BC Teachers Vote to Strike Next Fall

The B.C. Teachers Federation has been seeking a 24 per cent wage increase over four years, while the Public School Employers Association has been offering eight per cent over four years. [...] The two sides have been working toward a June 30 deadline for getting a deal in order for the 38,000 teachers to qualify for a share of bonus money offered by the provincial government. The teachers also want improved benefits and increased professional autonomy.

- The Canadian Press. June 9, 2006.

As a future teacher, I am divided on the issue of teachers striking. I remember being a student in the twelfth grade and worrying about whether I would pass my Math 12 Provincial Exam. However, as a logical human being I believe that teachers salaries should keep up with inflation, no questions asked. I think that instead of comparing absolute dollar value of teachers' salaries in different provinces, a purchasing-power comparison would mean a lot more. Who cares if a teacher in BC makes less than one in Ottawa if they can buy twice as much stuff with their salary?

The BC Teachers' Federation had made some poor judgment calls in the past, and it's hard for average people (even myself) to relate to them. For example, in the past they proposed that parents be prohibited from discussing teachers' behaviour with the school principal. How about accepting some responsibility for their actions instead? Currently, they want to reduce the number of standardized tests, such as Grade 12 Provincial Exams. I think that is ridiculous! As a Grade 12 student I learned so much by preparing for Provincial Exams. I pushed myself to do the hardest math calculations and get really involved in the poems we read in class. The skills I learned preparing for Provincial Exams helped me every day at university. Often, university professors base 50% (or more) of the final grade on the final exam. Students need to be given the study and test-taking skills necessary to succeed in these situations. Provincial exams are a good introduction to "high (personal) stakes" testing in that they are cumulative and challenging, but not worth the majority of the student's grade.

It feels like the people running the BC Teachers' Federation may have forgotten what it's like to be a student. That's one thing that I hope to never forget when I enter the world of public school teaching.