By Brian Lee
Wouldn't it be nice if the government just standardized all workers wages? If they unilaterally scrapped benefit and pension programs and paid everyone an equal but minimum wage? The we wouldn't have to gripe about teachers or nurses or anyone else who makes a reasonable living with a secure future. Instead, we could all subsist with the assurance that those savings in wages and benefits went back to the corporations and government handlers who really care about our well-being.
Gone would be unions. Unions, the archaic symbol of working class folk our grandparents bloodied themselves for so they had a voice in dictating working conditions. In these modern times, we take greater comfort in knowing that the multi-nationals who employ us and influence our governments have evolved sympathies to the plight of those who toil for them. We know if left to their own, they will take care of us.
And those teachers. Babysitters with six years of university education, right? Their greed in the face of a benevolent government is an affront to our established system of tax cuts to the wealthy. Clearly, our government has recognized they need to push them back into the bucket with the rest of us lest we all forget that health benefits and security are elite privileges.
But regardless of what pay hike they get over six years or 10, who among us buys their claims that their jobs are getting harder? Sure, the Libs have foisted more of those pesky capital and administration costs back to the districts without increasing their budgets. That just makes everyone more efficient — if teachers are forced to purchase their own supplies for class projects then we understand the resultant savings will be bounced back to solving health care wait times.
And this class-size issue — what is that? In an era where students with learning issues come with a label and an "individual education plan," shouldn’t it be a piece of cake? Back in the day we were all just lumped into the same group and the dyslexics fell off the back to fend for themselves. Now teachers need only to ensure that every student receives personalized education fitting their needs. I can’t see how adding more students to classes could possibly have an impact on effectiveness — it’s just good business.
We know teachers. They seem just like us. And we’re jealous. We accept that BC Ferries employs one very well-paid manager for every 7.6 employees (30 years ago BC Ferries had two fewer routes but required one manager for every 31.6 employees).
So it must be that those who label teachers as "greedy" just intimately understand what a teacher has to do every day in the classroom.
They must understand educating people is simple and their job ends when the bell rings.
They must understand that our government is just looking out for our kids’ best interests.
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