Ontario high school students are being disproportionately affected by the conflict between the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF) and the provincial government. The OSSTF mandated its members to withdraw from extracurricular activities in early December. Given that the Liberals have imposed contracts under Bill 115 for a period of two years, the OSSTF will likely continue to use the ban on extracurricular activities as a negotiating tool.
What is most worrying about the conflict is the way in which students are being used as pawns by the OSSTF to advance and promote a political message. The OSSTF has released two TV advertisements, one featuring students ready to attend band with musical instruments in hand, and one with a group of basketball players. The ads are short, and a female voice narrates: "there is only one thing standing between public high school students and their extracurricular activities. Fight Bill 115."
It is conveniently glossed over that the extracurricular ban came from the top brass at OSSTF.
Students' anger over the loss of extracurricular activities should not be directed towards the government, as the ad suggests. Nor should it be directed against individual teachers, who have very little leeway to deviate from the orders issued by the union. An Ottawa-area teacher did just this and continued to lead extracurricular activities in class. According to her, she was phoned and threatened by a union official with a fine. The OSSTF also posts the information of those who violate its orders in its publicly accessible newsletter, according to its vice president. With the union putting such severe restrictions on its members, it is no surprise that very few teachers attempt to hold activities for students.
The Guelph Mercury editorial board opines that the OSSTF has been successful in winning the hearts and minds of students. They note that teachers have likely not covered this subject in a "full and balanced" way, which should be expected before an informed opinion can be reached on any contentious political topic. This blatant one-sidedness should worry all Ontarians about a precedent being set in how teachers and unions can inject their political views into students. Students should be able to reach an informed decision after being presented with both sides of an issue.
Ontario students deserve the right to quality education, and as Premier McGuinty states, "Ontarians expect, rightly, that uncertainty in education will not continue indefinitely."
Furthermore, the OSSTF is quite disingenuous with respect to its own internal policies when it instituted the extracurricular ban. According to section 6.6 of its Policies and Procedures, "it is the policy of OSSTF that involvement in extra-curricular activities should be voluntary." The word voluntary is defined by Merriam-Webster as "proceeding from the will or from one's own choice or consent," or being "unconstrained by interference." OSSTF's call to end extracurricular activities dictates what members can do in their private lives. This same decree tells teachers that they must show up 15 minutes before classes begin and leave immediately after their final class. How much further will the OSSTF venture into its members' personal and private lives until these infringements are recognized as rights violations?
Originally published in The Prince Arthur Herald.
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Why not? In every dispute there are two sides, both equally responsible for the effects and outcomes of the dispute. So you can't absolve the government.
And since power comes from unity, those teachers who break ranks are in effect undermining the other teachers' capability of reaching an advantageous deal. A deal which, btw, will benefit the deserters too when it goes into effect.
Not a very honest blog.
-Manpreet Basuita
Ontario teachers are the very best of university output. They are idealistic, underpaid, and not necessarily worldly. They are respectful of authority and tend to want to please, which is why they will do almost anything, regardless of how unreasonable it would seem to other wage earners.
"Do more with less" has always been the watchword of education.
There will those who do not want the discomfort of taking the union stand. Their reasons are personal, but the impact of their actions is not. Just as they will receive the benefits of a settlement, so should they take responsibility for acquiring it.
It is moot whether extracurricular activities are "voluntary." It is certain that they are outside of class time and in addition to preparation, meetings and marking. And one has to ask why a community that can fund and run Hockey can't also run Drama Club.
If a school has no extracurricular activities, it does not endanger a student's year, or even prevent a student from pursuing those activities extramurally.
The "Students As Hostage" argument is a tired one. Before "push," there should be "shove." And where can you make a gentler shove than by withdrawing from extracurricular activities.
Teaching these days is too hard. I'm glad I'm not doing it. But I'm with the teachers and with any other group of workers who seek to protect their right to collective bargaining.
I wonder how many hours he puts in free every year. Maybe he should volunteer 2 hours a day at some school teaching them how not to write an article that is going to be read by the public.
It is frustrating because I don't have the vocabulary to say what I want to say without using some very colourful language, so suffice it to say I am glad he doesn't live on my street!
I think most teachers want to do EC work..want to be orofessionls....their union wants them to behave like hourly wage workers......