Teachers are very, very slow learners

[charliebean]

Again, another teacher strike???!!! I am just over 40 years old have lived in BC well over half my live and have experienced many teacher's strike. My question to you teachers, if things are as bad as you continually state by bullying the government and the public to withdraw services(In the real world, this is called insubordination and you would be disciplined and maybe even fired) Why is there so many of you entering this profession? You guys clearly don't think ahead or research this field as to the pros and cons. How many times do you have to stick your finger in the light socket before you stop and get a real job. My guess is that things aren't really that bad.....or you are easily swayed by a money hungry union....Either way, you are teaching our children a very bad lesson..Don't get what you want so you resort to bullying...Christy Clark, please do what you can to break this cycle...It is really tiresome.

[flamingfingers]

^I think you had better inform yourself as to the history starting in 2002 with Christy Clark in the MoE and consider what the ChristyLiberals have imposed on the School Boards and teachers. You are mistaken to assume the teachers/BCTF are the bullies in this scenario.

[Urbane]

^I think you had better inform yourself as to the history starting in 2002 with Christy Clark in the MoE and consider what the ChristyLiberals have imposed on the School Boards and teachers. You are mistaken to assume the teachers/BCTF are the bullies in this scenario.

LOL . . . yes, everything was great between the BCTF and governments before Christy Clark came along. Ha ha ha . . .

[charliebean]

First teachers strike in BC was 1983...Enough is enough.

[Glacier]

"Teachers are very, very slow learners"

To be clear, it's the BCTF that happens to be the slow learners, not the teaches themselves.

[Sn0man]

Just read the headline and honestly couldn't believe it. "Again?????????" i'm thinking - didn't they just freaking strike last year? And the year before that? And the year before that?

Enough is enough. Fire all the striking teachers. Break up the BCTF. They will never be satisfied.

[alfred2]

if teachers go on strike fire them all rehire those who want to teach. pay what they are getting now and give them an increase yearly of what is fair. when they go into job action dock them accordingly.

[rustled]

if teachers go on strike fire them all rehire those who want to teach. pay what they are getting now and give them an increase yearly of what is fair. when they go into job action dock them accordingly.

But who gets to decide what's fair?

They're already being offered more than many of us are getting, but they don't feel that's fair.

[George+]

First of all, the BCTF IS the teachers.
The teachers make the decisions with many votes.

And it is important to understand the history since Clark took over in 2002.
She did things that a Supreme Court judge ruled were illegal ...and fined the
current government two million dollars.

What happened before that does not matter.

All of this since 2002 relates to current bargaining.

Do some real research.

[alfred2]

take it from an ndp anything done during their reign does not matter, even when they made a very dumb deal with this union.

[cv23]

BC is an average province. We are not swimming in oil nor are we devastated by mass unemployment due to such things fishery closures, etc. As such we should pay our teachers the average of teachers salaries in Canada, which we are. For this we as taxpayers should expect our public education system to produce students/graduates with an average skill set. Parents wishing their children to learn an above average skill set should be willing to pay extra and this is presently possible through private schools.
If the BCTF wants higher than average wages they should learn from other employees wanting more than they are presently receiving by showing their employers that they can produce better than average results for the better than average wages they want/demand. The only way of measuring these results would have to involve annual province wide testing of all students to determine if the improved skill sets which the BCTF has been paid to provided them with has indeed been accomplished. Unfortunately the BCTF is adamant against any such testing or measure of their ability to perform the job they expect present, or increased, payment for. What is it they are so afraid we may discover about the services they are providing us as taxpayers?
I myself presently have no children in the public education system and am not against paying my share of taxes for public education but simply want to know that for the money I and all the other taxpayers in BC are contributing to teacher salaries we are indeed receiving good value but that is obviously too much to ask of the BCTF.

[alfred2]

Bravo great post , teachers union read and do your best for the money you are getting from taxpayers.

[KGT]

BC is an average province. We are not swimming in oil nor are we devastated by mass unemployment due to such things fishery closures, etc. As such we should pay our teachers the average of teachers salaries in Canada, which we are.

We aren't paid the average Canadian wage. Here is the 2010 data from Stats Canada. Not the biased BC Govt or the biased BCTF.

http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/81-604-x/2 ... .1-eng.htm

[goatboy]

KGT, those numbers are not right, and you know it. Here's the actual salary numbers for SD23. For a teacher with 10 years experience in a Category 5 position, the salary is $74,353, no where close the the $64,000 Stats Canada is reporting.

http://www.bcpsea.bc.ca/documents/23-SalaryGrid2010.pdf

[KGT]

KGT, those numbers are not right, and you know it. Here's the actual salary numbers for SD23. For a teacher with 10 years experience in a Category 5 position, the salary is $74,353, no where close the the $64,000 Stats Canada is reporting.

I checked. Because every SD has a different salary, StatsCan used Surrey SD's wages for their data because they are the largest SD. The wages across the province vary - some are higher than Surrey, some are lower.

ETA: It appears they are comparing Category 4 wages because that is the minimum level of education you need to be a teacher in many Provinces. If they compared Cat 5 wages, they would be different all the way up.

Also, be sure the use the July 2009 chart, not the July 2010 chart because the Statscan chart is for 2009-2010 school year. July 2010 chart is for the 2010-2011 school year. SD#23 Cat 4 wages ranged from 42,963-$64,131 in 2009.

And also, keep in mind that since 2009-2010, many provinces have had raises and subsequently have higher wages that the ones listed, while BC has not had one since July 2010.