Do you know what is happening in Ontario?

by | Feb 16, 2020 | Engaging in Courageous Conversations, Promoting Collaborative Learning Cultures

If you are a friend from outside of Ontario, you may not be aware of the fact that every teacher in the public system (Catholic and Public from every union in the province) has been on job action for several months now. The last time this happened was in 1997 when I was a brand new teacher. There are many reasons we are collectively refusing to back down, but for me it comes to two: class sizes and mandatory e-learning. If you have been reading my blog, you know that I mostly use this space to learn and share and rarely use this platform to make a political stance.

For the first time in probably my life, I responded to a gentleman who was teacher-bashing while I was waiting for the chiropractor. Let’s face it, so many people tell me they could never do my job (high school kids seems to scare many), but other times, all people can think about when it comes to teachers is the fact that our job is so cushy because we have summers off and get paid a decent wage. I realize many people in other parts of the world do not have teacher’s unions protecting their rights and I also realize many people are anti-union. This post is a bit of a backgrounder for why you may have seen me posting pics of me on the picket line on social media.

Class Size matters

If you have ever taught in a situation where you have had more than 30 students in your class, you would know how difficult it is to get to know them and inspire them to learn. You would know how difficult it is to give ongoing feedback or have students to present inquiry findings.  I found it ironic that as we picket and engage in administrative job action, a local newspaper put out an ad advocating for the value of private schools. The primary reason listed? Smaller class sizes which lead to individualized learning.

I realize that research supports the fact that it’s not just about class size, but what you do in those classes, but one should not have to pay exorbitant fees for an education to have class sizes that are manageable.

Mandatory e-learning

As you know, I am a huge advocate of technology enabled-learning. When done right, I think that e-learning can be an excellent avenue for learning. But, when I hear my daughter say, “Thank goodness I am graduating before e-learning becomes mandatory,” you know it’s not the right fit for all students.

The government of Ontario rolled out their plan for education to include mandatory e-learning last April.

“[M]odernizing education and supporting students and families in innovative ways that enhances their success” does NOT look like centralizing e-learning courses and mandating that students take a minimum of four e-learning credits in their high school career. I would be the first person to advocate for the importance of digital literacies, but an e-learning course doesn’t necessarily do this well. In fact, it can be the very definition of technology for technology sake. How is e-learning innovative? If we use the definition of “new and better” (Innovator’s Mindset) then e-learning is not necessarily either. The government has since back-tracked a little, but apart from reducing the number of actual teachers by the thousands, there is no real plan about what e-learning will look like and by whom it will be taught. 

Of course, my perspective will be biased. Here is a link to our union’s info page, but if you are interested in the topic, do look it up and support the teachers in Ontario who are really struggling to pay their bills and stay positive.

I will be picketing on Friday. If you drive by, honk your horn and if you see a post, a kind word means so much. Send warm and positive vibes for a quick resolution to Ontario’s public education woes.

Have a great week 🙂 Jen