for wanting more pay to do what you are to busy with your life to do.

[Brenda]

stratos stratos:

Look at it from this point of view how much is your child's education worth to you to have someone else teach them. Don't be so quick to knock a teacher for wanting more pay to do what you are to busy with your life to do.

!!!!!!!

BC is not really a very rich province at the moment. You might want to dive into the material a little bit deeper before you mock parents.

That is f*cking insulting.

[OnTheIce]

fifeboy fifeboy:

No. Ya get what you pay for. I am sure that B.C. could go to South Asia and find thousands of highly educated people willing to come and teach for half the wage and twice the extra curriculars. That would at least give the Islamophobes something to bitch about.

Falling literacy rates and math scores. That's what we've got in Canada.

Glad those high salaries, strikes and 'job action' are making education that much better.

[fifeboy]

OnTheIce OnTheIce:

fifeboy fifeboy:

No. Ya get what you pay for. I am sure that B.C. could go to South Asia and find thousands of highly educated people willing to come and teach for half the wage and twice the extra curriculars. That would at least give the Islamophobes something to bitch about.

Falling literacy rates and math scores. That's what we've got in Canada.

Glad those high salaries, strikes and 'job action' are making education that much better.

http://www.conferenceboard.ca/hcp/details/education.aspx

[OnTheIce]

fifeboy fifeboy:

OnTheIce OnTheIce:

fifeboy fifeboy:

No. Ya get what you pay for. I am sure that B.C. could go to South Asia and find thousands of highly educated people willing to come and teach for half the wage and twice the extra curriculars. That would at least give the Islamophobes something to bitch about.

Falling literacy rates and math scores. That's what we've got in Canada.

Glad those high salaries, strikes and 'job action' are making education that much better.

http://www.conferenceboard.ca/hcp/details/education.aspx

Thanks for proving my point.