I’ll try to keep this brief as I know you’re all very busy fighting for the future of our province. I just wanted to say THANK YOU.
I was flipping through Facebook today and saw a post from a teacher who is 10 years from retirement. I don’t know her, she’s from a different part of the province. She’ll probably never teach my children, I’ll probably never even speak to her in person. However, she’s looking at changing careers; she just can’t take any more of this. I’m writing this in tears.
Even if the strike ends tomorrow, the government has already done irreparable damage. They have made it clear that they do not value the work being done by these individuals. But I do.
They’ve poisoned their existing pool of teachers, and future teachers will think twice about teaching in BC. They’re sending a message that education just isn’t a priority for them. But it is for me.
The complete and utter crap coming out of our provincial government, and the fact that they’ve managed to convince a portion of the population that what they’re saying is right is beyond belief to me, and probably the best argument for why our teachers are critical. The wage increase proposed by the teachers is preposterous – it’s preposterously low!
If you’re a teacher walking the picket lines, I have a very simple message for you: YOU are my hero. You are essential to the future of this province. You are not easily replaced.
Jonathan Lane