And so the day is finally here, that day we all knew would come.
Summer holidays are upon us and our Provincial Government and the BCTF are no closer to a deal than the Palestinians and Israelis are to having that block party on the West Bank. I will admit that I am a teacher. I've been told that at one time revealing that you were a teacher was easier than telling your parents you were joining a circus or publicly stating that Aquaman was your favorite super-hero.
Walking picket lines for the past few weeks has given me pause, four hours a day of pause, to reflect on the complete absurdity of this situation. It is absurd that I see my six-year-old daughter's teacher, whom she thinks is the Goddess of all things kindergarten, slumped over her "fair deal" sign in the hot sun. It is absurd that teachers and government are only a percentage or so away from agreement on a raise. The wage issue could be solved if our government forsook some newspaper adverts linking teachers with greed or even held off on a few TV spots designed to convince us that all living things love pipelines. You've seen the commercials; after a few panoramic shots of happy whales guiding super tankers full of bitumen through Hecate Strait, the camera zeros in on a contented grizzly bear showering under the healthful benefits of a leaking LNG pipe: should a pipe actually ever leak.
The issue seems to always come down to class size and composition. Teachers would like to see class sizes just under the fire hazard numbers for a classroom. Teachers would also like to include all manner of kids with special needs but we have to have the proper help. I know that what teachers want costs money but the costs associated with an improperly educated generation are far greater.
Although I appreciate the many honks of support we receive on the line, I could not help but feel a sense of general apathy on the part of the public. I wonder if people understand what is really at stake here. It certainly isn't wages. Does the public really understand that one of the best education systems in the world is being systematically dismantled before our very eyes? Privatization of education is fine as long as long as one can afford it.
Although I am often portrayed as receiving far too much compensation for educating other people's children, I don't have $40,000 to send my girls to private school. In that sense, this strike might appear to be a little self-serving. At the same time I question how many people have access to thousands of dollars a year to educate their own children. At the end of the day, is it really so bad to spend money on properly educating all children?
A two-tiered education system would most thoroughly destroy the intellectual capabilities of children whose parents cannot afford most of their wages to send their little ones to private schools. I cannot fathom why the public is not at the legislature frothing at the mouth after our premier has figuratively told the masses to "let them eat cake."
On a more positive note, the weather is much better than the last time teachers' stood up for public education. Last time it was February and damn cold. Instead of huddling around fires in garbage cans, like hobos trying to channel Norma Rae, we would have rather been in our classes teaching. Likewise, instead of marching in the hot sun with our cardboard signs last week, we would have much rather have been spending those last few important days of quality public education with our classes.
Tiger Thakkar
Prince George
