Guest, parent - We cross posted.

Class size limits vary according to the grade but there is no weighting factor for students with special needs and there is no grievance procedure for teachers who are given 'more than their share'. There is alot more involved than the facts and figures given by the bean counters. Children are not beans.

No other province in Canada has had a contract legislated without negotiation.

The real issue is not the "right to strike" as you have stated. The real issue is the right to a negotiated contract.

We did not like the 'essential service' designation but we accepted it and proceeded to play according to the rules. The govt. changed the rules in the middle of the game. We did not walk out until the government refused to negotiate and once again, imposed a contract on us - a contract that had been stripped of class size and work load provisions. The real issue is standing up to injustice. Legislation is not negotiation!

I already gave a link to the contract and what has been stripped. Before you start spouting facts and figures, I suggest you read it.

... and no, pro-d days are not for lesson planning. They are for updating and developing our own education. Its our chance to learn new methods and keep abreast of changes in the provincial curriculum.

Although our students have done very well internationally, the current downward spiral we are witnessing on the front lines means that we will not be able to maintain those standards. Those students came from a system that has endured deep cuts in the last 10 years. In addition, the profession is not attracting the quality of students, at the university level, that it once did. If the educational system is not repaired immediately, the future of education is bleak indeed.

Comparing the working conditions of teachers to small business people is like comparing apples and oranges. Thats another topic entirely. If you want my job, you can have it when I retire in a couple of years. I hear they will be crying for teachers.

BTW - If you came to Canada from a 'small European country', you came for a reason and were given (on a platter) an environment that was fair and equitable. That was not given to the people of Canada by the government. It was gained by the blood, sweat and tears of our mothers and fathers in the labour movement. I'm sorry if this action by the labour unions has inconvenienced you but maybe its time you made a little sacrifice of your own.