From the Annual Representative Assembly
Huberdoh! @robbhope
Forty-three per cent of teachers are now leaving the profession in the first five years. Can’t believe how many people are leaving the profession. My friends and colleagues have simply had enough.
Dave Krawchuk @MrKrawchuk
Around 10 teachers at my junior high of approximately 580 could be hired if we were funded at the national average. The government needs to #stoptheexcuses.
Mrs. Keay @MrsKeay
My favourite quote from day one of ARA: “only teachers should be doing the work of teachers.”
Karen Green
I taught kindergarten in Alberta for 15 years and my class sizes ranged up to 29. You feel every additional kid after 21 in the stress of managing the class, in prep, in what activities you can manage alone as the class gets bigger, in keeping the students’ attention, and in giving the students attention. There was no magical age when classes were enormous, and everything went wonderfully. There were, perhaps superhuman teachers in some cases. And at some point, they probably burned out and ended up on leave.
Danica White
I have a split Grade 1/2. I have kids working below kindergarten and some above and some surprisingly challenging behaviours. Split classes need a complexity cap as well as a size cap. It is difficult enough to teach a split without having to deal with so many extra complexities. The cuts are destroying education and forcing teachers and students into impossible situations where no one can do their job properly.
Nicole Sommerfeld
We have classes of 36 or 37 5th Graders. They ended up making another class, but the building is so overcrowded their classroom is the staff room.
Michele Meijer
Teaching 27 (my current number of Grade 1-2 kiddos) is wild. I feel like I am herding cats not teaching.
Non-teachers show support
_district_
So many parents across Alberta are with you and want to advocate for public education please know you are not alone, and you are deeply appreciated.
candace.brown7
Go teachers! I keep waiting for a big strike. I grew up in BC, and teachers were constantly on strike but now they have small class sizes and tons of EAs, so it was clearly worth it.
