Teachers and other Resources...

My children go to public school. I have two in the elementary level and two above. My partner is a teacher in the Catholic system so I think I'm pretty well invested and fairly well versed in the current teacher's situation.

It is interesting to me that so many parents are ill-informed about what teachers do and what teachers want and even about what is best for their children.

This looming strike is not about money but if it were, if these escalating job actions were solely based on teachers wanting an extreme amount of money, why wouldn't we want them to get it? Because they don't deserve it? Because our kids aren't worth it? Because we would rather our kids try learning from some pissed off, underpaid person?

For some of you, I know the answer is yes. I know that because you are the same people who have a child and choose the cheapest possible daycare for them. You consider the money but don't consider that the person you are paying can't afford to live on what you are paying them. Don't consider or care that they may not have any experience or have and certification in first aid or CPR. You're the same people who take your kids to the park and sit on your cell phones while they try to pump themselves on the swing. Me? I'm the person who always ends up pushing them.

I see this entire teacher's problem as a reflection of the provincial government's inability to handle its resources. They have the ability to fix this yet aren't at the table. How much are these negotiations costing us in time, in frustration? It's clearly NOT an election year. If it were, they (Ms. Wynne's puppets) would be at the table yes, yes, yessing to get this matter resolved. Before you ask me how I know this, ask yourself why you don't know that?

Public school isn't something I have always believed in. It isn't a service or resource I have always availed myself of. When my older two were younger, I home schooled. I had luxury and the privilege of being their teacher as well as their mother for eight fun and hard years which I treasure.

Now that my kids are in "the system" I value their teachers. I take the time to get to know the environment my kids are spending time in. Just yesterday I stayed to the END of the assembly at my daughter's school just so I could watch how teachers, students and parents interact. So I could see if/how they value their leaders. I recognize that teachers are one of the biggest allies I have in this life. Why? Because a) they want to see my children succeed and b) the hours they spend together gives these teachers immense influence and insight into who my child is when they are not in my care.

Sounds like rhetoric right? It's not. Just yesterday morning I wrote a note in my son's agenda asking for 5 minutes of his teacher's time. This is time she didn't have to give me, especially in light of the current work-to-rule conditions which their union has adopted...but she did. She met my son and I at the end of the day. THE END OF HER DAY.

Teachers are resources. The government is doing a poor job of managing their resources not just with the teachers but look also at what is happening with healthcare, with our doctors salaries and with Ontario Hydro.

For whatever reason, Kathleen Wynne and this Liberal government are having a difficult time getting a handle on its resources.

Consider this: let's assume you are an accountant and have an employer. Now, let's assume your employer made you unhappy....made you work longer than you wanted to or took away half of your lunch break or demanded that you meet with their disgruntled clients on your own time. You would have the option of joining a different firm, looking for a different employer or working for yourself. Your friends and family would be hammering you quit so you could stop complaining or be more available to them. Teachers don't have this option. The government is the only employer.

I can appreciate the frustration of my fellow parents but I think we're frustrated with the wrong people here. Why don't we demand the government get back to the table and spend their time negotiating instead of trying to instill fear in us?

Why do we want a leader who, rather than find a way to circumvent problems, is content to sit back and point out what we should be afraid of ? Liz Sandals, isn't it your job to make sure teachers are able to work? Isn't it your job to make sure the school environment is safe for our children? Aren't you responsible for managing these resources? Why don't you feel accountable?

These are our children...why would we want anything less than a positive experience for them at school? And when it's not positive? Who provides us with the insight into our children, their abilities and challenges? Who do we turn to? The government who has shown that they may or may not show up at the table? Or the teachers?

It's scary, the comments I see online about teachers, the lack of understanding and compassion, the straight out disrespect and dismissal.

In 20 days we will go to the polls and elect a federal government to lead us for the next four years...if you can't take the time to educate yourselves about the smaller issues surrounding our teachers and make informed comments, how can you educate yourselves about the larger issues concerning our nation and make an informed choice at the polls?