More BS Courtesy of the BCTF!

[LordEd]

It is predictable that we begin the new school year with teacher/school bashing.

And teachers posturing into the victim role.

Not convincing me of GBs assertion that it's the union and not the members...

[Urban Cowboy]

In order for the union to get away with conducting itself the way it has for decades now, there has to be a decent chunk of the membership supporting their behavior, though I do admit the way the top dogs are put into place is sketchy at best and not all that democratic.

[Chyren]

Sometimes the garbage posted on these forums from people show how utterly selfish and disgusting they can be. I've read this thread and the basic complaints are:

1) Teachers make more money than the average person so we should hate them...
2) Teachers get the summer off so we should hate them....
3) Teachers get benefits so we should hate them...

Are you kidding me? Really?

Teachers need a HUGE education to teach OUR children. Show me a parent, me included, that don't see how hard their job is. They work hard each and every day to teach different levels of students with working conditions that the courts have proven to be grossly substandard. This has been fixed.

This of course means more people like the bone heads on this thread to complain about.

I've spoken personally to teachers that decide to work in the high arctic instead of BC because the pay is so low.

Each and everyone of you people that put out so much hate on these forums would do exactly the same thing in any field yet if the teachers do it they're bad people.

Why can't a person want better for themselves and their families? Teachers work very hard and deserve to be paid for it. End of story.

The biggest joke on this thread is thinking poorly about teachers who make "64000" a year....wow. What exactly is wrong with that? Just because they chose to go to school, get a degree, work hard moving up the ranks teaching OUR kids, and since they make what you see as a lot of money, then its bad.

Grow up.

[LordEd]

The biggest joke on this thread is thinking poorly about teachers who make "64000" a year....wow. What exactly is wrong with that? Just because they chose to go to school, get a degree, work hard moving up the ranks teaching OUR kids, and since they make what you see as a lot of money, then its bad.

No. What is wrong is they portray that as something unique and special while they hold the province hostage. What they portrayed is that large pay raises would somehow help the kids.

Lots of fields require extra education. Lots of fields pay similar. Lots of fields are difficult to get entry level jobs.

Go visit the last strike forum if you want to see why the profession is tarnished to me. I expected better reason from a supposedly educated group.

[rustled]

^^This, as I see it, is the problem. None of us would want to be judged by the most militant, strident or disgusting people in our profession, or our service organization, or any other group with which we associate.

The BCTF presents a terrible image of their members, and the few members who truly agree with all their nonsense are the most vocal teachers we ever hear from, and of course they support every bit of nonsense the BCTF spouts, and more.

In my experience, going back to the 80s, most teachers simply wanted to focus on their jobs. I still recall when they negotiated annual salaries. Prior to that, many teachers in our community sought other employment over the summer. After that, few did.

Then the BCTF started going way over the top in howling about how poorly compensated teachers were, and every time there was any kind of negotiation going on, the school staffroom became a toxic place to be. The public was shown dramatic images of sad children put at risk by uncaring governments. (This was the 90s, so bear in mind who they were doing battle with at that time.)

As more and more of the public realized the BCTF were actually using our children as pawns in their negotiations, much of the public got completely fed up. More and more parents started complaining about how they needed the schools to be open (with a full slate of extra-curricular activities, no less!) so they could go to work and didn't have to make other arrangements for after school, effectively reducing the once-valued profession of educating our children to the equivalent of daycare for bigger kids. And the teachers were, quite justifiably, angered by this devaluing of the work they did.

So for decades, we have had a strident, militant, activist organization driving a wedge between the teachers and the government, and between teachers and the public. What you see in these threads is, IMO, a direct result of the BCTF's actions. And to me, it is very clearly a part of why teachers who would be very happy to teach in one of the nicest provinces in the country are not flocking here in droves.

There are plenty of jobs that pay more in other provinces to keep their professionals in places where their earnings go a lot further. The reality of it costing more to live in B.C. applies to every profession, and it always applies more to the popular urban centers. Yet it is the more rural areas of the province that continue to be underserved.

These areas will continue to be underserved until the BCTF works with the government and their membership to take the education of our children out of the political arena and back into the professional realm, where it belongs.

[Urban Cowboy]

The biggest joke on this thread is thinking poorly about teachers who make "64000" a year....wow. What exactly is wrong with that? Just because they chose to go to school, get a degree, work hard moving up the ranks teaching OUR kids, and since they make what you see as a lot of money, then its bad.

Grow up.

You're the one who needs to grow up.

There's nothing wrong with a teacher earning 64K a year, though in truth plenty earn far far more than that just to be accurate.

Where the problem lies, is in the fact that many of them keep whining, and acting like they are hard done by, while the people who are paying their salaries earn a median income of less than half of what they do.

Teachers aren't gods, they're just regular people who chose a specific profession to get into, some for altruistic reasons, while some not so much, and getting involved in things such as using our children as pawns in labor disputes, not to mention in cases even exploiting them, is not doing anything to cast the profession in a good light in BC.

The way they are viewed currently is simply the product of their own actions, or lack thereof.

Their union needs to go. End of story!

[Chyren]

Try doing what they do.

[mikest2]

Try doing what they do.

It's a two way street, many who think like you do, have never lived in the real world (outside academia). we too work hard, continue our educations and constantly overcome obstacles. Believe us, you are not special, nor is any other narrow minded, inward only looking group. And surprisingly enough, we get paid for what we achieve, not according to what the lowest common denominator should earn, as decided collectively by the membership. (and that looking at how the BCTF chooses their directors, is a bad joke)

[maryjane48]

but if you want to look at it fairly its all lobby groups . eliminste lobbying and there is no problems. picking on one area is dumb. wont solve anything. make elections so only the partys can advertise for themselves . no this sdd was paid by so and so approved by who ever .



that is the solution. then it comes down to what party has the best general appeal as opposed to the bctf backing one party in public or the different company groups backing another.

get rid of that and let the partys stand on their own. i would also like to see more mandatory debates and costed election platforms made public well in advance of election day

[Urban Cowboy]

*removed* I will say that costed election platforms is what most of us want and expect. Too bad the NDP still doesn't have one, thus is continuing on with the Liberal direction.

[maryjane48]

*removed* I will say that costed election platforms is what most of us want and expect. Too bad the NDP still doesn't have one, thus is continuing on with the Liberal direction.

the bclibs havnt done it since first being elected so if you really feel the same as me get your own party cleaned up .

[Veovis]

the bclibs havnt done it since first being elected so if you really feel the same as me get your own party cleaned up .

A costed budget is a platform, something the NDP decided the Liberals did best and therefore used theirs. For over 1.5 decades have we had costed platforms, and still after 16 years the NDP.......has nothing.

Lie all you like, the reality is your party of choice is incompetent, and literally used the tools of the party "they hate" to try to function.

It is the same as firing your employee, hiring a new one and then asking the fired guy to still do the job.

Pathetic.

[Urban Cowboy]

Aptly put Veovis.

The biggest problem with the NDP tooters is failing to recognize their party's rather obvious failings.

Years of lipping off about the horrible Liberals and yet here they are implementing Liberal policy. It truly is pathetic.

[flamingfingers]

Oh cool down you guys. The Budget will be presented by Carole James on Sept 11 which will flow along the lines of the last Liberal budget. Who on the Liberal Opposition side will vote against it?? And why present a brand new budget now when only a month ago the books were able to be opened to the new government. There are still lots of questions to be asked and answered - some involving the Auditor General before a new budget is presented, as it usually is, at the first of next year.

British Columbia Budget 2017 September Update


The Budget documents will be available here
as soon as the Minister of Finance stands
in the House to deliver the Budget Speech
(approximately 1:30 pm) on Budget Day,
September 11th, 2017.

In an election year in British Columbia (this one May 2017) the new government is required to present a budget within 90 days of Cabinet being formed. Normally, however, budgets are presented only once per calendar year.

http://bcbudget.gov.bc.ca/default.htm

[George+]

Average salary is meaningless.

A lot of teachers have Masters degrees and some even PHDs
There is even a category between BEd and MEd.
This skews the average.

We have the best prepared teaching staff ever.
Pay them as negotiated, and all the best to the students
Who will finally benefit from Christy's huge loss in the Supreme Court.

All the best to students and teachers.