If you look at the teachers’ strikes, from a parental perspective, through a short term lens, it is easy to be highly critical of teachers. Typically parents, thinking short term, think of their own personal inconvenience for finding child care alternatives; then thoughts quickly leap to those lazy-over- paid -under- worked- teachers with two months holidays. Those teachers have it so easy.
Some parents are often eager to have their children gone from home after holidays because they lack the creativity, energy or resources to actively engage their own children. Perhaps, these parents have to decide if teachers really have it easy, or meaningful educational engagement with young people is actually challenging business. It can’t go both ways.
Bottom line is teaching is tough. More parents must see long term and opt for an education system that is rigorous and produces the type of people who are resilient, civil, kind, insightful and useful. Our Conservative government, by policy cuts costs and corners to achieve their ideal of efficiency. As parents, and in the wider society we have to realize some corners just can’t be cut.
If we look to the United States for an example as to what cost cutting in public education can do, there is your model, that is your answer.
Recently, I listened to President Donald Trump give a speech on wind generators. I thought it might have been written by a 8 year old boy. The man has no insights, understanding or expressive language. He is handicapped. He and conservatives like him represent the worst of values and like our own conservatives see education as a political tool to keep the masses ignorant. We can't have this in Canada.
Support the strikes, even if they are inconvenient. Support the teachers because what they do is the foundation for everything we do.
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