Maybe the Fresh Prince was RIGHT ... Sort of.

When it comes to the cost of educating future generations of Canadians, to coin a phrase from Will Smith's famous rap song, "... parents just don't understand." Truthfully, he should consider changing it to add the word "some". Having said that, let's agree that it is a generalization, and there are a large part that DO understand, but it sure feels like the percentages are skewed the wrong way. What I'm talking about is the general malaise toward the profession of teaching and its value to maintaining our future successes as a country and a civilization. Even the Minister of Education has jumped on the "bash the teachers" bandwagon of late, devaluing the process of collective bargaining by choosing to tell thinly veiled fabrications in place of actually meeting at the bargaining table. I recently viewed an infomercial, paid for with our tax dollars, that left me so frustrated with its fear-mongering and inaccuracies that I stewed on the couch for a good 40 minutes.

If the government succeeds in making the sweeping changes to the Education System through the modifications they put in place, the result will be drastic. The costs of a weak or poor educational system are incredibly large and encompassing (see the photo to the right) so, the question begs, are we committed to ensuring that future generations will be well prepared to lead? Are we motivated to support the system that does teaches them how to do that? Based on my interactions with Joe Public recently, there is no consensus.

Let me open up the flood gates of argument by stating that I acknowledge the cost of education is high, that teachers are well paid, and that there are issues with efficiency in the system. As a 29 year veteran of the system, I feel that I am justified in having an opinion ... an informed opinion ... on how efficiencies can be found, but those that have the power to effect change rarely ask those that are immersed in the day to day grind. Whole Language, anyone? EQAO, anyone? The proposed e-learning, anyone? Multiple school Boards, anyone? That's problem #1.

Joe Public's opinion that teachers are the crux of the problem and indoctrinate their children with the same opinion, IMHO, need to spend some time attempting to better understand how today's system is fundamentally different than when they went to school before they venomously attack. Just because one has spent time inside a classroom as a student does not entitle one to attack the character of teachers. It's a ridiculous argument, but you don't hear people calling out the character of dentists, do you? We've all sat in the chair so doesn't that mean we completely understand how to be a dentist? That's problem #2.

The current strife between the present Ontario government and the education sector is a lose-lose-lose situation, no matter what side you are on. I hear the voices (or rather, read the voices because very few will approach me face to face) of parents who get very animated when they hear that the strife could very likely impact their day to day lives with some sort of work to rule or full out strike action. "You teachers are holding our children hostage!" I completely empathize with their frustration! What many choose not to understand is the way collective bargaining goes these days, especially with a government that is Uber comfortable re-writing the law ("Not Withstanding" if you recall?) to suit their needs. Since that same government will not actually negotiate choosing instead to dictate what will happen, even when it will seriously jeopardize the quality of education, SOMEONE has to stand up and shout NO! That same government has not listened to the general public on many other issues and cuts so there has to be a method of making them stop and pay attention. And, while we're being honest, we all need to remember that the government is quite okay with prompting a strike since it will lead to a huge mound of money saved and they'll simply legislate teachers back to work once they've saved what they think they need. I'm not living in the clouds ... look at the details of previous strikes. That's problem #3.

Look, let's get something straight, my non-educational-worker readers, teachers DO NOT wish to stop offering all of the extras (or even worse to strike) because however you cut it, they lose ... they lose credibility with the kids, credibility with parents, credibility with the media, credibility with the government ... heck, even credibility with each other since not everyone votes to support strike action! Some teachers are very pro-union; some teachers are anti-union; most, like me, fall somewhere in the middle. I have written in previous posts about coaching all of those years because I felt strongly about the need to "pay it forward" but it also because it allowed me to better understand my students, what made them tick, what was important to them. It's WAAAAY easier to teach a student that you have a bond with. I made the sacrifice of all of those hours outside of the classroom work, at the expense of my own family, because I knew it made my students better young men or young women. Why in the Lord's name would I choose to stop doing that unless I was "painted into a corner"? Take time to ponder that one, please.

I try to explain to Joe Public why I stand up in protest of a radical restructuring of the system. I want to shed light on HOW the proposed changes will effect the quality of every child's education, but people often choose not to listen. They'll engage in an argument with me but they won't listen. For all of those reading this who are not in the education field, here's how the largest hurdle in education breaks down ... The government wants to change the Pupil-Teacher-Ratio (PTR) in high school from 22:1 to 25:1. This is the AVERAGE and includes all students with all teachers. I read (or hear) so many people confuse class SIZE with class AVERAGE. If schools are staffed using a PTR of 25:1 that means that any class that, usually by law, has less than 25 students per teacher means that some other class(es) have to make up the difference. ASD classes, by law, cannot have more than 6 students which means that some other class(es) has to make up the difference of 19 students. The Education System now has many different Special Education classes, all with lower numbers mandated by law, and all below that magic ratio. Auto Mechanics class, by law, cannot have more than 20 students per teacher, for safety reasons. That means some other class(es) has to make up those 5 students. What this means to the entire school is that the number of classes that the law dictates have to be smaller numbers results in other classes having to be exceedingly large numbers like the 35-40 students OSSTF has been pointing at. This becomes an even larger problem when the physical size of the classroom influences the number of students because of the fire code and how much furniture and how many people can be in the room at the same time. The easy fix? Don't count special classes in the formula ... but that would mean listening to the front line workers ... See problem #2 again.

Many of the detractors label the same issues ... teachers get summers off; teachers make too much money; teacher's benefits are too costly; teacher's pensions are too cushy; teachers are lazy ... I'm not going to argue with anyone about this stuff, mostly because it's always an argument that shows that one side isn't interested in listening, they just wish to make a point. Okay, point heard and understood, but when my neighbours, friends, or family go down this road ... it does happen ... my reply is always, "I understand your frustrations and I acknowledge your anger, but if teaching is such a great gig, why didn't you choose it?" Almost invariably, it's Option A, "I couldn't do that job!" or Option B "You're one of the good ones so I'm not talking about you."
On option A ... then stop cutting us down for choosing to help you raise society's children!
On option B ... over 95% of the colleagues I have worked with in 4 different schools work as hard, care as much and offer as much as I do so what you're complaining about is the 5%.
Fine, then say you're angry with that 5% and stop painting ALL teachers with the same brush.

I am not alone in this thinking ... the CBC's Peter Mansbridge on teachers:

“Anyone familiar with my educational background will know that my relationship with teachers was cool. Not cool as in hip and trendy. But cool as in frigid and icy. The fact that I didn't finish high school is my fault. I had teachers who tried to get through to me. Mr. Bank, Ms. Bruce and Mr. Westinghouse were among those who tried, oh how they tried. But some challenges, like me, were just too much.

I put that on the record to make it clear that although a lot of people trace their success to a teacher who provided a spark, I don't. Still, I cringe when I hear and read all the teacher-bashing that's out there. I live in Ontario where the provincial government and the teacher unions have been locked in serious battle for several months. I'm not taking sides in the dispute. Not at all. But my goodness, the things some people say about teachers. Based on what I hear on radio talk shows, and comments on the internet, there are way too many people who truly believe that teachers are grossly overpaid and under-worked. What a strange attitude. Never mind that teachers are grooming the next generation of Canadians, the ones who will grow up to support our pensions in our old age. Maybe we can't think big-picture. The little-picture is pretty simple. Teachers are grooming our children. Yours and mine. Do we really want to trust the most precious parts of our lives to underpaid and overworked drones?

I keep seeing comparisons to what teachers make to the average industrial wage. And guess what? Teachers make more than the average. Of course they do. They've gone to school for at least four years of post-secondary education. The average teacher has been working for 11 years. They should be making reasonably good money. They're raising families too.

Then there's the under-worked part. That argument usually starts with July and August. Teachers get the whole summer off. No doubt about it; that's nice. But they need the break. I know there are lazy teachers. Just as there are lazy bankers, letter carriers, doctors, and yes, lazy journalists. But overwhelmingly, teachers are not lazy. In Ontario, the teachers stopped participating in extracurricular activities as part of their fight with the government. What an uproar that caused. School plays, sports teams, newspapers, chess clubs, fashion shows, and on and on. None of them possible without teachers freely giving their time. Critics are anxious to count the summer against the teachers, but they never count all those extra hours in their favour.

And sure, classes go from about 7:45 am to 2:45 pm, but anyone who thinks a teacher works six and a half hours a day, doesn't know many teachers. Preparing for class takes time. Talking to kids after school takes time. Meeting with parents takes time. Marking takes time. I can't imagine reading through 60 essays on why Hamlet is so sad and writing helpful comments in the margins.

We send teachers children from broken homes, from abusive homes, from negligent homes. We send teachers children from homes where both parents work, or where the only parent works, or where no parent works. We send teachers children who leave home without breakfast and whose grasp of mathematics is grounded in the reality that welfare money sometimes runs out in 28 days or 29 days, and can't be stretched to cover 30 or 31. We send teachers children who are new to Canada, children who stare blankly ahead unable to understand a single word that is being spoken. And we ask that those teachers turn each of those children, each of our children, into productive little citizens. We ask that even though there are 28 or 29 other students in the classroom, even though there are students misbehaving, even though some parents don't support teachers by re-enforcing lessons or by making sure homework is done, or even by insisting that the student listen to or respect the teacher.

So argue the fine points of teacher contracts all you like. I'm not saying teacher unions are always right. I'm just saying running down teachers is wrong.”

In the end, I'd really like all participating parties to agree on ONE thing ... Educating the future generations to be life-long learners, logical problem solvers, effective team players, independent thinkers and upstanding citizens is an EXPENSIVE process but WORTH every penny. People who choose to take on the massive responsibility of helping society raise the next generation should not be vilified, chastised, slandered and attacked for doing so. Our success rate is pretty high ... we understand that there are some that we can't help ... but imagine if teachers were discussed around the dinner table with respect? Imagine if what goes on each day at school was supported at home every night? Would translate into a unified team trying to educate society's children? IMHO, our success rate would most assuredly be higher. If teacher-bashing continues for a couple more generations ... mark my aged, old words because I've see the steady decline ... it will make that success rate plummet and break my heart, piece by piece, student by student.

I offer my hopes and prayers that all parties involved in this can come to some agreement before the system becomes too far gone.

BONUS: Here’s an article that’s related to this click here for another teacher's perspective