Comments

1. Gloria says

   June 30, 2014 at 4:00 pm

   Ryan, I’m a retired teacher. I retired today. My husband was employed by a local tire manufacturer for 30 years until he also retired this year. He worked 10 months of the year and had 8 weeks vacation. I had 8 weeks vacation as well but I lost two of those weeks getting my classroom packed up each June when the school year ended and one week setting it all back up after it had been cleaned over the summer. So, for your information, teachers are not the only ones with 2 months off. By the way, his company did not have a union and he made more than I did.

2. Lee-Anne Ekland says

   June 30, 2014 at 3:19 pm

   Thank you for that, Dalton. It means a lot that you took the time to comment. I hope that your last two years is better, and if we get a deal today they will be!

3. Avril Levy says

   June 30, 2014 at 7:32 am

   I am totally supporting the BCTF teachers. You are all good people that we are leaving our hands into with our kids and grandkids. I have a lovely little grandaughter who will be entering Kindergarten in 2016. She has a very rare Syndrome called Prader Willi. She will be needing a Special needs teacher with her when she starts school. She is in a DayCare now 3 days a week and has a Special needs teacher one on one but already she gets bitten by other kids in her little brothers class when brought to his class first and then to hers by Mom. She will most likely get picked on for being different all through her schooling years. I am hoping with all the cutbacks she will be assured of having her Special needs teacher when entering school.

4. Lee-Anne Ekland says

   June 28, 2014 at 11:07 pm

   See you there Don!

5. Chris says

   June 28, 2014 at 1:32 pm

   Agreed! I would add too that more and more these students are arriving as LD / intensive socio-emotional needs students. Unfortunately, they run the 5 year ELL maximum before receiving proper testing (to show issues are not language based), but by then are off to high school, where they fall through the educational cracks. During their time in our “regular/integrative” classrooms, they can be very disruptive and time consuming for teachers and administrators. My understanding via UBC research is that these students often do poorly and add to the drop out rates by grades 10-11.

   Resource Teacher – Vancouver SD

6. Lena says

   June 28, 2014 at 10:10 am

   Deborah, I agree that “parents are a child’s first and most important teacher” (that was actually stated on a poster prominently placed in the front foyer of a school I once taught at).

   I am sure that most/all kindergarten teachers would LOVE for the following universal parental requirements to be in place for kindergarten entry:
   -parents would read to/with their children daily,
   -parents would talk to/with their children about the world around them and enrich their vocabularies in the process,
   -parents would provide a varied and nutritious diet (lots of vegetables!) for their children,
   -parents would provide lots of exercise and outdoor time for their children (and limits to screen time),
   -parents would provide unconditional love,
   parents would….. well, you get the point. Some parents have the resources, education, and/or common sense to do these things on a daily basis, and others do not.

7. Don says

   June 28, 2014 at 9:58 am

   @ Lee-Anne

   My daughter just reminded me that she is on Facebook. She worked her magic and showed me the link. Thanks.

8. Lena says

   June 28, 2014 at 9:53 am

   Many school districts (especially in the Lower Mainland) actually RELY on the international students (whose families pay tuition) for extra REVENUE that contributes to their budget.

   i.e. In Coquitlam, int’l student revenues for 2014-15 is projected at 16.5 million (source: SD 43 financial presentation and Preliminary Budget Report from April 22, 2014 on SD 43 website).

   In Vancouver, int’l student revenues for 2014-15 is projected at 17.65 million, or about 3.65% of the district’s budget.

   In Surrey, int’l student revenues for 2013-14 were about 9.5 million (latter two figures from the nownewspaper). Those are not insignificant amounts of $.

   Cash-strapped school districts are actually dedicating resources towards recruiting these international students because they actually contribute revenue towards the “money pot” that funds our schools.

   That is not to say that students (ELL or not) — or teachers — are receiving the proper supports that they need in the classrooms.

   This is another reason why the school districts are very concerned about the impact of the current impasse on summer schools. Summer school is tuition-free for locals, but international students are paying $$ into the already-stretched and underfunded (by the government) “money pot”.

9. Don says

   June 28, 2014 at 9:13 am

   @ Lee-Anne…
   Thanks for the offer, but I’m not a Facebooker, Tweeter, or social media guy at all. (The irony here is, I’ve never started any of these things largely because, during the school year, I’m too busy and they’d most definitely become a distraction for me. During my work months, I’d rather spend my non-work time with my family or focused on other things in my life. And I’m not sure how realistic it’d be to just Facebook during non-teaching months…)

   However, feel free to post whatever you’d like. (And thank you for the kind words.)

10. Lee-Anne Ekland says

    June 27, 2014 at 9:47 pm

    Don, if you’d like to continue this conversation I’ve posted part of your comments on Facebook. I appreciate what you have to say and it provides a reality check for those who’s heads are in the clouds, or in the pockets of the Liberals. Here’s the FB link >>https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=662616719

11. Rose says

    June 27, 2014 at 9:20 pm

    True, some are immigrants but others are here simply to educate their children and then the doctors and dentists and such go back to their homeland. If BC could afford to teach English to every immigrant at no charge it wouldn’t be a problem but I think our efforts and dollars need to be focused on our own children. The money pot is running dry.

12. Don says

    June 27, 2014 at 9:04 pm

    @ Alexander,
    Spoken (written, actually) like someone who doesn’t work in a present-day classroom (and has no idea what it means to do so). If I showed up at an industrial site and told a bunch of welders that they should stop buying welding rod and start using rebar ‘cuz they’d save money and it’s pretty much the same thing, they’d immediately know that I had no idea what I was talking about and call BS (and probably call me an idiot!). Well, I’m calling BS, Alexander.

    You’re probably right that there are more labels now than there were in the past. And I’m not saying that students with special needs haven’t always been around. Obviously, they have. But, for years, many of them were placed in special classes in specific schools. When we switched to the inclusion model, this stopped happening. Initially, when those students were moved into mainstream classes, the message was, “Of course they’ll have support workers with them. They’ll get all the support they need.” Over the years, however, the amount of support has dwindled. In the past, students who had learning difficulties and needed assistance were given the opportunity to get it. This assistance has all but disappeared. Likewise, enrichment students who tended to become bored in regular classroom situations were given the opportunity to work in enrichment programs, but this, too has disappeared. And yes, for some reason, the number of special needs students HAS increased. I’m not sure why this is, but it is, indeed the case. It’s not just teachers who are saying this. If you aren’t inclined to take the teachers’ word on this, then ask ANYONE who works in the system. Ask an administrator, a support worker, a counsellor, a youthcare worker, etc. They’ll tell you the same thing. Plus, it’s also important to remember that many children are not being raised the same as they used to be. (For example, some parents these days don’t believe in any kind of negative discipline or consequences for their children. Others negotiate everything with their children and rarely, if ever tell their children “no.”) So, no, Alexander, kids and classrooms these days are not the same as they were 40 years ago. Not by a long shot. And, if you really do believe they are, I’ve got some oceanfront property in Saskatchewan I’d like to show you…

13. Don says

    June 27, 2014 at 8:21 pm

    @ Lena…

    Not sure about wise, but some days I feel old like Yoda (…plus, I sorta look like him, LOL!)…

14. Lena says

    June 27, 2014 at 5:54 pm

    You are wise, Don (like Yoda?), to accept that reality. I shall take a page from your book to avoid insanity, and accept what is.

15. Don says

    June 27, 2014 at 4:04 pm

    Thanks, Lena. As a teacher who is passionate about my students, my community, and education, I can do no less. It comes down to this: I value education highly and view it as a long-term investment. Although it saddens me, I realize that not everyone shares my views or has education near the top of their list of priorities. That will never change. People are free to prioritize things in their own way. Different strokes…

16. Lena says

    June 27, 2014 at 3:27 pm

    Don, I feel your pain. Contrary to what Economics has to say, teachers cannot “afford to be on strike”.

    The state of public education funding in this province is such that teachers cannot afford to *not* be on strike, for the sake of all students, and especially the most vulnerable students. They cannot afford to remain silent so they continue to advocate for the restoration of illegally stripped contract provisions around class size and composition, on behalf of all students (including my children who are “typical” students with no particular “special needs”). Thank you for voicing your happiness to be a teacher and your concerns about the current state of things.

17. Economics says

    June 27, 2014 at 3:03 pm

    I think the pay teachers are already receiving is more than adequate. I think you are earning healthy salaries, thus, I’m not sure a raise is appropriate. Many people are not receiving raises right now–and there are “step” increases built into teaching, aren’t there? (for years of service) Not to mention an incredible benefit package and the privilege of being involved in people’s lives. Teachers will have respect again when they act respectable. I am continually shocked as a parent in the public school system by how unprofessional teachers have become. Why should teachers have a raise that is completely out of line with what any other union has received in this province? And if teaching has become so horrible, why are so many education grads being cranked out of the universities? Look, I would love to love teachers, but teachers need to get in touch with reality and show some respect to the public: all employees feel undervalued and disrespected these days and many don’t have the luxury of going out on strike. And don’t you get love, gifts, and cards from your students (their parents)? I guess that counts for nothing? We are all facing challenging economic realities in this province. Teachers are not alone in this. I think you will achieve more with a different tactic, one that is more in touch with the pressures the entire public is facing. I bet many of the parents of your students would love to have your job and are facing much more challenging financial realities than teachers: who can afford to be on strike. Look, changing the face of this labour dispute will help teachers–it will help you achieve the respect and compensation you are looking for and will help the public love teachers again. I’m telling you the sad truth: parents, and the general public, are feeling that teachers are acting entitled. Parents don’t like feeling this way, we want to love you. I never felt that with the preschool teachers, who earn a lot less than public school teachers (and have a lot less education). How has it become this way?

18. Don says

    June 27, 2014 at 2:45 pm

    @ Economics…

    If you re-read my post, you should see that, in no way, shape, or form, was I “nit-picking” about hours. Simply stating what my work weeks are during the months that I’m in the classroom. It was included in the post strictly for informational purposes. I don’t work shift work like many of the people in my community. I don’t work nine to five like some people. I typically work from 8:00 a.m. till 5:30 in the classroom, and then for a few hours at home (marking, planning, etc.) in the evenings. I’m not complaining, whining, or looking for sympathy. Just stating what my hours are.

    I AM happy to be a teacher! I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is what I was called to do. It is a fulfilling, deeply satisfying, and very challenging profession. Regardless of what others think, I value education and believe (as my parents taught me) it is a major key in most peoples’ lives to success and happiness.

    If the tone in my post led you to believe that I was complaining or nit-picking, then perhaps try reading it again. It was certainly not meant to do so. When I DO complain, it’s about the government, and it stems from the frustration I feel because I get to witness first-hand at just how much they DON’T value education. The Liberal government is all about balancing the budget, supporting big business, investing in industry, bolstering the economy, and generating revenue. In and of themselves, those are all admirable and highly important goals. But education and health care aren’t big business. They don’t generate revenue. Rather, they are expensive….EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE!!!! And so, to the Liberals, they are just necessary evils. They can’t do away with health care or education, so their approach is just to make them as cheap as possible. Billions have been cut out of the education system over the past twelve years.

    The amazing thing (and Christy Clark’s genius) in all of this is that she can technically claim that her government is funding education at the highest level ever. They’ve just downloaded costs onto school boards. It’s just like telling your teenager that you’re giving her a 100% funding increase to her allowance. It’s gonna jump from $10 per week to $20. But then, what you fail to disclose to everyone, is that now she’s gonna have to buy all her own groceries and clothing. You’ve put her into an impossible situation, but technically, you can tell anyone who will listen that you are funding her at the highest level ever. It’s why students are now having to provide kleenex and photocopy paper as part of their school supply lists. It’s why some districts are charging families for busing their children to school. It’s why PAC groups are fundraising for playgrounds, computers, fences, equipment, and other stuff that used to be covered by the Ministry of Education. It’s why every year we hear about countless districts that are simply unable to make their budgets work. And, all the while, Christy can smile and say that she’s putting more money into education than any other government. It’s brilliant, but it’s the kids and families who are paying the price (literally!).

19. Lena says

    June 27, 2014 at 2:28 pm

    Sorry, that is, “continues to * antagonize teachers”…

20. Lena says

    June 27, 2014 at 2:26 pm

    Yes, Economics, there is a major public relations problem here.
    I know that my husband works long hours as a self-employed entrepreneur (as many hours, or more – gasp! – than I worked as a teacher almost a decade ago), and does not have any sort of a benefits plan.

    However, the teachers are up against a government that continues to use antagonize teachers by using taxpayer$ to run its spin in wrap-around two-page ads in widely circulated newspapers, TV ads, sponsored/paid ads on social media and also for lawyers/court appeals…instead of directing that $ towards the underfunded education system.

21. Lena says

    June 27, 2014 at 2:18 pm

    I’m not so sure about the tone here, re: “These people”. Immigrants come to Canada, pay taxes, contribute to our society and economy, work hard, run businesses, and create jobs. They are not in a category of their own. Their children end up being our doctors, dentists, engineers, lawyers, and yes, our teachers too.

22. Lena says

    June 27, 2014 at 2:08 pm

    Economics, you are correct about some public perceptions around this issue. Teachers are frustrated by comments from some members of the public that they are lazy and greedy people, and some are feeling it necessary to defend themselves, even though that distracts from the real issues at hand. It is very hard to remain 100% positive with a government paying for newspaper ads that misrepresent the facts and insists that it is above the law (still appealing the decisions –with taxpayer $– that they have illegally stripped teachers’ contracts of class size and composition levels, more than once!).

23. Rose says

    June 27, 2014 at 2:00 pm

    I agree with everything you have said. I agree that every child is entitled to an education but that said child should be capable of learning.
    I have a friend who worked as an LA. She was tube feeding and changing diapers for a child who didn’t even know where he was. Why are we spending our education dollars in this manner. To what end?
    It should be a prerequisite that children need to speak English before entering kindergarten. If not the whole cost should fall on the parent. These people pass a means test before coming to this country so they can afford to pay. It seems quite obvious that it is something that we cannot afford.

24. Lena says

    June 27, 2014 at 1:56 pm

    Dear Primary Teacher, Your students are fortunate to have had such a caring teacher. This increasingly complex matter is becoming a “fight in the streets”/media and I feel the frustrations all around, particularly from teachers who feel cornered and forced to justify their wages or dedication to their jobs … even though those are NOT the key issues for teachers … it is the erosion/underfunding of the whole system, along with a whole host of related social issues. Please remember to take care of your own health, physical and mental, as well. I was a teacher from ’00-’05 (now I’m being a parent to my two boys, ages 6 & almost 9). Even though I am no longer a teacher, these issues are as important to me now as they were in 2002 when this current current government illegally stripped teachers’ contracts.

25. Lee-Anne Ekland says

    June 27, 2014 at 1:55 pm

    How would you feel if after 10 years of service you don’t receive a raise to even cover the rate of inflation? You would feel undervalued and disrespected, especially with deductions going up every year.

26. Lee-Anne Ekland says

    June 27, 2014 at 1:53 pm

    Well said, thank you for taking the time to express your opinion here Don.

27. Larry says

    June 27, 2014 at 1:52 pm

    The more hours a Doctor or lawyer ($100 to $600 an hour) the more they earn. Teachers don’t get paid extra for extra hours worked. No way to compare.

28. Lee-Anne Ekland says

    June 27, 2014 at 1:51 pm

    Back in your day, teachers told students to sit down and shut up or else. Is this how you want students to be treated nowadays?

29. Lee-Anne Ekland says

    June 27, 2014 at 1:50 pm

    No teacher I know voted for the Liberals.

30. Lee-Anne Ekland says

    June 27, 2014 at 1:49 pm

    Hi Denise. Thank you for this. I edited the LD definition as you suggested.

31. Lena says

    June 27, 2014 at 1:30 pm

    Deborah, you are right in that “we can’t expect teachers to do the jobs of parents, nurses, doctors, psychologists, etc.” There should be adequate funding for school nurses and psychologists, and adequate supports for our most vulnerable members of society (children living in poverty). When the government deems their priorities to be in other places, those children who cannot speak for themselves lose the most.

32. Economics says

    June 27, 2014 at 11:53 am

    Don, sadly, you are talking like a teacher. What you don’t realize is that the public really doesn’t care how many hours you work, as long as you get the job done. That’s what a professional does. Be careful: it’s exactly this type of nit-picking over hours that is hurting teachers. Do doctors talk about how many hours they work? lawyers? not so much. Change the tone to: I am so happy to be a teacher. I love my job, I love working with kids. The public also doesn’t want to hear how exhausted you are and how you “need” the summer holidays. You need to keep the tone 100% positive, that is what is going to change the course for teachers.

33. alexander says

    June 27, 2014 at 9:46 am

    When you have so many labels for these kids it looks and sounds so bad. But in the old day teachers had the same issues but kids had no labels. Today if you are not white you automaticly say they are ESL. Yet there were more types of ESL students before. As a teacher you should know that the job involves dealing with many personalities and behaviours from so many different children. So class composition is no different know then 40 years a go. Know teachers get so much more support then every before . But you what smaller classes and less composition and more many for less work which does not sound logical .

34. Don says

    June 27, 2014 at 9:28 am

    Personally, I don’t ever claim to work harder than others. In this day and age, peoples’ work hours are more complicated than ever. Where I live, many employees work unusual shifts (eg. 2 graveyards and 2 day shifts per week; 4 days on, 4 days off; 3 x 12 hour shifts, but paid for 40 hrs.; 14 days in camp and 7 out; etc.). What I do tell people who ask is that I roughly keep track of my weekly hours every year. Although they can vary HUGELY from week to week, they always average out to fifty-something. Sometimes 57, sometimes 53, 55 56, 54, etc. When you do the math, and multiply that by the number of weeks I work, it’s roughly the same as someone who works 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week, for an entire year without any holidays. It’s just concentrated over a 9-10 month period for me. During the first 15 or so years of my career, it wasn’t uncommon for me to put in 15 or 16 hour days during report card time. Sometimes I would go to bed at 3:00 a.m. and get up to start all over again at 6:30 a.m.

    There are huge benefits to becoming a teacher. I love my summer holidays. (I also need them. I am completely mentally, emotionally and physically exhausted by the end of the school year!) I never complain about the pay. I make more than some, less than others. With the 7 years and 2 university degrees I invested in, I could probably be in professions that earn more than I currently do, and I could probably also be earning less. I am aware that my benefits package is better than most peoples’. I realize that teachers have a very good pension plan (although, if anyone else contributed as much to their plans as teachers do, they’d probably have good plans too. I pay over 10k per year into mine.) I didn’t become a teacher for any of these things. I did so because I believe in the immense importance of education. I did so because I have always enjoyed working with people, and children in particular. I did so because I felt called to do so from the time I was in the sixth grade.

    In the end, I can only speak for myself. I don’t know you who are talking to when you hear things like “teachers work harder than lawyers” and “I know more than parents.” I talk to many, many of my colleagues, and I don’t recall ever hearing such claims.
    Cheers

35. Economics says

    June 27, 2014 at 8:52 am

    There is truth to the class composition issue; however, the BCTF will never win this one with the current strategy. What are the issues? The public is confused. The public is also paying the teacher’s wages. The public is also jealous of the wages and incredible benefits teachers receive. Truthfully, the strike has just shone a big spotlight on all kinds of benefits we would all love to have–the strike is hurting teachers. Do you know how many of the public would love to job share, or work just one day a week? Or how about leave because a friend died, not even a family member? Teachers, the average worker does not have benefits like this. We just don’t. Wake up! You have great jobs, albeit challenging at times, of course. Teachers, many corporations do not allow job-sharing. And, sadly, most members of the public have one story or another about teachers saying heartless things–or teachers using their deluxe benefits for their own advantage. For example, “I work so much harder than a lawyer, so, so, so much harder. No one works harder than a teacher.” Comments like this are hurting teachers. They also reflect that teachers are out of touch with reality. Teachers do work hard, but not as hard as other professionals, and that’s okay. Why such a contest? Please stop pitting the public against you. Oh teachers, we want to love you, you’re making it so hard for us. Also, current wages are adequate for education levels and PDP-entry requirements, especially when so many people want to become teachers. (And what about education courses that focus on journaling and ‘feelings’? It’s not like that over in the other faculties. Should accountants journal about how they feel about balanced budgets? teachers, it’s become WEIRD) Do you know why Christy Clark earns so much? because not just anyone can be the premier, or wants to be. Same goes for doctors, lawyers, accountants, CEOs–even truck drivers, miners, and railway workers who risk their lives for their jobs. Truthfully, many, many people want to be teachers, would love to be teachers, and can be teachers, it’s basic economics. The old saying “don’t bite the hand that feeds you” applies here. Be careful to not hurt the public’s feelings, remember you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Class composition reflects the epidemic of environmental illnesses. . .we have a much larger problem on our hands. Maybe the public could clearly see this if teachers would please, please, please stop inflaming the public with their contest of “we work so much harder than you do” and “we know so much better than you do.” I’ve had a teacher sit at my dinner table and say, “I wish parents would just shut up, I know so much better than they do.” Is this the way to gain support? Teachers, it’s time to rethink the public relations side of the job. . .help us to love you again.

36. Don says

    June 27, 2014 at 12:34 am

    Wow. If you guys truly believe that teachers are in any way responsible for voting the Liberals in, then you are absolutely delusional. It is highly unlikely that any segment of our province’s population was less responsible for voting the Liberals in than the teachers. I have yet to speak with a teacher anywhere who is in any way a supporter of this party. Indeed, this is probably the primary motivation behind the spiteful way in which the Liberal Party has treated the teachers in this province. They know that very, VERY few – if any – of BC’s 41 000 teachers will EVER vote for them. On the contrary, most will go out of their way to encourage as many friends and family members as possible to vote for anything but the Liberal Party.

    As far as how teachers dealt with students when you were in school, ten minutes in any modern-day classroom would most certainly show you that kids these days are not the same as they used to be. My father claimed to have been in classes with more than 40 students. But back in those days the attitude in school was, “Sit down, shut up, don’t move, and turn to page 235 in your History books. Start reading and don’t stop until I tell you to.” If you looked sideways, you got strapped. Teaching, education, and curriculum have changed dramatically over the years. And, although it’s true that kids are still kids, students are not the same as they used to be either. Same goes for parents. Think about it for a moment – at one time, teachers and education used to be respected by most parents. (God knows that my parents put them on a pedestal, because they believed and convinced me that teachers were the ones who would educate me, which in turn would enable me to find good career and enjoy happiness, success, and fulfillment in life!) Back in the day, the Principal’s office was a terrifying place that nobody ever wanted to visit. If I got in trouble in school, my parents didn’t assume it was the teacher’s fault or wonder what the teacher’s problem was – they gave me double trouble when I got home. My best friend’s parents told his teachers not to hesitate to smack him if they thought it was necessary. Obviously, those days are gone and things have changed a lot since then. Kids these days will do, say, and try things that they never would have dared to in days gone by. Educating students now is a much different job than it used to be.

    I am certain that, even if it’s just for the sake of being argumentative, some readers will disagree with these claims. But none who do so will be people with any modern-day teaching experience. Funny thing – most people would never dare to presume they know what it’s like to be a dentist, offer a surgeon advice on how to do her job more effectively, or suggest to a welder that he should consult with them for tips on how to improve his technique. Yet many seem to consider themselves experts on teaching, running a classroom, or heading up a school. Why? Because they went to school, of course. Well, visiting a library doesn’t make one a librarian, cooking dinner doesn’t make one a chef, and seeing one’s doctor doesn’t make one a GP. By the same token, having experience as a student sitting in a classroom doesn’t make one a teacher.

    Flame on…

37. Kalun says

    June 26, 2014 at 9:48 pm

    I agree with you. I sympathize with the teachers, I really do. But we are the ones that voted in the Liberals, even the teachers did! They did not vote for NDP last time around when they have the biggest chance to take over from the Gordon Campbell scandal.

    I’m getting tired of BCTF taking the whole province hostage and using the students as a human shield in the name of their own agenda. Yes, BCTF is for the students but they are readily giving up on this years students as collateral damage.

    BCTF is nothing but a union and the only objective of a union is to look out for themselves. Go play the funding card all you want, go blame the Liberals for wasting money all you want, but that is a separate issue altogether. At the end of the day, BCTF needs to convince the taxpayers (i.e. us) that somehow even more tax money will be pried from us.

38. Scott Susin says

    June 26, 2014 at 8:34 pm

    For those of you who posted your class size and compositions, please email them to me so I can add them to the list;

    [email protected]

39. Steve says

    June 26, 2014 at 10:32 am

    First off, I grew up in class rooms where 25-30+ students were the norm. The teachers back then figured out how to manage everyone and make sure that all the kids’ needs were met. So that is just malarky put on by todays pampered teachers.

    Secondly, you want to know how to fix this lack of concern by the BC Liberal government? EVERYBODY STOP VOTING IN THE LIBERALS!!! (especially teachers). In their first 3 years in office, we CLEARLY saw just how disinterested the Liberals are in the care, safety & welfare of the citizens of this province. What makes you think in their 4th term, THEY’LL ACTUALLY TURN AROUND AND SMARTEN UP??!!

    Oh sure, Christy Clark and the marketing gurus (who are paid untold hundreds of millions of tax payer dollars) and Liberals continue to beat over our heads about the “BC Ferries FastCat fiasco”. Well, lets take a look at Christys legacy:

    – a highway that cost BC taxpayers over $2 BILLION dollars that, had it been sent out to tender PROPERLY, should have costed tax payers only $20 MILLION. But thats ok

    – a new convention centre in Vancouver that the construction of which NEVER WENT TO PUBLIC TENDER, rather was secretly handed over from Gordon Campbells hand to the contractor. Who just so happens to be his NEPHEW. THEN, the nephew goes 3 times OVER BUDGET and the Liberal government just keeps handing over money to finish construction. In the plans for the new convention centre, a (future income) of billions of dollars worth from the cruise industry with a brand new, state of the art, cruise terminal. Campbells response as the project goes over budget? “Close down the cruise terminal. We dont really need it”. Result, the potential loss of Disney Cruise Lines in making Vancouver a year round home port (I think any basically educated person can see the billions of dollars of spinoff money for the economy this would bring in and how its now out the window)

    – how about asking the BC public if they want to host an international competition, with a resulting 98% NO, and going ahead with it ANYWAYS and putting this province into an unforeseable future of incredible debt?

    – Or Christys idea of tapping natural gas for exportation to China. Perhaps she was taking a BC public education science course where there were more than 35 students and the teacher wasnt able to give her personal time to realize the IMMENSE AMOUNT OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND HUMAN HEALTH DAMAGES CAUSED BY FRACKING (something that is being banned around the world). But shes afraid of a tiny cross-province pipeline bursting and ruining some fish habitat?

    – my favourite, the CARBON TAX (to which the Liberals have recently stated, they are going to, guess what?? DOUBLE THE “CONTRIBUTION” AND ADD ON ANOTHER ADDITIONAL CARBON TAX). In what universe does this money collected by the government help to reduce carbon emissions when big corp can purchase emissions credits AND STILL POLLUTE BEYOND REASON??!

    I could go on, but my fingers are getting tired. In short, seeings how the teachers created this mess theyre in, by voting in the Liberals for a FOURTH TERM, they can shut up and put up with it. As we say to our criminals, “you do the crime, you do the time”. I’m tired of hearing about how ‘rough’ teachers have it (and BTW, this article is biast seeings how it was written by a teacher). Lets talk about the many hundreds of thousands of educational support industry workers who are now out of work and not able to access any finances to pay their bills or feed their families just because teachers want more money for themselves.

    If the teachers want an additional $2 BILLION dollars of bonuses, then they can sit down with the public finance committee and figure out where in the budget they can find that money. Sure as shootin, as a BC taxpayer, I am NOT willing to pay them more through yet higher taxes. Only in BC would you find the entitlement crazed holding the province hostage.

    Now, I am ready for your onslaught of comments telling me, I am wrong. Before you do, research for yourself and come to me with FACTS that I am wrong. You’ll be hard pressed to contradict me.

40. Primary Teacher says

    June 26, 2014 at 10:14 am

    Thank you so much for bringing attention to this increasingly complex matter in BC’s public schools.

    This year I had my hands so full that In December I had decided that I didn’t think that I could physically (the number of hours: 6:30 am to 8 or 9 pm IN my classroom) or emotionally (I was often crying at night because I didn’t know how on earth I was supposed to help all of my students) carry on with this profession until retirement. I would joke that I’d be in my grave by 40 (I am 30).

    Luckily, I made it through and I only did it by laughing. Laughing a LOT. I just had to laugh at all of the ridiculous things that would happen. It’s sad, too, though … Because the behaviours we see are symptoms of bigger problems like severe anxiety, abuse, extreme poverty, unstable homes, autism, FAS, learning disabilities, severe speech difficulties (to the point where the child is incoherent), substance abuse, lack of stability, fear, abandonment, neglect, selective mutism… I could go on and this is only the list from this years classroom.

    I taught grade 1/2 this year with 23 children. 17 of them had signs and symptoms of anxiety of varying degrees. This isn’t something small … For example, it can be debilitating for students preventing them from using the washroom and spoiling themselves instead. Or hiding in washroom stalls. 3 had autism, but only one was diagnosed because the wait list for assessment is 1.5 – 2 years. If they’re lucky they’ll be assessed sometime in grade three. I would carry on with the list but it’s too long this year. By December I realized that I had approximately 5 ‘average’ run of the mills students. The other 18 required a lot of guidance and one on one, often pulling me away from teaching. It was like putting out fires. We didn’t hit our groove until April and even then there were fires.

    This year I mostly taught self care and self confidence. I’m extremely proud of how far each child has come… But I wonder how much further they would have gone if the proper supports were in place.

    I’m 30 and I now have a TON of grey hair.
    I work myself to exhaustion for my kids. I can’t keep it up anymore and I’ve only been teaching for four years. I have to pull back or I won’t make it to 40.

41. Lulu says

    June 26, 2014 at 9:53 am

    – “they’re bright” not “their bright” – but you are a teacher, and you probably already know this….

42. Larry says

    June 25, 2014 at 11:34 pm

    I am a Grade 6/7 teacher in the interior. My class this year had 25 students. Three had IEPs ( intense behaviour, FAS, moderate intellectual disability) Due to the lack of testing, I had another four students who most likely would have had IEPs, but have not been categorized. One boy sat and did nothing all year. He had 2% in Language Arts at one point this year. I had two half hour blocks of EA assistance. My colleague who also taught Grade 6/7 had seven IEPs in a class of 25. He had another four who in a perfect world, would have also been categorized. He had one full time EA. Many of these children aren’t able to work successfully in a Grade 6/7 classroom and we have had parents pay $1500 for private testing.

    Last year, I had a student who attended school about 40% of the time. She was 11 years old and in Grade 6. She was not sick, but just didn’t feel like coming to school. The Ministry of Children and Family Development did nothing. The basic attitude was that if she was fed, clothed and not beaten or abused, then nothing will be done about it. The fact that she was not being properly educated was not important. “Families First” is our premier’s motto, but if you work with children in BC, you know it is a farce.

43. Kate says

    June 25, 2014 at 9:55 pm

    There are two types of ELL students(English language learners)
    Some are new immigrants that are trying to become Canadian citizens. Of those some will stay and pay taxes for the rest of their lives.Others will stay only until their children finish school then go back to their home country-often only one parent or some relative is with them.
    The second type is international students for which family pays the school board around twelve thousand dollars. This money does not go directly to ELL students but is put into the general pot.
    Often these students (at the secondary level) are alone, at home stays, or living with an older sibling

44. Deborah says

    June 25, 2014 at 7:19 pm

    This is what I don’t understand. Children who cannot speak English well enough for Kindergarten should not be in the public school system. All children where English is not the first language should have to pass a test before being taken on. If they can’t it’s up to THE PARENTS to teach them and/or pay for someone to teach them English. Once they are at the same level, then welcome them with open arms. I’m sorry, but children with severe behaviour problems should not be in mainstream classrooms. What’s wrong with the system? It starts with parents who no longer take responsibility for the children they bring into this world and continually expect others to take up THEIR slack. We can’t expect teachers to do the jobs of parents, nurses, doctors, psychologists, etc. This may sound harsh and would likely never voice what they feel this way – but whether you agree with it or not, there is some truth to it.

45. Dani says

    June 25, 2014 at 6:02 pm

    Please check your facts before you make a statement, the biggest challenge is people are not aware of the facts.

46. Jill Warland says

    June 25, 2014 at 4:47 pm

    Agreed! What a waste of public money Fassbender’s proposal would be. The money could be much better spent directly on the children.

47. Bryan Snider says

    June 25, 2014 at 2:41 pm

    We may be on the road to becoming a Banana Republic…. I feel badly for BC’s youth, their parents, as well as our teachers. An uneducated society is what the gov’t may want, but not what a population NEEDS,

48. Dalton says

    June 25, 2014 at 11:48 am

    My entire elementary school life included a split class simply because there was just too many of us. In the eighth grade, ten of our classmates were forced to be moved up a year because our class was already full enough as it was. And now only two years later I still have teachers tell me ‘please wait a moment’ as they help 29 different students before me. Whoever says class size doesn’t matter has clearly never been in that situation. B.C Liberals are not getting my vote in two years

49. Grace says

    June 25, 2014 at 7:35 am

    I don’t think Fassbender needs a fact finding committee now! You just saved the government thousands of dollars!

50. Alison 2 says

    June 25, 2014 at 6:58 am

    Very valid points to composition. Those working on the math percentages that have been published need to remember you don’t add percentages you convert to fractions find the common denominator then add. It’s somewhere in the area of 7.8%. What is the appropriate amount of compensation to be sworn at, ignored, hit/bit etc by those you teach. You will find that every school will have students that fit this situation and are in main stream classes. We need more staff, more space. If you live in a small community our children don’t even get 1/2 of the course options of students in the lower mainland, textiles, music, band, culinary arts, law what are those course?

51. Tamsyn says

    June 25, 2014 at 12:29 am

    My son is highly gifted and although we paid out of pocket (@ $2000) to have him assessed rather than wait 18 months or longer, the school district (Surrey) had nothing to offer him but boredom until grade 2. We pushed for his inclusion in the Challenge Program (which starts at grade 3) and it’s a good program, albeit a brief 9 sessions across as many weeks. There is also no budget for transportation to this program even though it’s at another school. I find you are correct about no help in the regular classroom for the gifted.

52. Kim Nicole says

    June 25, 2014 at 12:02 am

    Chris, I taught grade 10-12 ESL in a Lower Mainland school and can indeed confirm from my own experience that wealthy Asian fathers (predominantly) stay in Asia to work but set their family up in Canada. They pay income tax in their country of employment, not in Canada.

53. Susan says

    June 24, 2014 at 11:56 pm

    Ryan…..please be careful WHO you accuse of being “the money hungry group..” It is the BCTF (B.C. Teachers Federation) NOT C.U.P.E. Canadian Union of Public Employees , who are currently on strike. C.U.P.E .B.C. K-12 ,which represents over 27,000 support workers in the public education system, are part of the collateral damage of this ongoing drama!

54. Scott Susin says

    June 24, 2014 at 11:35 pm

    Hey Alison, Lee-Anne is correct. Aboriginal / First Nation students are not on here under the assumption that they are problems. They are on here simply due to the fact that they add to the diversity and composition of a public school classroom.

    AB / FN students receive additional funding either through provincial and / or federal funds and grants, just like all other special needs students in BC. This money is usually put back into the system to provide direct support mainly through pull-out programs. However, the amount of money and funding provided isn’t enough to adequately address challenges Aboriginal students face on a daily basis.

55. Scott Susin says

    June 24, 2014 at 11:29 pm

    [email protected] 🙂

56. Jill Warland says

    June 24, 2014 at 11:07 pm

    To Ryan above, teachers are not members of CUPE; and most of us don’t earn even close to $70G. And since I usually do some kind of ‘work’ for my teaching job every weekend, I think it all balances out in the end. Kids wouldn’t be able to manage 12 months of schooling anyway; as it is, the incidence of severe depression and anxiety in teens is on the rise.

    “““`
    I teach in a secondary school with 7 different classes on the go at a time . Enrolment numbers in recent years have generally been under 30, but much of the challenge comes from split courses. I can have 2 (and next year 3) fine art courses running concurrently within one block of time, with students ranging from grades 9 through 12. Without prerequisites, which don’t seem to matter any more, students can enrol in grade 12 courses with NO prior coursework, experience and training in that subject area. As an example, in my Ceramics & Sculpture 12 course this year I had 3 students taking ceramics for the 3rd year, (very competent and experienced,) a few more with 2 years under their belts, and nearly 10 with no prior background in visual arts at all. Two of these students joined the class at the end of term 1. Within this class, which included those taking C & S 11, 2 suffered from severe anxiety/depression (missing lots of school), 3 ELL, 3 on IEPs, one highly gifted and another refusing to do any work at all. Most years I’ll have one or more students with developmental and/or physical disabilities, accompanied by an SEA, who may or may not need ‘assistance’ in learning to work with the classroom tools and materials. This was an ‘easy’ group to work with, but I don’t want to bore you with details of my other 6 classes (12 actually, because every term I received a new group of grade 8s!)
    As I mentioned above, a bigger challenge comes in the secondary school from kids suffering from socio-emotional disorders, struggling with anxiety & depression or substance abuse. Chronic absenteeism and tardiness add extra challenges to teaching and evaluating student progress. More and more students require modified learning outcomes. Schools need more counsellors and specialized behavioural specialists to ensure student success.

57. Chris says

    June 24, 2014 at 10:42 pm

    I love the misinformed, veiled racism that ESL anecdotal stories bring out.

    “80% or more ESL” – BS! Prove it, provide some sources.

    ” paying no Canadian income tax”…. again, post some sources to backup your post!

58. LiterateOWL says

    June 24, 2014 at 10:41 pm

    Awesome thanks so much. I thought I knew it, live it but there is much to process. The huge numerous grievances in the Court brief were part of the Supreme Court statements. It’s the why in the Cs CC how?

59. Matt says

    June 24, 2014 at 9:43 pm

    I’d be curious to see the change in these numbers over time, while also accounting for the changes in standards for identifying and classifying children. Certainly average numbers are up, but they do not seem too far off from what they are when I attended school (graduated 2006). As for the number of special needs, esl, and other designations, these numbers seem exceptionally high which makes me question whether this really means more challenged children are entering the system or we are simply being more liberal with our designations.

    Not doubting the state of classrooms are becoming more challenging but I do wonder if they are significantly harder than they were not ten years ago when accounting for these other shifts.

60. Lee-Anne Ekland says

    June 24, 2014 at 7:59 pm

    Hi Alison. Thanks for your comment. They are not listed as problems as they are kids also entitled to support services that have been cut. We will put more information here soon so stay tuned.

61. Ryan says

    June 24, 2014 at 6:46 pm

    this will continue until the teachers stop asking for ridiculous amounts of money. When teachers ask for more money as they ALWAYS have in the past EVERY TIME A CONTRACT RUNS OUT!! funny how the increase was enough at the time of signing the contract but as soon as it runs out they are getting the shaft. The money they keep asking for could be used to hire more teachers, more support workers, and lower class sizes. the average wage for teachers in B.C. is 70k FOR 10 MONTHS WORK. the increase initially DEMANDED by teachers was 21.5% this equates to a teacher making 70k a year increasing to just over 85k a year. class sizes will NEVER change as long as the money hungry group of cupe members keep asking for moremoremoremore and more

62. Alison says

    June 24, 2014 at 4:45 pm

    Why are aboriginal students listed as if they are “problems”

63. Lorelei Aiumu says

    June 24, 2014 at 4:44 pm

    My class this year is (was?) a straight grade 3. As of two weeks ago, my total students sat at 22 but it fluctuated a great deal this year. Its also the first time in many years that I have not had a split level class (which adds yet more challenges to the class composition difficulties). I work in an inner city school where most of the children have very challenging home lives. It was an especially transient year. Since mid September I have had 6 students leave and 5 arrive. I had four ‘identified’ students (severe behavior, autism, and chronic health issues) with one SEA to help with all of them. She was assigned to the autistic child and the chronic health child, but in fact spent the vast majority of her time with the severe behavior situations. I was told that the severe behavior students do not generate SEA allocations/funding although they demand a great deal of attention so that they can be productive and the rest of the class has an environment that might be conducive to learning. 6 of my students are ELL and fortunately their command of English is adequate. Many times in years past, students with no more than a handful of English words (‘bathroom’, ‘home’ and ‘thank-you’) have arrived in my classroom. If I was lucky, that child would get some small group support maybe once or twice per week. If the ‘ESL teacher’ (what does that mean again? I forget) was ever absent, she was never replaced with a TOC (teacher on call). No money for that. I guess I better stop typing now as I could go on forever. I plead with whoever is reading this and whoever has put this together to ensure that it goes to all the PAC/parent websites, fb pages and most of all to the media.

64. David says

    June 24, 2014 at 3:20 pm

    Hi, I had a class of 34 in grade nine French Immersion this year. I was told it would be this year only. Yet, when I saw my job description for next year I realized that I will be teaching four FI classes (two 9s and two 10s), all of them with 30 + students in each class. The biggest one still has 34 students. In theses classes, there are some students on the autistic spectrum, others with high anxiety issues, a few that are gifted and many that are not reading, speaking and/or writing at grade level. What troubles me the most though is that when I asked my principals about the magic number that would turn a cohort of 66 students into 3 classes instead of 2 they did not have an answer. Right now 66 students are divide into two classes; a 34 and a 32. What if two more students were to move to our district and the numbers go up to 68 students? How about 71 students or even 75? When would there be 3 classes instead of two? What is the cap on a class? Please answer the questions!

    They do not have answers and that is very scary.

    I want to know what is the limit of students per class the government wants. They need to tell the truth and put some numbers on the table.

65. Lee-Anne Ekland says

    June 24, 2014 at 3:15 pm

    Thank you Elizabeth, really. It’s good to hear some positive come out of this. My partner is a Fine Arts teacher and I hear all the time how his students amaze and inspire him. There’s a lot of good to be sure.

66. AJ says

    June 24, 2014 at 3:01 pm

    From my experience a lot students flagged as ESL are not really ESL students.. just because a student comes from an ethnic background they get flagged with this clout of them not knowing english and get designated as ESL to get extra funding for the school.. i know many parents who had to go to the school to ask why their student was flagged as ESL when they knew as much english as “English Natives”.. and only afte talking to the school was the designation removed..so i wouldnt read to much into that number

67. Elizabeth Thorne says

    June 24, 2014 at 2:55 pm

    I’m a teacher and I had a very bright child too (he’s grown now). Most school districts cut their enrichment programs first because it was easy (they’ll survive – their bright). Then they cut services to the mildest of the special needs students at the other end of the scale and kept right on going until now only the most seriously affected children get any services at all.
    I chose to put my son into French immersion so that he would have a challenge in his life and his teachers made sure that he did. My daughter who was severely disabled, did as well as she possibly could in the regular system and her teachers made sure of that too.
    The schools don’t cater to the “dumbest” (although more than one science teacher in my school has had pressure from parents to “make it easier”.) We try to cater to everyone. The really bright ones who don’t cause trouble, tend to get lost in the crowd.
    I have to say that the teachers who had my children in their care all, without exception, did an amazing job with them and I thank them from the bottom of my heart.
    Good luck with your own child.

68. Lee-Anne Ekland says

    June 24, 2014 at 2:17 pm

    Hi Cathy. Thank you so much for your comment and expressing your concerns. Scott has responded below to get more information from you.

69. Scott says

    June 24, 2014 at 2:11 pm

    Hey Cathy and Denise, could you email some better definitions? I’d love to keep it as informative and specific as possible, but still quick and easy enough for the public to read and understand. 🙂

    Thanks for the heads up.

70. Scott says

    June 24, 2014 at 2:09 pm

    Elaine, may I add your comp to the list?

    If so, please provide me with the level of support you received. 🙂

71. Scott says

    June 24, 2014 at 2:08 pm

    Deborah, thanks for sharing. Your composition reeks of health and safety. 30 children cooking in a room/kitchen built for 24. That’s a fire hazard, burn hazard, and just general safety hazard. Big time.

    So what if something happens to a student while you are teaching them? Is it your fault, or is it the schools’ fault for stuffing that many kids in the room, or the government’s for underfunding the entire system and forcing that situation to happen?

    Is it okay if I add it to the list?

72. Scott says

    June 24, 2014 at 2:06 pm

    Jake, I echo your thoughts big time. I am a fan of all-inclusive classrooms but only when it’s deemed conducive to learning, and not just for a special needs child, but all children in the classroom.

    Like you said, if there’s a severe behaviour concern in a classroom and it’s obvious that the student can’t function properly in a regular classroom setting, supports must be put in place to support that student, therefore also supporting the rest of the class through minimizing distractions.

    I see this happen all the time. Teachers wishing that a school could provide more space and more qualified, trained support to deal with severe behaviours so that not only the one child is supported, but the entire classroom, the entire school community benefits.

73. Scott says

    June 24, 2014 at 2:04 pm

    Could not agree more Thomas. When I started this list, the ESL and ELL numbers floored me. How can a teacher be expected to teach an English-based curriculum to a class where 80% of the class doesn’t speak English?

    And on top of that, ESL and ELL are not considered special needs, so there is no additional funding for them. Districts are left to budget for ELL and ESL on their own, with next to no additional funding. It’s a terrible formula and it isn’t working.

74. Scott says

    June 24, 2014 at 2:01 pm

    Hi Joe, exceptional students are typically labeled as “gifted”. You will see some of these students listed in the compositions.

    As for your opinion, I couldn’t agree more. 🙂

75. Joe says

    June 24, 2014 at 1:35 pm

    Just curious, why does the survey ignore exceptionally bright students? My kid won’t go to public school, but not because I am worried about class composition, but rather I am worried about how public education caters to the dumbest (at least it did when I was in school) and makes everyone else wait or go off and learn more on their own. Everyone loses in that scenario. How do either teachers or government plan to change that so that our exceptional kids have more advanced opportunities. And if you come back with “every kid is exceptional” you have justified my rationale for staying far, far away from public education.

76. Thomas says

    June 24, 2014 at 1:07 pm

    The situation for ESL is out of control. People in China are dropping their kids here, continuing to run their businesses in China and paying no Canadian income tax, and we’re teaching their kids English for free. We are truly fools. Integrated classes for ESL students when there are one or two in a class of 30 may have made sense 25 years ago, but today, when numerous Vancouver and suburb schools and 80% or more ESL, the system is broken, and failing not only those ESL kids, but as importantly, the English natives.

77. Jake says

    June 24, 2014 at 9:26 am

    I wonder if the solution is just more in-class support workers and more classrooms? Would a philosophical shift help too? For instance, if a student has regular violent outbursts or doesn’t speak english do they belong in a regular classroom? Obviously we don’t want to ostracize anyone but at some point isn’t the benefit of inclusion to the few outweighed by the detriment to the majority?

78. Denise says

    June 24, 2014 at 9:04 am

    Agreed. Good information here but your LD definition is not correct.
    The current BC Ministry of Education definition of LD is as follows:
    “Learning Disabilities refer to a number of disorders which may affect the acquisition, organization, retention, understanding or use of ve
    rbal or nonverbal information. These disorders affect learning in
    individuals who otherwise demonstrate at least average abilities essential for thinking and/or reasoning. As such, learning disabilities are distinct
    from global intellectual deficiency. Interestingly enough many gifted students are diagnosed LD . . I think of it as learning different.

79. Deborah says

    June 24, 2014 at 7:54 am

    I have a baking 11/12 class that has 30 students working in a room built for 24. Each unit is 7 feet long, that’s 5 adult bodies in a galley kitchen. Oh, and there are 5 designations (autism), 6 -ELL minimal English, 3-behaviour and 2 with severe depression /cutting issues. I do have 1 fantastic EA

    Tell me again how this is not about class size and composition…

80. Cathy McMillan says

    June 24, 2014 at 12:54 am

    Thank you for your post, it has some great information in it. I do however disagree with your definition for LD and Ministry Designation. They do not match the LDA”s definition or the Ministries. I have two Designated LD children. I also work with many LD children and their families. My daughter is severely dyslexic and is functioning at grade level or better with her adaptations.

    If you would like to discuss more please let me know.

81. Elaine says

    June 24, 2014 at 12:45 am

    This year I had a grade 4/5 class with 30 students. Six were on IEPs for a variety of reasons, including autism, social/academic/ medical challenges, plus 3 were gifted. Others not included in this summary had major academic/behaviour/ attendance problems.
    This was the best class I have ever had in over 20 years of teaching.