To the editor: As an education assistant, I see firsthand the impact of classroom composition and size on the quality of education. Special needs and behaviourally challenged students without support from CUPE staff monopolize teachers’ time – robbing other students of teachers’ attention. Special needs and behavioural students left without extra support can dominate and run the classroom. This has a profound effect on the quality of education for all students, including students with special support needs. This detrimental impact is compounded with class size increase. A large group of acting-out students competing for attention is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for one teacher to manage alone resulting in great cost to students. Class size increases and support service cuts, the B.C. Liberal government promised not to make, were introduced after 2001 to pay for large tax cuts and revenue loss. Now, the education providers are left to manage the resulting damages from these cuts. What are the values of a government that compromises the education and care of our future generation for short-term gain to pay for fiscal mismanagement? We all reap the long-term benefits of investing in our children’s future today. When I hear people vilifying teachers for taking job action out of desperation, I hear this response as an uninformed, knee-jerk reaction like pawns playing right into the government’s strategy to gain public support by provoking teachers to use their only option left – a strike. My advice to Education Minister Peter Fassbender and the B.C. Liberal government is to look beyond your ideologically driven, anti-union position and cost-saving motives. Step out of your power struggle and need to win in order to genuinely listen and negotiate in good faith this time. My advice to teachers and the BCTF is to keep advocating for our children and raising your voices until you are heard. You have my full support.
Debbie Gove
Chilliwack
