I have been teaching for almost 20 years, and to be quite honest this is the toughest year I think I have experienced as an educator.
We are faced with staggering cuts to our workforce in an already underfunded system. The cost of living is extraordinarily high. Students suffer from mental health and well-being issues that come from being born and raised in a digital environment designed to distract and take your attention from the world around you. Schools are losing staff at an alarming rate, and yet there is seemingly an expectation to engage in more professional learning with very few support teachers or release time.
On top of all of these things, we hear stories of outdoor learning centres closing down, special education services being reduced, and specialist staff for multilingual learners being pared down to little or nothing. Educators hear constantly about a multi-tiered support model, but the only tier most students see is “tier 1” with minimal resources to provide small group or intensive support. As ETFO’s Building Better Schools website reports:
-6.4 Billion Dollars (and counting) have been cut from public education since 2018
-67,000+ students are waiting for autism supports
-77% of ETFO members report personally experiencing violence or witnessing violence against another staff member
-95% of schools need more mental health supports
Despite what school board leaders seem to think, there is no narrated slide deck, asynchronous learning experience, or digital document that will solve these major gaps and issues in public education. What schools need are more educators that are equipped and prepared to do the work of teaching children and supporting communities.
There is some hope in the dark time we are currently living through as educators. In my own kids’ school, I have see new parent council committees created with the express purpose of collectively pushing back against the defunding of our beloved elementary schools. I am receiving emails from professional educator groups like the Council of Outdoor Educators in Ontario to engage in letter writing to our politicians to save outdoor education school sites. Whether you have a stance as an educator, parent, or both, now is the time to support your school, local, or community group in protecting public education.
Schools are the cornerstone of Ontario communities. They are where our kids spend their days, learn the basic literacy and numeracy foundations on which they will build careers and futures, and spaces where families and educators can collaborate. We are witnessing the decay of these valuable spaces in real time. And honestly, it doesn’t have to be this way. This generation of kids deserves more from the adults in charge! Take the time to write a letter to an MP or Minister that can make better decisions for our communities. Show up for your schools as if their existence depends on your action, because it does.
