Standing with teachers
Students voice support for teachers amidst tension
It was a little over a year ago that the Nova Scotia government imposed a contract on the NSTU, marking the end of the labour dispute and the teachers’ work-to-rule campaign.
Recently, things have started to heat up again. A few weeks ago, the NSTU voted in favour of an illegal strike. Although they now say that the government has done enough to avoid any job action, they are still unhappy with a lot of the proposed changes.
Last year, the students took the side of the NSTU, even staging walkouts in support of their teachers. This year, based on what I’ve heard, the general consensus among students seems to be the same; they think that the McNeil government is being unfair. They know teachers that have gone above and beyond for their students and don’t think it’s fair that they’re being punished.
The government seems to have gotten the teachers’ message that the education system is failing students and has proposed numerous reforms. These include, among other things, taking principals out of the union and dissolving elected regional school boards. Teachers say that these changes will hurt students more than help them and a lot of students agree.
So what action should be taken by the government to improve education? Some students say that the answer is simple: consult with the teachers because they are the ones who know the problems with our system and experience them on a day-to-day basis.
A popular analogy that I’ve heard repeated by students is this: ‘Would it make sense if the teachers tried to tell the doctors how to do their jobs and what is best for them? No, because they’re not doctors. So why is the government doing this with the teachers?’
Another major issue in classrooms that the teachers want resolved is inclusion. Teachers and the government are currently trying to improve inclusion in schools for students with disabilities. There also happens to be a student-led group which focuses on inclusion, albeit a different kind.
The Memorial High School Gender Sexuaity Alliance (GSA) is a school club which aims to make the school a more inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ students.
The GSA meets every week during lunch and plans numerous projects and fundraisers. They’ve recently worked with administration to create genderneutral washrooms within the school for any student to use. The aim of the project is to make trans and non-binary students feel more comfortable.
The GSA also organizes fundraisers throughout the school year, the latest of which was a coffee house. They were planning an afternoon of live music to collect donations. Unfortunately, this was cancelled due to the previous nor’easter.
Every year, the club attends a GSA conference. These conferences bring together GSA’s from across the province.
Some upcoming events for the next month:
The deadline to register for the NSSSA Rise Up 2018 leadership conference at StFX is April 20th.
CBU is hosting Island WISE (Women In Science and Engineering) on March 24. The event, which is designed with high school and junior high students in mind, aims to introduce more girls to science-related careers.
The scholarship website is now available on the memorial website. It contains numerous scholarships with varying deadlines.
There will be no school on March 30 or April 2.