Teachers should not have to pay for school supplies

Doctors and nurses don’t buy syringes and bandages for hospitals. Teachers shouldn’t have to buy school supplies out of their own pockets. 

Discretionary funds used to be available for equipment, posters, rewards and other things that made classrooms more positive and friendly places to learn.

But large boards like the TDSB are increasingly stretched just to keep going. More and more, teachers dip into their own pockets to buy markers, science supplies, etc. A recent CBC news report said teachers are spending up to $1,000 a year for so-called “extras” -- art and drama materials. 

Meanwhile the Wynne government cut spending by about 0.6 per cent in 2015/16 and 0.1 per cent in 2016/17. Where does that leave classrooms and kids?

I think it means a closer focus on EQAO outcomes -- and less money for so-called frills that we know are needed.  

Teachers shouldn’t have to pick up the slack from government austerity and spend their own money to run classrooms. Let’s fight to preserve teachers’ ability to make their classrooms friendly and stimulating places.

Ask your colleagues what they think? Talk to each other ...support each other.

...and then let me know what they said!

Nigel

Strong Teachers = Strong Schools

STRONG TEACHERS = STRONG SCHOOLS

    Like most teachers I know, I never imagined we would have to take our politics so seriously. 

    We were supposed to focus on the kids getting a good education and let other people – hopefully good people – take hold of the larger world around us.  Now, it’s all too clear: If we really want to focus on our kids, we also have to deal with the world around us, especially to the school system in which we teach.

    We have to find a way to be the teachers we know we can be. 

We have to stop the cutbacks the TDSB has faced over the last decade.

    And we have to bring our communities with us. 

    We already know the austerity drill: lots of “caring” official rhetoric covering up more cuts on the ground. And we know that it means reducing essential resources, raising class sizes, putting the pressure on wages and pensions. This year Special Education has been hit hard with the closing of HSP classrooms. I'm all for inclusive classrooms but they must be appropriately resourced with caring adults.

   Have you seen our kindergarten classrooms?!? 30 students with one teacher and one ECE...how is that a good thing for children?

    

  We have no choice but to respond. Strong schools need strong teachers – teachers who have autonomy to work for what their students need rather than Ministry-mandated “outcomes”, test scores, administrivia and demands for empty accountability. 

    We have to take back real power on the job – not only in doing our classroom work, but in making genuine decisions, as school staffs, on matters such as school budgeting, student distribution, school organization, and curriculum integration between classes. 

    We also have to bring our communities on board. It’s their power and care for our students that gives real peace and order to our schools.  

    Finally, as professionals, we know that our educational system needs more resources to ensure student success. We need smaller class sizes, particularly in full day kindergarten. We need healthy schools where emotional needs of young people are understood as central to their learning, a key step toward preventing violent incidents. We need properly-funded & well-maintained infrastructure and access to resources and technology that support student learning.  

   If we have the courage and determination to reach out to our parents and communities on these issues of funding, local power, violent incidents, class size and testing reform, I think a strong “education quality alliance” is truly possible and will make all the difference in our own lives. We can’t stand alone in fighting for the kind of school system we know will make a difference. 

    It’s the big reason I’m running for Executive Officer. I hope I have your support and your comments and critique as we move through this campaign. There is a lot of work to do standing up with teachers as individuals in a profession that has been hit hard over the past years.  But it’s work that needs to be done to make our schools our students and ourselves strong.      

    We need to look after each other as teachers and friends.

    Let me know what you think. 

    Nigel

More Teacher Power: What does it mean?

October 5, 2017

More Teacher Power: What does it mean?

Teachers don’t need micromanagement of our work in school classrooms. It hinders our teaching and subtracts value.

I don’t mean we should just go off on our own, ignoring good classroom practices.

But teacher representatives should be consulted on the curriculum we teach and on how we evaluate our students’ response.

We need a broad curriculum outline that lets us creatively find those teachable moments. And we want ridiculous “outcomes” and standardized tests off our backs. We want to evaluate our students on what they do in our classrooms – how they read and write, the quality of their projects, how they do science and math.

We need to be seriously engaged in all the ways our schools are run. In far too many schools, teachers have no voice on important decisions that affect everyone.

ETT must push hard for such reforms, and bring parent communities with us as allies. Parents want really good schools, just as we do.

Please let me know what you think. I would love to hear from you.

Nigel

Should Trustee’s powers be reduced? Should #TDSB close schools? Have your say- Monday, January 26, 2015

Message from Educators for Peace and Justice: 

We hope you’re all well and willing and able to take action on the current threat of:

• The closings of schools;
• Undermining local democratic control over the TDSB by weakening the role and power of local trustees.

The Situation: 

As many of you already know the government is using the Wilson Report on the current dysfunction at the board to ram through Harris-era schools closures (which will primarily affect low-income and immigrant neighbourhoods and hundreds of CUPE workers) and further centralization of control over schooling. (See links attached below to 3 recent Op-Eds for more background information.)

The Action:

The trustees of the TDSB will hold a public consultation meeting this Monday January 26th 7pm at 5050 Yonge St on the directives arising from the Wilson Review of the Toronto District School Board. We need people to flood the board with concerns about school closures and the undermining of local democratic control of the board. You have until tomorrow (Friday Jan 23rd) at 10am to submit a request to speak at the meeting. (See details below)

You may also make a written submission. CUPE, OSSTF-D.12, and ETT will all be making submissions on behalf of Education Workers. We are encouraging people to speak as concerned parents and community members.  Please alert your friends, family, and networks, especially those who have kids in the system.

The Details: 

 To speak to the Trustees email Denisse.Parra@tdsb.on.ca by Friday January 23rd, at 10AM naming:

•  the topic that will be addressed (The Minister’s directives of Jan 15th) * the name of the speaker;
• address of the speaker;
• contact information for the speaker (phone, fax, e-mail) ;
• the name of the organization (if the speaker is representing an organization such as a school council or community group);

The Context / Background: 

“The View from Inside A Reeling TDSB” Op-Ed from Trustee Chris Glover (while not perfect it does clearly identify the funding formula as the core problem) http://m.thestar.com/#/article/opinion/commentary/2015/01/20/the-view-from-inside-a-reeling-tdsb.html

 “Ontario is rolling back school board democracy‏” Op-Ed from John Cartwright, President of Toronto and York Region Labour Council http://m.thestar.com/#/article/opinion/commentary/2015/01/21/ontario-is-rolling-back-school-board-democracy.html

A Joint Response from OSSTF District 12, the Elementary Teachers of Toronto and CUPE 4400 http://osstftoronto.ca/news/2015/01/the-wilson-report-a-joint-response-from-osstf-district-12-and-elementary-teachers-of-toronto/


Wilson Report Highlights:

The part of the report that sets the stage for massive school closures is buried in recommendation #9:

9) Direct the TDSB to provide a three-year capital plan that should reflect a comprehensive, system-wide assessment of the pupil accommodation needs of the board. The plan must clearly state how the TDSB can manage its capital assets within its current school operations and renewal envelopes. The plan should include separate sections that address the following issues:

a) Board-wide priorities for the effective use and management of school space to provide effective programming.

b) A clear indication of how the board intends to reduce under-utilized spaces across its schools in each year, including the number of proposed accommodation reviews and a list of affected schools.

c) A comparative analysis of TDSB enrolment projections for all schools against capacity.

d) A list of all closed and underutilized schools that will remain as core holdings for the future, with justification for not declaring each property as surplus.

e) A prioritization of school renewal needs to be addressed in each year to support the findings of the Ministry’s Condition Assessment Program.

f) An analysis of operating costs of all schools that shows the relative cost per pupil for each open and operating school.

The board has until Feb. 13 to comply, so the timelines are very tight. The government seems intend on ramming this through quickly and early in their mandate so that memories have a chance to fade by the next election.

Building respect for teachers

Building respect

The work we do with children has the power to transform their lives and those of their families and communities. Current educational policies have undercut the crucial role that Teachers play in the education of students, and that has long-term consequences for everyone.

As professionals, we know what students need to succeed. A democratic school structure would include Teachers as one of the key decision makers on issues such as staffing, allocation of resources and curriculum development.

I believe that Teachers need adequate resources and decision-making power to meet the educational requirements of our children. I believe that modifying the funding formula and eliminating EQAO testing will allow for implementing a more strong and meaningful curriculum matched by authentic teaching and assessment.

It is essential to lay the groundwork now in preparation for future contract negotiations with the province. Building strong relationships with the communities we serve will give us the support needed to build respect for our profession and a quality educational system.

Eliminating EQAO testing, fixing the funding formula and implementing a strong and meaningful curriculum are part of that vision. Learn more at http://www.nigelbarriffe.com.

Nigel Barriffe

nigelbarriffe@yahoo.ca