Teacher, teacher, can you teach me?
Can you tell me all I need to know?
That .38 Special song from the '80s was one my sister used to play when she drove us to elementary school, and it's one that ran through my head a few times last week when watching or reading coverage of the job action taken by Saskatchewan's teachers on Thursday, May 5.
Our teachers walked off the job for one day last week in support of contract demands. They are currently asking for a wage increase of 12 per cent in one year. The government has offered them 5.5 per cent over three years. Obviously, the two sides are still pretty far apart.
And in the middle of it all is the general public.
That is where I feel I am, anyway.
I absolutely believe that teachers need to be paid well. They have extremely demanding jobs, jobs that actually get more and more demanding all the time. Not only are they in charge of teaching our children subjects like math and science, more and more, they are being asked to deal with other issues in the classroom that are more along the social services spectrum. Many of them also give of their time outside the classroom, for which they are not paid. They coach teams, advise student councils and committees, and in general provide leadership within the school setting.
They do all that for the students, and to be good teachers, because they sure aren't doing it for the money.
Should teachers get a 12 per cent wage increase this year?
I really don't know. I actually don't have an opinion on that. And I'm really glad it's not up to me to make the decision on this issue.
My only real opinion about this whole dispute is that I want it to be resolved quickly. I want the two sides to get close enough that they can come to an agreement that is satisfactory to both, so that school carries on as usual.
For, as much as I would have loved an extra week off when in elementary school, had this happened when I was in Grade 12, as my niece is now, I would have been completely stressed out. Grade 12, after all, is a year you spend planning your future. This is the first time, really, you get to make decisions about what you want to do next. That, for me, was completely stressful. Then there are the exams to get through, which also cause anxiety, and even the question of what to wear to graduation can cause an 18-year-old to have fits, when added to all the rest.
If you added a teachers strike on top of all this when I was in Grade 12, my marbles would have been scattered all over the floor.
Now, looking at it from a bit of distance, I still have concerns, and a lot of questions about what could happen if further job action is taken. Will Grade 12 students get to graduate on time, or will ceremonies have to be pushed back? Will younger students get to partake in their annual track and field days? Their school trips? Most importantly, will all students learn what they need to know by the end of June? Or will school this year stretch into July?
I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens to get the answers to all those questions. I just hope we don't have to wait and see for long, and that at the end of the day, everyone is satisfied with the agreement reached.
