One Year Later - Alberta Teachers Are Still Giving It Their All While UCP Still Pisses On Them and Calls It Rain

It’s #TattleTaleTuesday, where I usually share reports given to me by fellow Albertans to recognize Alberta teachers for all the good teachers do. (Share your experience here: Alberta's Public Teacher -  Recognition Form  – Fill out form)

But today is also October 27^th, which marks one year since Bill 2 and the UCP government in Alberta used the notwithstanding clause on teachers, forced them back to work, and then pissed on them and called it rain. It’s also right in time for Bill 25 to come through, and if you haven’t heard, it’s basically censorship in the name of Berta pride!...and yes I dropped the A there…

So, in light of all that, I want to Tattle for Teachers this week a little differently, with a little story and a little pattern recognition…

I remember being in Grade 8 when my teachers went on strike in Ontario. I went to a French Catholic School back then (oui, je parle français et je suis franco-ontarienne) and I remember my English Language Arts teacher, who so clearly loved us and loved her job, crying as she explained that the teachers were going on strike. She was so sorry that we were all going to have to miss school and miss time learning to read and write together. She was so sad to see everyone fighting and being so divided rather than simply doing what was best for the students and best for their growth.

As I write this, it brings tears to my eyes, just like it did at the first protest I attended in Alberta, and at every protest since, where I've stood with teachers and stood up for high-quality education. One that no longer beats and indoctrinates children, but encourages them to foster their skills, develop their passions, chase their dreams, and ultimately fulfill their personal potential, whatever, wherever, and however, that may be.

That first protest was shortly after I returned to Canada, having spent over a decade abroad mastering my craft in education and leadership, particularly in a BC Offshore school in China. It was incredibly disheartening to see Alberta teachers having to rally at the Legislature, threaten strike action, and eventually walk off the job just to have their very sincere concerns heard.

Now, being back a couple years, and realizing that this is, was, and continues to be, the same battle teachers have been fighting ever since I was a child? And that it’s basically a cross-Canada issue?….Even more disheartening….

Why and how are we still stuck in this disgusting pattern in Canada? Why have the people been allowing this? Why have people turned towards social media as education?

Why are we not funding public education like we fund private oil and gas businesses? Why are we not funding public education like we fund gold mines and resource extraction businesses? Just because public education doesn't make money?

Did you ever think that Education, like resource extraction, is a long-term investment?

Because Education is exactly that: a long-term investment! One that will pay off in many more ways than just financial profit too…let’s be real….

Unless, of course, you want a country full of illiterate idiots who are only looking for financial gains...

Oh, wait...

Anyways, onto that pattern I mentioned…. as it seems, many of us are unaware in Canada, or happy to do the same song and dance, IDK, but the issues around education are and always have been along the 5 following issues:

1. Protecting public education funding. Teachers oppose inadequate funding and cuts that leave students without the educational resources and services they need. Fund education. Pretty basic ask.

2. Keeping class sizes manageable. Teachers oppose overcrowded classrooms, where 30+ students are expected to learn while receiving the individual attention they need. Hire more teachers. Stop shitting on education to the point where teachers can't be successful in ensuring each student reaches their potential.

3. Protecting teacher preparation time. Teachers oppose taking away non-instructional, protected preparation time because they need time to plan lessons, create resources, design assessments, mark those assessments, document EVERYTHING, and, you know, actually support students to ensure each and every one of them receives a high-quality education. All of that takes time, and it doesn't magically happen when the bell rings.

4. Protecting collective bargaining rights. Teachers want a meaningful say in their working conditions, rather than having governments dictate those conditions without understanding how much time and effort actually goes into teaching. Alberta's Bill 2 took this even further by using the notwithstanding clause last year to force teachers back to work and impose a collective agreement. Teachers don’t need leaders who think they are the boss, they need leaders who collaborate in creating high-quality educational environments for students and teachers.

5. Challenging excessive government control and overreach. Teachers want experts in 21st century education to lead education in the 21st century. When I was a child in Ontario, Mike Harris's government introduced Bill 160, which shifted considerable authority over education funding and decision-making away from local school boards and over to government and ‘private’ businesses. Sound familiar, Alberta? The UCP government's approach to education, and what Alberta teachers have been protesting, are all similar concerns about government control, funding, and teachers' ability to do their jobs.

Different provinces. Different decades. Different centuries.

Yet teachers are still fighting for the education, the resources, and the conditions they need to give every student the education they deserve.

Making this a never-ending battle is unacceptable for a country that claims to be the first world. We all need to do better to support education across Alberta, across Canada, and across Turtle Island. (That includes educating ourselves.)

Feel free to leave a comment or reach out on social media to keep the discussion going! I look forward to your thoughts!

Ciao for now,

Ashley

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