Something to be bothered about with #BCed

I apologize if my outcry against the deterioration of public education bothers you but I think there are much larger issues to be bothered by with the way this Provincial government is treating public education!

I shared this as a facebook status, and I wanted to share it here as well:

Teachers fight for students everyday. Fight for smaller classes, more support, specialist teachers and a safe place to learn and grow. My union fights for me. Fights for improved salary, benefits and better working conditions. Don't get it confused... Teachers always 'do more with less' so just because we ask for a fair wage to catch up with teachers across Canada (many with lower cost of living) doesn't mean we are greedy. We care about your kids, but have families of our own too. Funding needs to go into education, for better working conditions for teachers, which is better learning conditions for kids. Thank-you to everyone who supports public education. We will keep fighting until this government makes it a priority!

As the struggle continues in British Columbia for public education to become a priority for the BC Liberal government, I find myself constantly having to defend my job, my union, and my students. For some reason, there is this divide... just because teachers want better working conditions including salary, benefits, prep time and smaller classes, they are somehow greedy and not passionate about teaching. Many somehow believe that improving things for teachers doesn't positively impact students.

I can't even count the number of times, in the past two weeks, I have been asked, "Why don't you choose a different career?" or "Well, why do you keep teaching then?" or "Have you thought about moving somewhere else to try teaching or moving to the private sector?" Like that is the answer?

I am a teacher because I care about education and kids... but that doesn't mean I don't also care about my own well being and my family's security. Like any person, in any job, there is a balance of wanting what is best for your clients, colleagues, business, whatever the case may be... as well as your own family and personal life too. I am passionate about education and that means I stick with it, through thick and thin, always trying to improve it for my students as learners and for myself and my colleagues as teachers.

About me...It has been a roller coaster ride... I graduated from university and was hired that summer to start in September as a Teacher-Teaching-On-Call [TTOC] in the district I still call home. After three years of slow work and struggling to make ends meet as a TTOC, I obtained my first part time temporary contract. It was outside my subject area, but I took it because contracts were hard to come by. After that, I had a temporary contract, of some sort, for a few months each year until, in year seven, I finally "rolled over" into a continuing part-time contract. This meant, although 'owed a job' I would be laid off each year until I obtained enough seniority to find a secure position, a classroom and school to call home.

Last year I was laid off and out of 480 or so teachers, I was right in the middle. I was recalled to a part-time job, outside my subject area, the day before school started, and on-call the rest of the days. This year, of our 632 teachers laid off, I am in the bottom 100. Because I am part time, many full time teachers have jumped ahead of me on the lay off and recall list. With a cut off point of 8 years and 4 months, many teachers who have not been laid of fin several years are laid off this year. I have only 2 years and 6 months seniority because much of my on-call teaching time is not included in calculation so I knew I would be laid off this year, however,  I didn't expect to be so low down the list. I don't expect to be recalled in September, if at all next year. This is one of many difficult cuts my district has had to make because of lack of funding from the Provincial government!

I don't mean to sound greedy, or selfish, [why do teachers always apologize when speaking out against injustices?] but as I enter my ninth year teaching, I wonder when I will escape this tumultuous procedure? Where else does nearly a decade of service lead to facing this much uncertainty? If I continued to work just my part-time, 2 day a week contract and the lay-off level stayed as it is this year forever, it would take me almost 15 MORE years to get above lay-off line.

Depressing as that is for me personally, it is not as depressing as losing all our teacher-librarians next year, among other major cuts. My district is not alone in facing these difficult decisions, across B.C. school boards are struggling to balance budgets as the provincial government continues to download costs. B.C. invests $1000 less per student compared to the national average which, if corrected, would resolve most of the cuts school districts are being forced to make. These cuts are devastating and will change public education forever. I fear, once cut, these positions, services and programs will never return and my daughter and her future children, will not be given the opportunities they deserve in school.

It isn't just about me and my family, although that is very important to me, it is about everyone's family and future. Although cliche, it is true, these kids are our future... the government talks about a 'strong economy' but is squashing our young future decision makers' opportunities. Our future nurses, teachers, plumbers, tradespeople, parents, bankers, doctors, cooks, lawyers.... losing important support in school.

It frustrates me that there is no money for classrooms, but our premiere can spend frivolously. It isn't about there being no money, it is about the allocation of money and the priorities this government has. Clearly education is not one of them.

It upsets me that we are bullied and bribed in the public instead of respected at the bargaining table. There is a fair deal to be made, but the media parade won't help us get there.

Teachers elsewhere in this country are negotiating and being recognized as important figures in children's lives. Why can't B.C. see the same? An investment in education now, will pay off in the future.

This isn't about being adversarial, this is about coming to the table... the government and the BCTF... and discussing, proposing, negotiating. Teachers working conditions are students learning conditions and both need to be protected.

Education is worth the investment. Quality education should not be reserved for the rich and elite. Everyone deserves the opportunity to learn and grow in a safe and nurturing environment.

So, I apologize if my outcry against the deterioration of public education bothers you, but I think it should bother you more that this government is treating teachers and students this way. Everyone has a right to quality education and as a teacher and a parent, I will keep fighting for public education and the educators who work hard every day to teach our children. I won't give up on their future and neither should you!

Sharing a great bog post: Within and without the union: prejudices about the BCTF

I recently came across a great blog post, Within and without the union: prejudices about the BCTF, from a teacher who previously worked in a Catholic school and was not a fan of unions. He starts his post with a goal to figure out why the BCTF is so disliked:

I guess that I belong to the most despised union in the province. I’m not whimpering. It’s just a fact. The BC Teachers Federation gets a lot of nasty press. And I try to understand why that might be. To do so, I have to cast my memory back to my pre-union days.

I taught in a Catholic independent school for 11 years. And there was no union. As you can probably guess, a couple of decades ago, some of the BCTF proclivities didn’t play well with Catholics. For one thing, there was the issue of support for LGBTQ realities that the Church would have preferred to deny, but there was more. The Church was terrified of unions.

He then shares his story about when his Catholic school staff tried to create a union after the firing of a teacher because she was divorced and planning to remarry. Next he lists some reasons he believes BCTF is disliked...and Finally he wraps up with this gem....

The tax argument, however, is spurious. The same level of vitriol is never issued when people buy gasoline or groceries. People don’t curse the multimillionaire bank CEO’s when they get ding’d a-buck-fifty at the ATM just for taking out their own money. (By the way, when bank machines first came out, they were free to use, and still people were reluctant, as we knew that the banks were saving huge money laying off tellers). But for some reason, they don’t want to pay tax dollars for a system of universal education that is run and delivered by professionals. They say that in today’s economy we can’t afford it, which is funny, because our modern economy generates more wealth than ever before in history, yet as a percentage of GDP we funded schools much better in the past.

I’ve come to look at the issue as one that I just have to live with. I have worked a few different jobs in my life, finally coming to teaching, and I can say that teaching is most definitely the hardest job I’ve ever done. It can be very rewarding at times – not lately though, considering how hard the government has been working to discredit us. (It really doesn’t feel good when your boss tries to goad you into a fight). But that ‘s a story for my previous blog post.

Please go enjoy the entire blog post. It is very well written and touches on a lot of important topics.

Read entire post here

Another busy week of filling my teacher brain...

I spent a couple days in Williams Lake to present the New Teachers' SURT (School Union Rep Training) workshop to a group of new teachers' and TTOCs from Cariboo Chilcotin teachers.

It was awesome to talk about Professional Development, the History of the BCTF, Professional Relationships including the code of ethics and boundaries, Professional Autonomy, and the Collective Agreement. I found it so educational as the facilitator to learn some of the local language and how it differs from other locals I have presented in or my own local I work in.

Thank-you to the teachers' in Williams Lake as well as the BCTF and the CCTA for having me!

When I returned from Williams Lake I had a mentoring session with our district mentor team, where we went through some strategies and protocols to try with our own "mentees" or "prtoege" groups. I find these sessions so valuable as a mentor and hope to bring some of the strategies we practiced into our next TTOC Mentorship meeting.

Finally, on Friday, I joined the BCCLA PSA (BC Co-Operative Learning Provincial Specialist Association) at their annual conference. I am part of the new District Leadership Series and was excited to get a sampling of what we will be focusing on this year. We also had our CTA 1st VP, Chris King, as a keynote. Although I work with him often, it was incredible to listen to him speak on Safe Schools and SEL (Social Emotional Learning) and how important it is to have those connections and a safe environment so that students CAN learn.

Overall, this week was busy, but so educational! My brain felt so full at the end of each day, I am so glad I have my notebook to reflect in and return to, so that all these fabulous revelations do not get forgotten!

#BCTF2013 Summer Conference

I just got home from an amazing few days in Kamloops, B.C. for the BCTF Summer Leadership Conference for teachers.

This is my 5th year attending and my 2nd as a facilitator.

I went up early for Facilitator's Institute Training where I had the opportunity to review TTOC workshops with new and experienced TTOC facilitators as well as share the NEW SURT (for New Teachers) with experienced SURT facilitators.

It was an amazing few days working with incredible teachers and then even more teachers arrived for Summer Conference.

We had Linda McQuaig as our opening plenary keynote speaker, 3 elective sessions for workshops of our choice (I presented during one of those electives) and closing plenary from Joel Bakan.

We also had core sessions where we worked with our own locals and others to discuss the keynote, strengthening our union, and brainstormed ideas to help meet our Leadership Priorities for the year. One I am most interested in is New teachers/member engagement. I am hoping many locals will book the New Teachers' SURT and get their new members involved to help build capacity in our union.

My most favourite activity was the Drum Cafe where all the teachers gathered in a room with drums. It was a fantastic way to wrap up the conference.

 I really enjoy Summer Conference because it allows me to have a slow start back to school. It's a great way to be inspired and motivated for the upcoming school year.

Speaking of the upcoming school year, I am still on the "recall" list, and haven't been given an assignment for September yet, but hopeful something will come soon.

Article: Exhaustion of the American Teacher

Exhaustion of the American Teacher, this is a pretty good read.

http://theeducatorsroom.com/2012/09/the-exhaustion-of-the-american-teacher/

Editorial: Education Issues

Education was hardly a burning issue in the provincial election, leaving many educators, trustees and administrators — not to mention parents — scratching their heads.

Cash-strapped school districts from Prince George to New Westminster, including School District 43, were expecting to hear something specific about a long-term vision for funding a 21st century education system. But whatever was in the political kit bags of the two party front-runners was lost in debates over who would better handle the economy.

Meanwhile, districts across the province are slashing budgets to keep spending in line with funding. SD43’s funding problems are magnified by revenue and expense miscalculations during last year’s budget process. But SD43 isn’t the only district cutting back and few would argue that the education system is awash in cash.

Rather, it is merely holding the line while expectations for smaller classes, support for special needs and help for children with learning disabilities, technology and other demands increase.

So where was the talk about building a sustainable funding system for schools? Where was the leadership given last year’s labour unrest that resulted in many clubs and sporting events being cancelled?

It was drowned out by political recriminations on both sides. Now though, Premier Christy Clark is re-floating an earlier trial balloon to seek a 10-year labour agreement with teachers. While it’s true that labour peace would surely benefit the education system, it’s hard to see how making the BCTF eat crow so soon after the election (many teachers thought they’d be dealing with a friendly NDP government) is going to bring this about. And because the issue hardly came up, it’s hard to argue the 10-year deal is part of her mandate.

For many people, what’s needed first is a new, more equitable funding formula that doesn’t pit urban school districts against rural districts for scarce cash. Once a long-term vision for funding is revealed, then Clark might be in a better position to work with teachers on the vaunted 10-year labour deal.

But until then, all she’ll accomplish with re-writing the teachers’ labour contract is more instability in schools.

So, um, good luck with that.


Via http://www.tricitynews.com/opinion/209560321.html

CTA AGM 2013

Last night was the CTA AGM. This meeting, held the last Wednesday of May most years, is where Coquitlam Teachers elect their executive committee, pass the budget, including fees, and discuss issues in education through motions and reports.

Last night I was successfully elected for a two year term as Local Rep, a position I am excited to take on. I am so grateful to the teachers who voted for me, most appreciated!!

Last night, Charley King was elected as our new CTA President, as Teresa Grandinetti steps down as past president and returns to the classroom in September. Chris King stayed on as 1st VP and Ken Christensen was elected as 2nd VP.

Ken resigned from his LR position and Jason Giles was elected for a one year term as LR, while Henry Theissen and myself were elected for the two year terms as LRs.

Finally, there were five members at large elected: Shelly Hawley, Natalie Malakoff, Sheila Drysdale, Mike Galliford and Deither Malakoff (who dropped down from 2nd VP running)

After the elections however, things got even more interesting.

While the gym started off packed with over 300 teachers, many left after elections. One teacher, for whatever reason, decided to call quorum and after a count it was discovered that there were only about 132 teachers left. Quorum is 150 teachers. This teacher decided to call quorum, which is allowed and is in the rules of order, but meant the meeting ended immediately and will now need to be rescheduled.

Now, we started the meeting with quorum, 300 teachers, well over 150 needed. The meeting has been set for a year (no joke, the CTA office books the gym well in advance and spends hours upon hours planning and preparing for the meeting) and all the teachers still there, then had to go home.

Now, we wait as the CTA Office tries to reschedule this meeting before the end of the school year (finding a venue, printing budgets again, booking the accountant to come review and answer questions on the budget, etc. etc.) It is another evening teachers have to spend away from their homes, families, friends, committments, to be at the meeting, which may not have quorum again.

I guess my frsutration is that in the past, even without quorum, business has continued, because those who want to be there are, and it is open to all teachers, it is their choice to attend, or not, to stay, or not....

More frustating is that this teacher left promptly, and I still do not know WHY she called quorum... was it in protest of the budget and proposed fee increase? Was it because she hoped to achieve something in particular?

No idea...

But, we got through only about half of the business of the meeting and will have to attend another meeting again in the next couple weeks...

That meeting will address the budget and all other matters we did not get to, my question is this... will be have quorum? Will teachers return to a 2nd meeting? Will others who weren't at 1st meeting attend?
Time will tell.

Burnaby Now: Union prez says district issued 75 layoff notices

Burnaby Now
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.

Teacher Resignation: I am not leaving my profession, in truth, it has left me

Increasingly teachers are speaking out against school reforms that they believe are demeaning their profession, and some are simply quitting because they have had enough.

One letter of resignation from a veteran teacher, Gerald J. Conti, a social studies teacher at Westhill High School in Syracuse, N.Y. was shared in a recent Washington Post article.


Read the entire letter here.

He talks about the changes over the years and how the teaching profession and the classroom have become devalued and pushed by testing to get funding.... here is an excerpt:

In their pursuit of Federal tax dollars, our legislators have failed us by selling children out to private industries such as Pearson Education. The New York State United Teachers union has let down its membership by failing to mount a much more effective and vigorous campaign against this same costly and dangerous debacle. Finally, it is with sad reluctance that I say our own administration has been both uncommunicative and unresponsive to the concerns and needs of our staff and students by establishing testing and evaluation systems that are Byzantine at best and at worst, draconian. This situation has been exacerbated by other actions of the administration, in either refusing to call open forum meetings to discuss these pressing issues, or by so constraining the time limits of such meetings that little more than a conveying of information could take place. This lack of leadership at every level has only served to produce confusion, a loss of confidence and a dramatic and rapid decaying of morale.

He closes his letter with this:

After writing all of this I realize that I am not leaving my profession, in truth, it has left me. It no longer exists. I feel as though I have played some game halfway through its fourth quarter, a timeout has been called, my teammates’ hands have all been tied, the goal posts moved, all previously scored points and honors expunged and all of the rules altered.
For the last decade or so, I have had two signs hanging above the blackboard at the front of my classroom, they read, “Words Matter” and “Ideas Matter”. While I still believe these simple statements to be true, I don’t feel that those currently driving public education have any inkling of what they mean.

[Source]

Happy St. Patrick's Day 2013

Usually I post holiday themed activities, but it is Spring Break and I am at the BCTF AGM with approximately 700 teachers.  So instead, I will just wish you all a Happy St. Patrick's Day and I hope you enjoy your Sunday!

Sexism Tinges Criticism of Teachers' Job Action

The Tyee.ca
Charles Bingham
May 25, 2012

I am highly supportive of the current teacher actions, but I must say that I cringe whenever a teacher strike, or teacher limited actions, are called.

Why do I cringe? Because I know that my social life will become unbearable for a few weeks or even a few months. It's about to be "let's talk about how I feel toward those striking teachers" time. When the neighbours get together for dinner or drinks, everyone (everyone!) has an opinion about those striking teachers.

I can't think of another single profession that resides so clearly under the magnifying glass of public opinion. Even when it comes to general elections, people are reserved about talking politics. You know, keep religion and politics off the table if you want to have a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Yet everybody has something to say about teachers, and especially in times like these. People say things like, "These teacher actions are not good for children," or, "The extra daycare costs are not fair to parents."

To view the rest of the article, click here.

Preferential Call-Out

Coquitlam is among many districts in BC that uses preferential call-out. While it is an ongoing debate as to if this method of call-out for teachers-on-call is fair or not, I can see both sides of the arguement.

I feel that new TTOCs who had their practicum int he district may have an advantage with preferential call-out (or requests) because their school associate and teacher's in the school they were at may call them in. Additionally, TOCs in the district a while may have an advantage because their name is well known and they get requested often. On the flip side, however, if a TOC is not known they may not work as often, making it unfair that a classroom teacher decides when a TOC works.

Surrey TOC Glynis Cawdell summarized both sides well when she wrote:
  

The debate continues in Surrey and across the province. To request, or not to request? I’ve spoken to many TOCs and contract teachers on this issue and yet I still struggle to know what’s right.

The truth is, there are some good things about preferential call out. When you’re one of the 800 plus TOCs in Surrey, and you can be dispatched to any of our 120 school sites (at 5:30 AM no less) it’s no wonder TOCs love to get requested. Being called back to the a school allows you to make connections and feel like a member of the staff. The students already know your expectations so less time is spent on behaviour issues. For special needs students, who require more consistency, this is especially true. As job requests often come in days or even weeks in advance TOCs know where they’re going ahead of time and can communicate with the classroom teacher beforehand. You feel prepared. You feel confident.

That’s not to say requesting is without its dark side. Should teachers really be acting as the employer and choosing who gets work and who doesn’t? Is it ethical to evaluate a TOC you have never seen teach? If a teacher legitimately felt a TOC did an inadequate job they have an obligation to contact that teacher and give them feedback. Unfortunately what happens more often is that the teacher just chooses not to request that TOC back, even telling colleagues to do the same. Sometimes teacher’s request TOCs just because they chatted in the staff room at lunch and the TOC was outgoing and friendly. Is this fair?

Glynis highlights some of the main arguements on both sides and while the BCTF is working towards seniority call-out across the province, I know that there are Coquitlam teachers-on-call and teachers-on-contract who support preferential call-out and some that do not.

That being said, Coquitlam implemented a new feature in their call-out system last year which has a "consistency clause" as I call it, though the SBO calls it "call-back with a cancel"

This is how it works....

If a teacher is away within 3 days of a previous absence, the call out system (CADS) will call back the TOC that was previously in the classroom (with in those 3 days). This will over ride a request (so if classroom Teacher is away on Thursday and TOC A comes in, but then classroomTeacher is away Monday and requests TOC B, because TOC A was in within 3 days, TOC A gets the call first, before the requested TOC B gets the call.

Further to that, if TOC A already has accepted a call on that Monday, they will get a "call back with a cancel" option which essentially lets them choose their job for that day...if they want to return to that class they were in Thursday and give up current call out, or turn down the return to the Thursday Classroom and keep the already accepted call out.

This feature essentially eliminates preferential call-out to an extent because it is the first stage of call-out before requests.

Now, the other "change" I think would make things more fair, is to give teachers only ONE or TWO requests. Currently there are multiple requests, so if your first TOC request declines or is not available, it tries #2, #3 and so on.

If there were only one or two spots, then classroom teachers would keep their option to request, but teachers who are not requested would have more of a chance of getting a call since it is more likely that two requested TOCs may be unavailable than say five requested TOCs.

I have seen the benefits of requests, as I often get request call-outs and enjoy being back in the same classes and schools, but I also know that from a union stance, it is not fair to have teachers "hiring" other teachers.

I do think there is a happy medium, but it will take time to explore those options and find one that works best for all.

Until then, the debate continues and I continue to hear both sides and remain unsure of what is the best way....

One member One Vote

There was a resolution I was really excited to discuss at the AGM and sadly, it didn't even hit the floor, despite many attempts to amend the agenda to get it on the floor.

I do not agree with OMOV for motions at the AGM (at this time) because the debate, amendments and changes on the floor need to be heard. Perhaps in the future by live streaming, but at this time I would like to see OMOV explored for BCTF EC positions.

I have heard people say that it wouldn't make a difference anyway, that the AGM is rep. by pop. and therefore the results would still be the same, just more people voting... maybe so, but is it not worth the discussion?

I feel that our union should look at this OMOV option to allow all members the option to vote and be more involved.

Arguements I have heard against it include:

-You need to hear the speeches and see who members vote

-People sometimes run from the floor.

-Uninformed members won't vote with all the information.

These arguements are minor roadblocks to implementing OMOV.

I could see this working in one of a few ways:

-Online voting

-Voting in-person by local (much like a strike vote)

-Voting by mail-in ballot

What I would most like to see is an advance vote. I think there should be a deadline for candidates to put forth their names and then a date prior to AGM that all candidates submit their written platform and perhaps even video speech or live stream Q & A through our secure BCTF portal.

Just think of all the extra time we would have at the AGM to discuss actual business and not campaigns, propoganda, candidate speeches and even the actual voting process.

Results could be announced at the AGM after advance voting occurs prior to the meeting.

Yes, things would have to change. People could no longer run from the floor, candidates may not be able to do the "drop-down" option currently in place (or maybe they can?) but why not explore this option in order to hear more members?

I think if given the option to vote, more members would become informed and that results may or may not change, but at least we have a more democratic process allowing for more voices to be heard.

I have started engaging in conversation with other teachers on this possibility and am learning so much about options and benefits and barriers. But, the conversation is happening and that is the first step!

What if teachers adopted "Net Zero"?

*Read this on Kevin Epp's facebook page and loved it so much I had to share...

What if teachers adopted "Net Zero"?

Well, if they did, things would change dramatically in schools.

First, the "collaborative meetings" which Minister Abbott claims are so important wouldn't happen. Teachers are not paid, nor required to attend meetings (except for one staff meeting a month) outside the school day.

Field trips wouldn't happen. Since the planning, organizing, and collecting of money, forms and other things necessary for these trips to happen are not part of our work. While away with students, teachers are away from their families. Parents who chaperone go along by choice, and teachers who organize and run these trips also do so by choice.

Extra help at lunch time, or after school would also cease. Teachers are paid only for class time. Although, for a fee, tutoring would be available as it is in the classified section of the paper. The marking and preparation of lessons, report cards, adaptation of work for children with special needs, and many other things are all done on our time.

Sports, clubs, science fairs, music performances and theatre performances would stop. Most of these things are done outside of the work day and 'outside' of the 'hours of work' for teachers. Tournaments, play days, track meets, assemblies, performances, all require hundreds of hours of work. That work is unpaid. We get our summer off. Yes we do. Most of us need it to make it up to our families who don't see us when we're away on field trips, tournaments, or at performances.

Teachers would start telling students who don't have a pen, pencil, eraser, paper, or calculator that the classroom runs on "Net Zero". The teacher will no longer give them the materials. It seems that some people don't realize that there are no cupboards filled with these things in schools, and teachers spend, on average, $500 dollars of their own money for supplies they give away. Perhaps teachers should start to charge 'user fees' like the government does.

Graduation ceremonies would have to be taken over by others. Who? I don't know. Teachers at secondary schools spend countless hours organizing the grad ceremonies at every high school in the province. That is not paid work nor a requirement.

Reference letters and assistance with university applications would also need to be taken over by others, again, who would do this is unclear. If not, then perhaps, like others, letters and forms would be completed by teachers, however, under the Net Zero Mandate, those would be only completed for a fee.

Net Zero by teachers would mean, go to school just before the morning bell, teach your students, leave for lunch (since those in the private sector can go out for lunch...MLAs get lunch for free....) return to teach for the afternoon, and leave promptly after the last bell.

No lunch time activities like student council meetings, practices, extra help sessions, meetings, phone calls, parent interviews, rehearsals.....and.....

No afterschool practices, extra help sessions, meetings, phone calls, rehearsals, field trip organization, grad planning, open houses, and...............

Nope. Not anymore. Not under the Net Zero (teaching) Mandate.

Our government claims that along with no salary increase for teachers (who are ninth in salary in Canada but live in the most expensive province) they also need to take away other rights from teachers.

They want to roll back health benefits, take away job security, and provide even less for kids that need extra support.

Why haven't teachers adopted the "Net Zero" (teaching) Mandate? Because we are professionals who care about kids. Because we didn't get into this career to just earn dollars. Teaching is not a lost art, but the regard for teachers is a lost tradition.
 
[copied this from Kevin Epp, President at Okanagan Skaha Teachers' Union status on Facebook]