After a few months hiatus...

After taking some blogging time off, I am back with some back to school posts coming up this weekend.

In case you are not a colleague in B.C. let me give you a quick run down of something that have been happening here in our neck of the woods....

After months of failed negotiations, teachers were taking minor job action which included not supervising at recess. The government then locked us out at recess/lunch/before/after school and deducted 10% of our wages. We moved to a provincial rotating strike, one day a week for each district, with multiple districts out at once. Things were not improving.

Finally, the last rotating strike was Friday, June 13 and the following Monday we started a full walk out. All schools shut down as of June 16 and were not back in session until this past Monday, September 22.

As a zone captain on the local executive, striking days meant that we met at the CTA office early in the morning to discuss issues, then we would drive around to our "zone" of schools (6-12 schools we visited daily)

Our district cancelled summer school and so we didn't have to picket over the summer, but many areas of B.C. did. As September drew closer, we hoped for a deal, especially when mediator Vince Ready got involved. But, with the parties "too far apart" he walked away and our hopes faded.

There were rallies put on by students, parents and the community, there were events hosted by BC Fed and other unions, there was support in the form of solidarity, money, and more from across Canada. It was truly a historic event.

When teachers voted 99% for binding arbitration, it sent a strong message that we wanted to get a deal, even if it meant going to binding arbitration. The government still disagreed but finally, there were some discussions again. After a promise to bargain 25/7 all summer, the government only met once with BCTF and this final push at least got both parties back at the table again.

Finally, last week, with Vince Ready back and some discussions between parties, they reached a deal.

The deal was not the deal teachers hoped for, but it had modest improvements in some areas and allowed us to get back to work, kids back to school and focus on the next issues were are trustee elections and our court case.

It was a tough time for many teachers, parents, students, community - but we go through it.

I feel like it was one battle in the bigger war. With a government like this, it feels like there are many more battles in this war and we need to stay united in our fight to stand up for quality public education. We can not allow have/have not privatization of education. We can not allow this government to break our union.

I did not blog the past few months because (mostly, I didn't have the time... but also...) there was so much going on on any given day with bargaining and job action and government moves - I didn't want this blog to become a political opinion blog (although that is part of who I am) but to stay focused on classroom ideas and such.

So, there are no guarantees I won't post more on this issue and any others that come.... but for now, we are back to school and I am ready to share some more classroom ideas!

Thanks

If you want some info on this check out some of these great posts:

http://thetyee.ca/News/2014/06/14/BC-Ed-Keeners/

http://thetyee.ca/News/2014/05/21/BC-Teacher-Bargaining/

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-teachers-rally-at-canada-place-1.2757616

http://www.news1130.com/2014/09/16/tentative-deal-reached-between-teachers-and-government/

Letter: Here’s one teacher who earned every dime

There has been a lot of recent talk about our teachers, government and job action. I'd like to take a moment and talk about Jane Powell. 

She was my drama teacher from eighth grade until I graduated (with a brief respite while I was in 11th grade) and she passed away on Oct. 1. 

Like most people, I had a difficult time in school. With hormones controlling my every move, bullies in the hallways, less than stellar home life and an intense need to be lippy, poor Ms. Powell had to deal with the results of that equation.

All I wanted to do was play around and when I found out how easy it was to make people laugh, I felt that I had found my calling, but Ms. Powell had different ideas.

Very early in my drama studies she was quick to tamp down my eagerness to be a jackass.

I have never been a person to blindly accept authority and Ms. Powell, like all of my other teachers, had to deal with it on a daily basis. She, like the others, never gave up on me. 

I don't know what she or any other of my teachers were paid to deal with the rag-tag group that we were in school, but given the crass behaviour she was exposed to daily, it probably wasn't enough.

This was before teachers had to deal with students text messaging in class etc. (our text messages were hand- written notes passed around the room!).

When the B.C. Liberals gave themselves a pay raise a few years back, there was talk that “we need to attract the best and brightest.”

The best and brightest people in the world are not grown in petri dishes. They are challenged and taught by a specific group of professionals who dedicate their lives to their work.

Teachers.

"They get weekends, stats and summers off” is a common argument I've heard.

According to the Parliament of Canada website, last year our MLAs had 46 sitting days in parliament? (I am not going to give them credit for work they do outside of Victoria until we give credit to the work teachers do outside of the school.)

“It shouldn't be about money, if they really love their jobs,” is another common argument I've heard.

The same could be said about people choosing to run for public office.

JOEY JACK

Kamloops

SOURCE

A Surrey Teacher's poem - I will always be a teacher

Michelle Mirabueno, a Grade 1 teacher at Woodland Park Elementary in Surrey, wrote this poem in response to the news of ‪#‎ChristyClarksLockout‬

I will always be a teacher

You may try and cut our wages
Threaten, bully and scare
Without stepping in our classrooms
To see why we fight and care

I will still teach all my students
I love the job I do
I teach my children to stand up for themselves
When they cross paths with bullies like you

We will not back down in defeat
We will not let this go
You make a mockery of what we do
Turning it into a media show

My classroom is not for sale
I will not sell out the children's needs
For every child is worth the fight
Despite the trouble this may lead

I wish you had the teachers
Who would have fought for your needs too
Because somewhere down the line
A teacher helped you become you

I will always be a teacher
I will always fight the fight
To ensure the children of our world
Can learn what's wrong from right

So when they grow and make a choice
Of what they'd like to do
Surely one of them will have more integrity
To do the job in place of you

More on Christy Clark and the Liberals plan to pressure teachers into strike

Clark facing crisis after NDP revelations about talks with teachers
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/clark-facing-crisis-after-ndp-revelations-about-talks-with-teachers/article16845904/

Vaughn Palmer: Christy Clark’s profession of innocence cast into doubt:  
Government negotiator admits Liberals tried to pressure teachers into strike

http://www.vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/Vaughn+Palmer+Christy+Clark+profession+innocence+BCTF/9501382/story.html

Les Leyne: Snippets of testimony in teacher case are bad for Liberals
http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/columnists/les-leyne-snippets-of-testimony-in-teacher-case-are-bad-for-liberals-1.847953#sthash.CZxZSpk8.gbpl

B.C. Liberals' lead negotiator admitted plan was to provoke a full-scale strike, keep children home from school
http://bcndpcaucus.ca/en/bc_liberals_lead_negotiator_admitted_plan_was_to_provoke_a_fullscale_strike_keep_children_home_from_school

Premier Christy Clark involved in BCTF strike strategy: NDP
The testimony from a top government official appears to contradict Education Minister Peter Fassbender and Premier Christy Clark

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/metro/government+negotiator+admits+Liberals+tried+pressure+teachers/9500416/story.html

NDP grills B.C. Liberals on teacher strategy

http://globalnews.ca/news/1146339/ndp-grills-b-c-liberals-on-teacher-strategy/

The Tyee: To Grow BC's Economy, First Grow Schools

Educators must have listened to Christy Clark during the May election campaign with mixed emotions. She couldn't get through a 30-second sound bite without chirping "Grow the economy!" at least twice. Sure, it's a good idea to grow the economy. In fact, educators do it well, and could do it even better.  

But despite being a teacher's daughter, Clark has never shown much appreciation for that fact, starting with her long-ago stint as education minister presiding over Gordon Campbell's first assault on B.C. teachers. With September approaching, the premier would do well to heed this reminder: underfunding schools only short-changes the economy. 

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development has plenty of evidence to prove it. For example, last June, its education blog compared employment statistics for a number of OECD countries, including Canada. 

It showed young Canadians with less than high school graduation had only a 59 per cent employment rate in 2011. The same age group, with tertiary (or post-secondary) education, had 84 per cent. 

When it came to tertiary education spending, the OECD average in 2010 was 20 per cent above that of 2005, and such spending took up an average of 1.6 per cent of GDP. 

The OECD's Country Notes for Canada throw some encouraging light on how we're doing: 51 per cent of Canadian adults held a tertiary qualification in 2011, up 11 per cent over 2000. That makes us the best-educated nation in the OECD, where the average in 2011 was 32 per cent.

http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2013/08/17/Grow-BC-Economy-With-Schools/?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=170813

#DearPeter @MLAFassbender - what teachers think of a ten year contract....

Dear Minister Fassbender

Yesterday the question of topic on BC Almanac was is a 10 year deal for teachers fair and reasonable? My answer was how can it be given that teachers cannot trust this government. Here is why we can't trust this government:

1. Contracts and working conditions have been imposed on us by legislation for the last 12 years. The courts have found this to be unconstitutional, yet teachers are still waiting for their rights to be restored. 

2. The threat of fines, legislation and "accept this or else" attitudes from the government are not democratic collective bargaining. It is legislative thuggery.

3. Austerity really means wage-cuts. It's about families you say, but we are parents too. Inflation raises the cost of living year after year. Wage increases should be somewhat mindful of the rate of inflation.

This government says trust us... we have changed. Minister Fassbender, how many times can you assume us to be fools? You wish teachers to bury the hatchet sir, but what you really mean to do is to bury it in our backs yet again.

Read more teachers' letters to Minister of Education, Peter Fassbender here: https://www.facebook.com/update_security_info.php?wizard=1#!/groups/226536574108231/?hc_location=stream

Also search #DearPeter on twitter.

Orange Crush

Source: harbourliving.ca via Amanda on Pinterest

Cringe Worthy Moments in BC Politics #OurBC

http://movingbcforward.ca/ is another great short, but sweet message regarding BC politics over the past several years... it is time for a change.

Time for a Change...

http://act.bcfed.ca/8-reasons-to-vote-for-change/ lists 8 BIG reasons to Boot the Liberals. After 12 years, I agree, it is time for a change!

NDP Platform promises improvements to public education....

I am not so foolish to believe any politician, but I do know what the Liberals have done over the past 12 years has NOT worked. I am ready for a change and hope the NDP can provide what they've promised....

The NDP released their platform finally today.

BCNDP 13/04/18 Election Platform: Improving Public Education by Langley Teachers' Association

You Can Do Better....

Does your government have what it takes to make a relationship last? If broken promises, cheating and financial ruin got you down, the answer might be right in front of you. Here are 10 signs that you deserve more from your elected officials

http://www.youcandobetter.ca/

This video makes me laugh everytime I watch it. Via: http://www.youcandobetter.ca/

12 Years is too Long....

Liberals wanted a ten year contract with teachers... ten years... a decade... because nothing changes over that length of time right? Let's look back at the past 12 years with BC Liberals....

See more videos here

B.C. Students are waiting....

Two years later, teachers are still seeking redress for rights’ violations

Today marks two years since the BC Supreme Court’s landmark decision ruling that legislation the BC Liberals enacted in 2002 violated teachers’ Charter rights, and therefore is unconstitutional and invalid.

On April 13, 2011 the BC Teachers’ Federation won a major victory in its decade-long court battle to overturn legislation which stripped teachers’ collective agreements of protections for class sizes, as well as guarantees of support for students with special needs. The bills had disastrous consequences for teaching and learning conditions across the province because they enabled government to make severe cuts to the public education budget. Government documents introduced as evidence in court calculated those cuts to be more than $275 million per year in 2001 dollars, an estimated $330 million annually in current dollars.
The Supreme Court gave government one year to deal with the repercussions of its ruling but now—two years later—the BC Liberals have still done nothing to redress the breach. As a result, the BCTF has been compelled to go back to court seeking a fair remedy.
“The Supreme Court affirmed our collective bargaining rights and gave us hope that a decade of struggling to meet our students’ needs might be coming to an end,” said BCTF President Susan Lambert. “Two years later, we are still urging the government to act on this important ruling and restore the services our students need and deserve.”
Then-Education Minister Christy Clark brought in the unconstitutional bills in 2002. During her tenure as premier, the BCTF has repeatedly appealed to her not to make students wait yet another year in underfunded schools and overcrowded classes.

Read more at: http://www.bctf.ca/NewsReleases.aspx

Board Budget Meeting Presentations

Last night I attended the local school board meeting to support teachers presenting to the board on budget recommendations. It is an annual thing, teacher groups present to the board to try to keep their programs alive... with cut-backs, it is really trying to not get cut...

It is so upsetting to witness the decline in services to our students as a result of continued underfunding from the B.C. Liberals... 

Teacher Librarians, Music teachers, Home Ec teachers, Teachers-Teaching-On-Call, Staff development, speech pathologists, student services and more presented to the board. I loved the prezi's anamoto's and various forms of presentations used.

Thank-you to all the teachers who after a long day in the classroom, made it out to the evening board meeting, which went very late, to speak so passionately about their programs and their students.

One Member, One Vote in the BCTF?

VIA VANCOUVER SUN:

The B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) is reviewing its election procedures and a controversial call for every member to have a vote in leadership races.
But don’t expect speedy changes.

A staff report is to be discussed by the BCTF executive during a meeting this week and debated at the union’s annual general meeting in March. The report was ordered after the last AGM when there was a battle for the top job between the incumbent Susan Lambert and former Abbotsford president Rick Guenther.

Guenther lost for a number of reasons (including the fact the union was in the midst of tense contract talks), but his defeat in 2012 brought calls for a more democratic election process. As it now stands, only delegates to the annual general meeting are entitled to vote. They number about 700 and tend to be activists who back the reigning Coalition faction of the BCTF. All of the union’s table officers have come from the Coalition since David Chudnovsky ousted incumbent president Kit Krieger in 1999. Apart from last year, when it seemed the popular Guenther, an independent candidate, had a chance for victory, the results have been predictable -as they are again this year.

After Guenther’s loss,  some BCTF members began calling for a more democratic election process that would give all 38,000 members a vote, and they started a Facebook page called One Member One Vote. (It’s a closed group with just over 500 members.)
The report that will go before the executive during a meeting Thursday and Friday includes a history of BCTF voting procedures and a review of how other unions choose their leaders, second vice-president Glen Hansman told me. I haven’t seen the document and don’t know if it includes recommendations. It’s to go before the AGM in Vancouver on March 16-19 where it might spark motions for change.

Even if that happens, no immediate impact is expected and the line of succession will continue (barring some totally unexpected event). Jim Iker, who spent three years as second vice-president and three years as first vice-president, is the only candidate to replace Lambert when she retires at the end of June. Hansman, second vice-president, will replace Iker as first vice-president and president-in-waiting.

Among the three table officer positions, only that of second vice-president is contested. The Coalition’s Denise Moffatt is in competition with Teri Mooring, who is part of the One Member, One Vote group.

 Personally, I am interested in exploring ways to give more teachers a voice.

As an activist who has attended 6 AGMs (during my Spring Break), I feel it is difficult to fully represent all teachers in my local. Although I am an elected (or acclaimed) delegate, I still feel it is impossible to represent so many teachers.

700 some-odd teachers across BC go to the AGM and make decisions for all teachers across the Province.... I would love to investigate other ways to handle business that would allow more teachers to have a vote - starting with one member, one vote for our BCTF Executive Committee.

Often decisions not dealt with at the AGM are moved to Rep Assemblies or to the Executive Committee to handle. If we practice a true democracy and allow one member, one vote, to choose our BCTF EC, then we have all had a say in who will lead us.

Rosa's Law

This is old news, but something I wanted to share.... I hate "the 'R' word"

Rosa’s Law is named after 8-year-old Rosa Marcellino, who has Down Syndrome. After starting elementary school, the Marcellino family was shocked to find her labeled as “retarded” in school documents.  Their push to have this changed ended in a new law signed by President Obama, changing the way all people with exceptionalities will be addressed.

On October 5, 2010, President Obama signed into law Senate Bill 2781 (S.2781), referred to as Rosa’s Law.  Rosa’s Law (S. 2781) amends the provisions of Federal law to substitute the term “intellectual disability” for “mental retardation” and “individuals with intellectual disabilities” for “mentally retarded” or “individuals who are mentally retarded.”  At this time, Rosa’s Law (S. 2781) does not require states to change terminology in state regulations for individuals covered by a provision amended by this Act.

Changes in Federal regulations will occur as they are reauthorized. Changes to both the Federal data reporting categories and Federal regulatory language is anticipated to occur with the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).  Subsequent to the reauthorization of IDEA, Pennsylvania will make the required changes in terminology in state regulations.  This change in terminology reflects the belief that language plays a crucial role in how individuals with disabilities are perceived and treated in society. No changes have been made in the process of determination of disability categories.