I don't get it . . .

As a teacher in British Columbia, perhaps my voice should be dismissed with the din of rhetoric floating in the off-shore breeze these days. I am a teacher-on-call in a small school on a remote island. I think my perspective on the current labour dispute between the BCTF and the provincial government is a little different; not just for the aforementioned reasons but also, and perhaps mostly, because I am about as uninformed and – dare I say it – uninterested in the politics of education as a teacher can be.

I know – shocking, right? I am appalled at myself and I do hereby resolve to pay more attention and be informed and maybe even involved. Well, informed, anyway. Baby steps.

I have been a teacher in BC on and off for the past decade and teaching has taken a backseat to other pursuits in that time. (Again, not an excuse for my apathy, just FYI . . .)

Previous to that, I taught in Manitoba where I was more fully engaged. I do believe I was even the union rep for my little school one year.

In a decade here, I have witnessed three rounds of job action. In over fifteen years in Manitoba, none. I have clear memories of working with people from the Manitoba Department of Education on a couple of different projects.  When I look back at this, I notice that at the time it seemed perfectly normal to me that those ultimately responsible for the education of children in the province would be the first to roll up their sleeves when there was an opportunity to improve the system. Imagine my surprise to arrive on the coast and discover the long-standing wall of animosity between the two bodies of people responsible for educating the children and youth of BC.

Here’s how BC public education looks to a periphery-dweller like me: Teachers are the people hired to deliver the program carefully designed and honed by the department whose sole responsibility is to ensure the quality education of our children. Right? Well, isn’t that enough to worry about? To deliver the program? To deliver the program in how ever many languages the kids in your class speak and to deliver it to touch on as many different learning styles as possible to accommodate all the different types of learners in your group. To adjust each unit to varying speeds, ability levels, and in the case of our little school here, to deliver curriculum to 3, 4, or even 5 different grades in the same classroom. To connect with each and every child and ensure they feel safe and cared for, that they experience success, that they feel challenged but supported. To connect with every family and make sure you understand the children so that every need is met. That seems like enough to me. For a more detailed picture of the daily life of a public school teacher, listen to this: https://soundcloud.com/cknwnewstalk980/charmaine-shortts-letter

So riddle me this: How have those hired to deliver this program turned into the group responsible for defending the rights of children against those whose very mandate IS the well-being of the children? Why on earth am I standing on a picket line trying to get the government to be reasonable about supporting children when I should be figuring out the most creative and effective way possible to deliver THEIR education program to OUR children?

What happened in this province to create a system in which the teachers must defend the education rights of the child against the agency created for the education of the child?

            I don’t get it.

Monica is the author of "Thanks for chucking that at the wall instead of me."