Teacher Teacher, What Can You Teach Me?

There has been a lot in the news lately about the possibility of a teacher strike here in BC.

Indeed, from the newpaper headline hyperbole level and the shrieking harpies on radio call in shows, you'd think they were already on strike when they haven't even had the vote yet; a strike vote is being held by the BC Teachers Federation BCTF starting today, we should know the results by the end of the week.

The only thing missing is parents on the human interest segment of the evening news wailing "Think of the children! Oh, won't somebody please think of the children!"

I've been following this story a little more closely than I might have in the past since my daughter would be starting school around the time the next contract would theoretically be due to expire, assuming they have a three year deal in place like most public contracts tend to be.

Some facts first. For over a decade now, there has not been a negotiated settlement between the BCTF and the Public School Employers Association (PSEA). Every single contract has been legislated by the provincial government. Yesterday, the government appointed a "fact finder" to hopefully find some middle ground, as the PSEA has said they and the BCTF are at an irreconcilable impasse.

The PSEA is offering 0%, 0%, and, no drum roll required, 0%. A friend and classmate in my grad program is a teacher in Burnaby and she said that she has not had a raise in 5 years. I'm not going to dig into the details to see if there were some benefits improvement in that time, but I think that this fits my recollection of the past few teacher deals. The PSEA claims the BCTF is demanding over 35% in wages and benefits increases.

The BCTF for its part says that the figure is both ridiculous and contrived, seeing as they haven't even tabled their demands. They did say yesterday that they are looking to get a cost of living increase and also some level of parity with Alberta and Saskatchewan, both of whom pay a fair bit more than BC does.

I know it's popular to bash the public sector as both lazy and greedy, but a 0-0-0 offer sucks. I got a 2% raise last year, and about the same the year before that, and will probably get something along the same lines next year. If I can get a 2% raise, then why can't they? Oh, right, I forgot, these are lazy greedy public trough feeders. Never mind that it would probably mean fewer opportunities for the government to give tax cuts to the rich.

Those who are facing the possibility of a strike from the student side of the equation are trotting out the same tired old arguments: teachers shouldn't be allowed to strike because they're an essential service (like nurses I guess - someone might die!); the burden on families who suddenly have to take care of the kids because there's no school (and what did you do this summer?); and the best one I've heard, "there are no other options, the school system is a monopoly!"

The last one is no joke, I heard that one this morning on my way in to work from none other than the parents association (what was once called the PTA, but I don't recall offhand what the acronym is these days). They should know better - with the number of home-schooled children on a steady rise and the availability of private schools (albeit for those who can afford it), it's a bald faced lie; it gets good headlines though.

I also love the statements you often hear that teachers don't work that many hours and have all those vacation days in the summer. I'm not a teacher myself, but I know several people who are or have been, and they work harder and put in more hours than I do. Another argument that's been popular, especially on the facile yes-no radio call in shows is that if the teachers don't like it, they should quit and get another job.

You know what? The best, brightest, most creative, and most talented teachers have been doing just that. They're leaving because they've had enough and they're smart and talented enough to get something else. Some might even have stayed in teaching in a private school, but most will have left the profession entirely.

Great! The best and brightest are leaving because they can, leaving the average ones, the truly dedicated ones, the fresh from university ones, and the ones too close to retirement to quit. Need we mention the thankfully small minority who might love to leave but can't because they aren't one of the best and brightest?

This isn't the system I want for my daughter, or for the people who will be teaching her. We pay a lot of lip service to how important teachers are, and how important our kids are for the future. I guess lip service will have to do since there doesn't appear to be any cash coming.