A place to share my experiences as a TTOC and Middle School Teacher. Resources, ideas and important issues in education.
Showing posts with label recall. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recall. Show all posts
Saturday, 8 June 2013
End of School Year lay-off's cause anxiety for many teachers
The end of the school year means lay offs for many teachers. The unpredictability of summer employment can be stressful, but even more stressful is the uncertainty of September.
I am in my first year of lay-off and not knowing what September holds does cause some anxiety. Furthermore, the budget concerns in my district mean not all laid-off teachers will be recalled. What I find most troublesome is the fact that some teachers get recalled with days before they start a new school, grade, subject, class....
In most careers, it is the senior, most experienced in the job that take on the most challenging, new, experiences, while the newer teachers are mentored, trained, and as they gain experience in one area (school, subject, grade, etc. for example) they are challenged more....
I don't know what September holds, and I know I am not alone because many are talking about it...
Saw this post recently and thought I would share it: http://theeducatorsroom.com/2013/05/the-end-of-the-year-means-the-end-of-a-job-for-many-teachers/
Friday, 3 May 2013
Burnaby Now: Union prez says district issued 75 layoff notices
Burnaby Now
Cayley Dobie
May 3, 2013
To view the rest of the article, click here.
This is of high interest to me. Many districts are facing lay-offs. Here in Coquitlam, we have lay-off each year, then recall (when teachers are recalled into a (usually) new position) This year is my first year being laid off. It is exciting (the first time) but with recent budget concerns here in our district, I fear that I may not be recalled into a position... time will tell. But my eyes and ears are open with keen interest regarding lay offs in surrounding districts.
Cayley Dobie
May 3, 2013
The Burnaby school district sent out layoff notices to teachers in the district last week after only days before publicly approving a budget that didn't include any actual staffing layoffs.
According to Burnaby Teachers' Association president James Sanyshyn, 75 full-time teachers were given layoff notices last week. While he understands the trustees have no choice but to balance the budget - even if that requires layoffs - the secrecy in which the notices were sent out isn't acceptable, he said.
"Right after the board passed its budget, what that did was enacted about 75 layoff notices for teachers," he said. "They would have approved that in an in-camera session prior to the public session."
To view the rest of the article, click here.
This is of high interest to me. Many districts are facing lay-offs. Here in Coquitlam, we have lay-off each year, then recall (when teachers are recalled into a (usually) new position) This year is my first year being laid off. It is exciting (the first time) but with recent budget concerns here in our district, I fear that I may not be recalled into a position... time will tell. But my eyes and ears are open with keen interest regarding lay offs in surrounding districts.
Thursday, 3 May 2012
Lay-Off's
Today lay-off letters went to teacher's who fell below the set seniority level (This year was 4 years and 9 months).
Every year, the district lays-off teachers to ensure there are openings for teachers returning from leaves and such.
Then, starting in July, the laid-off teachers are "recalled"
This layoff/recall process has become the norm, but what sometimes happens is that in September, there are not enough positions for all the teachers. In these cases, recall teachers are given temporary contracts or put as a priority TOC (TOC almost every day, first in line for any positions that come up throughout the year).
As a TOC, I do not get laid-off.
The plus to this is that I can apply for EI benefits over the summer (though getting approved for benefits can be a challenge).
The down side to not getting laid-off, of course, is that you continue to TOC next year.
I love TOCing, it offers diverse experiences, a variety of environments and situations and many perks, however, it is difficult because of the lack of benefits, stability, and ability to earn/use seniority each day worked.
In September, I will enter by 7th school year as a TOC. I was hired in August 2006 and have TOC's ever since, with the exception of a .4 temporary teaching middle school home ec for two months in 2010, and a 5 month temporary teaching middle school grade 6/7 last year.
The way it works in my district is that you require 10 months of temporary time within three years to convert (be owed a job). I needed 3 months this year to convert (complete my 10 months within 3 years) however, I did not get any temporary contract time this year, therefore I lose my 2010 temporary time (the 2 months) and now require 5 months of temporary time next year to convert. The challenge is that we do not post temporary contracts, so I can't apply for them, so I have to hope that someone thinks of me when it is interview time and/or that my qualifications allow me to be flagged for an interview.... (Sadly, in my 6 years I have not have one, single, interview... yet...)
Still with me? It can be confusing....
Essentially, I did not get laid-off this year, but as a TOC I actually can't wait for the day I am laid-off... it means I have converted.
The unfortunate part is that many teachers get laid-off for several years. About the first 50 of over 250 teachers laid-off this year, are on the 4th or 5th year of going through this process.
What it means is that for those years you are laid-off, you often move from school to school, sometimes level to level, because as a recall teacher you don't have a lot of choice in where you are placed. It is difficult to build connections with students, staff, even establish the physical enironment in your classroom, when you are only there a year, then move repeatedly.
Still, as a TOC I see it as "a job is a job" (since I don't have one)
Yet, things seem to be improving. In September last year, not only did all recall teachers have a position (albeit some temporary) but there were positions in which TOCs were interviewed and hired into! Exciting for some TOCs who were hired in September into positions!
I am anxious to see what next year holds for hiring. It is my hope that all layoff/recall teachers are placed before September, and there are some positions available for TOCs to be interviewed for.
It is hard when government cut-backs mean less specialty teachers and larger class sizes.
One day I will have a class of my own full-time, but until then, I see the positive in TOCing and enjoy the people I meet and the resource sharing with other teachers.
Every year, the district lays-off teachers to ensure there are openings for teachers returning from leaves and such.
Then, starting in July, the laid-off teachers are "recalled"
This layoff/recall process has become the norm, but what sometimes happens is that in September, there are not enough positions for all the teachers. In these cases, recall teachers are given temporary contracts or put as a priority TOC (TOC almost every day, first in line for any positions that come up throughout the year).
As a TOC, I do not get laid-off.
The plus to this is that I can apply for EI benefits over the summer (though getting approved for benefits can be a challenge).
The down side to not getting laid-off, of course, is that you continue to TOC next year.
I love TOCing, it offers diverse experiences, a variety of environments and situations and many perks, however, it is difficult because of the lack of benefits, stability, and ability to earn/use seniority each day worked.
In September, I will enter by 7th school year as a TOC. I was hired in August 2006 and have TOC's ever since, with the exception of a .4 temporary teaching middle school home ec for two months in 2010, and a 5 month temporary teaching middle school grade 6/7 last year.
The way it works in my district is that you require 10 months of temporary time within three years to convert (be owed a job). I needed 3 months this year to convert (complete my 10 months within 3 years) however, I did not get any temporary contract time this year, therefore I lose my 2010 temporary time (the 2 months) and now require 5 months of temporary time next year to convert. The challenge is that we do not post temporary contracts, so I can't apply for them, so I have to hope that someone thinks of me when it is interview time and/or that my qualifications allow me to be flagged for an interview.... (Sadly, in my 6 years I have not have one, single, interview... yet...)
Still with me? It can be confusing....
Essentially, I did not get laid-off this year, but as a TOC I actually can't wait for the day I am laid-off... it means I have converted.
The unfortunate part is that many teachers get laid-off for several years. About the first 50 of over 250 teachers laid-off this year, are on the 4th or 5th year of going through this process.
What it means is that for those years you are laid-off, you often move from school to school, sometimes level to level, because as a recall teacher you don't have a lot of choice in where you are placed. It is difficult to build connections with students, staff, even establish the physical enironment in your classroom, when you are only there a year, then move repeatedly.
Still, as a TOC I see it as "a job is a job" (since I don't have one)
Yet, things seem to be improving. In September last year, not only did all recall teachers have a position (albeit some temporary) but there were positions in which TOCs were interviewed and hired into! Exciting for some TOCs who were hired in September into positions!
I am anxious to see what next year holds for hiring. It is my hope that all layoff/recall teachers are placed before September, and there are some positions available for TOCs to be interviewed for.
It is hard when government cut-backs mean less specialty teachers and larger class sizes.
One day I will have a class of my own full-time, but until then, I see the positive in TOCing and enjoy the people I meet and the resource sharing with other teachers.
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