FOUNDATION SKILLS ASSESSMENT 2017
Dear parents,
It is important to understand that for teachers the FSA tests are fundamentally an educational issue. We know that:
Parental choice
Information about these tests has been sent to parents of Grade 4 and 7 students in BC for several years. In some districts the school board has sent its own letter explaining the rights of parents to choose whether their children write these tests. Teachers fully support the principle that parents have the right to decide whether their children participate in activities which are not part of the curriculum.
Communications to parents
Arbitrations and court rulings over the past decade made it clear that teachers have not only a right, but a professional responsibility to speak out about issues in education. In 2005, the British Columbia Court of Appeal stated in upholding the 2004 Munroe arbitration on teachers’ rights to display materials in schools, “It may also be seen as the School Boards’ duty, and indeed as teachers’ duty, to ensure public schools are and are seen to be places open and receptive to a wide spectrum of views, particularly in political discourse.” In 2008, arbitrator John Kinzie noted, “In my view, the administration of FSA tests to students in Grade 4 and 7 clearly concerns their education... discussions on such issues... further the values of democratic discourse and truth finding which underlie freedom of expression.”
The Munroe and Kinzie arbitrations and others on teachers’ rights to freedom of expression have been upheld, and in some cases strengthened by the courts.
Letters home
there is a protocol for information-sharing agreed to by the BCTF and BCPSEA, the employers’ association representing BC’s school trustees and the provincial government. All materials reviewed under the protocol agreement can be sent home in a sealed envelope addressed to parents. The contents of these communications are reviewed by BCPSEA for accuracy of content.
Kinzie, 2008, “This method of communication is the one commonly used by teachers to communicate with parents about their children’s education. The students/children are not inappropriately involved in this discourse because the pamphlet is sent home in a sealed envelope to parents.”
Withdrawal from testing
Ministry of Education policy states that “principals may excuse a student in the event of a family emergency, a lengthy illness or other extenuating circumstances.” Many parents over the past few years have used the extenuating circumstances provision to have their children excused from writing the tests, or have simply insisted that they have the right to make this decision on behalf of their children.
We commend the large numbers of principals and school boards who have honoured this parental choice.
BC’s teachers care deeply about your children’s education, and we’re always pleased to hear from the many parents who tell us about their positive experiences with BC’s public school system. The excellent quality of the education BC’s students receive is internationally recognized and is a credit to the dedication and professionalism of our 41,000 members.
BCTF members believe that there is no valid purpose in forcing children to write the FSA tests as currently configured, and that to withhold this professional judgment would not be honest or fair. Teachers respect the right of parents to make decisions on this issue on behalf of their children once they have been provided all of the relevant information.
Dear parents,
It is important to understand that for teachers the FSA tests are fundamentally an educational issue. We know that:
- the FSAs are not accurate indicators of individual progress since no single measure of assessment provides reliable data by itself.
- teachers do not get any useful information for their professional practice from these tests.
- these assessments were intended to be an external measure of student learning, which could be provided by the random sample method, instead of all children taking the tests.
- the data has been misused to create unscientific school rankings.
- there is no evidence that the tests have been used to provide additional resources.
Parental choice
Information about these tests has been sent to parents of Grade 4 and 7 students in BC for several years. In some districts the school board has sent its own letter explaining the rights of parents to choose whether their children write these tests. Teachers fully support the principle that parents have the right to decide whether their children participate in activities which are not part of the curriculum.
Communications to parents
Arbitrations and court rulings over the past decade made it clear that teachers have not only a right, but a professional responsibility to speak out about issues in education. In 2005, the British Columbia Court of Appeal stated in upholding the 2004 Munroe arbitration on teachers’ rights to display materials in schools, “It may also be seen as the School Boards’ duty, and indeed as teachers’ duty, to ensure public schools are and are seen to be places open and receptive to a wide spectrum of views, particularly in political discourse.” In 2008, arbitrator John Kinzie noted, “In my view, the administration of FSA tests to students in Grade 4 and 7 clearly concerns their education... discussions on such issues... further the values of democratic discourse and truth finding which underlie freedom of expression.”
The Munroe and Kinzie arbitrations and others on teachers’ rights to freedom of expression have been upheld, and in some cases strengthened by the courts.
Letters home
there is a protocol for information-sharing agreed to by the BCTF and BCPSEA, the employers’ association representing BC’s school trustees and the provincial government. All materials reviewed under the protocol agreement can be sent home in a sealed envelope addressed to parents. The contents of these communications are reviewed by BCPSEA for accuracy of content.
Kinzie, 2008, “This method of communication is the one commonly used by teachers to communicate with parents about their children’s education. The students/children are not inappropriately involved in this discourse because the pamphlet is sent home in a sealed envelope to parents.”
Withdrawal from testing
Ministry of Education policy states that “principals may excuse a student in the event of a family emergency, a lengthy illness or other extenuating circumstances.” Many parents over the past few years have used the extenuating circumstances provision to have their children excused from writing the tests, or have simply insisted that they have the right to make this decision on behalf of their children.
We commend the large numbers of principals and school boards who have honoured this parental choice.
BC’s teachers care deeply about your children’s education, and we’re always pleased to hear from the many parents who tell us about their positive experiences with BC’s public school system. The excellent quality of the education BC’s students receive is internationally recognized and is a credit to the dedication and professionalism of our 41,000 members.
BCTF members believe that there is no valid purpose in forcing children to write the FSA tests as currently configured, and that to withhold this professional judgment would not be honest or fair. Teachers respect the right of parents to make decisions on this issue on behalf of their children once they have been provided all of the relevant information.
Letter to the editor
Dear parents of students in Grades 4 and 7,
You would have already received a brochure from the School District advocating the virtues of the Foundational Skills Assessment (FSA) your children will be subjected to in the next few weeks. The BCTF will be sending information home with the children in the next couple of days. A few things to consider:
Dear parents of students in Grades 4 and 7,
You would have already received a brochure from the School District advocating the virtues of the Foundational Skills Assessment (FSA) your children will be subjected to in the next few weeks. The BCTF will be sending information home with the children in the next couple of days. A few things to consider:
- The Foundation Skills Assessment is a data collection instrument, not a true measure of a child’s potential – it is a snapshot in time not taking into account the many factors in a child’s life which may influence the results. The dilemma for teachers is whether or not to spend quality classroom hours teaching the children how to take the FSA or to teach the required curriculum. If they don’t spend hours teaching to the test, they are under pressure because no one wants their class pointed out on the Fraser Institute’s Ranking of Schools list as being the worst! Teachers assess your children throughout the year using a variety of assessment strategies to provide your child with the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge in many different ways.
- Last year, according to the infamous Fraser Institute’s rankings, a few of our local schools ended up near the bottom of that list. If we could find our former Premier, Ms. Clark, and ask her whether those schools received any additional funding or support to help the students who appear to be struggling, I guarantee the answer is no! I recently heard a statement that these tests will be used as indicators on how a child will progress if not given extra support – again, where is the support coming from? Teachers can tell you that information without the use of this time-consuming assessment.
- It is a pity that some people judge a school by its ranking on a list rather than by visiting the school, meeting the staff and witnessing first hand the great things happening in each of our schools – top or bottom of the list!
CDTA RETIREMENT CELEBRATION
JUNE 14TH, 2017
HERITAGE INN
3:30 - 6:30 (OFFICIAL BUSINESS STARTS AT 4:00)
IF YOU ARE A RETIREE BUT DON'T WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS EVENT FOR FEAR OF BEING ON STAGE - HAVE NO FEAR! wE WILL NOT FORCE YOU TO BE AT THE FRONT OF THE ROOM. WE WILL READ OUT THE WHOLE LIST OF RETIREES AND wE WILL RAISE OUR GLASS TO ALL THOSE WHO ARE RETIRING! dON'T MISS OUT ON THIS EVENT! wE PROMISE NOT TO FORCE YOU TO DO ANYTHING!
JUNE 14TH, 2017
HERITAGE INN
3:30 - 6:30 (OFFICIAL BUSINESS STARTS AT 4:00)
IF YOU ARE A RETIREE BUT DON'T WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS EVENT FOR FEAR OF BEING ON STAGE - HAVE NO FEAR! wE WILL NOT FORCE YOU TO BE AT THE FRONT OF THE ROOM. WE WILL READ OUT THE WHOLE LIST OF RETIREES AND wE WILL RAISE OUR GLASS TO ALL THOSE WHO ARE RETIRING! dON'T MISS OUT ON THIS EVENT! wE PROMISE NOT TO FORCE YOU TO DO ANYTHING!
Let’s Avoid Collective Amnesia at the Polls Next Week – The Innumerable Scandals of the BC Liberals
By Evan Sumner
Let’s avoid collective amnesia at the polls next week and try to keep in mind the number of controversies our current government has managed to be embroiled in over the years. If you’re like me and specifics tend to evade you, I suggest just focusing on the sheer number of scandals and broken promises that have plagued Christy Clark and the BC Liberals – so many in fact that while writing this article I quickly realized it would be best if I limit myself to just the most egregious.
1. Baseless Accusation of Hacking
Last February, when private donor information was inadvertently made public on the BC Liberal’s website, the Premier promptly accused the opposition of criminally hacking their website. This accusation was quickly debunked and led to Clark being heavily criticized for falsely accusing political opponents of undermining democracy. It was without doubt a hypocritical accusation on Clark’s part given her own government’s involvement in several similarly undemocratic scandals, including one surrounding the deletion of e-mails to avoid Freedom of Information Requests.[1]
2. Shawnigan Lake
The BC Liberal’s originally gave the go-ahead for a private company to dump 100000 tons/per year of contaminated soil at a site within spitting distance of Shawnigan Lake. Thankfully for the residents of Shawnigan Lake, the government eventually cancelled the permit, but not before they had mounted a series of protests and engaged the province in a prolonged legal battle – yet another unnecessary cost for the taxpayer brought about by the BC Liberals.[2]
3. Corporate Donors and Clark’s $50K/year Stipend
The BC Liberals have long refused to change the current campaign finance rules. Rules that essentially allow wealthy lobby groups to have a disproportionate amount of influence on the outcome of BC’s elections. This isn’t surprising, however, given the BC Liberal’s receive millions of dollars each year from large corporate donors. Beyond public criticism, it’s not as though they have much incentive to change anything.[3]
Additionally, up until recently, Mrs. Clark received a $50000/year stipend from the Liberal Party coffers on top of her yearly salary – something opposition leaders frequently argued was a direct result of the above-mentioned corporate donors and a clear conflict of interest.[4]
4. Housing affordability & Poverty Reduction
Despite the ongoing housing crisis and ever-increasing levels of homelessness, the BC Liberals say BC doesn’t need a poverty reduction plan. Instead, they plan to continue to focus on creating jobs that will, for the most part, in no way impact housing affordability or improve the lot of BC’s homeless population. For example, more than half of the 72,000 new jobs created in 2016 were only part-time – hardly a scenario conducive to successfully making rent payments in a place like Vancouver. In short, Christy Clark is promising to help people buy homes when an enormous part of the population can barely manage to rent one.[5]
5. The War on Teachers
The Premier began her war on public education when she was Minister of Education. While Minister, Mrs. Clark was the one who unilaterally gutted teacher’s contracts regarding class size limits and composition. Once she became Premier, her government continued the BC Liberal’s tradition of steadily cutting the funding to public education.
Despite the lower courts (with one exception) finding that her actions were illegal, Clark relentlessly continued to spend taxpayer money and took the issue all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC). The SCC took all of 15 minutes to decide the issue, delivering their judgment from the bench – the teachers had been right all along and Clark was wrong. Mrs. Clark has now been tasked with undoing all the damage her government has done, and yes, she will be spending yet more of our BC tax dollars doing it.[6]
6. Site C
The Site C Dam has been controversial since the beginning and, now that a number of economic reports have found the whole project to be far from a viable investment, Clark’s ongoing support for it seems more than a little misplaced. The fact thousands of hectares of farm land, houses, and properties will be destroyed or negatively affected, as well as untold impacts on local wildlife and the environment, only adds to the controversy.[7]
7. LNG Fail
Clark spent most of the last election promising a lucrative LNG export industry and 100000 new jobs, none of which materialized. Now the LNG market is not nearly so attractive and Clark’s plan is likely going to amount to little more than just another one of her broken promises – although in this case, environmentalists province wide will undoubtedly rejoice should her plan implode entirely.[8]
8. Laura Miller – Liberal’s Campaign Director Still Faces Criminal Charges
The current campaign director of the BC Liberal’s, Laura Miller, initially resigned from her post after three separate criminal charges were laid against her in Ontario – all charges are related to the illegal destruction of documents. Just three months after resigning however, Ms. Miller was reinstalled and promoted to the Liberal party’s campaign director. This all happened regardless of the fact that she has yet to go to trial or clear her name.[9]
9. Ministry of Children and Family Development
This past year a number of reports brought to light the fact that a large number of children had died, been physically and/or sexually abused, taken their own lives or been unnecessarily kept from their parents under the Ministry of Children and Family Development’s watch. Despite this, both the current government and the MCFD deny wrongdoing and continue to defend the existing system. The incident that arguably sparked the controversy was the death of Alex Gervais, a youth who committed suicide after being housed in a Super 8 hotel by the MCFD – he was alone when he died.[10]
10. Selling BC’s water to Nestlé
Clark, along with her government, arranged to sell Nestle BC’s water for $2.25 per million litres. Given the average price of a bottle of water is around $2.50, this was undoubtedly a very controversial deal.[11]
References:
1.↑http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/has-premier-christy-clark-had-her-enoughs-enough-scandal/article33991257/
2.↑http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/bc-cancels-cobble-hill-waste-discharge-permit-near-shawnigan-lake/article34126291/
3.↑http://vancouversun.com/business/local-business/big-corporate-donors-give-big-to-the-b-c-liberals
4.↑http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/christy-clarks-salary-being-topped-up-by-donations-to-bc-liberal-party/article29767196/; http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/b-c-premier-christy-clark-no-longer-receiving-50k-stipend-from-party-1.3250867
5.↑http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/b-c-s-working-poor-reducing-poverty-expensive-but-possible; http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/christy-clark-boasts-about-bcs-low-jobless-rate-but-rural-areas-struggle/article34717096/; http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/who-will-step-up-to-fix-british-columbia-housing-crisis/article34861441/
6.↑http://theprovince.com/opinion/columnists/mike-smyth-will-voters-forgive-and-forget-christy-clarks-war-with-teachers
7.↑http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/bc-could-save-16-billion-by-cancelling-site-c-ubc-report/article34757233/
8.↑http://business.financialpost.com/news/the-tide-has-turned-against-them-b-c-lng-projects-stranded-amid-global-glut
9.↑http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/laura-miller-christy-clarks-new-campaign-chief-facing-charges/article31892570/
10.↑http://www.vancouversun.com/christy+clark+defends+children+minister+after+teen+death/11391587/story.html?__lsa=8088-0192
11.↑https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2015/02/24/Nestle-Pays-Nothing-to-Bottle-Water/
Retrieved from: https://thinkpol.ca/2017/05/02/lets-avoid-collective-amnesia-at-the-polls-next-week-the-innumerable-scandals-of-the-bc-liberals/
By Evan Sumner
Let’s avoid collective amnesia at the polls next week and try to keep in mind the number of controversies our current government has managed to be embroiled in over the years. If you’re like me and specifics tend to evade you, I suggest just focusing on the sheer number of scandals and broken promises that have plagued Christy Clark and the BC Liberals – so many in fact that while writing this article I quickly realized it would be best if I limit myself to just the most egregious.
1. Baseless Accusation of Hacking
Last February, when private donor information was inadvertently made public on the BC Liberal’s website, the Premier promptly accused the opposition of criminally hacking their website. This accusation was quickly debunked and led to Clark being heavily criticized for falsely accusing political opponents of undermining democracy. It was without doubt a hypocritical accusation on Clark’s part given her own government’s involvement in several similarly undemocratic scandals, including one surrounding the deletion of e-mails to avoid Freedom of Information Requests.[1]
2. Shawnigan Lake
The BC Liberal’s originally gave the go-ahead for a private company to dump 100000 tons/per year of contaminated soil at a site within spitting distance of Shawnigan Lake. Thankfully for the residents of Shawnigan Lake, the government eventually cancelled the permit, but not before they had mounted a series of protests and engaged the province in a prolonged legal battle – yet another unnecessary cost for the taxpayer brought about by the BC Liberals.[2]
3. Corporate Donors and Clark’s $50K/year Stipend
The BC Liberals have long refused to change the current campaign finance rules. Rules that essentially allow wealthy lobby groups to have a disproportionate amount of influence on the outcome of BC’s elections. This isn’t surprising, however, given the BC Liberal’s receive millions of dollars each year from large corporate donors. Beyond public criticism, it’s not as though they have much incentive to change anything.[3]
Additionally, up until recently, Mrs. Clark received a $50000/year stipend from the Liberal Party coffers on top of her yearly salary – something opposition leaders frequently argued was a direct result of the above-mentioned corporate donors and a clear conflict of interest.[4]
4. Housing affordability & Poverty Reduction
Despite the ongoing housing crisis and ever-increasing levels of homelessness, the BC Liberals say BC doesn’t need a poverty reduction plan. Instead, they plan to continue to focus on creating jobs that will, for the most part, in no way impact housing affordability or improve the lot of BC’s homeless population. For example, more than half of the 72,000 new jobs created in 2016 were only part-time – hardly a scenario conducive to successfully making rent payments in a place like Vancouver. In short, Christy Clark is promising to help people buy homes when an enormous part of the population can barely manage to rent one.[5]
5. The War on Teachers
The Premier began her war on public education when she was Minister of Education. While Minister, Mrs. Clark was the one who unilaterally gutted teacher’s contracts regarding class size limits and composition. Once she became Premier, her government continued the BC Liberal’s tradition of steadily cutting the funding to public education.
Despite the lower courts (with one exception) finding that her actions were illegal, Clark relentlessly continued to spend taxpayer money and took the issue all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC). The SCC took all of 15 minutes to decide the issue, delivering their judgment from the bench – the teachers had been right all along and Clark was wrong. Mrs. Clark has now been tasked with undoing all the damage her government has done, and yes, she will be spending yet more of our BC tax dollars doing it.[6]
6. Site C
The Site C Dam has been controversial since the beginning and, now that a number of economic reports have found the whole project to be far from a viable investment, Clark’s ongoing support for it seems more than a little misplaced. The fact thousands of hectares of farm land, houses, and properties will be destroyed or negatively affected, as well as untold impacts on local wildlife and the environment, only adds to the controversy.[7]
7. LNG Fail
Clark spent most of the last election promising a lucrative LNG export industry and 100000 new jobs, none of which materialized. Now the LNG market is not nearly so attractive and Clark’s plan is likely going to amount to little more than just another one of her broken promises – although in this case, environmentalists province wide will undoubtedly rejoice should her plan implode entirely.[8]
8. Laura Miller – Liberal’s Campaign Director Still Faces Criminal Charges
The current campaign director of the BC Liberal’s, Laura Miller, initially resigned from her post after three separate criminal charges were laid against her in Ontario – all charges are related to the illegal destruction of documents. Just three months after resigning however, Ms. Miller was reinstalled and promoted to the Liberal party’s campaign director. This all happened regardless of the fact that she has yet to go to trial or clear her name.[9]
9. Ministry of Children and Family Development
This past year a number of reports brought to light the fact that a large number of children had died, been physically and/or sexually abused, taken their own lives or been unnecessarily kept from their parents under the Ministry of Children and Family Development’s watch. Despite this, both the current government and the MCFD deny wrongdoing and continue to defend the existing system. The incident that arguably sparked the controversy was the death of Alex Gervais, a youth who committed suicide after being housed in a Super 8 hotel by the MCFD – he was alone when he died.[10]
10. Selling BC’s water to Nestlé
Clark, along with her government, arranged to sell Nestle BC’s water for $2.25 per million litres. Given the average price of a bottle of water is around $2.50, this was undoubtedly a very controversial deal.[11]
References:
1.↑http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/has-premier-christy-clark-had-her-enoughs-enough-scandal/article33991257/
2.↑http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/bc-cancels-cobble-hill-waste-discharge-permit-near-shawnigan-lake/article34126291/
3.↑http://vancouversun.com/business/local-business/big-corporate-donors-give-big-to-the-b-c-liberals
4.↑http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/christy-clarks-salary-being-topped-up-by-donations-to-bc-liberal-party/article29767196/; http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/b-c-premier-christy-clark-no-longer-receiving-50k-stipend-from-party-1.3250867
5.↑http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/b-c-s-working-poor-reducing-poverty-expensive-but-possible; http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/christy-clark-boasts-about-bcs-low-jobless-rate-but-rural-areas-struggle/article34717096/; http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/who-will-step-up-to-fix-british-columbia-housing-crisis/article34861441/
6.↑http://theprovince.com/opinion/columnists/mike-smyth-will-voters-forgive-and-forget-christy-clarks-war-with-teachers
7.↑http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/bc-could-save-16-billion-by-cancelling-site-c-ubc-report/article34757233/
8.↑http://business.financialpost.com/news/the-tide-has-turned-against-them-b-c-lng-projects-stranded-amid-global-glut
9.↑http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/laura-miller-christy-clarks-new-campaign-chief-facing-charges/article31892570/
10.↑http://www.vancouversun.com/christy+clark+defends+children+minister+after+teen+death/11391587/story.html?__lsa=8088-0192
11.↑https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2015/02/24/Nestle-Pays-Nothing-to-Bottle-Water/
Retrieved from: https://thinkpol.ca/2017/05/02/lets-avoid-collective-amnesia-at-the-polls-next-week-the-innumerable-scandals-of-the-bc-liberals/
Bruce McCloy "Don't forget - it is not just her [Christy clark] - it is every Liberal MLA who stands behind her - the day a government laughed when asked by a Supreme Court Justice if their objective with the legislation was to increase the pressure on teachers to have them go out on a full-scale strike? Is that correct?” Answer: “Yes. I’ll say that’s correct.” - should have been enough for voters. How much more is necessary from the Liberals?" Below is a list of liberals involved in this deplorable behaviour - I see at least four ministers of education On this list:
Amrik Virk
Andrew Wilkinson
Bill Bennett
Christy Clark
Coralee Oakes
Dan Ashton
Darryl Plecas
Don McRae
Donna Barnett
Doug Bing
Eric Foster
Gordon Hogg
Greg Kyllo
Jackie Tegart
Jane Thornthwaite
John Martin
John Rustad
John Yap
Jordan Sturdy
Laurie Throness
Linda Larson
Linda Reid
Linda Reimer
Marc Dalton
Marvin Hunt
Mary Polak
Michelle Stilwell
Mike Bernier
Mike de Jong
Mike Morris
Moira Stilwell
Naomi Yamamoto
Norm Letnick
Peter Fassbender
Ralph Sultan
Rich Coleman
Richard Lee
Sam Sullivan
Scott Hamilton
Shirley Bond
Simon Gibson
Stephanie Cadieux
Steve Thomson
Suzanne Anton
Teresa Wat
Terry Lake
Todd Stone
Amrik Virk
Andrew Wilkinson
Bill Bennett
Christy Clark
Coralee Oakes
Dan Ashton
Darryl Plecas
Don McRae
Donna Barnett
Doug Bing
Eric Foster
Gordon Hogg
Greg Kyllo
Jackie Tegart
Jane Thornthwaite
John Martin
John Rustad
John Yap
Jordan Sturdy
Laurie Throness
Linda Larson
Linda Reid
Linda Reimer
Marc Dalton
Marvin Hunt
Mary Polak
Michelle Stilwell
Mike Bernier
Mike de Jong
Mike Morris
Moira Stilwell
Naomi Yamamoto
Norm Letnick
Peter Fassbender
Ralph Sultan
Rich Coleman
Richard Lee
Sam Sullivan
Scott Hamilton
Shirley Bond
Simon Gibson
Stephanie Cadieux
Steve Thomson
Suzanne Anton
Teresa Wat
Terry Lake
Todd Stone
An amazing day for bc students and teachers! Fourteen years in the making - thank you to the legal team for all your work and the teachers for your patience!
The B.C. Teachers' Federation has won a landmark decision on negotiating class size and composition in the Supreme Court of Canada.
Canada's top court provided a surprise verbal ruling a few hours after a hearing into the case started Thursday morning.
"It was sense of jubilation, there was cheering," said BCTF President Glen Hansman, who was in the courtroom in Ottawa. "We are very happy for our members and to resolve this once and for all."
Not expected until the springThe BCTF was not expecting the court to rule until next spring.
The ongoing dispute dates back to 2002, when the province used legislation to strip teachers of their right to bargain class size and composition. The union says the province will now have to provide resources for class size and composition that date back to levels from when the legal dispute began.
"What that is going to look like in terms of timelines and operationally, we are going to have to talk about that. We were truly not expecting a decision here today," said Hansman.
"We will definitely be in conversations with the province because ... we need to get those teachers back into schools now."
Legal battle ongoing for more than a decadeBill 22, which the government passed in 2012, similarly blocked teachers from negotiating class size and composition.
The BCTF challenged the constitutionality of that legislation, saying it is "virtually identical to the legislation previously declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of British Columbia."
The union won the case in B.C. Supreme Court, but it was overturned on appeal.
The Supreme Court of Canada is the definitive decision on the issue.
"We were right. Government should not have done that back in 2002 and it's pretty amazing for the Supreme Court of Canada to agree with that and to issue that decision in the room right when we were sitting there," added Hansman.
______________________________________________________________________________________
The B.C. Teachers' Federation has won a landmark decision on negotiating class size and composition in the Supreme Court of Canada.
Canada's top court provided a surprise verbal ruling a few hours after a hearing into the case started Thursday morning.
"It was sense of jubilation, there was cheering," said BCTF President Glen Hansman, who was in the courtroom in Ottawa. "We are very happy for our members and to resolve this once and for all."
Not expected until the springThe BCTF was not expecting the court to rule until next spring.
The ongoing dispute dates back to 2002, when the province used legislation to strip teachers of their right to bargain class size and composition. The union says the province will now have to provide resources for class size and composition that date back to levels from when the legal dispute began.
"What that is going to look like in terms of timelines and operationally, we are going to have to talk about that. We were truly not expecting a decision here today," said Hansman.
"We will definitely be in conversations with the province because ... we need to get those teachers back into schools now."
Legal battle ongoing for more than a decadeBill 22, which the government passed in 2012, similarly blocked teachers from negotiating class size and composition.
The BCTF challenged the constitutionality of that legislation, saying it is "virtually identical to the legislation previously declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of British Columbia."
The union won the case in B.C. Supreme Court, but it was overturned on appeal.
The Supreme Court of Canada is the definitive decision on the issue.
"We were right. Government should not have done that back in 2002 and it's pretty amazing for the Supreme Court of Canada to agree with that and to issue that decision in the room right when we were sitting there," added Hansman.
______________________________________________________________________________________
I just came across this letter in my master's program and thought it was well worth sharing! Thanks for everything you do everyday - you all make a difference!
Letter: A heartfelt thank you for teachersBy CONTRIBUTED
July 11, 2014 · Updated 7:36 AM
My name is Amanda Willumeit and I have lived in Cranbrook my entire life. I am a proud Canadian and a proud British Columbian. With the current atrocities happening to our public education system I can’t help but think of all of the people who have given unselfishly to me and who have contributed so much to who and where I am today. My parents, of course, are there leading the pack and for them I am forever grateful. But what of the truly unsung heroes, those who gave me the tools I would need in life and those who taught me to use them? I am speaking of the teachers, right here in Cranbrook where I was born and raised, who inspired me and made school such a joyful place that when it came time for me to choose a career, I couldn’t imagine ever having to leave school, and thus I chose to join the profession that influenced me so much; Teaching.
Throughout my education, I feel that I was truly blessed with some of the very best educators, people who loved their jobs, loved the kids and gave 100% of themselves everyday; perhaps that is why they were so influential to me. And so, I am here to pay tribute to those individuals and the gifts that they have given to me:
K-7 (Steeples Elementary, where I still to this day feel at home)
Mrs. Hamigami (Kindergarten)- the gifts of tolerance and acceptance, given to me when I didn’t want to hold hands with another student because they were different from me. To this day I remember her words, “Don’t choose who you like because of what they look like outside, choose them because of how they make you feel in your heart.”
Mrs. Bjerstead (Grade 1) – the knowledge that I was important and deserving of love. I will never forget how she lined us all up on picture day and with love and attention neatly combed each of our hair, straightened and tucked in our shirts and made sure our faces were clean so that each of us could stand proudly with our toothless grins.
Mrs. Sandberg (Grade 2) – the gift of accountability. A lot of people thought she was too tough, but I know now that she was teaching us to always be accountable for our actions and choices, never letting us get away with being rude or unkind. It was a hard gift to swallow at 7 years old, but worth so much to me now.
Mr. Mackie (Grades 3 & 5) – the gifts of wonderment, creativity and exploration (oh yeah, and my Times Tables!!). This man took us on African Safari’s , to the bottom of the ocean, through the jungles and into a “Week in the Life of a Super Hero,” all with a little paper, glue, paint and of course, clay! Learning was so much fun that most of the time we didn’t even realize how much we had learned. When you love your job, you never really have to grow up.
Mr. Knipfel (Grade 4) – the gift of poetry, the voice to use it, and my retained ability to play the recorder. Every season brought new songs, poems and verse which we were
encouraged wholeheartedly to vocalize, even placing at the Fine Arts Festival both with the class and individually with “Banana’s & Cream!”
Mr. Gill (Grade 6) – the knowledge that the power that comes with being a leader is not to be abused. But, he also showed me that the gift of remembrance can mean more to a person than anything else with the simple gift of a card acknowledging my graduation from high school. The fact that I had meant enough to somebody to be remembered at a time when I felt incredibly lost and overwhelmed renewed my waivering faith in myself.
Ms. Nahm (Grade 7) – The value of being a positive role model to those younger and/or less privileged than myself. The self-responsibility that came so easily to me was difficult to others. Ms. Nahm showed me that I could lead through example; a great gift for a future teacher!
Grades 8 and 9 were spent at Laurie Junior Secondary. These were, to put it lightly, very difficult years for me. Yet, regardless of my own self doubt and insecurity, Mr. Wiwchar, Mr. Harkass, Mrs. Cuthill (Eckersley), Mrs. Jacobson, Mr. Stump and Mr. Toyota were always there to give a smile, an “encouraging nudge” ( well, let’s just say it, a good old fashioned kick in the pants!), praise for my academic prowess and full encouragement to step out of my comfort zone and showcase my public speaking abilities (only grade eight to run for student council!, I may not have won but certainly made clear my ability to command a room, another great teacher quality, Thanks Mr. Toyota and Mrs. Cuthill!).
Grade 10. I have to say that hind sight being what it is, it is now that I can see the gifts given to me during this year, most important of all, humility and the ability to eat crow! That being said, here goes. . . I would like to take this opportunity to formally apologize to every teacher that I swore at, told off, embarassed, humiliated, lied to, and was just out and out rude to. In particular, Mrs. Fadeef: God Bless your soul, Ms. Strobel: wherever you are, I hope your still teaching, and Mr. Oliver: it takes incredible strength in character to handle the daily rants of a rebelling15 year old; thank-you.
Grades 11 and 12 truly are a blur to me as I studied relentlessly, ran for Sweetheart of Sam Steele and took part in Mount Baker’s, “The Tempest.” One teacher who really stands out for me during this time is Mr. Conrad. I was in his English 12 class and later when it came time to apply for Universities and Colleges, he was the one who really questioned my choices and let me know that I didn’t have to settle. I had only applied to one school at the time; the College of the Rockies, because I couldn’t afford to go anywhere else. Mr. Conrad made me feel like even though I felt that this was my only choice, had I wanted to, I could have accomplished anything.
Now, here I sit at 35 years old, the married mother of three children and a Kindergarten teacher at Gordon Terrace. In the 14 years that I have been teaching here in
Cranbrook, both as a TTOC and as a contract teacher, I have been blessed to work side by side with many of the aforementioned teachers and have also gotten to work with and learn from many other incredible leaders. I have taught every grade from K-12 in some facet and have begged, borrowed and stolen countless incredible ideas from my colleagues. I watch in awe the passion and drive that propel them forward each day; I watch them celebrate the tiniest of victories with their students and then hide in the shadows when the victories are theirs.
As of late, my colleagues and friends have chosen to take a stand against a government hell-bent on the oppression of our public school system. I have watched them hold their heads high and stand their ground for what is right for the future of our children and subsequently, us. Even with the adversity they are faced with on a daily basis, they continue to persevere, to lead and nurture. They bend and sway, readjusting lessons in an effort to keep things as consistent as possible. I have heard many people question my colleagues resolve challenging the strike action and in response, I have witnessed a solidarity amongst teachers fed by their unwavering desire to see learning conditions improved across this great province. It is with great gratitude that I thank every teacher from my past and all of my colleagues, including our CUPE staff without whom I would be lost, for their passion.
I am a teacher, but I am also a parent. I am a product of B.C’s public school system. I am everything that I am today because of the commitment of the teachers in my life past and present. Who I am tomorrow is dependent on the youth of today. If the message we send to them is that they are not important what message will they have for us?
Sincerely,
~Amanda Willumeit
SD#5 Cranbrook B.C
lET THE REVISED CURRICULUM BEGIN
rEMEMBER - THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF A LONG
PROCESS. iT IS NOT A RACE TO THE FINISH
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