I would like to share my thoughts about the debacle that the government has created with their dealings with our education system and teachers.
I am an education assistant and deal on the front lines everyday with all the children being left behind, or out completely.
It is shameful. I have cried many times due to the stress and heartbreak of seeing children struggling daily in this crazy environment (too many kids, too many types of learners in one class).
My heart hurts when I see children that need support but don’t “qualify” so they are left struggling.
Then there are kids who qualify for hours but are “not a behaviour” so they have their hours used for someone who causes trouble. I wouldn’t want to be a principal for all the money in the budget – having to say who will receive help and who won’t. I have worked hard to teach children how to read and behave in a classroom – kids who have a chance to have jobs and lives. Then I watch as the principal has to take away the hours they have to give them to another in more need.
Who cares if they stagnate, regress, or simply do as well as they could with some assistance, right? Who cares if they don’t have friends because they need help understanding how to play the games? According to many, they don’t matter and shouldn’t be in school anyway.
What about the typical kids that are having problems understanding a subject? They don’t count in this system either. They don’t qualify for help because they have no special needs.
Cathy Clemis
