Editor: Re: Family incomes take hit as self-centered teachers continue their full-scale strike, letter to the editor, June 25 I am deeply troubled by Don Merrell's statement that teachers, by going on strike to protest decades of cuts to B.C.'s education system, are "totally into themselves." Every teacher understands that families who have had to make arrangements for child care in the last two weeks of June have been disadvantaged.
Teachers have families too, and trust me, we are also suffering financial loss as we have been partially locked out by our employer (a loss of 10 per cent of wages per day) and we are now receiving zero strike pay for the past two weeks.
Our strike fund has been depleted by paying for lawyers to challenge the B.C. government every time they fight the Supreme Court rulings that support improved learning conditions for B.C. students.
If this dispute were simply about wages, it might have been settled last week; but we are sacrificing our pay right now to stand up for much more crucial issues in our education system: class size and composition.
Mr. Merrell calls teachers "self-centered." He questions why we have established a food bank and given out food vouchers to help some teachers. Well, we have first and second-year teachers who worked this year for less than $30,000 and who have been laid off. They could use some assistance, even if it is minimal. This is what teachers are all about: helping people who need it, and teaching students about the importance of social justice. This is why every year, teachers in every school organize fundraisers and food drives and put together hampers with our students to donate to local food banks and families in need in our communities.
Mr. Merrell states that teachers "have set a very poor example for our students to follow in life." I disagree wholeheartedly. I think we are setting a significant, positive example about the importance of standing up to bullies, which is what our current government is acting like. We are demonstrating the importance of advocating for the rights of those people who lack the power to advocate for themselves: in this case, we are advocating for the rights of students to have a better-funded education system. Currently, each of our B.C. students receives $1,000 less funding than the average Canadian student. I see first-hand every day how that lack of funding is hurting kids, and in turn, our future society. So, please know that our job action is not fuelled by "self-centered" reasons.
Thank you very much to all of those parents who have supported us as we fight to improve conditions for all of our students.
Dana Huff
Teacher
Delta Secondary School
