Questions For The Teachers

I have a few questions for the teachers.

1. Have you ever needed to use the food bank? If the answer is no, then you do not NEED a raise, and are not justified in holding our children's educations hostage.

2. Do you honestly think that demanding more money for current teachers is going to free up more cash to hire additional teachers to reduce the class sizes? That math doesn't add up . . maybe we should start turning away students?

3. Is your household as fiscally responsible as the government is trying to be, living within your means? Do you ever say no to something because the debts are building up? The Liberal government is trying to dig us out of a hole, and your union is trying to shovel the stuff right back in again.

4. Do you honestly believe that you are the only profession that works long hours, or faces challenges during the day, or has suffered cutbacks? Absolutely not true, but because your salaries are based on a collective
agreement instead of personal merit (you know, good working habits,
productivity, value to your employer, things other people are evaluated on
for their pay), you feel you can bully the taxpayers into giving you a wage
increase. Don't get me wrong, every hard worker deserves a wage increase.
However, because all teachers are a 'union due', all entitled to the same
compensation based on 'seniority', not performance, how are we to know which
are the hard workers? The slackers get lumped with the hard workers as a
hard worker, I would view that as a huge slap in the face, to know Joe
Slacker gets the same as I.

5. If the Liberal government agreed to hire more teachers to reduce class sizes, but not to current raises, would you go back to work? If no,
then this CERTAINLY is NOT about the children.

I don't care how eloquently it is put, or how many so called 'valid' excuses
are thrown out, you are breaking the law! I believe all teachers and the
BCTF should be fined for this illegal strike, just as drivers are fined for
illegally exceeding the speed limit. Perhaps I wouldn't feel as strongly if
your actions did not affect so many other people. Fight your battles on
your own time, on your own merit, and with your own ammunition, not other
people's children.

I would need a lot more evidence to believe that this is about the kids . .
make it about the kids, not the money, and you will perhaps see a lot more
support. For the record, I do not have any school age children. I would
hope that my child's future teachers wouldn't dangle him off a balcony to
further their own agendas.

C.S.