I would be pleasently surprised if you got 4 clear and concise answers, with actual numbers for the first two questions, and 3 examples for each of the last two questions.
C'mon re-fresh, there's alot of us that hear what the teachers are saying, specifically the things you've pointed out in your post, but can't find any hard data or specific examples online to back it up. Here's your chance to answer 4 questions clearly and concisely, with numbers /examples. I think thats a great oppurtunity to gain respect and support from parents like me who are on the fence on this one.
1. Most of my classes border on the current class size limit of 30 (I'm currently at 30, 29, 28, 27) and the limit of 3 designated students. I have taught several classes that surpassed both of those limits, and both were noticeably more difficult to teach.
2. Bill 22 proposes remove limits on the class sizes and designated students. Keep in mind that I am expected to meet the individual needs of every student in my class; this is managable with a class of 25, difficult with a class of 30, and nearly impossible with class sizes of 30+. Increased class sizes will have a direct and negative impact on the learning of students in my classroom. There is no way that one person can meet the needs of 35 or 40 students every day in every class.
3. Teachers could be fired if they are "unfit for the position" as deemed by the principal. That means that an angry parent and/or student could file a complaint that leads to your dismissal, and you could be fired for not coaching, or for not meeting some other criteria set forth by administration. Most administrators are great, but some have personal agendas that would lead to good teachers being moved/removed.
4. With a loss of seniority, a teacher could be moved to another teaching position at any time and without any say. I have spent hundreds of hours creating resources for my specific subject areas (and I think that my stuff is good!), which could be all for naught if admin decides to move me.
5. Teachers would not be responsible for professional development. Instead of teachers, who are in the classroom every day, helping other teachers, we would work through courses prescribed by someone from the ministry of education that hasn't taught in a classroom for years.
6. Classroom evaluations would be welcomed by me, especially if it meant that I received constructive criticism on how to improve my teaching. However, these evaluations would be quite subjective (# of people in class, # of designations in class, unique composition of students/behaviours, etc.) so I'd be wary of one evaluation determining my salary or quality of teaching.
Overall, we want a better classroom environment and not one that harms students and teachers. I fully believe that Bill 22 will lessen the educational experience for your kids and mine. I apologize for the effect the strike had on parents who were forced to find care for their kids. Remember that we gave up 3 days pay in an attempt to show the government how strongly we feel that Bill 22 will be a detriment to education. We have to stand up for what we believe in, and the union members decided that a strike was the best option.
Edit:
I should again emphasize that the teachers at my school (and I would assume at most, if not all, schools) do a very good job. I went to school with several teachers that worked 8:30-3:00 and just copied notes from the same binder for years, but that happens very rarely now. The vast majority of teachers are working very hard to make their classrooms as fun and dynamic as they can. We competing with video games and cell phones and ipads for students' attention, so we've definitely stepped up our game :)
