It is possible, that if negotiations go well students will be back in class to finish up the school year, but year-end tasks such as the collection of school textbooks, library books and the cleaning-out of desks was completed last Friday at BICS in anticipation of a strike that will not be resolved quickly. Last week, British Columbia’s public school teacher’s voted 85 percent in favour of a full-scale walk-out, which started, officially, on Tuesday.
When the rotating strikes began a few weeks ago, some Bowen parents started organizing to show their support for the teachers.
Andrea Bastin says that during the last strike, two years ago, she and her husband did coffee runs for the teachers, but this time she wanted to offer a more formal show of support.
“We put the word out there and parents immediately responded,” she says. “It was really easy to get people on board with this.”
Bastin says that with three of her children at BICS, she’s seen first-hand the way teachers consistently go above and beyond expectations.
“I’ve seen teachers take time at lunch, or even wait around until I’m done work just to have a meeting,” says Bastin. “And despite the fact that the Reading Recovery Program has been cut, my son’s teacher has gone out of her way to get him reading and give him the confidence that he needs in order to succeed.”
Since Friday, negotiations between the province and the BC Teacher’s Federation have been taking place behind closed doors. Reportedly there has been some progress on the issue of wage increases with both sides making consessions, but class size and composition remains a sticking point. For Jean Coker, who has two kids at BICS, this is a big reason for supporting teachers in this conflict.
“I can see how a lack of support staff can really make a big difference for teachers,” Coker says. “If one kid in the class has social or emotional problems, that can tip the balance for the entire group, and then every kid suffers.”
Coker adds that here on Bowen, she feels her kids are somewhat protected from the issue of class composition.
“In downtown Vancouver, schools are faced with a greater diversity of needs in terms of kids who need ESL help, and who struggle because of poverty related issues,” says Coker. “I’m sure that if my kids were plopped into one of those classrooms, they’d have a much harder time.”
Now that school’s actually out, there are other advantages to being on Bowen.
“Parents are working together to help each other out in terms of childcare,” says Bastin, who works full-time from home, adding that for her, the value of public education is far greater than as a service providing free childcare.
Bowen Island Recreation has also stepped in to fill the gaps, offering day camps for kids that will run until the official end of school.
