BCTF using kids as political pawns, again

[The Green Barbarian]

Awkward?

Looking at comparative GDP, Finland has done pretty dam well..

There's one stat that Finland blows Canada out of the water on, suicide rate. The Finns seem to really like to kill themselves for some reason. Maybe because they are depressed that Canada has so many pipelines.

[What_the]

Perhaps GB, but their junior and senior hockey players are outstanding, Canadian in spirit!

But I have no idea what any of what you said has anything to do with having the world's best education system with evil leftist unions leading.

[hobbyguy]

I said that the rankings depended on who did them and what criteria they used.

However, the ranking go to the point that I make about the BCTF not being a union but being a primarily political operation - which is inappropriate. We do not vote for the BCTF, and therefore they should not have any role in decision making regarding the nature of our educational system, nor should the BCTF be taking, making and promoting political stances. The BCTF undermines our democracy - WE as the voters and taxpayers do not get to vote on the leadership and directions of the BCTF and therefore the BCTf does NOT get to "call the shots" - they work for us!

Regardless of who's ranking you look at, the Canadian educational system is, in general, extremely good. That clashes mightily with the propaganda narrative that the BCTF constantly puts out. Our education system is NOT generally failing and in disarray as the BCTF propaganda would have you believe.

This ranking puts Canada's education system much lower on the scale, as access to the very good system is unevenly distributed. http://www.prosperity.com/rankings

That unequal access is a function of geography and the dispersion of the population. Countries like Switzerland (whom they rank #1) simply do not face that challenge in relative terms.

ALL of that political action and propagandizing by the BCTF sets the tone, and allows an individual teacher to think that promoting her own personal ideology is ok too. It isn't!

[Urban Cowboy]

The rankings depend on who did them and what criteria were given priority.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/best-education

This is latest ranking I could find. Surprise, Canada ranked #1.

Congratulations, you found a random website that ranks Canada #1. I can do the same for Finland:

http://uk.businessinsider.com/wef-ranki ... japan-56-1
http://worldtop20.org/worldbesteducationsystem

Although I'm not sure what any of this proves...

FWIW right off the bat I'd be extremely suspicious of any ranking that places the US ahead of Canada in education. Just say'n...

[What_the]

I said that the rankings depended on who did them and what criteria they used.

However, the ranking go to the point that I make about the BCTF not being a union but being a primarily political operation - which is inappropriate. We do not vote for the BCTF, and therefore they should not have any role in decision making regarding the nature of our educational system, nor should the BCTF be taking, making and promoting political stances. The BCTF undermines our democracy - WE as the voters and taxpayers do not get to vote on the leadership and directions of the BCTF and therefore the BCTf does NOT get to "call the shots" - they work for us!

Regardless of who's ranking you look at, the Canadian educational system is, in general, extremely good. That clashes mightily with the propaganda narrative that the BCTF constantly puts out. Our education system is NOT generally failing and in disarray as the BCTF propaganda would have you believe.

This ranking puts Canada's education system much lower on the scale, as access to the very good system is unevenly distributed. http://www.prosperity.com/rankings

That unequal access is a function of geography and the dispersion of the population. Countries like Switzerland (whom they rank #1) simply do not face that challenge in relative terms.

ALL of that political action and propagandizing by the BCTF sets the tone, and allows an individual teacher to think that promoting her own personal ideology is ok too. It isn't!

I agree with your last sentence entirely.
And thank you for submitting an opinion with out vitriol. I was just pointing out we have among the best education system in the world and teacher federations across the country are a good reason why. Unions have their issues for sure but in order to have employers or gov't bargain in good faith we must have deep pockets. The way to do that is consolidate resources.

[harblz]

BCTF propaganda

I hope that you can accept the role that the government and the anti-education movement have played in producing whatever extremism exists within the BCTF. The dialog around education in this province is so incredibly polarized and vitriolic that people are driven to extremes on both ends of the spectrum. There are certainly people on this board that literally hate people that they don't know simply because of their chosen profession. Can you accept this that might produce a corresponding defensiveness and extremism on the other end? Teachers are slandered so greatly in this province that it's not surprising that the BCTF finds it necessary to respond. I have seen research indicating that the best teachers in the province (by various metrics) leave the profession quite quickly after joining it. I'm sure there are many reasons for that, but one reason is likely the incessant (and imo unfair) criticism that they endure. It's almost as though the plan is to make being a teacher so unpalatable that nobody in their right mind would want to do it, and then to point to the broken state of things and claim what, victory?

Everyone in this province with children should want great teachers and constantly berating and denigrating the profession isn't really consistent with that goal.

(I am not, and have never been, a member of the BCTF)

[George+]

I am not, either but
Constant harangues of teachers and the BCTF solves nothing.
The BCTF is well supported by all teachers.

Now that we are playing catch up because of the huge Liberal mistake,
Perhaps some greater degree of confidence can be restored.

[GordonH]

Just a pipeline burst in Burnaby...soaking houses and cars .

Again, teachers have complete freedom of speech and
Obviously, freedom to their own political views.

This topic has become tedious.

Yes they do (just as we all do), just not in a public school classroom.... private school maybe.

Added: teachers personal opinions & views must not go past the teachers lunchroom.

[The Green Barbarian]

I hope that you can accept the role that the government and the anti-education movement have played in producing whatever extremism exists within the BCTF.

And I hope that you can accept that what you've written above is a bunch of apologist bunk. Criticism of the BCTF did not cause them to become a political organization, hell-bent on promoting sick and disgusting "social justice" garbage. My parents were teachers so I know all about criticism teachers face from parents (a lot of it very unfair as the parents just don't want to take on the role of disciplinarian, so it falls on the teacher instead), and I also know how rotted and grotesque the BCTF is on the inside. They have the highest dues in Canada of any province! Why is that? Where does all of the money teachers pay in dues actually go? Why does the BCTF have such a bloated base of employees and what do these people do all day? Why do they waste so much time on "social justice" instead of on promoting better education?

How can the BCTF boobs claim they care about children when they are so actively involved in politics? They don't care about kids, they don't care about parents, and they definitely don't care about teachers. Teachers are just the parasites for the BCTF to milk. The BCTF is a dinosaur, and it's time to disband it. Politics, unions and public education do not mix.

[George+]

Sorry..not really..but they obviously do mix.

The BCTF and teachers stood up for students and

Won a huge victory for students and public education.

What a dismal time for the Lieberals.

[hobbyguy]

I accept that BC teachers, by and large, do a very good job in spite of the BCTF.

The CUPE folks that provide supports in our schools do a very good job. They have a proper union, one that stands up for their members, and generally goes about their business as a union should - doing things like negotiating contracts.

The BCNU - pretty much the same, with the occasional advocacy.

The bulk of the government employees (our employees) do a very good job, and the unions representing generally do just what unions should be doing - negotiating contracts, making sure that they are fairly applied etc. Acting as a counterbalance in the labor market.

Then there is the BCTF. Never negotiate a contract. Back room deals. Propagandizing and highly political. An unsavory outlier. Constantly trying to encroach on management rights, and in the process guaranteeing less help for kids, not more. The BCTF refuses to accept that all government employees work for us, not the ideologue political activists at the BCTF.

The BCTF does more to harm the reputations of teachers in BC than it does good. They set a bad tone, and one that is dysfunctional.

No wonder private school enrollment is up in BC. The BCTF may have fatally damaged the reputations of public school teachers, and unfairly so, by attempting to be political masters rather than public servants.

[hobbyguy]

Nonsense George. The BCTF guaranteed that kids in BC would have less help, not more. "X" amount of pie - and the BCTF wanted it ALL.

[The Green Barbarian]

*removed*

[harblz]

*removed*

Can you point me to some of the BCTF propaganda that keeps coming up in this thread? You mention it a couple of times in your post.

[richardclank]

The task had nothing to do with pro's or cons....the task was "OH NO OIL SPILLED ....draw it" No critical thought or discussion, just make anti oil posters class.

Why are you making this assumption when all evidence points to the contrary? Do people here really have such a low opinion of teachers that they think the teacher in this case not only lied about the discussion aspect, but tried to manipulate the students?

There's this thing called editorializing that you might want to think about.