58 Replies to “Oh, The Humanity!”

  2. Four words for all teachers: Vouchers and Charter Schools. After that, transition to private schools. It’s the only way to get rid of the monopoly Unions.

        1. Private unions usually have a real partnership with the employer in that it is a level playing field – see the CN strike – yes some short term pain, but both groups had real things at stake if a deal with not made. And if the strike is settled with the union winning too much, the employer (through its senior management) will feel the pain (and might lose their jobs).

          But with public sector unions, we have idiot politicians who will give anything to settle so that there is no public relations backlash. Along with senior bureaucrats who can give the union anything (as directed by the politicians) and suffer NO consequences – they will continue to get their guaranteed salaries and retire with their huge pension payout. The only people who lose are the taxpayers who will end up funding the deal. The leverage for the union is the threat that kiddies will go wanting or that public services such as health will disappear. For that reason alone, public sector unions should be banned – no group should be able to threaten public services.

          Plus, look at the number of public pension plans (City of Regina is one) which are underway and the ONLY way for it to be viable is with a huge infusion of cash from taxpayers.

          The only thing that the NDP did right in the 1970s was to turn the provincial employees benefit plan from a defined benefit to a defined contribution thus relieving taxpayers from covering any shortages. And as far as I know, there is no retired provincial employee that is poor as a senior.

          1. “Private unions usually have a real partnership with the employer in that it is a level playing field – see the CN strike – yes some short term pain, but both groups had real things at stake if a deal with not made. And if the strike is settled with the union winning too much, the employer (through its senior management) will feel the pain (and might lose their jobs).”

            Perfect reply to the above:
            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hfYJsQAhl0

          2. Private sector unions are good at one thing and that is ultimately destroying their members jobs. Public sector unions are far worse as they are by nature in conflict. Through political action they work to be represented on both sides of the negotiating table while never having to worry about their jobs disappearing. The only way they should be allowed to be unionized is if they forfeit their franchise (Can’t vote).

  3. The Teachers Union wants more money for teachers which in turn gives them more money. Unions aren’t really needed anymore, so if we got rid of the unions this would mean more money back into the pocket of the TAXPAYERS. It is to bad it has come down to this where teachers are rioting and demstrating fire them all!!

  4. I have a relative that is a “teacher” and like every “teacher”, I have had the displeasure to meet, they all constantly gripe and moan about how they are over worked, underpaid and not respected enough. Of course all this and their routine striking is all about the kids, doncha know.

    1. Two teachers on my crescent – they leave for work at 8:30 a.m. and return by 4 p.m. plus the summers off. If you have been teaching for more than 5 years, you have your lesson plans set (unless there is a major change in the curriculum). They even brag about how easy their work is since they get to decide on homework assignments (usually easy) and have plenty of time to mark essays (which they don’t assign often) or other homework assignments (they usually plan on getting the class to ‘mark’ the homework as a ‘learning’ experience.

  5. Ask a teacher how long it took them to find a job.
    Then ask them if they understand the concept of supply and demand as it applies to labor and salary.

    I notice they mentioned something about anti-bullying too.
    Oblivious fools.

  6. That works out to $90.00 an hour. A nice starting wage with no experience to start. I would like just 1 teacher to justify having kids for 13 years and according to the education industry they still need more education before they can do anything. I would say what’s wrong with this picture but I think we all know.

  8. $90k a year, for doing precisely nothing a computer can’t be programmed to do in 2019.

    Fire them all.

    Confiscate their blessed Ontario Teachers’ pension fund. Nobody in the real world gets a pension any more.

    Use it to retire some of the debt the Libranos racked up. The Ontario Teachers’ fund has a net worth $191 billion at last report, over half of Queen’s Park’s $348 billion dollar debt burden. Taxpayers have far better uses for that $191 billion. Using it for debt repayment, by my calculation, would pay for tax cuts to the tune of $2000 a year for a family of four.

  9. My wife earns less than that after almost 25 years working for the Oakland School District … where she should be making twice that for “combat pay”. OTOH … her benefits alone run about $25k/yr.

    Not a horrible gig … but the REAL tragedy is that my highly competent, most-requested teacher in her school is paid the exact same amount as the dead weight, burned out, old teachers in her district. Federal workers get big yearly Bonuses … for showing up on time, while my wife gets ZERO recognition for her consistently high standards (and successful test scores).

    1. There are many good teachers but you are right – because of the system they are neither rewarded or appreciated. And then officials wonder why teachers don’t stay. I’m betting it is the good teachers that leave and you are left with the poor ones.

  10. In my son’s last year in school, Gr 12, the high school teachers voted for an extra ‘ 5 school days off ‘ spring holiday by extending the school time per day by roughly 2 minutes to make up the lost time.

    A joke to say the least as what kid is paying attention while waiting for the end of day bell.

  11. I worked for a School Division over 50 yrs ago. They were whining then and they havent quit, they have zero idea how to budget their pay. So – how are they teaching students about finances?
    I say homeschool your kids, they certainly arent learning, reading writing, comprehension, financial planning or any life skills in the classroom.

  12. Now, now, people lets be reasonable here. Teachers are hard working individuals who are co-parenting our children. They have an expectation that as co-parents they should be paid accordingly. $90,000 dollars a year is just about what the average tradesperson makes if they work a 40 hour week for 48 weeks, (two weeks vacation, ten statutory holidays, and a couple of sick days). To accomplish this the average tradesperson abdicates their parenting responsibilities to the co-parenting teacher with the expectation that the teacher will impart an education and a moral code similar to that of the family. The co-parenting teacher to receive a similar salary has to endure a life style that includes two weeks vacation at Christmas, two weeks vacation at Easter, eight weeks of summer hiatus, and a number of professional development days, ( to stay current with the advancements in education). Assuming that the co-parenting teacher is working a forty hour work week similar to their tradesperson counterpart, we can calculate that they are making approximately $55.00 an hour, and if we compare that to the tradesperson who is making approximately $45.00 and hour…..Wait a minute! Oh there must be something wrong here. How can we possibly pay out more in salary to a co-parenting teacher than we are making ourselves. If we factor in the average tradesperson has to provide their own retirement plan whereas the co-parenting teacher is covered by a government plan, well only an imbecile or a teacher would think that this is sustainable./sarc!

    1. Antenor, I was pulling down $90K getting cars ready to ship to the USA for a rental company, working 24-30 hours per week, my friend was making about $110K doing the same, maybe teachers just need to learn to work and change jobs. Yes we did work bludy hard for those 24-30 hours

    2. Let’s remember that the teachers also have to endure PD (professional development) days, when they abdicate their co-parenting duties leaving parents stranded to search for someone to look after the kids. Because f*** your schedule. The PD days tend to somehow (by coincidence of course) always happen on Fridays or Mondays. If a PD day is scheduled shortly before Christmas, the place to spot a co-parent professionally developing is at the local shopping center.

    3. “Assuming that the co-parenting teacher is working a forty hour work week similar to their tradesperson counterpart”

      LOL, stop it, you’re killing me.

    4. All true, but because my wife is a teacher … let me tell you that she is at her desk at 7:30a every day and leaves at about 3:30p sometimes 4:30p and 5:30p. When she arrives home, she immediately goes to work preparing for the next day by printing papers, correcting papers, and organizing her extracurricular online independent reading program she administers to her class. She spends an additional 3-4 hours, daily/nightly working on her classroom duties. She usually spends all day Saturday doing the same, as well as ordering books from Scholastic Services, arranging field trips to the Oakland Museum, and communicating with parents/grandparents about their basketcase children.

      Then, she has to deal with the disciplinary cases who can no longer be expelled or otherwise punished … because they are black and are now protected by State Law. So she calls the kids grandmother (his legal guardian, because mom is a drug using hooker) and sets up an appointment to meet at school … which she misses -twice, before showing up and chewing out my wife for being a cracker who doesn’t understand Marshaund’s special needs. Marshaund continues to disrupt the class, disobey all rules, pull his own pants down in class (like his mom’s men friend do) and be a constant terror she has to manage every day. He cannot be removed from the classroom. She has 31 kids in her class and 6 of them are just like Marshaund. 4-other kids are “mainstreamed” special needs kids with various problems my wife never received training for dealing with. And another 4-children just arrived from Mongolia, and African Nations whose names I cannot pronounce or spell … none of whom speak more than 2-dozen English words.

      No, my wife is not “co-parenting” these children … she’s parenting them. My wife is the only stable, loving, adult in their lives. The kids cling to her like she’s their savior. She IS … for most of their waking hours.

      But she loves what she does, and most of the kids and parents are grateful for her efforts. No fewer than a dozen former pupils (still in elementary school) sent her Thanksgiving greetings. Former students! That’s how much of an impact she had on their lives. I believe that someday, at the pearly gates, my wife will learn how she was able to rewrite a child’s life and destiny from becoming a criminal parasite, into a healthy, productive citizen, just by showing them love (both soft and tough) in the classroom and teaching them the importance and joy of learning.

      I believe her salary and benefits are fair. But what I don’t like is that her UNION would never approve a MERIT PAY system which would definitely be in her favor … because of all her hard work and success. She would EARN substantial bonus pay for her job performance. It’s a crying shame she is not compensated for all her extra effort that produces results. Meanwhile, Bureaucratic drones at the VA Hospitals kill multiple patients from incompetence and neglect, and still receive 20% bonuses.

      1. WOW, I haven’t met a teacher like your wife in Ontario, and my kid is about to finish his grade school. More power to the few teachers like her… sadly most are the polar opposite.

        1. If teachers were graded on the quality of the product they produce they would considered a massive failure.

          1. Depends who does the grading. They produce perfectly brainwashed, easy to manipulate, drones. As far as the government is concerned they are worth every taxpayers’ dollar.

  13. The time is approaching when it will be clear that the unions have to be broken, like Margaret Thatcher did, to stave of bankruptcy of the entire UK.

    I wonder if Ontario will be the first to do it, or if Edmonton will be the first?

    And this Antenor person, might have created the stupidest post I have ever witnessed.

    1. You did notice Antenor’s “sarcasm” at the end of his post, which I thought was great and made me laugh.

  14. If ever there was a group of people who believe that they are entitled to their entitlements its is Ontario’s teachers.

    As a group they have become a burden to taxpayers, a bad example for students and a disgrace to their profession.

  15. I remember When qualifications for a teacher included academic competency, ability to teach while maintaining class discipline and helping to instill basic civility in their student and personally, to be of good character, a positive role mode. Character breeches cost many their job.

    The goal was a quality education.

    Provide an option: school vouchers for parents to take responsibility for choosing which is best for their children, based on the results, both academic and of their character.

    The provincial government to offer freedom of choice in education would seize the moral/political high ground, an achievement parents would appreciate for generations. Freedom of choice returns personal responsibility back into the hands of the parents!

    Without a return to a quality education, achieving peace and prosperity will be but a faint memory, if that. “The Hood” in Canadian cities will describe entire cities in a generation, otherwise.

  16. I dunno, but, last time I checked, Wednesday was a school day. Not sure what time of day this particular photo was taken, but it’s pretty dusky in this neck of the woods before 08:00 and after 16:00 this time of year. Looks bright enough to me…

    And Wednesday in southern Ontario was an awful day — the rain and the wind were terrible. Shows in the photo, actually. Begs the question about why these “teachers” weren’t in the classroom, doesn’t it? “Are they actually “teachers”?” might even be a good question.

    To the extent that the Ontario teachers’ unions are angry with Mr. Lecce (and the Ontario teachers’ unions are always angry with the Minister of Education, lo these past thirty years, which have featured governments of all major stripes — including Ms. Wynne herself under her predecessor, Dalton McGuinty), I’m thinking that they are afraid that he actually could be a highly successful — and popular — reforming minister. Better to cut him off at the knees now, than wait…

    I don’t know him at all, but he appears to me to be a younger man who keeps a low-profile, and has already diffused two or three difficult situations bequeathed to him by his Conservative predecessor. I think Mr. Ford’s recent cabinet shuffle, bringing into senior offices people like Mr. Lecce and Finance Minister Rod Phillips, have signalled a bit of change in tone, style and content — more professional, more calibrated, more strategic, less dramatic, etc. Mr. Lecce frankly reminds me of Mr. Mnuchin, Mr. Barr, Dr. Carson, etc.

    Which brings me to Mr. Ford himself: I was a big supporter of Mike Harris (still am), but I have to say that, so far, Mr. Ford seems to me to be the more astute: after a few (sometimes serious) mistakes in his first months in office, he has settled down into running a professional, reform-minded government that will last. I must say that I did not like some of the people around Mr. Harris, and some of those have certainly come to grief, which we all know.

  17. Why exactly are we still using the antiquated system of one teacher for a class size of 30 students (give or take).? 80% of students would likely excel learning at their own pace from a computer or internet lessons. The 20% or so students that need hands on help could still get it. Huge savings to taxpayers and reduction in legacy costs such as pensions etc. The kids could still go to giant lecture halls or computer rooms where a smaller number of less qualified “supervisors/babysitters” would be required.

    Most kids could likely finish 12 grades of school in under 8 to 9 years I bet

    1. Actually, one of the main sticking points the teachers are refusing to budge on is a few hours of mandatory e learning each week. Seriously, in this century they are fighting having kids study and learn using a computer.

  18. One TV camera in one studio could replace hordes of teachers. One widescreen unit costs less than a week’s wages for a teacher. You can get a Samsung 82” for under $3000 Cdn. What about discipline?? One Russian immigrant with a leather fly swatter comes to mind.

    Question: If an American woman marries a Russian, what does she get on her wedding day that is long, and hard??
    Answer: His last name!!

  19. I see…..finally my eyes are open. As the song says….I can see clearly now…

    People against bullying surrounding someone’s car and chanting……message received!

    I say they all deserve a raise……

    Yikes

    Cheers

  21. Many years ago my public school teacher in the rural Ontario school I attended, was also the principal, had forty students with two grades in his class. He also had his own farm. If the strap didn’t keep us in line, we had to shovel shit at his barn. Somehow we all managed to go on to successful lives.

  22. Sounds like whenever I read or see or watch anything Ontariowe, Ontarians seems to miss the days of the Wynne regime…

  23. Ontario teachers always manage a fight with every government. They have no shame. One of their beefs is class size which is a crock of crap. They have the best job in the world for pensions and time off. They need to look around the world, even the US where teachers’ salaries are well below theirs.
    There’s zero sympathy for them, they should be tagged as essential service and legislated right back to the job they are well compensated for.

    1. Reducing class size is a means to increase union members. Two teachers for each student is still unacceptable to the union.

  24. These are the same Ontario teacher unions that sent representatives to Venezuela to support the fascist regime there.

  25. The Ontario government is intended to be a bought and paid for subsidiary of the OSSTF and other teachers’ groups. Of the teachers, by the teachers, for the teachers. Get over it.

  26. “Four words for all teachers: Vouchers and Charter Schools”

    Indeed, John Chittick at 7:40 pm. But don’t hold your breath waiting for double-cross Doug to announce that those who home-school or send their kids to private schools will not have to pay the education component of their property tax bills.

    There’s no way Ford has the balls to start turning off the money tap.

  27. They have yet to learn their demands and especially their pensions are unsustainable. So schooling is required.

  28. In Alberta a teacher makes about $95,000 while in Saskatchewan and BC they make about $82,000. You never heard so much bitching and whining. In Alberta the average teacher draws more years of pension on average than years they worked. They need to be offered a $35,000 reduction which after a year lockout, they would settle for a $25,000 reduction plus a reduction in the pension. I’d teach social studies and math as a strike breaker with a big plus being that all the teachers would hate me.

  29. My wife is in OSSTF and is absolutely fed up with this union. The union claims they have a 95% strike mandate…but one only needs to look at the voting process to know this is a pile of bull. The vote is conducted in only one place…about 40 km away from my wife’s school. The members are to arrive at 6pm. There is never enough parking. One must sit for about an hour to listen to various speeches, then the voting begins. It is absolute mayhem. There is no privacy…so anyone can lurk over your shoulder to see your vote. It’s like they make it troublesome to vote by design.

    For these reasons…my wife and the MAJORITY of members she knows well do not even bother to go vote. My guess is that maybe only a quarter of the membership votes…and those are most likely the diehard useless union assholes who probably shouldn’t be employed in the first place.

    As much as a strike would be a hardship for our family…I hope they go on strike for a long, long time and the government sticks to their guns. Most of these teachers don’t realize just how good they have it. Maybe the threat of foreclosure and a diet of ramen will pull some heads out of asses. Probably not.

  30. To reform Teaching and the Teachers’ Unions, one must first reform Teachers’ education. Getting rid of OISE (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education) with its department of Social Justice Education is a vital first step. OISE offers such useful collaborative programs as; Ethnic and Pluralism Studies, Sexual Diversity Studies, Women and Gender Studies. Forget about little Jonny not knowing how to put a sentence together, once that lot has indoctrinated your child, Johnny will be identifying as Jane. Here is the link to OISE, https://www.oise.utoronto.ca/oise/Home/.

  31. Thanks to those of you who “got” the joke, for the others maybe it’s time for a remedial reading comprehension course. To the dedicated teachers who do “educate” I apologize, but you must realize that your exemption to the rule is a single digit percentage within your chosen profession. Many here advocate that the day of public school teaching in both Canada and America has gone the way of the Dodo, in my opinion we have allowed the ‘educators’ to erode the standards of education to this point. There is no segment of society that is more enamoured with their self worth than teachers and no segment of society that are more responsible for the mess society collectively finds itself in. Ninety percent of teachers today have never held a position outside of the hallowed halls of academia and therein lies the basic problem. Instead of getting a salary based on the letters behind your name, perhaps we should be paying educators by the number of years experience of the ‘outside’ world, experience in business, manufacturing, construction, agriculture, etc., and their success in imparting that knowledge and experience. If a team in any sport is not winning the coach or manager is fired, perhaps that should be the mantra adopted by the taxpayers who are being forced to pay these extravagant salaries and benefits.

  32. unionboy.
    the irony of yielding to unionboy is it gives unionboy an edge the next time a strike is called.
    they got more $$$$$$$$$$ in the strike fund from the previous one !!!!! wheeee !!!!!
    blackmail blackmail blackmail !!!!!
    aka protection racket in disguise !!!!!!

    I have contempt for so-called teachers, far, far, FAR tooooooo many negative experiences involving teacherrrrrrrrrrrrrs.
    which include physical violence and contemptuous acts of humiliation which I will NOT forget.
    back in the bad old days of loosey goosey gun regs, I found my daddy’s double barrel shotgun.
    fantisized about doing this: content warning !!!!!
    https://www.documentingreality.com/forum/attachments/f10/671411d1456303918-17-yr-old-thiefs-head-blasted-shotgun-img_1855.jpg
    to the principal to put an end to his ‘discipline’ involving, you guessed it, more physical violence.

  33. Anyone notice how the public sector unions always create trouble for conervative governments. It’s as if they were being political … nah, never; I can’t believe that would happen; they are public servants after all.

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