No doubt, the grade 9 nights the majority occurring just happens to be tomorrow night. I supposed that high school students could have a lot of fun with the teachers wearing black arm bands. I know my 17 year old would, pointing out the hypocrisy of teachers and their silence in no-zero policies, their silence in the number of students that have low literacy and numeracy skills, and their silence on the majority of issues dealing with the future doors of students being sealed and shuttered before exiting out of the K to 12 education system.

I am sure, right across Ontario - in every high school there is students like my own 17 year old, who has become a victim of a public education system where education policies are decided through the politicization lens.  If one listens to the teachers’ unions and their verse and chapter, it is only the unions that is standing in between the students and the agendas of those who would imposed restrictions on unions.

On the ETFO site - “ETFO is also introducing ‘McGuinty Mondays’ in protest of the legislation. Teachers and education professionals will be urged not to participate in school-based or system level meetings of any kind nor participate in regional Ministry meetings on Mondays for the foreseeable future.

This is the initial step in an escalating protest strategy, according to Hammond.

“We do not take this action lightly. Ontarians and the government need to know that you cannot take away the democratic rights of working people simply to fulfill a political party’s agenda or ideology,” said Hammond.”

http://www.etfo.ca/MediaRoom/MediaReleases/Pages/Elementary Teachers to ‘Take a Pause’ on Voluntary Activities.aspx

On the ETFO Advocacy and Action page -

“ETFO recognizes that we live in a society characterized by individual and systemic discrimination against particular groups. Within this context, ETFO defines equity as fairness achieved through proactive measures which result in equality for all.”
http://www.etfo.ca/advocacyandaction/pages/default.aspx

I bet, since the realities of students, teachers’ unions activities and agendas has had a remarkable negative effect on the outcomes of students. One just has to hear the rhetoric why little dyslexic ‘Suzie’ has the right to attend class without be subjected to name calling of the dumb adjectives, but does not have the right to quick, efficient, and timely remediation of the reading, writing and numeracy difficulties.

I don’t mean to pick on the ETFO, but the union brass has seen fit to display their attentions and actions in blazing colours on what they will and will not do to end the discriminatory practices and often systemic in nature cause by the public education system models and its designed. Equality for all, under the union umbrella where education services and the delivery of the education services is commanded by the best interests of the collective - the teachers’ unions. Education services becomes the causalities of unions’ interests at any given time.

Moving unto the ETFO’s page on Education issues - “There are many education issues that teachers, parents, students, and our communities have to deal with in Ontario, e.g. privatization, funding inequities, high-stakes testing, large class sizes, etc. This section contains information and research on many of these issues to help you understand their impact on the practice of education in districts, schools and individual classrooms across the province.

We present this information to you in the hope that you will not only become more informed about education in Ontario, but will also be compelled to act by getting involved in your local school or district, or by contacting your local trustee or MPP.” 
http://www.etfo.ca/issuesineducation/pages/default.aspx

Moving to professional learning - and it is a good thing our health professionals or other professionals such as engineers do not practice or carry the same messages when it comes to the professional development of health and engineer training and development. Or we all be in a fine pickle, of outcomes that leads to negative outcomes, including loss of life.

“Our reputation is based upon providing professional learning that is relevant, grounded in social justice and equity, and teacher-friendly. Unlike other organizations we refuse to rest on our laurels; we constantly strive to improve our offerings based upon candidate and instructor feedback.”
http://www.etfo.ca/professionaldevelopment/pages/default.aspx

Nice one - grounded in social justice and equity. The only problem,  it allows the stakeholders of the public education to abdicate their duties towards the students and their education. Hypocrisy at its best, and I do hope the high school students point it out to the teachers who are wearing black arm bands.

In a Toronto Star article, A number of conservative Christian and Muslim parents — unusual political allies — suddenly are asking schools across the GTA to notify them when their child’s class will discuss topics ranging from homosexuality and birth control to wizardry, evolution and “environmental worship,” so they can withhold their child from classes that contradict their religious beliefs.”
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/education/article/1254611—stock-letter-asks-school-to-warn-when-sensitive-subjects-arise

The teachers’ unions and their activities and actions has played a starring role in promoting and ensuring the equity and social justice policies, that devalues and discounts the values system and culture of parents and their families.

Statements of the educationalists - “Word of the letters, while few in number, has set off alarms across a province-wide network of school equity officers. Its founder, Chris D’souza, warned that “any attack on Ontario’s move forward to an inclusive school system is a concern.”

“While school boards ponder how to respond, Ontario’s minister of education says the inclusive approach of Ontario’s school system is here to stay.

“These competing rights can be complex issues, but one reason educators from around the world study our system is because our schools are safe places for everyone,” Laurel Broten said.

“A little person can draw a picture of her two moms or two dads, for example, and feel safe and accepted. That’s what happens in classes across Ontario and that’s what should happen.”

But a little person drawing a father figure with a gun or a rifle in his hand, justifies the arrest of a father and turning the home upside down, looking for weapons. Or a little person drawing crying and sad figures at school, justifies the taking, the removal of children from the family home with a simple phone call by the school, to the child protection services.

The inclusive approaches of the public education system and the development of merging rights of children based on humanistic theology and dogma are in direct conflict with the values and cultures of families and their children. A parent becomes a threat to the inclusive school system, when they simply object to any aspect of the education system. A parent asking for direct and immediate remediation for their child’s learning problems, becomes a threat because they are demanding education services that falls outside of the inclusive classroom.

Teachers’ unions were the main ring leaders in making inclusive classrooms as well as inclusive approaches in social justice and equity a reality, because it will serve their best interests and provide the political fodder and education issues to negotiate contracts and as well as to maintain their power position, relative to the changing values and rights of society.

Schools are no longer safe places for students, but the unions as well as the other stakeholders would have us believe otherwise, if one listens to the rhetoric that an education - the quality of the education is no longer about the content of the education. The knowledge and facts needed to make sense of the world, but rather how the education content is delivered on values and culture that runs counter to the belief and values systems of all families.

Content matters, but in a union driven system, the content becomes the political fodder to drive compliance of the parents, the students and the general public to accept the values of only one set of beliefs - the collective beliefs of the stakeholders within the public education system.

The teachers’ behavior is disgusting.  They should be told to behave by their boards of education, and if they refuse they should be suspended without pay. 
Malkin, they’ve been very powerful for decades now, and have been running our premiers and mpp’s for a long time.  Nothing new there.  I remember that during the Conservative stint in Ontario during the 90’s, the teachers were constantly taking up classroom time by spewing their political bend, striking illegally, and putting petitions and green ribbons around the schools, despite the fact that any publically-funded institution should be completely apolitical.  During those years I sat on the school counsel and had to repeatedly request that the teachers behave, as parents were getting upset with their unprofessional, and childish antics.  The teachers who sat on counsel were very friendly, and we got on well, but they never spoke up on the children’s behalf.

The sooner we see access to choice for parents in public education the quicker most of this nonsense will end. Presently, it is only a matter of time before the current path will lead to our own made in Ontario version of the current “Greek Experience”. 

The education monopoly and its current well remunerated administration and teaching staff may have a real time experience of a pivot (using current lean startup parlance). In this case, they may see what seemed absolutely locked to a bricks and mortar location morph quickly to an internet based platform. There are no shortages of non union teachers and entrepreneurial startups who would just love the chance to build a massive subscriber base stimulated by unionized work actions that further degrade a system which is barely performing as it stands.

Anyone who doubts how fast it will happen need only look at the velocity that social media has established itself.  The infrastructure and platforms are building quickly and the cost of building/developing such platforms has never been cheaper.  Though custodial care (daycare, one of school’s main functions today) remains one of the more challenging aspects to deal with, I have little doubt that enterprising people will cooperatively solve this one too.

Unionized educators would best be a little bit cautious these days for if they create too big a fuss and degrade the system much more, the next few big days in the spotlight could mark the beginning of the next education revolution rather than another tranche of pay and benefit increases.  It will happen very fast and be about as big a surprise as the i-phone most teachers carry with them.

And btw, post secondary education is just as vulnerable especially at the undergraduate level.

Chickens Come Home to Roost — Big Time !

What does that mean?  Simply — 

“The consequences of doing wrong always catch up with the wrongdoer.”

So, Premier McGuinty who has been beholden to the teacher unions for so long is now experiencing their wrath and political power.

So, the teacher unions that gain sweetheart deals through secretive collective bargaining will now have some constraint on their outrageous power. 

So, is this karma happening only in the Ontario public education system? 

No, this syndicate — this teacher union government monopoly public education industry — this make-work project for countless public servants with gold-plated perks, job security and generous benefits — this political blackmail which turns politicians to mush — is being seem for what it is — in more places besides Ontario. 

This HOAX — this biggest consumer fraud ever — so disrespectful of clients that they wear black in front of vulnerable, innocent children — so contemptuous of parent expectations for orderly schools — is basically the usurpation of power for vested gains on the backs of children — child-snatching to guarantee warm bums in public schools — a twelve-year sentence — producer-capture epitomized!

In BC we’ve had the domination of the teacher unions over education for 40 years.  The Premier of Alberta is beholden to the teacher union and has promised to abolish the despised parent veto wherein parents can withdraw their child from curriculum they object to on family values grounds. Both cases — wrong, bad — chickens will return.

There is acceleration of protests against this harmful government monopoly — internationally — more movies, more books, articles, etc. — illustrating how public schools are in service to vested interests instead of the intended students.

Just to refresh your outrage, see again this excellent 5 year old expose:  Stupid in America (40 min)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx4pN-aiofw

No, we can’t wait for some “spontaneous evolution” to correct this trampling on nature and people’s natural aspirations for solid education.  Parents need to see their children benefit from good education in their lifetime and politicians need to have the guts to do the right thing by the children.

The thing all beneficiaries of this rigged system fear is CHOICE. The “black-phone-only” monopoly was broken long ago. The one-size-fits-all government school monopoly needs urgent relief.

CHOICE IS THE ONLY PROPER SOLUTION.

I recall many a post right here from teachers who swore up and down that they had no power whatsoever.

Where are those same individuals now?