It’s a no-brainer that we should follow Alberta’s lead on weeding out the bad teachers and to overhaul how we deal with the teachers.
Right now, it’s the BCTF that runs the show and, as would any trade union do, puts its membership ahead of the students. To say otherwise is a con job which the BCTF has been allowed to play for too long.
Following Alberta’s lead would eliminate many of the reasons why parents prefer to put their kids in private schools. Not all the reasons would be addressed, but it would be a start until the entire attitude of our public educational system is changed to reflect merit through achievement – not simply warming a seat in the classroom.
However, I am open to a bribe, so if the BCTF gives me back all my school tax dollars, which they have wasted on mediocrity, then I promise to speak no more ill of them.
And one last thing slightly off topic. If the teachers go on strike and the government fines them, that debt shouldn’t be forgiven in any eventual settlement. That money should be redirected towards providing the students with the books and programs that they deserve.
Otherwise, the threat of fines is just a joke which we’ve all heard before.
Robert T. Rock
Mission