Dear teachers,
There are many people who think you have a cushy job, with seven-hour workdays and two months off every summer. They say that you are overpaid, underworked, lazy and uncaring. Any time there is a labour dispute in the Ontario education system, like there is now, you are accused of trying to suck the taxpayer dry in order to line your own pockets.
Let me tell you what I think, teachers.
I think you guys totally ROCK.
Since my firstborn son started school in 2007, I have gained an appreciation for just how hard you work. I have come to understand that your workdays extend far beyond classroom hours, that report cards and IEP’s involve a lot more than simply punching data into a computer, and that a great deal of thought and time goes into the lessons you teach and the projects you assign.
Being a teacher is HARD. You have to juggle the needs of your students, the demands of their parents and the rules of the Ontario education system. While you understand that other people sometimes have bad days, you are on your game all the time. You spend your days doing a job that most people wouldn’t want for all the money in the world – which is kind of ironic, considering that many think you should be paid less.
While people across Ontario have been hating on you for pursuing your right to do your jobs properly, you have kept going, helping my boys learn and grow, giving your work the same dedication and focus that you always have. Here are just a few of the things you have been doing, over and above teaching my kids.
* You have taken my son and rest of the track and field team to their competition events. Even now that the competitions are over, you are still showing up at school early so that those kids who want to continue their morning runs can do so.
* You have taken your eighth grade classes on their graduation trips, and you have been hard at work planning extra-special graduation days for them.
* You came to school early one morning on a day that you were not assigned to teach, just so that you could fulfil your before-school yard duty and ensure the safety of my son and his friends.
* You hefted a cardboard box out of your car one Monday morning, and when I asked what it was, you said that it was projects you had graded over the weekend, as well as materials for an upcoming student assignment that you had prepared and photocopied on your own time.
* You dug around in your classroom searching for a book that you knew my son would enjoy reading during the summer.
* You organized a water play day for the younger kids, and you allowed my son and his classmates to help run it, so that they could develop their leadership skills.
* You have not gone to bed before midnight for the last week, because you’ve been putting together picture slideshows and videos for your Kindergarten class’s graduation celebration.
* You have been tirelessly working on ways to help my autism boy develop his speech and communication skills, and you have been helping him develop life skills that will take him far beyond the classroom.
Here’s a little something that I know about you, teachers. You don’t just do this for the money. You do it because you truly care about the kids you are teaching. This is more than “just a job” for you. When you go to work every day, you are not simply earning a paycheque. You are shaping futures and opening up worlds of opportunity for my boys.
I will miss getting report cards for my boys this year. I will miss reading your carefully thought out commentaries on what their last term of the school year has been like. It will be strange to not see their grades for each subject.
But I understand why you’re not doing them. I understand that you are taking on a government that wants to choke the Ontario education system and make it more difficult for you to teach my kids effectively. There are people who are trying to claim that this is all about money and benefits, but I know that is so far from the truth that it might as well be on another planet.
I know that right now, you are not fighting for yourselves. You are fighting for my children. You are fighting for the future of our society.
For that, I thank you. Stay with the fight, teachers. And when you hear or read about parents criticizing you for taking a stand, know that there are parents out there who completely support you.
Sincerely,
A grateful parent
This is an original post by Kirsten Doyle. Photo credit: woodleywonderworks. This picture has a creative commons attribution license.
Thank you, just thank you!
Thank YOU. What you do is so very important.
As a teacher, your letter has touched me deeply. You understand our love for our students and the desire to help them love learning. Their success makes us happy.
We are fortunate to have work that allows us the privilege of being with children, and getting to know these children — their strengths and their weaknesses.
It is a difficult, tiring job. It is stressful to deal with politics, pressures, and yes, sometimes even parents. Despite this, I wouldn’t trade the time I have had in the profession and the enormous joy I get when children learn how to read, or when they see the world in a new way.
Thank you for taking the time to write this letter. You have no idea how many teachers you will lift up today with your words.
Wishing you and your family a safe and happy summer!
Thank you so much. I think it takes a very special kind of person to be a teacher. It is not a job that everyone can do. Over the last few years, I have seen my kids learn and grow, and accomplish so much. I have seen my child with autism develop skills that at one time were thought to be beyond him. If my kids didn’t have fabulous teachers, the picture would look very different.
Thank you so much for what you do. I hope you are able to have a well-deserved rest this summer.
Kristen
We are proud parents of a young teacher who teaches in Toronto ….
He is a very very dedicated teacher where his student comes first…
He spends many many hours preparing his lessons, correcting papers and just being aGOOD teacher….I wonder sometimes how he and others can do it day after day year after year but they love it….Parents need to support their children teacher…
Please let your son know that he has one of the most important jobs in the world, and that he is appreciated and supported.
Wow. That’s awesome. I’m so glad your child has had such a positive experience at school. 99.9 % of my students’ parents are thrilled with their child’s growth too. The parents who see us working so hard, each and every single day, really understand it. They shake their head at me each morning, and wonder how I can do THIS every single day, with a smile on my face, and a skip in my step.
It is a labour of love, let me tell you. 🙂
The Nay-Sayers aren’t the parents (most often), they are the ones with an ax to grind. So they smack-down the teachers online, and at coffee shops. To those, I say, go work with a teacher for a day, heck, even an hour, and you might, just might, see what we do!
Thanks for a great post!! I wish you the best next year.
I think many people equate teaching with classroom time. They don’t think about the mountains of work that happen in the background and outside of the classroom. I clearly remember reading my older son’s very first IEP eight year ago, and marvelling at how much thought and time had gone into it. And it kind of hit me that the teacher had done this not only for my son, but for all of the kids in her special-ed Kindergarten class. It must have taken her AGES.
Thank you for stopping by and commenting, and for doing what you do.
Thank you!! It can be disheartening and demoralizing to hear the cruel, spiteful, venomous comments thrown our way. It’s good to know that there are parents out there who DO know what we’re doing and WHY we’re doing it!!
That must be both frustrating and heartbreaking. The terrible thing is that if the government gets its way, the standard of education in Ontario will decline in spite of the best efforts of the teachers, and it’s the teachers that will take the flak for it.
Woot woot to the busiest time of year! Sending them off to the next challenge whether it be the next school or grade- we are preparing them to make it to their destination and getting things ready so the next teacher is ready to grab them where they are at and let them keep flying!
Those transitions from one year to the next are so important. My autism boy has been with his current teacher (who we totally ADORE) for three years, and he is now being prepared for the next teacher, just as you say. I am really excited to see what both of my boys will accomplish in their upcoming grades. I hope you have a great finish to the year followed by a fabulous summer!
Thank you. Your article means a lot to me 🙂
Thank you for the comment. It’s important for teachers to know that there are parents who support them.
A friend had worked at a paper mill and found it ‘hard’ so he finished his degree and teacher training and came to work in my high school. within a week he started complaining about how much he had to do. It was cutting into his pub time. He went back to the paper mill over the Christmas break.Sure, I enjoyed my summers and a two week break at Christmas but with two exams written on the same day, I pulled more than a few ‘all-nighters but I would not trade a minute of it. The first comment says it all “Thank you, just thank you”.
I honestly cannot think of many jobs that would be harder than teaching – not only in terms of the hours spent, but also the emotional toll it must take at time. I can also not think of many jobs that would be more rewarding. Teachers are really the people who make a giant difference in the world, every single day.
thank you for seeing the real picture! I am a frequent volunteer now and a 45 year veteran as an elementary school teacher. I absolutely loved my job and my kids. So sick of hearing how we are hurting kids…hurting kids is the government’s plan to increase class size, stop teachers from using their planning time to plan for kids and erase hard fought battles by pulling collective agreements. As a volunteer I see teachers still planning graduation, ordering plaques, running track and field trips, planning year end trips ( ever planned a trip for 100 kindergarten kids?) still planning lessons, still having expectations for kids although there are only 7 more school days. Tallying marks for submitting to the principal for report cards, planning year end parties to say goodbye, and keeping kids on track and excited about learning. Hurting kids is cramming 35 JK/SK kids together in one room and expecting them to get an optimal education. Gosh daycare has much smaller 1:1 teaching. This is increasing stress on children and making it harder and harder for them to cope! If you hate a teacher or think them underworked and overpaid go into a local school and volunteer to help a kid learn to read, do some copying, help a small group with a math concept, listen to kids read or read to them…or any number of volunteer tasks..guaranteed you will change your position right quick!
All of the above, plus the fact that summer school is still happening in July. And in August teachers are probably working like crazy preparing for the start of the school year. Which begs the question: when *do* teachers get a break?
Thank you for your comments.
You must know that not all teachers are as you describe and there are lots of terrible ones out the. Also the fact that you mention summer school is the reason teachers don’t get a break is moronic. Teachers have a choice in this matter so if they are teaching summer school it is for the extra money. Well I’m done with this great big circle jerk for now. Let the hating begin.
No hating, just respectful disagreement. How is it moronic? Does the fact that it’s a choice somehow detract from the fact that teachers are choosing to teach summer school instead of taking a break?
Obviously, there are bad teachers – my letter is not aimed at them. It’s aimed at the majority, who are in the profession for the right reasons.
Thank you for your support!
I’m glad to hear that your sons school experience has been so positive.
What’s really telling is that both of my boys go to school smiling in the mornings. My autism boy practically runs onto his bus!
Thank you so much. What a wonderful letter to read.
Thank you for reading. I have nothing but love and respect for teachers.
You took some of the tightness out of my chest. Thank you.
This is a poignant comment – teachers must be feeling a great deal of anxiety right now. And yet, they still continue to be awesome.
Thank you! This was just what I needed!!
I wish you and all teachers the very best. It’s so important to keep up this particular fight.
Thank you, truly and completely….
Thank you for reading and commenting. I hope you have a fabulous summer.
This post brought me to tears….in a very good way. At a time when educators are being attacked so much, it is extraordinarily uplifting to read such words written by a parent. Even more so, as a special needs T.A. myself, it means a lot to know that a parent of a spec. ed. student sees things the way we see them. If we don’t try our very best to stop the changes the government is trying to make, it is the students who will suffer, and the spec. ed. students who will suffer most. I already see this starting with the cuts to spec. ed., specifically the cuts to funding T.A.s. We are often assigned to work with multiple students, many of whom have different strengths and challenges. It is difficult to support them each to our full capability under the current conditions. Thank you, thank you, for understanding and voicing your support! I hope you & your boys have a most excellent summer. 🙂
There is a very special place in my heart for the teachers and staff who work with special needs kids. That is a tough gig – all of the kids are so different and as you say, challenged in very different ways. Thank you for what you do. It makes such a difference to the kids and their parents.
I echo my thanks and admiration for all teachers do above and beyond the requisites of their job! Our children are so lucky to have the teachers they do. Ever since double income families became the financially required standard, teachers became the people who were left to socialize our children…on top of educating them. So many extra, unpaid hours are given to their “kids” ( students every week!
Thank you!
That is so true. Teachers are not only teachers, are they? As a teacher friend commented elsewhere, classroom time is the tip of the iceberg.
Oh, bless you. Bless you a thousand times. It’s so demoralizing seeing all of the nasty comments about “taxpayers supporting lazy teachers who whine about six-hour workdays” when I know firsthand that my workday is never less than nine hours minimum. I teach high school and spend every weeknight and a good chunk of my weekend marking (which involves a lot of written feedback), planning, photocopying, and gathering supplies (which I pay for myself), while my non-teacher friends and family leave work behind at the end of their shift. I love my job, and I love my students — but the government demands are making it so hard to stay sane and healthy and keep up the same level of work. I’m so glad somebody out there appreciates teachers.
Many people assume that when the final bell rings at the end of the day, teachers can just go home and do their thing. Thank you for everything you do. I really hope you will be able to take a break during the summer – I know that a lot of work is done during those two months as well.
Thank you. I know many parents DO get it and realize what is on the line. If the worst should happen, and classroom caps are removed, I hope those parents who criticize and blame teachers will understand that over 35 kids in one class will mean THEIR kids will not get nearly the attention and help that they used to. There will be less teachers in the schools because the young ones will be surplused. Teachers will not have time to do the nice extras because of all the additional marking, prepping and other duties. So, thanks.
This is why it is so important for teachers to stay with the fight, even though it must be SO exhausting. Kids benefit not only from classroom time, but from interactions with teachers and other students outside the classroom. What gets me is that if the worst does happen and standards start to slide, teachers will be the ones who are blamed. And that is terribly unfair.
Thank you so much ! Merci du fond du coeur !
Thank you for stopping by, and I hope the end of your school year goes well.
Thank you, thank-you, thank you! Reading this helped make me feel so much better after the day I’ve had! Thank you for supporting us, especially now, especially this way.
I’m so glad I could brighten up your day! You are appreciated by parents, and by your students.
I had teachers who instilled such a love of music in me that it became a life-long career, inspiring me to share that same love with children. I had other teachers who opened doors to a life-long love of literature and writing. There were those who cared that I grew up with proper language and grammar skills so that I became an articulate speaker. I had one teacher who spent extra hours with me so that I could pass the one subject I needed to go to university. Did I choose to make teaching a career? Not on your life … I substituted for a teacher just ONE afternoon, returned home exhausted and knew that it was not for me. It took stamina that I knew I would never have. Now, my children and grandchildren are all enjoying the benefits of having a good education, taught by teachers who cared. Need I say more? I don’t think so.
It’s amazing how teachers can have a lasting impact on their kids. My high school biology teacher was an awesome teacher, but she also helped me through a very rough patch in my life. I have never, ever forgotten that. She wasn’t paid to help me deal with my crisis, but she did it anyway, on her own time, out of genuine love and care for one of her students.
Thanks for understanding. This just made it easier for me to go to work this morning. Knowing I will be outside before school and possibly confronted by parents….I felt so stressed. Hopefully more parents know what you know!
Hopefully at least one parent offered you words of support as you were standing outside. I hope you have a good finish to your school year.
I am not a teacher, I am a parent. I wish I can say what you say here.
People have insight will agree with you. Thank you.
I know that there are many like-minded parents out there. It’s important for us to let the teachers know that we support them.
Thanks for the comment!
As much as I agree with the various points of the article, private school teachers don’t work any less and you don’t read of private school teachers disrupting school years on account of perks and pay. The public sector class is fed by the private sector through taxes. It costs the province(private sector tax payers) $13000 a year to educate a child. Personally I would like to see the province hand out checks for each child in that amount and make all the schools private and parents can decide where to send their kids. I have a total disdain for public sector unions as they are demanding money that is not there to give…the province is 340 billion in debt. Unions in a private sector on the other hand usually are demanding more from a company that posts a profit.
I really appreciate you weighing in on this, and I agree that private school teachers work equally hard. However, I want to point out the following:
1) This is not about money. Teachers are not asking for higher pay or more benefits. They are simply pursuing their right to do their job in a way that is most beneficial to the kids.
2) The teachers have been trying their utmost to protest in a way that does not impact the kids. In the end, though, we have look at the long-term impact. What’s better? A bit of temporary inconvenience now, or a status quo of overcrowded classrooms and burned-out teachers later?
3) I’m not sure that it’s fair to compare private and public schools. I’m pretty sure the private schools are not being told by the government that they have to increase class sizes, reduce EA support for special needs kids or cut into the teachers’ classroom prep time.
This is really not a situation where the teachers can just do nothing. I think it’s important for parents to support the teachers, because in the end, it’s our kids’ education that will be the casualty if the government gets its way.
Mike S: $13,000 is not enough to cover the cost of most private schools. Also, if they need more funding, they just up the tuition. Public institutions don’t have the luxury of doing that; they have to manage with what the government gives them and do so under more and more restrictive guidelines.
As a senior, who went to elementary school in the ’50’s and ’60’s, I know what it is like to be a student in classes of 35+ – the teacher does not have time for individual attention where needed. I respect the teachers today, who put in many hours and are fighting to keep class sizes to a manageable level so that every child can get the attention they need.
It it wasn’t for the union, you’d have even poorer conditions for kids today.
At the same time, I have my doubts that it is the teachers who caused the Province’s $340 billion debt issues. The government – and not just the current one – has wasted money unnecessarily on many political issues over the years.
Teachers deserve our respect.
I was educated at a private school, and I can attest to what you’re saying: tuition fees went up on a fairly regular basis. Also, the tuition fees ONLY covered tuition. There was a multitude of extra fees for anything over and above that – extramural activities, sports team participation and so on. And yes, the government has created these debt issues, over a long period of time. Unfortunately, it’s too easy for them to sit in their ivory towers and let teachers and other public service workers take the heat.
I couldn’t have said it better. I have three children at school and one that had special needs. And without his teachers my son and myself wouldn’t be where we are today. It was becoming extremely difficult to do homework and so on. With all their help, positive feedback and support my son and I have a much better relationship when it comes to his homework. His confidence has gone way up! All because we had teachers that cared!!!!! To ALL the teachers in Ontario, I know you don’t want to strike but you have my full support if need be. You don’t see the school board and government people take a pay cut or freeze their salaries, why should you! They are not the one making the difference in these children’s life, it’s YOU!
Thank you for everything you do!
A caring mom
My autism boy has been making steady progress throughout his school years. It wouldn’t be possible without his teachers. Both of my boys LOVE going to school because their teachers are so awesome.
Thank you for your kind words of support. They mean so much to the hard-working, caring teachers out there.
I totally agree with all the comments made in this article. Teaching is a very difficult profession, a very important and necessary profession that most people do not have the courage and the heart to do.
I SUPPORT TEACHERS 100%.
Celeste Tratch
I sure as heck wouldn’t be able to do it. I’d probably be crying into my wineglass after the very first day. It takes a very special kind of person to be a teacher.
Thank you! I have been feeling so low and frustrated with the negativity from so many that this letter was exactly what I needed to hear! It means a lot to know some people understand how much we put into this profession and that most of us do it because we love our students and want to help them succeed. My heart breaks a little every time I am told that we are using children as pawns because my end game is to see your child happy, healthy, & able to do what they love. This letter helped to mend my broken heart and I will come back to it everytime someone makes a nasty comment about my profession. We need more people and parents like you in this world!
Hearing those kinds of comments must really hurt. I look at what my kids’ teachers do for them, both in and out of the classroom – and I know that it comes straight from the heart. When I see the teachers at both of their schools, the only thing I want to say to them is “thank you”.
Wow! What an incredible post. As a life-long learner and Teacher Candidate, I am completely on board with everything you’ve written. Teachers are the most kindhearted, understanding and patient people in the world. They truly pave the way for our future generations through their actions, lessons and relationships with students. It is through these types of posts that we truly take time to appreciate EVERYTHING teachers do beyond the hours of the school day!
Thank you for sharing and bringing awareness to this sensitive issue.
Teachers become teachers because they want to make a difference. You are so right – they are unbelievably kind-hearted. When the powers that be start messing with the way teachers do their jobs, they are messing with the future of the community. Many people seem to be too short-sighted to understand that.
Thank you so much for your comment, and I wish you all the best in your career.
I agree with most of your points, right up to the issue with report cards.
Teachers, when they accept their first teaching job, are
Also accepting everything that goes along with being a traditional teacher…personal time spent marking, personal time spent on extracurricular activities, personal time spent trying to help the kids who really need it. If a teacher has entered the profession without the expectations of doing this “extra” stuff….well, they entered the wrong profession.
Included in the tasks of teaching is providing parents with a fully commented report card with which the parents can discuss with their kids…without this necessary part of being a teacher..well, the teacher gets a failing grade from me.
In private enterprise (in which I’ve toiled my entire life), there is an expectation to finish each task…regardless if it has to be on your own time, and on your own dime. Simply abandoning one of the expectations of your job is not only unethical, it’s also grounds for dismissal.
I hold most of our teaching professionals in high regard and I’m sure most of them are against the “don’t fulfill the report card requirements” that is going on right now. And it’s THOSE teachers who WILL rock their union boat and WILL provide the kids parents with a personalized, commented progress report.
Here’s to the teachers that really care about teaching.
They are not abandoning the expectations of their job. They are teaching the kids, running extramural activities, grading their work and submitting final grades to their principals. Yes, the lack of report cards complete with comments is not an ideal circumstance, but the teachers have to do *something*. They shouldn’t just sit back and accept bigger class sizes, less EA support and class prep restrictions. Their ability to retain their professionalism is under attack, and if they don’t win this battle and education standards decline, they are the ones who will get the blame. What I am seeing right now is teachers who are continuing to work incredibly hard for the kids they teach, in spite of this whole mess they find themselves in. I can live without report cards for a term if it means maintaining a good standard of education for my kids going forward.
They ARE abandoning one very critical expectation of their job. In private enterprise, they’d be fired.
As far as their many, many hours outside of the classroom goes…this is the norm in the business world. Work until your work is done. Working outside of classroom hours is expected of teachers, and is a known part of the job long before they every apply to a school board. It’s certainly not something to whine about. And like I said before…it’s not the “Good” teachers who are doing the complaining…its’ the sketchy ones, and it’s the union.
Thank you for such a wonderful letter of support, Kirsten. I fear that Larry, being by his own admission in private enterprise and not in the teaching profession, has confused the job description of a teacher and their contractual obligations with what teachers regularly do above and beyond the contract. The teachers are obliged to assess and report on the students TO THE PRINCIPAL. It is the job of the administration to get these results to the parents. Teachers usually take the extra step of filling out the forms and then handing them out to parents and in most years this is done willingly. This year teachers fulfilled their obligations in reporting to principals. It is school boards that made the decision not to pass them on to parents. In the grand scheme of things, would you fire a member of your staff for standing up for something which would ultimately make both your company and your product/service better?
Thank you so much for clarifying that more eloquently than I could have. In the grand scheme of things, I have no problem missing out on one set of report card if it means a better long-term outcome for my kids’ education.
Teaching the kids is critical, and the teachers are doing that very well. In private enterprise, there would be fallout if employees were prevented from doing their jobs properly. It might take a different form, but there would be fallout.
Regarding the long hours, teachers are not complaining about that. They are simply stating is as a fact in response to those who say they only work for six hours a day.
In private enterprise (which I spent 43 years in – I was not a teacher), most employees get overtime pay or a bonus for working after hours or on weekends; only managerial staff were exempt from overtime pay. Teachers do it on a regular basis without any extra pay; in fact, teachers I do know, often spend their own money, without reimbursement, for classroom supplies so that they can make their lessons more interesting.
You are so right. Teachers are given classroom budgets to spend on supplies and materials, but it’s never enough to cover more than the basics – and sometimes, not even that. A lot of that awesome student work that we see displayed in school hallways is made possible by funds from the teacher’s own pocket.
In private enterprise, if you don’t have a contract, you don’t go to work. Teachers are still working tirelessly, while waiting tirelessly for the government to get their act together. I say they should follow the private sector and don’t go to work until there is a contract that they agree with. (Sorry, just a little frustrated with people who can’t see that the bad guy isn’t the union. This government is the problem.)
I share your frustration. The government is the one party in all of this that doesn’t appear to have the best interests of the children as a priority.
True for many teachers, but just like in all professions, there are horrible ones too. They’re not saints because they’re teachers. Some teachers become teachers because it sounds like a cushy job, it’s not rocket science, pay is good, vacation is great, some because they’re pedophiles, and some are grumpy disgruntled old hags. They are human. I am grateful for the good ones my kids have had, and disappointed with the few bad ones they’ve had. We should always show appreciation to the good ones, as we should show appreciation for all good public servants and other professionals who do a good job wherever they are. Teachers are like CSRs, they get shit on a lot, and a few great ones rise above it and are rewarded and recognized for their work… but unlike CSRs they have much better hours, much better pay, much better work, much better benefits, much better vacation, pensions, sick time, unions. Nobody has ever recognized professionals in my field for doing great and important work. I’m an Engineer. We do important stuff too, we’re shit on a lot, and we’re never thanked by anyone (other than our managers if they’re any good). Teachers, keep doing a good job, it’s your job!… oh and thank you, thank you, thank you!
I know there are bad teachers. Just like there are bad cops, bad doctors, bad – well, anything. My letter is aimed not at them, but at the majority who *are* good, and who have their hearts in the right place. I just want to add that teachers don’t have great hours. They put in many, many hours outside of the classroom.
Thank you for your comment, and just so you know, I do appreciate the work done by people in other professions. 🙂
Agree, there are good and bad in every profession. My only comment on the benefits and pensions of teachers is that they contribute a good percentage of their salary to pay for those benefits; more than most private sector employees pay.
When I was working in the corporate world, my benefits package was structured in such a way that very little came out of my own pocket. In that way, I definitely had it easier than the teachers do.
This current liberal government is a disgrace. Reminiscent of the Mike Harris years.
Bingo! I just don’t get how the government thinks this is OK. Don’t most of them have kids who need educations???
Thank you for your wisdom, support and kind words. Your letter is very powerful and well-written. You must have had some great teachers!!!
There were a couple who were just plain horrible, but yes – I had some great teachers. One in particular helped me through a troubled patch in my life. Teachers are often more than teachers, they are mentors and guides.
Back the bus up, parents of “special needs” students….more often than not, it is NOT the classroom teacher helping your child, it is the EA that is helping your child. They are the ones taking special behavioural courses, continually exploring new ideas/teaching methods that might actually benefit your child, learning sign language, educating themselves about your child’s medication and its side effects, spending off-hours constructing educational tools, changing catheters, repeatedly hefting your 100lb 8 year old in and out of their wheel chair, etc. It is the EA that is dealing one-on-one with your high-needs son or daughter, they are the ones who know the triggers in your child’s life, and they are the ones who must deal daily with all of their needs. YOU KNOW how difficult and challenging it is to parent your special needs son/daughter. Please don’t inflate the classroom teacher’s limited role in your child’s life, while downplaying just how much time and effort the EA has invested in your child’s life in (and out of) school. Who do you think actually looked after them on that field trip? Who monitors them during recess? Who waits outside in the snow for their bus to arrive? Who calms them, listens to them, smiles with them?
I’m not sure if you are referring to special needs kids who are in regular classrooms with EA support, or special needs kids who are in special needs classes. I can only comment on the latter because I have no first-hand experience with the former. Read on with that in mind.
The EA’s in my son’s classrooms have had an enormous role, and I would never say otherwise. Their role shouldn’t be downplayed, but neither should that of the teacher. I know what goes on in my son’s classroom, and I can say with 100% certainty that his teacher does not have a “limited role” in his life. The way I see it, my son doesn’t just have a teacher, he has a team, and each member of the team is critical.
Thank you for highlighting the importance of EA’s. One of the things that the teachers have an issue with is the government’s plan to reduce EA support, which would create so much harm.
Dear Kirsten Doyle,
THANK YOU.! I so enjoyed your open letter. It gave me goose bumps. You are a beautiful writer. I felt very touched and moved by your statwments and words. May God bless and take you and your sons.
Thank you so much for these kind words. I am truly moved by all of the responses to this post.
Thank you! After a particularly stressful year and the bashing we have rece, this tribute was a refreshing read and and brought me to tears. Twenty-five years into my teaching career and I still love going to work each day.
This is one of the many reasons I have so much respect for teachers. Things are so difficult for you guys right now, but you still love going to work and being with your kids.
All I can say is thank you! The media and people who feel they can bash our career so openly are ignorant of facts
related to our career. This letter will affect positively those hardworking, compassionate and passionate teachers who go to work everyday, not for the paycheque, but to see the glowing pride in their students! I read the comments (try not to) and feel ashamed and humiliated to “be a teacher” in Ontario because that is how our job is portrayed in media and responses.. “Money hungry, lazy, underworked, summers off”. Teachers should not have to feel ashamed of proudly saying “I teach” Ontario when we are the people shaping future minds in a manner that requires so much more work then showing up at school each day. Your letter has put a spring back in my step. I cannot find the words to express my gratitude for your letter. Thank you is not enough….
As I’ve been reading the comments and messages I’ve received from teachers, I’ve been struck by how much hurt I’m seeing. It is desperately sad that people who dedicate their careers to working with children are so viciously attacked. If it makes me feel so sad, I cannot imagine what it must be like for the teachers. Please don’t feel ashamed of being a teacher. It’s thanks to you and your colleagues that my kids and others come home from school each day with smiles on their faces, pride in their accomplishments and excitement about the way in which the world is opening up to them. If only you could see the kids you teach *after* they go home each day, just bursting to use what you are teaching them to explore their worlds. It is something that you should feel proud of.
Thank you, it is a breath of fresh air reading this. Have really been struggling reading all the negative comments on social media. Good to know there are people out there who truly understand and respect the teaching profession.
I have nothing but love and respect for people who dedicate themselves to the care and betterment of children. It’s a tough job, and I admire those who can do it.
Thank you
Thank you for reading.
Thank you for your words and understanding what it is really about.
Thank you for reading and commenting. I just wish the government of Ontario would see it the same way.
Well since you put it out there, I agree with the letter, Teachers Really Do Rock! However, so does everyone else! How about the PSW that picks up the Timmy’s for her client because she knows that he doesn’t get out much and misses his morning coffee with the boys, or she checks on another client on her way home because she knows that they had a bad night the previous evening, What about the program co-ordinator that researches projects on her own time at home because she doesn’t get enough time at work to find new and interesting ways to keep her clients coming back, what about the person who lives close to work who gets called on the weekend to check on an incident and she goes, no questions asked because she cares, What about the ones that come in early and stay late to get things done during quiet times because during work hours they are interrupted continuously and part of their job description is to foster a friendly atmosphere to visitors, and clients. These are just a few examples from my own work place, i could go on and on. Every single one of us knows of examples in our own work places and those of our spouses and friends, where people are going the extra mile every single day. So, guess what – EVERYONE ROCKS!!
Absolutely. I don’t mean to detract from the extremely valuable contributions that members of other professions make to our society. But right now, teachers are under attack, and they really need to know that there are people out there who support them.
Thank you Kirsten, for your honest and heartfelt support of good teachers. My daughter and son in law are teachers….good teachers, people who care about their “kids” …people who spend more time with their students than they do with their own children. They have spent most of their summers upgrading their education so your kids can have the best! They are born to teach and rejoice in the successes of their “kids”. Even after all this complaining about not receiving report cards (which is beyond their control), all the negative media, and all the snipping insults they still love and care for all their students. They have worked so hard, gone into great debt and given much of that huge amount that people believe they make back to the classroom. It seems high time to me that Truth wins out…..thank you for the truthful and caring dialogue you have created.
That is something that has really impressed me through all of this. Even with all of this stuff going on, and with the way teachers are being vilified, they are still showing up every day and giving their all to the kids they teach. Please tell your daughter and son-in-law that they are awesome people.
I’d like to know if it is really true that ETFO has made 3.2 billion dollars in salary demands/contract changes. When the school boards association went to the media they even outlined what the specific demands were. Sam Hammond claims it’s a distraction tactic and there have been no formal salary demands tabled. I would really love to know the truth because if this isn’t about the money why are they saying it is about the money?. I’m confused and don’t like that as a taxpayer we never really know what is being asked for from our tax dollars. I have no issue with teachers and think they have a very important role in society, but will be extremely disappointed if I find out it is true, and the union has essentially lied to the public about its demands.
It’s about the money from the government’s perspective. Increasing class sizes and cutting EA support is a way for the powers that be to cut costs, even though it increases costs a great deal over the long-term.
So why did the school board association say specifically 3% wage increase each year for three years plus cost of living allowance. If that is true is sounds like it is about money not just classroom sizes, micromanagement of time etc…
and I am not upset if it is about money, just hat the ETFO has possibly omitted that part of their discussion and made it all about the children. Everybody deserves a fair wage and l think teachers are already fairly compensated. We are all collectively broke thanks to our wasteful government and there appears to be no more money to give. Also the teachers were told to choose the lie-berals by their unions and were largely responsible for re electing the lie-berals. In a way it’s amusing because they were so afraid of Tim Hudak but in the end it looks like the lie-berals aren’t so great after all. It must sting a little bit.
ETFO released a statement that they have not tabled any wage position in its negotiations, and that the focus is purely on non-monetary issues. As far as the government goes, I am not a fan of the current Ontario administration. But as the parent of a special needs child, I can say that the prospect of Tim Hudak was just terrifying. It kind of sucks that in many elections, we don’t have a “best candidate” to vote for – just the candidate who happens to be less bad than the others.
I agree, the Wynne government is not the greatest but Hudak also terrified me. He would have taken us back to the Mike Harris days – the effects if which we still feel to this day, and not just in education but in every facet of our Province.