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Teachers deserve 'A' for effort

Teachers do a lot of things well, although job action doesn't appear to be one of them. And for that, students and parents should be most grateful. B.C.

Teachers do a lot of things well, although job action doesn't appear to be one of them. And for that, students and parents should be most grateful.

B.C. teachers, who have been without a contract since June, are in the first phase of their job action in an attempt to pressure the provincial government to be more conciliatory at the bargaining table. Beyond the cancellation of formal parent-teacher interviews, most of the measures thus far have been of an administrative and supervisory nature, and have had little impact on the classroom.

The issuance of report cards last week, however, moved the dispute into the spotlight because they went home without any marks. In theory, this could have caused a great deal of consternation and perhaps even increased pressure on Victoria to reach a settlement with teachers.

Leaving parents in the dark in terms of how their children are doing at school would have undoubtedly angered many and providing a report card that only included student attendance would have simply added fuel to that fire.

Despite this golden opportunity to kick the controversy up a notch, teachers didn't bite. It's not as if they didn't have the ability and, for some, the desire to do so, but they chose to take the high road.

I'm treading in uncharted territory with my son now in high school, so I can't be sure what's happening this year is different from previous ones, but I have to say I'm being kept well informed of his progress despite the apparent job action.

I believe every one of his teachers sent an email, which either contains his grade, provides a link to a website that does or tells us to be on the lookout for marks coming home, all of which has made the non-report card a non-event.

That's not to say teachers won't up the ante should the two sides remain far apart at the bargaining table. At some point this dispute could spill over into the classroom or to extra-curricular activities as teachers pare back the extras they've built into the system to make it functional.

For the time being, however, teachers should be applauded for rising above the pettiness so commonplace in labour strife and putting the needs of their students first. I'm dubious whether this professional approach will apply the necessary pressure on Victoria, so I have a suspicion the situation could get worse before it gets better.

For now, teachers should be recognized for making the best of unpleasant circumstances.