Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Woohoo! Today is the day!!! It's back to school day!!!
I could hardly sleep last night (maybe a bit of nerves over the year) and I woke up so excited! It was so great to have the kids up and ready for the new year, and to not be full of nerves themselves.
We start this school year with two in the Middle School and two in the Elementary school! Rhys is off to Kindergarten (he starts next week) and now Bryn is the oldest in the elementary school and in grade 3. (His teacher is new this year also. Either that or I somehow missed her last year, since we weren't in her grade then) Kai starts grade six, but sadly wasn't placed in the same class as his best friend. I am optimistic that things will work out okay and that they will still be able to catch each other at recess and end of school, just like last year. But my husband is more concerned that it will be another rough year for the two. (my romantic-rose-coloured view says that it wasn't all that bad last year, was it?) Abi is in grade eight now, and that is crazy to think of! Eight! All in all, I think it is going to be a good year!
I will post Rhys' first day of school picture, on his actual first day of school next week! But this morning, he was excited and had to bring his stuffed cow named Cowie (tucked into his shirt), and Eden had to put on a backpack as well (which you can't see in the photo anyways). We had fun dropping off Bryn in his class. (for the Olders, I walked Kai and Abi to their classes while the Youngers sat in the van with my Hunny)
I know that not many others are able to send their kids to school today like they should be, and that is rough, since the Teacher's Strike is still on. Yes, it started in June and is still continuing on into September. Seeing how a Mediator was called in to help negotiate some sort of deal, and after a week or so he walked out too, saying that the two sides were so far apart, doesn't give a good positive feel at all. I actually laughed when I heard that the Mediator left! Wow. Ouch. What does that say? It's easy for the BCTF and for the Liberal Government to say that *they* tried to move forward but the *other side* didn't, but the truth is this: a professional mediator does not walk out on negotiating talks if one side moves but the other doesn't. If one side is willing to make deals and compromise then there is something to work with. But that wasn't the case. Instead, neither side was willing to work together. And I don't care how much the teachers say it is "for the kids" and how much the government says they put "families first"; neither is sounding very much like they are thinking of the kids, the ones who lose out the most from this.
At this point, I feel for the kids and I feel for the parents. I know how much my kids needed to be back in school, so I imagine other kids are the same way. They must be driving their parents' bonkers! And the kids? Yeah, it's a lot of fun missing school---isn't that what a lot of us wanted to do as kids too? But when they do eventually go back to school, how are they going to make up the time? Will their classes now extend into summer? or will they make their days longer? (public school typically ends at 2:30, however my kids always go until 3pm. That gives them more time in the classroom, which means they get out a week earlier than the other schools. It's a nice trade off.)
I have heard a lot of my friends are choosing to home teach their kids some basics while the strike continues; good for them! It doesn't sound like things will be settled any time soon. My guess is not until mid October. It looks as though it's a game of Chicken right now: who will surrender and give in first? The government feels they have nothing to lose (seeing is they have more money than the union, plus they are paying off the parents with giving day care money!) and the head of the BCTF looks like he doesn't have much to worry about either and is proud enough to stick with it as well.
But to what end? The kids need to get back to school.
I am very aware at how "lucky" or "blessed" (or whichever you want to call it. It seems either term will offend someone.) we are by being able to send our kids to the Christian school. We absolutely love our school! We love the teachers! We love the community! We are just so happy to be back there this year.
I could hardly sleep last night (maybe a bit of nerves over the year) and I woke up so excited! It was so great to have the kids up and ready for the new year, and to not be full of nerves themselves.
We start this school year with two in the Middle School and two in the Elementary school! Rhys is off to Kindergarten (he starts next week) and now Bryn is the oldest in the elementary school and in grade 3. (His teacher is new this year also. Either that or I somehow missed her last year, since we weren't in her grade then) Kai starts grade six, but sadly wasn't placed in the same class as his best friend. I am optimistic that things will work out okay and that they will still be able to catch each other at recess and end of school, just like last year. But my husband is more concerned that it will be another rough year for the two. (my romantic-rose-coloured view says that it wasn't all that bad last year, was it?) Abi is in grade eight now, and that is crazy to think of! Eight! All in all, I think it is going to be a good year!
I will post Rhys' first day of school picture, on his actual first day of school next week! But this morning, he was excited and had to bring his stuffed cow named Cowie (tucked into his shirt), and Eden had to put on a backpack as well (which you can't see in the photo anyways). We had fun dropping off Bryn in his class. (for the Olders, I walked Kai and Abi to their classes while the Youngers sat in the van with my Hunny)
I know that not many others are able to send their kids to school today like they should be, and that is rough, since the Teacher's Strike is still on. Yes, it started in June and is still continuing on into September. Seeing how a Mediator was called in to help negotiate some sort of deal, and after a week or so he walked out too, saying that the two sides were so far apart, doesn't give a good positive feel at all. I actually laughed when I heard that the Mediator left! Wow. Ouch. What does that say? It's easy for the BCTF and for the Liberal Government to say that *they* tried to move forward but the *other side* didn't, but the truth is this: a professional mediator does not walk out on negotiating talks if one side moves but the other doesn't. If one side is willing to make deals and compromise then there is something to work with. But that wasn't the case. Instead, neither side was willing to work together. And I don't care how much the teachers say it is "for the kids" and how much the government says they put "families first"; neither is sounding very much like they are thinking of the kids, the ones who lose out the most from this.
At this point, I feel for the kids and I feel for the parents. I know how much my kids needed to be back in school, so I imagine other kids are the same way. They must be driving their parents' bonkers! And the kids? Yeah, it's a lot of fun missing school---isn't that what a lot of us wanted to do as kids too? But when they do eventually go back to school, how are they going to make up the time? Will their classes now extend into summer? or will they make their days longer? (public school typically ends at 2:30, however my kids always go until 3pm. That gives them more time in the classroom, which means they get out a week earlier than the other schools. It's a nice trade off.)
I have heard a lot of my friends are choosing to home teach their kids some basics while the strike continues; good for them! It doesn't sound like things will be settled any time soon. My guess is not until mid October. It looks as though it's a game of Chicken right now: who will surrender and give in first? The government feels they have nothing to lose (seeing is they have more money than the union, plus they are paying off the parents with giving day care money!) and the head of the BCTF looks like he doesn't have much to worry about either and is proud enough to stick with it as well.
But to what end? The kids need to get back to school.
I am very aware at how "lucky" or "blessed" (or whichever you want to call it. It seems either term will offend someone.) we are by being able to send our kids to the Christian school. We absolutely love our school! We love the teachers! We love the community! We are just so happy to be back there this year.
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