I was born to be a teacher. I always knew this was my path and my calling. 19 years with my board and 16 years in front of kids, and never... not one time...have I doubted or regretted my choice. Until now. /1
The @ucp budget tabled by @jasonkenney is bad for teachers and even worse for kids. They expect teachers to plan for diverse learning needs, which are becoming more severe every year, meeting all curricular outcomes with less money for resources and probably no EA support in /2
an overcrowded classroom. I’m one of the lucky ones. My class doesn’t look like this.....not yet.
I’ll make due and will teach and love kids to the best of my abilities. I’ll teach to the average kids and hope the strong ones don’t stop learning because they’re bored /3
I’ll make due and will teach and love kids to the best of my abilities. I’ll teach to the average kids and hope the strong ones don’t stop learning because they’re bored /3
and the weak ones don’t act out because the work is too hard. I’ll pass kids to the next grade who can’t read because there’s no extra support for reading intervention and no time for me to work one-on-one to remotely catch them up. I’ll come in early, and stay too late, /4
trying to come up with ways to support each child, and I’ll stretch myself too thin to the detriment of my own family. I’ll worry about my high school age daughters who will fall victim to these conditions during the crucial years that determine their future options. /5
This budget will affect the quality of education, the abilities of the graduates entering the workforce, the health and burnout rates of teachers and, ultimately, the economy and all of us Albertans. I was born to be a teacher, and I’ll continue to fulfill that destiny, /7
I’ll lie awake at night worrying about the kids who are slipping through the cracks because I just can’t meet all the needs in my room and I’ll wonder, if when I end this career, I’ll even have the pension I worked towards building. /6
I’ll ignore the signs that the stress, the workload, the worry and the heartache are affecting my physical and mental health. /6 cont.
My apologies to @jasonkenney for tagging him instead of the real villain in this story. I’ve never felt the need to write a thread before. Twitter etiquette is new to me.
Thank you all for your overwhelming support. I know Alberta teachers are facing these conditions for the first time while our colleagues in BC and ON have been for ages. Maybe they will have advice for us about how we “do more with less” (cont)
I worry teachers stretched too thin won’t be able to build connections. “You can’t pour from an empty cup” - our cups are being drained every day. Any advice @JodyCarrington???
