Editor:
Hats off to the B.C. teachers and B.C. Teachers’ Federation.
In the Sun on Friday was a C.D. Howe Institute study. It said “British Columbia has more young high school graduates than any other province.”
To me, that says we have the best teachers. That translates to a five per cent lower drop-out rate than some provinces.
A following editorial echoed the statistics but demeaned teachers for not having better success in graduating the high-needs students, who they said average around 10 per cent of school population.
With all the recent cutbacks that schools have been through, all the staff reductions, reductions to extra curricular activities paid or unpaid, it is not realistic to expect teachers to increase the graduation rates of the 10 per cent without some moneys going back into the system.
To facilitate success for these students requires more one-on-one time with teachers, more teachers, more teacher-assistance support, more resources, activity-based learning, assistive technologists, ongoing community support, and more time for said students in the system.
The social cost for the 10 per cent of high needs, non-graduates is a 40 per cent employment rate and the risky life that goes with that.
It seems a bit disingenuous and self defeating to criticize B.C. teachers and their nation-leading accomplishments as not going far enough.
This is a bit like asking doctors to perform emergency brain surgeries in the emergency room hallway and telling them a really good doctor could do it. “Merit pay” for those doctors, please. Maybe I exaggerate, just a little, eh?
Still, next time you hear somebody trashing the B.C. teachers and their federation, think about this: lowest drop-out rate and highest graduation rate in the nation of Canada. Yea teachers!
Tom Salley
Williams Lake