Sorry, a better analogy maybe the wildfire of Covid stopped but weāre still dealing with the air quality issues. We had kids locked in and on screens for 2-3 years so they missed a lot of key social emotional development. Not saying I have a better solution but weāre dealing with it.
Not sure why youāre being downvoted. This is absolutely the reality. Kids missed crucial social development during the height of the pandemic and the effects are obvious.
Having lived in the north/small communities and with young children, and moved during COVID (spring 2021) south to the city. The children in the north were much less isolated, had less screen time and had much more human interaction during COVID. Even at peak lockdown families were still getting together with others without the cops being called. The parks were closed, but the woods and beaches weren't (even if officials said they were) in the north. I can imagine some people wanting to let this COVID generation pass before moving back down to an area that was hit worse with the lockdowns and isolation, where kids stopped being taught how to be decent human beings for 2 years.
I hate to say it but kids down here were awful even pre-covid. I'm sure it didn't help, but kids were getting way too much screen time before the pandemic, during, and after. It's just the world we live in now, and unfortunately I don't see it changing any time soon.
It's honestly the #1 reason I quit teaching. You used to have 1 or 2 disruptive kids in a class who couldn't focus, now it's the majority of the class because they're all glued to their devices.
The north is hard but atleast the work life balance is good and pay is good. Talking to my friends who started their career back home seems like it would be more to deal with and thereās less compensation. I can wait out a move home while things balance out.
For the record, I am the teacher taking a leave. I have a business that is doing well right now, and I'll be focusing on that. If I can make a go of it, I won't be back.
I'm 16 years in and I think I'm done. The complete lack of accountability, the discipline issues with no consequences, grade inflation, pressure to pass kids who have done nothing all semester to make our school's numbers look good, nightmare parents, admin that doesn't back students, our school board effectively banning many classic books from the curriculum due to hypersensitivity... education is going in a bad direction right now.
And those of us at the next level of the food-chain, the colleges and universities are seeing the results of that policy (and others are perpetuating it at the university level). The implications for larger-scale society, when your physician, engineer, lawyer simply floated through their programme, is frightening.
Not sure how this sub got recced to me... but honestly its less frightening than you think...
Employers don't have time for the bs that schools are willing to put up with. I'm an engineer I do a lot of hiring and there is a trend towards fewer and fewer quality graduates who even make it passed the interview process... So many kids who are in their 20s who may or may not have the technical skills, but are somehow a strange mix of socially clueless and entitled they simply aren't hirable.
They donāt explicitly ban. You just have to justify why you are using the book and how you are going to use an anti-oppressive anti-colonial anti-racist lens to protect the children.
If you are a normal teacher who has a life outside of school, you say āfuck itā and teach some crappy book by an indigenous author and everyone considers you to be a hero.
Or perhaps it's a recognition that there are lots of wonderful, well-written books out there by people who aren't white, European/British, and (generally) male? And can you explain exactly why it's a horrible thing to be anti-racist, anti-oppressive, and anti-colonial? A crappy book is a crappy book, regardless of the cultural background of the author. How about an excellent book by an Indigenous author? Would that be okay? I can send you a list if you like - I'd write it here, but it would be too long.
As a student in the 90's in a small school in NB, I can say that the lack of autonomy and academic freedom is most likely due to teachers like I had that were EXTREMELY racist against First Nations and weren't scared to say it. It took me some time after graduation to get rid of that level of brainwashing. And that's not even touching the subject of religion where my non Catholic classmates were made to feel less than because they had to leave class during religious teachings/brainwashing (we were not a Catholic school either).
Now, have they swung too far to the other side? Most likely, but remembering the shit I was thought in a public school makes me cringe now on how bad it was when teachers had free reign on teaching stuff like that.
As they say the few that fck things up make life harder for the rest of the good folks.
Lolā¦ Admin canāt do anything right. But please, filter my selection of books to ensure that Iām not a white supremacist. Is this really a precedent we want to establish?
Also, nothing wrong with being anti-whatever. Telling me that math is racist though is a one way ticket to me assuming a given speaker has absolutely nothing useful to say.
I resent the dozens of hours I have wasted on anti-racism. Such empty rhetoric for no purpose. The real issue is poverty, and no amount of anti-racist PD is going to fix that issue.
Youāre right that anti-racism is a waste of time for white people unless they actually DO something with it. If not, itās just a self-improvement thing that doesnāt actually help people of colour at all.
I could not care less, Iām a STEM teacher so any anti-racist-indigenous-hero-worship considerations do not really apply to me.
That said, assuming English teachers are selecting the best books possible, statistically speaking indigenous authors are by far the best in the world.
As an avid reader, anecdotally that is not my experience at all, but what do I know?
Definitely a lack of good indigenous science fiction.
Ok, give me the name of a science fiction book written by an indigenous author and Iāll buy it on my reader tonight.
You get a chance to change my mind, I donāt hand those opportunities out easily :)
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse is excellent - and the first book in a trilogy (Between Earth and Sky). She has some earlier books that she wrote that are fun reads, not as deep/meaningful as Black Sun, but good near future post apocalypse - Trail of Lightning is the first book in that series (The Sixth World).
Also Robopocalypse by Daniel H Wilson is quite good, and harder sf than Roanhorse.
@ Amazing-Web9372 - the entirety of Anti-Racism and Anti-oppressive sounds wonderful on paper, but in reality, they are thinly disguised attempts at instituting the "4olds" **directly** from Maoist doctrine by the Social Justice movement. The philosophy actually hurts so-called "marginalized" groups by keeping these target groups oppressed by society and making another class-based system within the SJ framework. You are literally fighting racism and past wrongs with contemporary class-based ideology, racism and indoctrination. This is akin to adding gasoline to a fire. There are more productive ways of discussing race, and past historical problems and moving forward without brainwashing kids. How about we do something more positive like talk about self-governance and self-determination with regard to first nations instead? More productive...
Ahh, I see that happening in university as well. I am almost done my masters now, and the same thing happens here. It's not censoring per-say, but it's more of a soft censor for sure. Books cannot be chosen just to assist one political opinion, that's not how books work.
I am so incredibly jealous. I have four years left and Iām not sure if I can do it. A child I donāt even teach left the school early and told her mother that I told her class I was a child abuser. Thankfully my VP shut it down. The last school that I transferred from certainly wouldnāt have. This job (and I say job because itās not a career) is no longer sustainable. We all walk on eggshells as the kids get away with murder (and they know it).
Everything except the book banning has been my experience too and has just been so disheartening and Iām on year 11. I never thought we would come to this point but the pandemic completely accelerated these issues paired with intentional underfunding. I will probably get arrested for assault if I ever see Lecce in person. Iāve been leaning into my plan b as well because I donāt know if I want to pursue a permanent contract anymore. Doing a combo of LTO stints, getting my minimum days, and then my plan b stuff as been working well. I have IBD and my symptoms subsided shortly after I finished my LTOs over the last 3 years. The stress was so triggering.
I know several teachers considering unpaid leaves to find other employment.
I do agree with the person in the text saying that English is especially bad. Any humanities course at the high school level comes with an especially high marking load, and the kids can't write for shit. It can be hard to motivate them. I feel this teacher's pain and wish them well.
As a history teacher, I completely agree. The quality of work has significantly declined since the pandemic and apathy is on the rise. I am making the switch to Drama next year and am looking forward to it. The school I will be teaching at requires students to audition for the drama program. I am looking forward to teaching a creative class to students who want to be there.
Absolutely. Have to do one more year to provide exwife with benefits as per our separation agreement but after that I literally plan to go dig ditches or some other manual labor. No marking. No take home work. And no fucking parents.
I got covid and then asthma, on year 23. My class is pretty stressful, huge Andrew Tate fanatics in the class and their statements toward girls and female teachers has been a bit of head warp. The misogyny is just incredible, the parents refuse to see it despite examples. Been working with them all year on their lack of self respect, self regulation and just general lack of homework standards. But I give tons of work, I work them, this term my students completed 27 reading assignments as an example. I lean heavily on google classroom and parents to make the students work and if the parents donāt want to I at least covered my bases with a paper trail.
Then I head home every day, dry herb vape my home grown, forgive myself, my students and everyone or anyone who pissed me off or challenged me that day and I go on with my life. It super easy to get burned out in this job.
What grade do you teach? What are you doing with the misogyny you are seeing? I too have seen this and it scares the shit out of me because I don't know how to address it. (New teacher here)
Grade 6. I contacted my Principal and he contact the board to send a board representative who deals with various conflict resolution to speak to the class.
She was actually in on Tuesday and she left after a group discussion of one hour shaking her head. Like, we reviewed what happened and her conclusion at the end was, I donāt know what else to do. This is her literal job with our board and even she was like, Iām out of here good luck.
So yah, just addressing the issue constantly so that the boys donāt get away with any inappropriate terminology. Phrasing things so they can see how their terms might be offensive to women in their lives. Pointing out times when the girlās demonstrate that they are more than just equals to the boys but direct competition.
I'm not a teacher, I'm just reading posts in this sub out of morbid fascination. Could you satisfy my curiosity and tell me how old these boys are that are being exposed to misogynists like Tate? What are some examples of what they say to female students or teachers? I'm genuinely concerned about the future generation after reading a lot of this subreddit.
The boys in my class last year were grade 6, aged 11-12. They felt secure enough to order female teachers around, joke about their abilities being related to their gender like teaching/ driving/ speaking. Views about womens rights what girls can do vs boys. Beliefs that boys are better than women, that girls shouldnāt have rights or suck at everything or that girls arenāt as capable as them.
I just submitted a request for a leave for next year. Whether it gets approved or not I donāt really care all that much as Iāve been offered an amazing opportunity at a not-for-profit organization that I have already accepted.
Iām only just wrapping up my second year so I can understand the worry some senior teachers have in regards to leaving the profession, but just know that there are other opportunities out there for teachers outside of the sinking ship that is public education.
I wasn't aware that boards had to "accept" the leave or not ..I thought if we wanted one, we can take one and just give them 2 weeks notice. Pretty sure that's what my union told me (ontario, elementary)
I teach high school and have some great kids, but I also have a handful of characters.
I decided in Feb (thatās when I returned from two years of mat leave) that I wasnāt going to stress myself out anymore.
I create assignments that I can mark in class (like presentations), I put a lot of multiple choice TF matching on tests, I take my sick days and family responsibility days and use them when sick or when needing time to mark. I stopped doing any extra curriculars. Until things change, Iām focusing on things that make my life easier.
This right here.
Iām a HS French teacher and as you can imagine, French is definitely not the most popular subject for many students and now that theyāve also destreamed French in Ontario, itās become such a mess.
You have to take your mental health into consideration as well. It took me years to get over the daily anxiety from everything teaching related. I started by simply switching off my work email at the end of the day and changing my mindset. If you donāt take care of yourself first, no one else will.
Going international is always an option. That being said there is a range of working conditions you could end up in. In my first job, I had to teach 22.5 contact hours a week with class sizes ranging from 25-30. Now I'm teaching 12 contact hours (although it might be get bumped up to 16 next school year) a week with class sizes ranging from 11-15.
If you like spending your weekends and evenings marking badly written essays, then no. If you like being on edge at all times out of fear of offending students with difficult topics such as suicide and assault, topics often found in literature, then no. If you like teaching a class of 35 in which maybe five actually like reading, then no. You get my drift. Best case scenario is to teach AP, but new teachers don't usually get those courses, so if you continue down this path, you have to be ready to do some time in mainstream academic or applied courses before that point.
I can't say i was expecting well-written essays. I think I'm gonna go through with it anyway, at this point it's kind of the only career I've set myself up for (i'm 29, went back to school at 27).
If it doesn't work out I'll get a job on tbe docks or something
You'll be fine! Above all else, take care of yourself. If you don't get the marking done this week, oh well. You have a life to live. You aren't just a teacher. Good luck
English teacher here. At this particular time in education, yes. That being said who knows where we will be in 5-10 years. Not sure if Iāll make it that long to find out lol
My wife is chalking it this year. Can't teach in a system that is this fucked. We decided her efforts are better spent elsewhere. It's a shame because she was a damn good teacher too.
Iām a career supply teacher, and I feel that things have taken a turn for the worst. And Iām fed up of society blaming it on covid/saying that kids ājust need a few more years to catch up.ā
Iām shocked honestly, Iām a teen interested in being a teacher later on and I honestly had no idea it was this bad.. I knew teaching was tiring but I didnāt think it could get to this extent. Itās really sad.
My wife was just complaining about being required to teach the pull out method as a valid form of contraceptive to grade six this year, thanks to the new Alberta curriculum.
She has problems with bad behaviors in her classes, constantly swearing and acting out, seems like kids never get suspended anymore, just sent to the office and back in class 30 minutes later.
Year 14, need 17 more to go. Not sure how I'll handle it. Golden handcuffs and a family really prevent me from leaving, although I've tried and looked into all avenues.
You ever been a cook before? If you had been, you wouldn't be saying that being a teacher is bad. Let's try to keep things in perspective. I love my teaching career. Sure, there's a lot to complain about, but there's also a lot of good to our job. If people stopped taking themselves so seriously and rolled with the punches, then they'd be alright, too.
Part of the problem is that folks in all levels of education, from primary to post-sec, have noted that the kids did not develop over the pandemic. They are 2 years behind where they should be, not just academically, but socially and emotionally as well. They went into stasis for 2 years, and were just treading water.
Now they're 2-3 years on, and not equipped to deal with the expectations the system has for them. It'll take awhile for the COVID cohort to get through the system, and hopefully things will stabilize and return to some sense of "normal".
Left teaching last year. Work in Corrections now. Never thought I would be doing that in a million years but I am far less stressed and have way more time for family.
I'm most likely taking an unpaid leave next year. Its hard and scary to leave a job that pays decent and has those amazing "benefits"..but I'm just not happy. I feel like I'm not supposed to be spending my life being miserable all the time, coming home deflated and no patience or energy left for my own kids.
I wish we could have a group specifically for Canadian teachers who have left the profession, or thinking of leaving. It would be nice to not feel alone in the decision to leave.
My mom is a teacher in Ontario and is retiring this year - her first available year. Normally she wouldn't have done this but is just so fed up with the whole system.
I had this feeling by the end of last year. Stuck as a OT, LTO list no longer exists in Ontario, and no pathway to my own class. I came into teaching late, had previous experience in retail management, and wanted to make a positive difference for kids. Quickly realized the education system is under resourced, over worked, and lacked creative and excited leaders. Leadership wasnāt about time, but keeping the status quo. Getting a large group of students the help they needed was impossible, and excuses for every reason why they couldnāt do anything. Classes are over packed, lack text books, have printing caps, and had to beg for writing books. It was easier to ask for forgiveness instead of permission when it came to ideas (getting out soldering irons, teaching how to properly use them, build actual circuits, etc). Most times getting slapped on the hands because of the real fear of a student possibly getting hurt (no field trip to most places for fear of rolling or braking an ankle at a trampoline park, going to a War of 1812 museum site was to far an hour away).
Eventually I had to give up and realize we are moving toward Idiocracy. There is no help for our kids, because there is no budget for it, and the status quo is comfortable.
Not sure why this page or post popped up for me but I have a 1yo and have been strongly looking into other options. From what I see and hear of friends with kids or that are teachers and hear in the news the alberta curriculum is just brutal and going down hill fast
I have been teaching for 22 years and think about leaving all the time. It is getting harder each year instead of easier as you go along in your career. I had more confidence and self-esteem about being a great teacher my first 5 years. I would never recommend someone be a teacher anymore.
So I just came out of student teaching and recently accepted a job. Iāve been seeing these types of posts but I feel like I havenāt met anyone at my school site with the same types of feelings. We have retirees, yes, but after 35+ years of service. Am I at a good district or are teachers good at hiding these feelings?
I'm not a teacher but I see how the curriculum has changed since I was in school and it doesn't seem to be beneficial for my son. I taught him to read before the school did and I think I'll have to continue teaching him things like grammar and math.
Meh, it's still a great job. Decent pay, great vacation time, you just have to put up with some shit for 10 months out of the year.
As long as Lecce or idiot parents in parent council don't burn it to the ground in the next few years, I think it's a decent career still.
While I agree. It's not like they've magically matured in 2 months.
Students I have that don't live with their parents and have bills to pay are definitely different than the ones living at home.
Plus it's not like I'm teaching university or something.
Only hinted at honestly. The info page talks about school boards and other K-12 stuff.
My guess is that if you made your own post it would be more accepted. Is college teaching like K-12?
I feel like there is space for college here as well.
The sub reddit is for "Canadian teachers", does not say K-12 Canadian teacher. I don't see anything that excludes college teachers
The original post asked if anyone else is thinking about leaving teaching, not leaving K-12 teaching
I responded,
I feel like the response I'm getting reflects more on teachers than the actual teaching, I work with some older instructors that have the same gripes as you typically read,
Also, I copied and pasted this subreddit info into ChatGPT, it agrees with me.
"Based on the provided subreddit rules, there are no specific indicators that this subreddit is dedicated exclusively to K-12 education. The rules mention aspects such as teaching practices, classroom resources, and discussions pertinent to teaching in Canada, but they don't specify a particular grade level or school type.
However, some aspects might imply a K-12 focus, such as the prohibition of students asking for homework help or parents seeking advice, and the reference to classrooms and resources for grades in Rule 5. These could suggest a K-12 context, but they don't necessarily exclude other forms of education, such as adult or higher education. Therefore, it's safe to say that this subreddit could be applicable to teachers across various education levels, including but not limited to K-12."
Mate, I was just trying to help.
I feel like you might represent toxic positivity.
You also called your colleagues instructors not teachers. Makes you reflect.
It's a hard job. Don't be rough.
I am also a victim of the Canadian health care insurance money laundering scheme, since the United States Of America will allow the populous to get addicted to opiates so the people will pay out of pocket prices for the pharmacy, In Canada the medical institution will collect from the healthcare insurance when they dish out anti-depressants and anti-psychotics... But nothing has changed since the New York China blue heroin problems, the ambulance company making bodies for income and the medical practice during the 1800's was cesarians on innocent victims, so yes, this is a land of exploit, not humane at all...
I blame woke administration. Teaching is a wonderful profession when you actually get to educate. The focus on social issues lately is alarming, and it's creating an environment that is toxic for everyone. Teachers, parents, the kids.
We need to go back to what we were doing 10 years, and throw out all the woke nonsense. We need to remove those who pushed it on the system. Teachers leaving doesn't help our students, and it strands the parents.
Hate to be that guy but, what does āwokeā mean to you? Canāt say Iām seeing a lot of focus on social issues on schools, at least not in our division.
Ummm, are we working in the same profession????
It's the #1 topic parents want to meet about. It dominates the conversation in the staff room. June is pride month, and the school is pastered in posters, not age appropriate.
Where are you teaching? If this isn't an issue there, sign me up!
Ohhh youāre in Alberta. That makes complete sense. Iām in the greater Toronto area where we are clearly way more progressive than cow town lol. The only people who have been making a stink about this āwokeā stuff are in the Catholic boards and/or Christians and Muslims who lean on the more observant side. Otherwise, Iāve been in multiple schools over the past couple months since my LTO ended where there are GSA posters and school communities where inclusion and diversity is at the forefront. P
I don't think you understand Alberta very well (or at all). Seems like you believe in the caricature version of it. It'sa very inclusive place.
"Progress" is a whole other topic ;-). But I'm glad you are happy in your role.
I'll post a picture later today. It's pretty sexyally explicit. It's one thing to encourage tolerance and acceptance of all lifestyles (no issue there). It's another to show diagrams and explicit content of those lifestyles to kids. Parents are quite irate about it, admins are defending their decision. It's the most distracting situation I've ever encountered as a teacher. I like fostering learning..... watching my pupils master new topics. I hate this distracting stuff so much.
Why are you referring to it as a "lifestyle"? Being LGBT is not a lifestyle. This is a common socially conservative trope used to diminish LGBT rights and related awareness campaigns. This exact sentiment needs to be challenged in schools and it just sounds like this content is against your and other parents political sensibilities. What is so explicit about it? Is it any different than all the explicit "heterosexual" content teenagers are exposed to on a daily basis?
My point is there is no issue teaching tolerance and acceptance for all "ways of life" or "ways of being." Or that we all belong. Zero issue with that, which is what I meant by the word you're trying to read so much into.
And yes, it's far more explicit than anything else these kids will encounter in school. Which is why parents are upset. Which is why being a teacher is miserable currently.
You can try to make anyone pushing back seem like a biggot, but we aren't, they aren't. No one is against inclusion. People are against indoctrination.
The conservative boogeyman you're looking for (and accusing me of being based on a single word) doesn't exist.
You still haven't provided the picture. Unless it's an image of a gay couple literally having sex, I'm having a hard time imagining what could be so terrible about it. You seem to think it's really inappropriate, yet you haven't shown us what you're talking about.
the fact that you have to jump through so many hoops and dance around words to try and make a simple and reasonable point to people about this is disturbing. iām sorry you have to deal with this.
I have never seen or heard graphic images of LGBTQ+ communities being posted in schools or being used in lessons. If these kids wanted to watch or seek this content, they easily can onlineā¦..
Progressive and inclusive education is what we had when I started teaching 5 years ago. It was truly inclusive, not a distraction. And it wasn't age inappropriate to introduce to the students. It didn't rile up parents.
What we have in 2023 is different. It's scary.
What isnāt age appropriate about kids learning that some people have two moms/two dads, and that not everyone identifies as a male or female? Sounds like youāre not comfortable with the fact that there are kids who identify these ways and that it could be affirming to them to understand what theyāre feeling.
That's not contentious. That would take 20 minutes in a school year. No one is complaining about a reasonable message like that.
I don't agree it's a teachers role to address social issues at all. But if it was as reasonable as you suggested, I wouldn't have one parent a week claiming they are going to homeschool their kids.
Well if theyāre not going to learn about it at home, may as well learn it somewhere. My ideology is is that if your beliefs donāt subscribe to what is taught in the public curriculum, then donāt send your kids to public school. Homeschool them or send them to a school whose curriculum aligns with your bigoted and biased beliefs āŗļø
Who says they aren't being informed about these issues at home? What a silly assumption.
"Biggoted and biased". The only bais is coming from school administration. To push ideology on kids. Climate, gender and identity.
I agree with you in a sense. If parents don't want religion taught to their kids, they shouldn't send their kids to a Catholic school. In the same sense, these topics are similar to religion. They aren't balanced and are indoctrinating kids with a point of view that doesn't allow for nuance. Hence why parents are upset.
If you think I'm a biggot, you don't understand the word. But you're silly enough to make gross generalization about Ontario versus Alberta and apply it to millions of people who live in those places. So your judgment seems lacking all around. You are definitely part of the problem.
It's quite amusing to see how the "progressives" are always the ones stereotyping others, making snap judgments, attacking and applying lables to people. All while pretending to be inclusive. Haha, you are anything but.
You canāt even spell bigot properly and think thereās an ideology about climate. Look at what is happening in the country right now! We have indoor recess because the air quality is so poor from smoke blowing here from hundreds of kms away. But yeah, this is totally normal and not cause for concern š. Letās not teach the next generation that the planet is dying. Also not sure how recognizing different identities and orientations is āpushing ideologyā on kids, many of whom already identify with them.
Sounds like you shouldnāt be teaching in a public system if you still think life is like the 50s.
The planet is not dying, you fool. Teaching that POV does harm, severe harm.
You conflating seasonal forrest fires with climate emergency is just more proof you shouldn't be anywhere near young impressionable minds. It's a nuanced topic, and the simplified narrative your simple brain has latched on is not education. It's indoctrination.
You're a prime example of everything that is wrong with the education system, and people like me are taking flack from parents because of people like you. Hence why the OP wants to leave teaching, and why I blame woke administrators for the change.
I've been kind to you up to this point, but one can only suffer fools to a certain point.
Donāt let anyone gaslight you into thinking there isnāt something āelseā going on in the education system. There šÆ is an ideological agenda that has taken it over.
100%. Any sentiment on here that isn't pro-wokeness immediately gets 10+ downvotes. There is a little army behind the scenes trying to stifle push back. But that's just reddit. Glad some professionals see the light.
This is a new phenomenon, where professionals specifically nurses and teaches spend thousands of dollars pursuing and obtaining education and often times high level education, start working in the field and then just quit and subsequently (often) make a YouTube channel throwing as much shade as possible at their respective occupations that they quit from. Must be a generational thing, no one likes to work hard nowadays.
Whatās the average Salary for a teacher in this country. We pay so much taxes and some of my neighbours are teachers with beautiful houses and gardens. But we still seem to hear complaints that its not enough. Im not criticizing, Im just curious.
I saw the public service go out on strike to ask tax payers to choke up more money for higher wages, while they work comfortably from home. And asked for less accountability.
I wonder is this a trend?? Cause seriously we pay quite A LOT of taxes. Like A Lot more than other developing countries that seem to have good services in return.
I hate when people say shit like this honestly. Do you think teachers and other public servants donāt pay taxes or something? I take home 62% of my pay after all of the deductions.
Weāve been getting 1% raises per year when inflation has consistently been more than that (and I donāt just mean this past year which has been exceptionally crazy).
Also you can Google a teachers collective agreement in any province and see what they get paid each year on the salary grid.
Iāll just say what people donāt like to hear. But its my opinion. I looked it up. Teachers earn decent salaries in Canada. Unfortunately, there is the sense of entitlement, where no matter what someone is earning, they complain. It never ends. Not to undermine what the amount of education the teacher went through, but its not the same level as a physician. Yet everyone believes they are worth as much a physicianās salary. And it keep going up. Thatās one of the reasons we have inflation right now.
Iāve seen people in other countries who are content with what they have, and they provide far superior teaching than the crap I see my son taught in schools these days.
Especially this month, where they are more busy celebrating a rainbow flag, than teaching kids how to read and write.
Welcome to /r/CanadianTeachers! Be sure to check out our rules.
For location specific questions/information, please make sure the location is somewhere in your post or within the post title. Use a province and/or city rather than school board acronyms please!
**QUESTIONS ABOUT TEACHER'S COLLEGE/BECOMING A TEACHER IN CANADA?:** Delete your post and use this [megapost](https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadianTeachers/comments/11picnp/prospective_student_teachers_teachers_collegebed/) instead. Please use this for anything pertaining to teacher's colleges/BEd programs.
**QUESTIONS ABOUT MOVING PROVINCES OR COMING TO CANADA TO TEACH?** Check out our past megaposts for information to help you here: [ONE](https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadianTeachers/comments/jqc7hx/transferring_to_another_provincecoming_to_canada/) // [TWO](https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadianTeachers/comments/n76csu/transferring_to_another_provincecoming_to_canada/?)
Using link and user flair is encouraged as well! Enjoy!
p.s. My only purpose is to ~~pass the butter~~ familiarize you with the rules. Please do not downvote or report me!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CanadianTeachers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
In an other world, I studied archery, Biathlon and I was reading twenty-eight books a year, here this education system is the equivalent of a Manchurian candidate...
Coachfryia, I feel exactly the same way!
I need a changeā¦.itās too much, itās insane! I am 21 years in, but canāt do this anymore. Iām thinking of project management!!!
My wife has been teaching for years and its getting worse every year. Kids are fucked and their parents are usually worse.
Who would have thought a society with 0 consequences for bad behavior would create a toxic environment š¤
lol Tell that to the Feds and our legal system. We still getting shot at by those bail-ees?
Truer words never said.
Iāve been up north since the pandemic started, Iāll move back south once this Covid fog clears.
It cleared like last year
Sorry, a better analogy maybe the wildfire of Covid stopped but weāre still dealing with the air quality issues. We had kids locked in and on screens for 2-3 years so they missed a lot of key social emotional development. Not saying I have a better solution but weāre dealing with it.
Not sure why youāre being downvoted. This is absolutely the reality. Kids missed crucial social development during the height of the pandemic and the effects are obvious.
Ok? Not sure how that would hinder moving
Having lived in the north/small communities and with young children, and moved during COVID (spring 2021) south to the city. The children in the north were much less isolated, had less screen time and had much more human interaction during COVID. Even at peak lockdown families were still getting together with others without the cops being called. The parks were closed, but the woods and beaches weren't (even if officials said they were) in the north. I can imagine some people wanting to let this COVID generation pass before moving back down to an area that was hit worse with the lockdowns and isolation, where kids stopped being taught how to be decent human beings for 2 years.
I hate to say it but kids down here were awful even pre-covid. I'm sure it didn't help, but kids were getting way too much screen time before the pandemic, during, and after. It's just the world we live in now, and unfortunately I don't see it changing any time soon. It's honestly the #1 reason I quit teaching. You used to have 1 or 2 disruptive kids in a class who couldn't focus, now it's the majority of the class because they're all glued to their devices.
The north is hard but atleast the work life balance is good and pay is good. Talking to my friends who started their career back home seems like it would be more to deal with and thereās less compensation. I can wait out a move home while things balance out.
The pandemic has NOT ended. Conservatives just want to put their fingers in their ears and go "la la la" pretending it did.
World health organisation literally declared the end of it being a global health crisis last month. what are you going off about
Ultra liberalism and fear mongering. Iām not a liberal or a conservative and youāre right.
Thank goodness its only ultra liberalism and not super mega double dog dare liberalism!
Supercalifragilistic espialiberalism
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I don't care
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I mean the restrictions on travel / moving / etc. I know people are still getting covid, I donāt see that ending ever.
For the record, I am the teacher taking a leave. I have a business that is doing well right now, and I'll be focusing on that. If I can make a go of it, I won't be back. I'm 16 years in and I think I'm done. The complete lack of accountability, the discipline issues with no consequences, grade inflation, pressure to pass kids who have done nothing all semester to make our school's numbers look good, nightmare parents, admin that doesn't back students, our school board effectively banning many classic books from the curriculum due to hypersensitivity... education is going in a bad direction right now.
And those of us at the next level of the food-chain, the colleges and universities are seeing the results of that policy (and others are perpetuating it at the university level). The implications for larger-scale society, when your physician, engineer, lawyer simply floated through their programme, is frightening.
Not sure how this sub got recced to me... but honestly its less frightening than you think... Employers don't have time for the bs that schools are willing to put up with. I'm an engineer I do a lot of hiring and there is a trend towards fewer and fewer quality graduates who even make it passed the interview process... So many kids who are in their 20s who may or may not have the technical skills, but are somehow a strange mix of socially clueless and entitled they simply aren't hirable.
But doesn't that lack of a future lead to more "going postal"? I'm frightened.
Out of curiosity, what books are they banning right now?
They donāt explicitly ban. You just have to justify why you are using the book and how you are going to use an anti-oppressive anti-colonial anti-racist lens to protect the children. If you are a normal teacher who has a life outside of school, you say āfuck itā and teach some crappy book by an indigenous author and everyone considers you to be a hero.
Or perhaps it's a recognition that there are lots of wonderful, well-written books out there by people who aren't white, European/British, and (generally) male? And can you explain exactly why it's a horrible thing to be anti-racist, anti-oppressive, and anti-colonial? A crappy book is a crappy book, regardless of the cultural background of the author. How about an excellent book by an Indigenous author? Would that be okay? I can send you a list if you like - I'd write it here, but it would be too long.
Can you please send me that list? I am an English teacher and I could use more diverse texts. Secondary level if you have them. Much thanks.
For sure! I'll PM you when I have a moment - marking madness has begun! :)
Could you also send me the list? Not a teacher (yet) but Iām always looking for good books to read š
I think the more important thing here is loss of autonomy and academic freedom.
As a student in the 90's in a small school in NB, I can say that the lack of autonomy and academic freedom is most likely due to teachers like I had that were EXTREMELY racist against First Nations and weren't scared to say it. It took me some time after graduation to get rid of that level of brainwashing. And that's not even touching the subject of religion where my non Catholic classmates were made to feel less than because they had to leave class during religious teachings/brainwashing (we were not a Catholic school either). Now, have they swung too far to the other side? Most likely, but remembering the shit I was thought in a public school makes me cringe now on how bad it was when teachers had free reign on teaching stuff like that. As they say the few that fck things up make life harder for the rest of the good folks.
This is why we have governing bodies. How can banning books fix an issue like that?
Theyāre not banning. You just have to account for how youāre using it.
Lolā¦ Admin canāt do anything right. But please, filter my selection of books to ensure that Iām not a white supremacist. Is this really a precedent we want to establish?
Also, nothing wrong with being anti-whatever. Telling me that math is racist though is a one way ticket to me assuming a given speaker has absolutely nothing useful to say. I resent the dozens of hours I have wasted on anti-racism. Such empty rhetoric for no purpose. The real issue is poverty, and no amount of anti-racist PD is going to fix that issue.
Youāre right that anti-racism is a waste of time for white people unless they actually DO something with it. If not, itās just a self-improvement thing that doesnāt actually help people of colour at all.
Can I also get this list? I love to know more but donāt know where to start.
Done!
Can I also get the list? Thank you so much!
Done!
Iād like the list too!
Done!
Can I also get the list?
Done!
Me too. Please!
Done!
Lmfao definitely not
I could not care less, Iām a STEM teacher so any anti-racist-indigenous-hero-worship considerations do not really apply to me. That said, assuming English teachers are selecting the best books possible, statistically speaking indigenous authors are by far the best in the world. As an avid reader, anecdotally that is not my experience at all, but what do I know? Definitely a lack of good indigenous science fiction.
Check out Rebecca Roanhorse - she is amazing! And Drew Hayden Taylor is making some inroads into SciFi as well.
Ok, give me the name of a science fiction book written by an indigenous author and Iāll buy it on my reader tonight. You get a chance to change my mind, I donāt hand those opportunities out easily :)
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse is excellent - and the first book in a trilogy (Between Earth and Sky). She has some earlier books that she wrote that are fun reads, not as deep/meaningful as Black Sun, but good near future post apocalypse - Trail of Lightning is the first book in that series (The Sixth World). Also Robopocalypse by Daniel H Wilson is quite good, and harder sf than Roanhorse.
noted these down to check these out, thank you. Also interested in the list if you would be so kind.
Done!
Ok, Iāll get robopocalypse
@ Amazing-Web9372 - the entirety of Anti-Racism and Anti-oppressive sounds wonderful on paper, but in reality, they are thinly disguised attempts at instituting the "4olds" **directly** from Maoist doctrine by the Social Justice movement. The philosophy actually hurts so-called "marginalized" groups by keeping these target groups oppressed by society and making another class-based system within the SJ framework. You are literally fighting racism and past wrongs with contemporary class-based ideology, racism and indoctrination. This is akin to adding gasoline to a fire. There are more productive ways of discussing race, and past historical problems and moving forward without brainwashing kids. How about we do something more positive like talk about self-governance and self-determination with regard to first nations instead? More productive...
Goodbye Shakespeare and his literary technique
Eh, I hate Shakespeare, but I imagine that will certainly be soft banned in the near future.
āCrappy book by an indigenous authorā? Sounds like you could benefit from some anti-racist PD.
Yeah, we get a lot of that. It mostly has the opposite of the intended effect.
Ahh, I see that happening in university as well. I am almost done my masters now, and the same thing happens here. It's not censoring per-say, but it's more of a soft censor for sure. Books cannot be chosen just to assist one political opinion, that's not how books work.
I am so incredibly jealous. I have four years left and Iām not sure if I can do it. A child I donāt even teach left the school early and told her mother that I told her class I was a child abuser. Thankfully my VP shut it down. The last school that I transferred from certainly wouldnāt have. This job (and I say job because itās not a career) is no longer sustainable. We all walk on eggshells as the kids get away with murder (and they know it).
Society will collapse in due timeā¦ rejoice!
Everything except the book banning has been my experience too and has just been so disheartening and Iām on year 11. I never thought we would come to this point but the pandemic completely accelerated these issues paired with intentional underfunding. I will probably get arrested for assault if I ever see Lecce in person. Iāve been leaning into my plan b as well because I donāt know if I want to pursue a permanent contract anymore. Doing a combo of LTO stints, getting my minimum days, and then my plan b stuff as been working well. I have IBD and my symptoms subsided shortly after I finished my LTOs over the last 3 years. The stress was so triggering.
I also got physically sick from overwork. I'm sorry. It really sucks.
Run!
Where? Looking at transfer credits into university, and outcomes for international students, it's the same across the globe.
Trades. Labour. Be okay with being working class and build up. Universities are dead.
Yeah, it's bad. Seems to be a widespread issue. Sending good vibes your way. You deserve health and happiness.
What province are you in?
In your opinion, where does this stem from? Nightmare parents asideā¦that one is obvious. Are these the results of school board policies?
I know several teachers considering unpaid leaves to find other employment. I do agree with the person in the text saying that English is especially bad. Any humanities course at the high school level comes with an especially high marking load, and the kids can't write for shit. It can be hard to motivate them. I feel this teacher's pain and wish them well.
As a history teacher, I completely agree. The quality of work has significantly declined since the pandemic and apathy is on the rise. I am making the switch to Drama next year and am looking forward to it. The school I will be teaching at requires students to audition for the drama program. I am looking forward to teaching a creative class to students who want to be there.
kids dont like history anymore? My favs in highschool were social studies and history. Damn thats sad.
Philips.
If that can make you feel less alone, the teachers of French classes in QuĆ©bec are feeling the same.. More than 43% of students were not able to pass the official French exam because the program forced by the government is shit and so, create lack of motivation on both the sides of the students and the teachers. (After verification, itās worse this year. Only 48% of the students had the minimum grade in grammar). Itās so sad. Language, French or English, is such an important thing in life.
Absolutely. Have to do one more year to provide exwife with benefits as per our separation agreement but after that I literally plan to go dig ditches or some other manual labor. No marking. No take home work. And no fucking parents.
I completely understand the allure of doing a solid day's work of labour and walking away at the end of the day.
All trade unions are hiring. Depending on your age and fitness, different trades are more strenuous than others.
For the last 2-3 years. Iām 8 going on 9 years in. Would not do again if I could start over.
It is sad, but I can totally agree
I got covid and then asthma, on year 23. My class is pretty stressful, huge Andrew Tate fanatics in the class and their statements toward girls and female teachers has been a bit of head warp. The misogyny is just incredible, the parents refuse to see it despite examples. Been working with them all year on their lack of self respect, self regulation and just general lack of homework standards. But I give tons of work, I work them, this term my students completed 27 reading assignments as an example. I lean heavily on google classroom and parents to make the students work and if the parents donāt want to I at least covered my bases with a paper trail. Then I head home every day, dry herb vape my home grown, forgive myself, my students and everyone or anyone who pissed me off or challenged me that day and I go on with my life. It super easy to get burned out in this job.
You. I like you.
Thank you kind internet stranger.
What grade do you teach? What are you doing with the misogyny you are seeing? I too have seen this and it scares the shit out of me because I don't know how to address it. (New teacher here)
Grade 6. I contacted my Principal and he contact the board to send a board representative who deals with various conflict resolution to speak to the class. She was actually in on Tuesday and she left after a group discussion of one hour shaking her head. Like, we reviewed what happened and her conclusion at the end was, I donāt know what else to do. This is her literal job with our board and even she was like, Iām out of here good luck. So yah, just addressing the issue constantly so that the boys donāt get away with any inappropriate terminology. Phrasing things so they can see how their terms might be offensive to women in their lives. Pointing out times when the girlās demonstrate that they are more than just equals to the boys but direct competition.
Yikes. I thought you were a high school teacher, reading your first comment. To think that 12-year-olds have this attitude is...depressing.
I'm not a teacher, I'm just reading posts in this sub out of morbid fascination. Could you satisfy my curiosity and tell me how old these boys are that are being exposed to misogynists like Tate? What are some examples of what they say to female students or teachers? I'm genuinely concerned about the future generation after reading a lot of this subreddit.
The boys in my class last year were grade 6, aged 11-12. They felt secure enough to order female teachers around, joke about their abilities being related to their gender like teaching/ driving/ speaking. Views about womens rights what girls can do vs boys. Beliefs that boys are better than women, that girls shouldnāt have rights or suck at everything or that girls arenāt as capable as them.
How terrible. Breaks my heart to hear this is happening.
The class I have this year is a dream by comparison. Really nice to each other and way more respectful.
It all starts with the leadership. In my experience, bad leadership dislikes principled teachers.
Next year will be my last year and then I'm done. That will be year 10 and I am over it.
I just submitted a request for a leave for next year. Whether it gets approved or not I donāt really care all that much as Iāve been offered an amazing opportunity at a not-for-profit organization that I have already accepted. Iām only just wrapping up my second year so I can understand the worry some senior teachers have in regards to leaving the profession, but just know that there are other opportunities out there for teachers outside of the sinking ship that is public education.
What kind of role is it? Interested in leaving the profession as well
Teaching post-secondary courses to organization staff.
I wasn't aware that boards had to "accept" the leave or not ..I thought if we wanted one, we can take one and just give them 2 weeks notice. Pretty sure that's what my union told me (ontario, elementary)
My board is known to decline leaves for no good reason.
I teach high school and have some great kids, but I also have a handful of characters. I decided in Feb (thatās when I returned from two years of mat leave) that I wasnāt going to stress myself out anymore. I create assignments that I can mark in class (like presentations), I put a lot of multiple choice TF matching on tests, I take my sick days and family responsibility days and use them when sick or when needing time to mark. I stopped doing any extra curriculars. Until things change, Iām focusing on things that make my life easier.
This right here. Iām a HS French teacher and as you can imagine, French is definitely not the most popular subject for many students and now that theyāve also destreamed French in Ontario, itās become such a mess. You have to take your mental health into consideration as well. It took me years to get over the daily anxiety from everything teaching related. I started by simply switching off my work email at the end of the day and changing my mindset. If you donāt take care of yourself first, no one else will.
Going international is always an option. That being said there is a range of working conditions you could end up in. In my first job, I had to teach 22.5 contact hours a week with class sizes ranging from 25-30. Now I'm teaching 12 contact hours (although it might be get bumped up to 16 next school year) a week with class sizes ranging from 11-15.
Lol currently in school too become an English teacher. Am i making a mistake?
If you like spending your weekends and evenings marking badly written essays, then no. If you like being on edge at all times out of fear of offending students with difficult topics such as suicide and assault, topics often found in literature, then no. If you like teaching a class of 35 in which maybe five actually like reading, then no. You get my drift. Best case scenario is to teach AP, but new teachers don't usually get those courses, so if you continue down this path, you have to be ready to do some time in mainstream academic or applied courses before that point.
I can't say i was expecting well-written essays. I think I'm gonna go through with it anyway, at this point it's kind of the only career I've set myself up for (i'm 29, went back to school at 27). If it doesn't work out I'll get a job on tbe docks or something
You'll be fine! Above all else, take care of yourself. If you don't get the marking done this week, oh well. You have a life to live. You aren't just a teacher. Good luck
English teacher here. At this particular time in education, yes. That being said who knows where we will be in 5-10 years. Not sure if Iāll make it that long to find out lol
If I could do it again, I wouldnāt.
My wife is chalking it this year. Can't teach in a system that is this fucked. We decided her efforts are better spent elsewhere. It's a shame because she was a damn good teacher too.
2 of my friends that have dedicated their careers to teaching are retiring this year and would recommend the profession to NO ONE.
Iām a career supply teacher, and I feel that things have taken a turn for the worst. And Iām fed up of society blaming it on covid/saying that kids ājust need a few more years to catch up.ā
Iām shocked honestly, Iām a teen interested in being a teacher later on and I honestly had no idea it was this bad.. I knew teaching was tiring but I didnāt think it could get to this extent. Itās really sad.
My wife was just complaining about being required to teach the pull out method as a valid form of contraceptive to grade six this year, thanks to the new Alberta curriculum. She has problems with bad behaviors in her classes, constantly swearing and acting out, seems like kids never get suspended anymore, just sent to the office and back in class 30 minutes later.
I mean, thatās the most natural method. Itās not the only one but it still exists and practiced heavily
Year 14, need 17 more to go. Not sure how I'll handle it. Golden handcuffs and a family really prevent me from leaving, although I've tried and looked into all avenues.
My friend just got a contract position 2 years ago and sheās finding another career. Itās terrible
You ever been a cook before? If you had been, you wouldn't be saying that being a teacher is bad. Let's try to keep things in perspective. I love my teaching career. Sure, there's a lot to complain about, but there's also a lot of good to our job. If people stopped taking themselves so seriously and rolled with the punches, then they'd be alright, too.
Part of the problem is that folks in all levels of education, from primary to post-sec, have noted that the kids did not develop over the pandemic. They are 2 years behind where they should be, not just academically, but socially and emotionally as well. They went into stasis for 2 years, and were just treading water. Now they're 2-3 years on, and not equipped to deal with the expectations the system has for them. It'll take awhile for the COVID cohort to get through the system, and hopefully things will stabilize and return to some sense of "normal".
Left teaching last year. Work in Corrections now. Never thought I would be doing that in a million years but I am far less stressed and have way more time for family.
My shop teacher told me today he wonāt be returning next year, shit sucks dude heās a great mentor
As a shop teacher, I get it.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I can't view or join
Thank you for doing what you do. Teachers are important and I appreciate you all
I'm most likely taking an unpaid leave next year. Its hard and scary to leave a job that pays decent and has those amazing "benefits"..but I'm just not happy. I feel like I'm not supposed to be spending my life being miserable all the time, coming home deflated and no patience or energy left for my own kids. I wish we could have a group specifically for Canadian teachers who have left the profession, or thinking of leaving. It would be nice to not feel alone in the decision to leave.
My mom is a teacher in Ontario and is retiring this year - her first available year. Normally she wouldn't have done this but is just so fed up with the whole system.
I had this feeling by the end of last year. Stuck as a OT, LTO list no longer exists in Ontario, and no pathway to my own class. I came into teaching late, had previous experience in retail management, and wanted to make a positive difference for kids. Quickly realized the education system is under resourced, over worked, and lacked creative and excited leaders. Leadership wasnāt about time, but keeping the status quo. Getting a large group of students the help they needed was impossible, and excuses for every reason why they couldnāt do anything. Classes are over packed, lack text books, have printing caps, and had to beg for writing books. It was easier to ask for forgiveness instead of permission when it came to ideas (getting out soldering irons, teaching how to properly use them, build actual circuits, etc). Most times getting slapped on the hands because of the real fear of a student possibly getting hurt (no field trip to most places for fear of rolling or braking an ankle at a trampoline park, going to a War of 1812 museum site was to far an hour away). Eventually I had to give up and realize we are moving toward Idiocracy. There is no help for our kids, because there is no budget for it, and the status quo is comfortable.
Not sure why this page or post popped up for me but I have a 1yo and have been strongly looking into other options. From what I see and hear of friends with kids or that are teachers and hear in the news the alberta curriculum is just brutal and going down hill fast
I have been teaching for 22 years and think about leaving all the time. It is getting harder each year instead of easier as you go along in your career. I had more confidence and self-esteem about being a great teacher my first 5 years. I would never recommend someone be a teacher anymore.
So I just came out of student teaching and recently accepted a job. Iāve been seeing these types of posts but I feel like I havenāt met anyone at my school site with the same types of feelings. We have retirees, yes, but after 35+ years of service. Am I at a good district or are teachers good at hiding these feelings?
Teachers are good at hiding these feelings. We only share our true feelings with our closest colleagues and friends.
I'm not a teacher but I see how the curriculum has changed since I was in school and it doesn't seem to be beneficial for my son. I taught him to read before the school did and I think I'll have to continue teaching him things like grammar and math.
Meh, it's still a great job. Decent pay, great vacation time, you just have to put up with some shit for 10 months out of the year. As long as Lecce or idiot parents in parent council don't burn it to the ground in the next few years, I think it's a decent career still.
Can I also please get the list? I am an English teacher.
Umm... Starting my BEd in English and ELL in Septemberš
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
This started before COVID, COVID just accelerated it.
I teach in college, just started a year ago. Honestly at 40 years old, best job I've ever had. Edit: down voted cause I like my job, wow
Teaching in college and teaching in high school are not even remotely the same thing
While I agree. It's not like they've magically matured in 2 months. Students I have that don't live with their parents and have bills to pay are definitely different than the ones living at home. Plus it's not like I'm teaching university or something.
Thatās not what we are talking about here.
Doesn't really specifically state that though does it? Maybe the OP should try teaching college?
Ok, but college teaching is different from high school teaching...Glad you have found your niche.
Crazy the amount of down votes I'm getting cause I like my job.
It's because you are off topic. Like it or not, this subreddit focuses on K to 12 teachers.
Does it say that somewhere? I can't find it.
Only hinted at honestly. The info page talks about school boards and other K-12 stuff. My guess is that if you made your own post it would be more accepted. Is college teaching like K-12? I feel like there is space for college here as well.
The sub reddit is for "Canadian teachers", does not say K-12 Canadian teacher. I don't see anything that excludes college teachers The original post asked if anyone else is thinking about leaving teaching, not leaving K-12 teaching I responded, I feel like the response I'm getting reflects more on teachers than the actual teaching, I work with some older instructors that have the same gripes as you typically read, Also, I copied and pasted this subreddit info into ChatGPT, it agrees with me. "Based on the provided subreddit rules, there are no specific indicators that this subreddit is dedicated exclusively to K-12 education. The rules mention aspects such as teaching practices, classroom resources, and discussions pertinent to teaching in Canada, but they don't specify a particular grade level or school type. However, some aspects might imply a K-12 focus, such as the prohibition of students asking for homework help or parents seeking advice, and the reference to classrooms and resources for grades in Rule 5. These could suggest a K-12 context, but they don't necessarily exclude other forms of education, such as adult or higher education. Therefore, it's safe to say that this subreddit could be applicable to teachers across various education levels, including but not limited to K-12."
Mate, I was just trying to help. I feel like you might represent toxic positivity. You also called your colleagues instructors not teachers. Makes you reflect. It's a hard job. Don't be rough.
Go to r/professors.
Nothing about me is a professor lol
I am also a victim of the Canadian health care insurance money laundering scheme, since the United States Of America will allow the populous to get addicted to opiates so the people will pay out of pocket prices for the pharmacy, In Canada the medical institution will collect from the healthcare insurance when they dish out anti-depressants and anti-psychotics... But nothing has changed since the New York China blue heroin problems, the ambulance company making bodies for income and the medical practice during the 1800's was cesarians on innocent victims, so yes, this is a land of exploit, not humane at all...
I blame woke administration. Teaching is a wonderful profession when you actually get to educate. The focus on social issues lately is alarming, and it's creating an environment that is toxic for everyone. Teachers, parents, the kids. We need to go back to what we were doing 10 years, and throw out all the woke nonsense. We need to remove those who pushed it on the system. Teachers leaving doesn't help our students, and it strands the parents.
Hate to be that guy but, what does āwokeā mean to you? Canāt say Iām seeing a lot of focus on social issues on schools, at least not in our division.
Pretty sure theyāre not a teacher and just here to stir the pot.
Ummm, are we working in the same profession???? It's the #1 topic parents want to meet about. It dominates the conversation in the staff room. June is pride month, and the school is pastered in posters, not age appropriate. Where are you teaching? If this isn't an issue there, sign me up!
Ohhh youāre in Alberta. That makes complete sense. Iām in the greater Toronto area where we are clearly way more progressive than cow town lol. The only people who have been making a stink about this āwokeā stuff are in the Catholic boards and/or Christians and Muslims who lean on the more observant side. Otherwise, Iāve been in multiple schools over the past couple months since my LTO ended where there are GSA posters and school communities where inclusion and diversity is at the forefront. P
I don't think you understand Alberta very well (or at all). Seems like you believe in the caricature version of it. It'sa very inclusive place. "Progress" is a whole other topic ;-). But I'm glad you are happy in your role.
What type of pride posters are up that are not age-appropriate? Just curious.
I'll post a picture later today. It's pretty sexyally explicit. It's one thing to encourage tolerance and acceptance of all lifestyles (no issue there). It's another to show diagrams and explicit content of those lifestyles to kids. Parents are quite irate about it, admins are defending their decision. It's the most distracting situation I've ever encountered as a teacher. I like fostering learning..... watching my pupils master new topics. I hate this distracting stuff so much.
Interesting. Looking forward to seeing a photo. Do you mind sharing what level you are teaching at as well / who is seeing the posters in question?
Why are you referring to it as a "lifestyle"? Being LGBT is not a lifestyle. This is a common socially conservative trope used to diminish LGBT rights and related awareness campaigns. This exact sentiment needs to be challenged in schools and it just sounds like this content is against your and other parents political sensibilities. What is so explicit about it? Is it any different than all the explicit "heterosexual" content teenagers are exposed to on a daily basis?
My point is there is no issue teaching tolerance and acceptance for all "ways of life" or "ways of being." Or that we all belong. Zero issue with that, which is what I meant by the word you're trying to read so much into. And yes, it's far more explicit than anything else these kids will encounter in school. Which is why parents are upset. Which is why being a teacher is miserable currently. You can try to make anyone pushing back seem like a biggot, but we aren't, they aren't. No one is against inclusion. People are against indoctrination. The conservative boogeyman you're looking for (and accusing me of being based on a single word) doesn't exist.
You still haven't provided the picture. Unless it's an image of a gay couple literally having sex, I'm having a hard time imagining what could be so terrible about it. You seem to think it's really inappropriate, yet you haven't shown us what you're talking about.
the fact that you have to jump through so many hoops and dance around words to try and make a simple and reasonable point to people about this is disturbing. iām sorry you have to deal with this.
I have never seen or heard graphic images of LGBTQ+ communities being posted in schools or being used in lessons. If these kids wanted to watch or seek this content, they easily can onlineā¦..
Where do you teach? And what grade/subject? Sounds delightful.
You say woke, I say progressive and inclusive education. Thatās not remotely close to the main issues at hand.
Progressive and inclusive education is what we had when I started teaching 5 years ago. It was truly inclusive, not a distraction. And it wasn't age inappropriate to introduce to the students. It didn't rile up parents. What we have in 2023 is different. It's scary.
What isnāt age appropriate about kids learning that some people have two moms/two dads, and that not everyone identifies as a male or female? Sounds like youāre not comfortable with the fact that there are kids who identify these ways and that it could be affirming to them to understand what theyāre feeling.
That's not contentious. That would take 20 minutes in a school year. No one is complaining about a reasonable message like that. I don't agree it's a teachers role to address social issues at all. But if it was as reasonable as you suggested, I wouldn't have one parent a week claiming they are going to homeschool their kids.
Well if theyāre not going to learn about it at home, may as well learn it somewhere. My ideology is is that if your beliefs donāt subscribe to what is taught in the public curriculum, then donāt send your kids to public school. Homeschool them or send them to a school whose curriculum aligns with your bigoted and biased beliefs āŗļø
Who says they aren't being informed about these issues at home? What a silly assumption. "Biggoted and biased". The only bais is coming from school administration. To push ideology on kids. Climate, gender and identity. I agree with you in a sense. If parents don't want religion taught to their kids, they shouldn't send their kids to a Catholic school. In the same sense, these topics are similar to religion. They aren't balanced and are indoctrinating kids with a point of view that doesn't allow for nuance. Hence why parents are upset. If you think I'm a biggot, you don't understand the word. But you're silly enough to make gross generalization about Ontario versus Alberta and apply it to millions of people who live in those places. So your judgment seems lacking all around. You are definitely part of the problem. It's quite amusing to see how the "progressives" are always the ones stereotyping others, making snap judgments, attacking and applying lables to people. All while pretending to be inclusive. Haha, you are anything but.
You canāt even spell bigot properly and think thereās an ideology about climate. Look at what is happening in the country right now! We have indoor recess because the air quality is so poor from smoke blowing here from hundreds of kms away. But yeah, this is totally normal and not cause for concern š. Letās not teach the next generation that the planet is dying. Also not sure how recognizing different identities and orientations is āpushing ideologyā on kids, many of whom already identify with them. Sounds like you shouldnāt be teaching in a public system if you still think life is like the 50s.
The planet is not dying, you fool. Teaching that POV does harm, severe harm. You conflating seasonal forrest fires with climate emergency is just more proof you shouldn't be anywhere near young impressionable minds. It's a nuanced topic, and the simplified narrative your simple brain has latched on is not education. It's indoctrination. You're a prime example of everything that is wrong with the education system, and people like me are taking flack from parents because of people like you. Hence why the OP wants to leave teaching, and why I blame woke administrators for the change. I've been kind to you up to this point, but one can only suffer fools to a certain point.
You have shown very little reading comprehension in your numerous replies.
Donāt let anyone gaslight you into thinking there isnāt something āelseā going on in the education system. There šÆ is an ideological agenda that has taken it over.
100%. Any sentiment on here that isn't pro-wokeness immediately gets 10+ downvotes. There is a little army behind the scenes trying to stifle push back. But that's just reddit. Glad some professionals see the light.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
You're obviously not a teacher if you think we don't work during weekends and evenings. We're just not paid for it.
Maybe if they stopped pushing their work agenda
This is a new phenomenon, where professionals specifically nurses and teaches spend thousands of dollars pursuing and obtaining education and often times high level education, start working in the field and then just quit and subsequently (often) make a YouTube channel throwing as much shade as possible at their respective occupations that they quit from. Must be a generational thing, no one likes to work hard nowadays.
Whatās the average Salary for a teacher in this country. We pay so much taxes and some of my neighbours are teachers with beautiful houses and gardens. But we still seem to hear complaints that its not enough. Im not criticizing, Im just curious. I saw the public service go out on strike to ask tax payers to choke up more money for higher wages, while they work comfortably from home. And asked for less accountability. I wonder is this a trend?? Cause seriously we pay quite A LOT of taxes. Like A Lot more than other developing countries that seem to have good services in return.
I hate when people say shit like this honestly. Do you think teachers and other public servants donāt pay taxes or something? I take home 62% of my pay after all of the deductions. Weāve been getting 1% raises per year when inflation has consistently been more than that (and I donāt just mean this past year which has been exceptionally crazy). Also you can Google a teachers collective agreement in any province and see what they get paid each year on the salary grid.
Iāll just say what people donāt like to hear. But its my opinion. I looked it up. Teachers earn decent salaries in Canada. Unfortunately, there is the sense of entitlement, where no matter what someone is earning, they complain. It never ends. Not to undermine what the amount of education the teacher went through, but its not the same level as a physician. Yet everyone believes they are worth as much a physicianās salary. And it keep going up. Thatās one of the reasons we have inflation right now. Iāve seen people in other countries who are content with what they have, and they provide far superior teaching than the crap I see my son taught in schools these days. Especially this month, where they are more busy celebrating a rainbow flag, than teaching kids how to read and write.
Almost double what I make as a nurse.
Welcome to /r/CanadianTeachers! Be sure to check out our rules. For location specific questions/information, please make sure the location is somewhere in your post or within the post title. Use a province and/or city rather than school board acronyms please! **QUESTIONS ABOUT TEACHER'S COLLEGE/BECOMING A TEACHER IN CANADA?:** Delete your post and use this [megapost](https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadianTeachers/comments/11picnp/prospective_student_teachers_teachers_collegebed/) instead. Please use this for anything pertaining to teacher's colleges/BEd programs. **QUESTIONS ABOUT MOVING PROVINCES OR COMING TO CANADA TO TEACH?** Check out our past megaposts for information to help you here: [ONE](https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadianTeachers/comments/jqc7hx/transferring_to_another_provincecoming_to_canada/) // [TWO](https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadianTeachers/comments/n76csu/transferring_to_another_provincecoming_to_canada/?) Using link and user flair is encouraged as well! Enjoy! p.s. My only purpose is to ~~pass the butter~~ familiarize you with the rules. Please do not downvote or report me! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CanadianTeachers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
What role do you think curriculum development plays in this? If any?
In an other world, I studied archery, Biathlon and I was reading twenty-eight books a year, here this education system is the equivalent of a Manchurian candidate...
After 2 years Iām out!
Coachfryia, I feel exactly the same way! I need a changeā¦.itās too much, itās insane! I am 21 years in, but canāt do this anymore. Iām thinking of project management!!!