As you all know, we won't be in class tomorrow, for the second of our rotating strike days. And as you also know, we are locked out of school in the morning, afternoon and at lunch on the other days. It doesn't feel like school at all to me. I think the people who decided this lockout was a way to proceed don't really understand how school works at all. It isn't something you can put a time limit on -- "learning stops . . . now!" It is so demeaning to think that that's how our government officials think it works -- do any of them remember what it was like to be in school? It really does feel like we're limping to the end of the year -- sometimes it's hard for Grade 12's to stay focused in these last days before the end of their high school careers and this year, I think it will be hard for all of us. It seems like these days in which we should be making these final minutes count and remembering all the great things we've done are being shadowed by the spectre of the demise of public education as we know it. I hope I'm not overstating it, but I feel quite demoralized these days.
I am hopeful that somehow things will be resolved (hopeful, but not optimistic, I'm afraid) and that we can get back to a state of normalcy before the end of June. Stephen Smart (an old London student) and Justine Hunter, who talk politics on the CBC, seemed to think that it will hang on over the summer and begin again in the fall, which just filled me with horror. The government's appeal of the court case, after which the judge said that the government had "goaded teachers into a strike" last time (in 2012) and which upheld our demand to be able to negotiate class size and composition, will be heard in October of this year, so that is a reason for everyone to practice a "wait and see" attitude.
Mr. Mikulin has written a very strong letter to the Richmond News and it really expresses how I feel about the impasse -- I tried to copy it here, but was unsuccessful. It is easy to access if you go to the Richmond News website and then click on "Opinions". It is entitled "Stop Playing with our Future", I think. I think his letter clearly describes our struggles as teachers at this really difficult time.
See you on Tuesday -- Grades 9 - 12 -- we will be doing our extended role plays -- remember, you need to cooperate with the teacher. If you say "no" to her (or him), it really makes it impossible for the role play to continue. Think of how many times you've heard a kid actually say "no" to a teacher. Sometimes they don't do what the teacher says, but they rarely say a blatant "no". Teachers can do a number of things if a kid does, on a rare occasion, say no. We can call home or send him to an administrator or kick her out of class, but your role playing teacher doesn't have those options, so play your role with that in mind. If I have to intervene as the "real teacher" and talk to you about it, it does tend to ruin the activity.
Grade 8's -- we're going to get one more day to practice "The Creation of the World" and then we'll see your performances on Wednesday. Bring music on Tuesday, so you can work with it.
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