School here in British Columbia starts Tuesday, but it looks like the teachers will be on "administrative strike" at first, possibly a full strike in the near future. This means that when school starts, the teachers' bodies will be present, but they will not be grading students' work, filling out report cards, supervising the students during recess or breaks, and they will not be talking with parents, principals, or the staff in the school offices.
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Teachers here who have taught for 5 years make about $75K a year, and the starting salary is $60K! Teachers get time off for summers, holidays, sick leave, "professional development" days, spring break, maternity/paternity leaves, and even 8-9 months of paid "mental leave" (we saw the last one happen twice in our daughter's school, where the struggling students had a revolving door of substitutes both years!).
For comparison, check out starting & average teacher salaries in the U.S.A. (select "Teacher Salaries" at the top).
I'm not saying being a good teacher is easy - I used to be a teacher in a low socioeconomic district and it was a demanding and draining job. But the union here is a bully, and is constantly demanding more and more at a time when other civil workers are accepting NO raises now due to the poor economy.
Where does the money come from to try to meet teachers' ongoing demands? You should see the student lunches ($4 each) here: one slice of white bread, one slice of whole wheat bread, and a slice of bologna - thrown into brown paper bag as is. YUM!
Six years ago, the teachers walked off the job in a strike that lasted more than 2 weeks, only 4 weeks into the school year. They were forced by the government to go unwillingly back to work. You can be sure there were not happy teachers in the classroom that year. I wish I could say our daughter has had great teachers here in B. C. but I cannot. Once teachers reach the 5-year mark, it's impossible to fire them and boy do they coast.
news article
Teachers here who have taught for 5 years make about $75K a year, and the starting salary is $60K! Teachers get time off for summers, holidays, sick leave, "professional development" days, spring break, maternity/paternity leaves, and even 8-9 months of paid "mental leave" (we saw the last one happen twice in our daughter's school, where the struggling students had a revolving door of substitutes both years!).
For comparison, check out starting & average teacher salaries in the U.S.A. (select "Teacher Salaries" at the top).
I'm not saying being a good teacher is easy - I used to be a teacher in a low socioeconomic district and it was a demanding and draining job. But the union here is a bully, and is constantly demanding more and more at a time when other civil workers are accepting NO raises now due to the poor economy.
Where does the money come from to try to meet teachers' ongoing demands? You should see the student lunches ($4 each) here: one slice of white bread, one slice of whole wheat bread, and a slice of bologna - thrown into brown paper bag as is. YUM!
Six years ago, the teachers walked off the job in a strike that lasted more than 2 weeks, only 4 weeks into the school year. They were forced by the government to go unwillingly back to work. You can be sure there were not happy teachers in the classroom that year. I wish I could say our daughter has had great teachers here in B. C. but I cannot. Once teachers reach the 5-year mark, it's impossible to fire them and boy do they coast.
