Why I am walking with the teachers

Premier Doug Ford wants the public to believe that the teachers’ strikes are about a two-percent wage increase for teachers because the government is offering only a one-per-cent increase. Really?

Truth be told, the strikes are all about money, but not money for wages. The issue teachers are striking for is the lack of money to keep classroom sizes as they are, the loss of educational assistants who work with special needs students, and introducing online courses for high school students so they have less time with their teachers. In fact, high school students need more time in this complex and ever-changing world.

Striking teachers have already lost way more than one per cent of their salaries due to strike days, yet they continue to fight for the issues. Today’s teachers have at least two degrees from various universities, and are the best educated teachers we have ever had.

Teachers are out on those picket lines fighting for your children, who need as much time and guidance as possible; and seeing that special need students get the extra help of educational assistants. Today’s teachers face students with many learning abilities in each class. There can be as many as three or four ability levels in just one classroom.

As a retired teacher from Toronto, now living in Eastern Ontario, l am walking with these wonderful teachers, who strongly believe that the children of today are our future, and deserve all the opportunities that our education system can provide.

If the Ford government truly wants to save big money in education, without hurting the students and the quality of their education, it should eliminate the Catholic education system, which doubles educational costs right across the province. Let’s go to one public system and give children every possible opportunity to succeed.

Wendy Hassard, Perth