It is with mixed feelings I write this letter. I have two elementary school aged children that go to school on the Peninsula.
Recently emails have gone out to parents regarding teacher appreciation activities, that have come from parent advisory councils. I as a parent, am supposed to be involved in gifting or other such activities for the teachers. This has always been a long-standing tradition thanking teachers for volunteer time.
Due to job action this year the teachers have decided against these activities. Please do not get me wrong, I am supportive of the right to bargain a fair agreement and do not begrudge the teachers for standing up for their rights. However, considering these extra activities are not going on and I have yet to see a report card one can only conclude the teachers are doing the job they are being paid to do. Does this mean they deserve more appreciation than the custodian, the transit driver that waits 10 seconds so that a person rushing actually makes the bus, the municipal worker who goes the extra mile to make sure the elderly lady gets across the work zone? The list goes on and on. If I were a teacher this year I would humbly decline such appreciation activities as I am just doing my job. The real appreciation and gifting should be for the PAC volunteers who do not get paid for all the hard work they do.
I really believe it is time to re-think this tradition or else make sure every person gets an appreciation day.
Mike Barwick
Sidney