pending teachers strike, BCTF and the gov't

Is this to be a full strike? Or will the BCTF be using the removal of things like sports, field trips, and other activities path?

It goes in phases, starting with a one day walkout. The government is going to cut their pay by 5%, and if the teachers perform further action their pay will be cut by 10%.

If the teachers get what they are asking for, where's that money going to come from? Rolling back pay increase for 70 MLAs isn't going to make up the amount needed. It's going to be hundreds of millions of dollars a year.

If the teachers get what they are asking for, where's that money going to come from? Rolling back pay increase for 70 MLAs isn't going to make up the amount needed. It's going to be hundreds of millions of dollars a year.

The figure I heard, was that for every 1% increase across all public sector workers it costs an additional 200M annually.

Honestly, that seems low.

That was the number that the political columnists threw out on Friday's bill good show. Someone else can do the leg work on that one.

Tax the corporations.

If the teachers get what they are asking for, where's that money going to come from?

It will come from you and I, just like every other service provided by government. Either taxes have to go up, something else is cut or the money is borrowed (ane we'll eventually pay it anyway).

Just remember that when you say "teachers deserve more", the 'more' comes from you. You get to keep less.

Tax the corporations.

You know there is only one taxpayer… citizens. Corporate taxes are passed on to us.

You know there is only one taxpayer… citizens. Corporate taxes are passed on to us.

Roll out the tumbrels!

It will come from you and I, just like every other service provided by government. Either taxes have to go up, something else is cut or the money is borrowed (ane we'll eventually pay it anyway).

Just remember that when you say "teachers deserve more", the 'more' comes from you. You get to keep less.

The citizens of BC won't like that.

Then again, they voted for this government..

I do not know anything worthwhile about the situation of teachers and the BCTF, apart from the bits and pieces I heard while talking to teachers and former teachers in BC.

What I find interesting though is that the prejudices teachers have to content with are more or less the same, be it British Columbia or Germany.

Just because teachers have more or less times when they are not in school does not mean that they are not working. If being a teacher honestly meant that they are off duty the moment when they would leave the building would be, well, incredible.

Incredible in the sense that they no longer need to plan lessons, read all those assignments, and papers, and tests, and whatnot. Reducing a teacher's work to the time spend in school does not really work.

I do not know how it is BC, but over here in Germany I have regularly times when I more or less work 7 days a week for close to two months, given the amount of reading, correcting and grading that has to be done.
This is not whining or complaining, but simply stating facts.

And I know that a dockhand, or a logger, or a shop assistant works hard, too. I have been there, done that (even if different jobs, I have worked as a helping hand in a forge, mailman, "errand runner" at a large company, worked nightshifts and the like when I was a student).

Another fact is that most governments do not support the teachers the way they should be supported, increase in bureaucracy, the fact that thanks to various economic interest groups the educational system is slowly teaching to the test to fulfill the fairy-dream of standardization, more useless info in schoolbooks, but less and less learning of social skills and things that really matter in today's globalized world which schools apparently have not really adapted to in a meaningful way.

Another thing that strikes me as odd, every time a certain group is wanting to strike for a pay raise, or improved working conditions and the like - nsmb can be split into two user groups: those who whine about the strike, saying that strikes are basically useless, the folks on strike should htfu, and those users who try to engage in a meaningful conversation but are usually shouted down by those against it.

Nice that this thread tries to stay civilized,and that a lot of the users on here are able to express their opinion in a critical, but sound way.

Teachers are those who should inspire children and adolescent people, help them with blazing their path in life. Imho a good teacher tries to help the student become independent.

It will come from you and I, just like every other service provided by government. Either taxes have to go up, something else is cut or the money is borrowed (ane we'll eventually pay it anyway).

Just remember that when you say "teachers deserve more", the 'more' comes from you. You get to keep less.

Yeah, but you know who pays for those bankers salaries? The paychecks guys in Fort Mac are getting? You

At least this way you know your money is going to support educating the kids.

There's certainly a valid argument about how teaching is done and government mismanagement, but when people get a better education they lead better lives and get better jobs. I'd rather be educating British Columbians than seeing the work go elsewhere.

Yeah, but you know who pays for those bankers salaries? The paychecks guys in Fort Mac are getting? You

At least this way you know your money is going to support educating the kids.

Yes, their paychecks are funded through corporate profits that for the most part trace back to consumer demand. And their salary increases are generally preceded by some type of performance review.

Not really a proper comparison to a group trying to negotiate an across the board increase for all members irrespective of performance across that group to be directly funded by taxes, not demand.

mic : your last sentence . . . you wouldn't happen to be a teacher at a steiner school , would you ?

Yes, their paychecks are funded through corporate profits that for the most part trace back to consumer demand. And their salary increases are generally preceded by some type of performance review.

Not really a proper comparison to a group trying to negotiate an across the board increase for all members irrespective of performance across that group to be directly funded by taxes, not demand.

so seeing as this sentiment seems to be one touted by the anti-teacher side (for lack of a better description) what percentage of teachers do you think are bad wood, the teachers who are not pulling their weight or not doing the minimum?

i've talked to a few teachers and asked them that question and i bet the answer i got would be very different from the one you might come up with, even accounting for bias. they also gave very valid reasons as to why they think those numbers are they way they are. so if you're going to use that argument maybe back it up with some numbers even if they are just a guess.

on another front and realted to your post, not all teacher's are making the upper levels of pay, quite the opposite in fact.