JANUARY 23, 2002
VOLUME10 - ISSUE2
UNlVEHSITY COLLEGEOf THE f'RASER VALLEY'S STUDENT NEWSPAPER
THE TRUTHCOMESOUT, TEACHER'SSTRIKE! By: Arn.rncln Mills
heen moved from its originul time unu tirnc. Word of mouth is spreading this news of the chnnge. Several students from Mowat and even Burnnby Central have heard of these changes. If you are a student or know a student of sccondury school und do 1101know or the new date, please check with Mowm or Burnuby Central LOlind out the new date and lime.
The Facts: The teachers want to have smaller classes for more interactions between student and teachel'. They also want to keep thl: librarians that the government is trying tu take away. Several te.ichers of ESL have been worried since a notion of removing sornc of them has been talked about. Student coun• selors will also have some concerns, us their jobs may becumc unwanted. Teachers want to keep these positions of their co-workers ,111cl request a few plans of their own. They want to get more money for the first time teuchers. These ore teachcrs who have been through six yems of school and have their master's degree (Note: Six years of school is six yc:.irs of student loans). First year teachers uftcr school can look forward lo ,,rountl $.37. 000 per yenr. This sits the111 1U'it abmr: the poverty !in~. ~uh~titulion teachers con 011ly hope for umund $ I 0, 000 per year. A tem:her who hus been teaching for ten years can take home mound $65, 000 per year.
l
SCHOOLS CLOSED
OuElO GOVERHMEtfT CUTBACRS
The Al'gumenr; l'he gover11111cnt is cutting b,1ck fmin where they should be investing.
T11eStory: had the opportunity to find onl! tc.icher among hun,;fre<l!i in Abbotsford who wanted. and who was allowed, to talk to me. There has been a province wit.le control over the presses involvement in the inform<1tion printed on this issue. The Abbotsford dis• trict Tcaeher·s Assodati(ln (ADTA) has informed the high school principles not to leuk any information It\ the press. While I was attending Mowat high st.:hool as a guest, to get the ):tory, several teachers told me. "I'm not going to talk to you," and. "l wus told not to talk to you until you have cle11ru11cc."So I went to get clcornncc from the Abbots ford District Teuchr:rs Assodation (ADTA). T called the: ADTA am! spoke to The Vice- President Percy Austin. and he tolu me that T could ti1lk to .:iny teacher l wanted w, or more imporinntly. w.inted to talk to me. I was then givt:n in1:tructiotrs on my interviews. I was not allowed to print any fact~ thul the teachcrs gave to me, only their upininns. All fucts were tn come through them. I received this permission ufu.:r I knew it was needect. and returned Lo my fir~I school and was tnld to k·uvc and nnt Lo tulk to any teachers. I was basically walking a~ a shadow through terrse halls. The tead1ers were uneasy that I was there and the stuJents were all eager for me to ir1tcrvicw then,.
The consensus umong the students is "this i, unfair."
Students ,tre doing this to prove to the teacht:rs thul their 11.:t,rninghus been irrterrurned and they wish to tcll lhc govern1111.:nt that, "the tea1.:hersare under 1,;omru1,;1. but we are here volLtnrnrily." said line lmrve (yet mistuken) young student of Yale High school. ''You can't threaten us." spoke a freshm,1n of Burnaby North. "We want the teachet's to know that this is for them. 11'they want action, the ~tudcnts will show them whul to do,'' 1,;huntedu sophornort· of Muscrop Hii;h school on the sky train to sonre fricnds und anyone lhut woulu listen. The only p1.:rson who wnuld go on the recnrd. Rob Pelkie. uf Burnuby Central, gnve me tliis eviclcnce or tenchers imerrupting 1he s1Ude11ts· knowledge i11gestio11. "The tc:ichers nre mad thnt the students arc !>lriking. hut they told us too. The teachers ,rre telling the strrr.lents if you don't feel strongly ennugh on the issues then don't walk.'. This is only l1.:lling the student~ th,1l they would be ull right with them walking out. Some teachers ,1rcn't telling students tu wulk hut they aren't stopping them. "My math teacher told 111ethat they think the extracurriculur activities nre mnre in1pnrtant."
nnd many more :.tctivities are now searching for parent volunleers to c;ontinue their fun. .Jobelieves that this u1,;Iwill nllL help the stu• In Hansen, everyone stayed away frnn, mr: dents or their cuu~e. Jo beli1.:vesthat a fulluntil the print.:iplc returned. It ~ecmed like srnlc wulk out mat least a rotating strike is every principlc disappeared at the 1-0I11e necucd to get the governments uttcntion. Jo time lo attend a meeting. They might have think~ that this is even harder for the kids So what now'/ Arc the teachers going to been attending the san1e meeting. The now, under this boll le and thot their lcurning strike'! Are the studems going to wulk' 1 Is Hansen Vice-principle quietly look me in is already been di~rupted. the government going to give the teachers his office and told me th.it the teachers were what they deserve'! Whut happens now? 1101allowed to talk to me until the principle The teachers union has rhe teacher:-.under n.:turned. He took my nunrbcr und askl!d me control nnw. They voted hack in October In Ontario, there wtirc simil.ir actinns taken to l«lk to him. I left feeling u bit pushed off. November of 2()0 I on this n1ullcr and the by the tenchers for belier workini, clllidi• hut l unuerstund thut my information must response was nrproxinmtely 90% wtrnlcd tions uni.I they wulk1.:d out !'or two weeks. come from sotrn:whcrc (?lsc and I quietly thcse actions we see nnw harp1.:ni11g Lo start. Schools shut down nncl lines were drawn. left. J0 said that now if the AD'l'A and further In s~veral high schollh in Onturio lines associations wish tn Sll'ike that they have no were even cros~ed. Tencbcrs who continued Yale did lhe same thing. The VP wasn't say. Under enntrw.:t, if rhey cross th<.:pickcl to go to class were rnet with b,ittles thrnwn there but the teachers were keeping their line they could lose their uninn cards urrd ut them, their cars defaced and even !>erfou~ lips scaled. Ncrne woulcl say anything to their jobs. The union repn;scntntives frnm physical actions were taken against them. me. Perhap~ I should have gone under each high school. relays the latest informaWill this happen here? cover to get the story'! ti\)11l\l the leachl!rs and that b nbnut it. But, I,11errupIing the students' learning i, what The govcrn111cnldidn't listen In the teachers However. at Yale I diJ l'ind one teacher who lhc tc.ichcrs ditln't want according. tn .In, but in Ontnrio until they walked. And they would speak to me. Under these tight cir- thi:- has an effect that the teacher~ fcnr. won't listen here until serious ,rnd drnsti!; l'L1111swnees the indiviuu:11 wmrld not allow uclillns arc taken. But at whnr line will the me to reveul their name, MJ I will cull them It is know to every one th,ll the ~tuJcnl~ arc teachers give in' 1 When will the governJo. Ju told me of the teachers rcl'using to rebelling against the tcucl,erll. A province ment finally crack'/ Ontario teachers participate in any extl'il currirnlur activities. \\ iJe walk out is schcduleJ l'or an up com- received snrne of whut they n::quc:.ted. :urtl This news is not a shock to m1.:.it is only ing dute that rnntin11es 10 clwnge us t.he SU did lht: i;uvern111ent. If )'llU (11'1! IHll part of Phase Two. All sports. band clubs rcncher~ find out about it. No,, the d,llc Im~ rdrl!a<ly. )'IHI shnultl h~ as~irtg yn11r~eht:~. wha1 would tl1~ tt•.rl'11t:r~i;uin h) Jllini; Il1;," MORE ''NEWS'' STARTINGON PAGt: 7 1\11d.what \1ill lh~y h,1,e t<1gh~ up·.1