Dear editor,I was a public school teacher for 33 years. During those 33 years, in addition to my work in the classroom, I did many things on my own time, outside school hours:• Four nights of week day overnighters with 25+ students;• Coached sports teams, attended and supervised team sport trips;• Built ice rinks on a weekend;• Manure sales, bottle drives, raffle sales, hot dog days with volunteer parents;• Came in early in the day or stayed after school to work with students who wanted some help;• Attended numerous after-school meetings with parent groups, social agencies, service clubs;• Overnight field trips to the provincial capital with 30 students and volunteer parents;• Conferences with parents in the evening because mom and dad both worked;• Involved in Christmas concerts and drama productions as helper to the music, drama and art teachers;• Worked on community gardens, often with the custodian, with parents on the weekend.Any classroom teacher or parent reading this list will nod in recognition of these volunteer activities from their personal experience. Looking back, these things were stressful, but there was a feeling of satisfaction — and a positive relationship with students and parents.The big difference between my career and what I see happening in the classroom today is that back then I had support and resources from school and district administrators, school boards, other public agencies, the provincial government. I worked with music teachers, school librarians, gifted student teachers, full-time day and evening custodial staff, school secretaries, paid teacher aids, public health nurses, art teachers, music and band teachers, special needs teachers, counselors, psychologists, curriculum specialists, many parent volunteers and government agencies. Most of these supports are now gone.Why this letter?• Because government tax cuts for the one per cent have reduced the resources for students and teachers;• Because government is intent on privatizing as many public services as possible;• Because as a senior I see too many boomers and others in my generation who had it good saying NO to our children, grandchildren and their children — tough luck, kid, suck it up! You can’t have what I got from society.Let MLA Don McRae (former classroom teacher) know how you feel.Cliff Boldt,Courtenay
Government, baby boomers failing teachers and students
Dear editor,
During my 33 years as a teache, in addition to my work in the classroom, I did many things outside school hours:
