tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6870458664232083246.comments2023-09-30T05:01:23.870-07:00staffroom confidentialTara Olivetreehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09113322614914039292noreply@blogger.comBlogger683125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6870458664232083246.post-89250671289723754962015-04-01T23:28:06.580-07:002015-04-01T23:28:06.580-07:00IT TAKES A PRINCESS TO UNDERSTAND AN EMPRESS.
http...IT TAKES A PRINCESS TO UNDERSTAND AN EMPRESS.<br />https://twitter.com/RCIisLeaking/status/583473909791526913Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09630890163958807048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6870458664232083246.post-71668624911902582042015-04-01T23:27:50.012-07:002015-04-01T23:27:50.012-07:00Premier Christy Clark could always turn to music
h...Premier Christy Clark could always turn to music<br />http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/opinion/letters_to_editor/article_30a84c72-d737-11e4-b60e-ab1580d9cab3.htmlDavidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09630890163958807048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6870458664232083246.post-67252291054745186322015-03-29T16:17:16.697-07:002015-03-29T16:17:16.697-07:0000:00 to 23:22
MARCH 27, 2015 Pro-D Days
Ron Bu...00:00 to 23:22<br /><br />MARCH 27, 2015 Pro-D Days<br />Ron Burton, chair of the Burnaby School Board, on teachers’ professional development days<br /><br />http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/podcasts/bcalmanac_20150327_41522.mp3<br />Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09630890163958807048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6870458664232083246.post-37254161713825924912015-03-29T16:07:58.339-07:002015-03-29T16:07:58.339-07:00Christy: Brick in the Wall
Teachers don't nee...Christy: Brick in the Wall<br /><br />Teachers don't need Pro-D regulation<br />Teachers don't need Christy's thought control<br />No dark Bill 11 from Victoria<br />Christy leave them teachers alone<br />Hey! Christy! Leave them teachers alone!<br />All in all you're another brick in the wall.<br />All in all you're just another brick in the wall.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09630890163958807048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6870458664232083246.post-33812088243623564562014-12-14T09:59:57.597-08:002014-12-14T09:59:57.597-08:00So what ?So what ?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12257218645488350829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6870458664232083246.post-61495685380584944902014-12-12T05:32:50.302-08:002014-12-12T05:32:50.302-08:00Mind and Christy Clark in the same sentence is oxy...Mind and Christy Clark in the same sentence is oxymoronic. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13360619853343046171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6870458664232083246.post-3360931156157912702014-11-15T00:44:23.542-08:002014-11-15T00:44:23.542-08:00Great post Tara.Great post Tara.David Bratzerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16356249815391506872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6870458664232083246.post-23074449568204983102014-11-14T15:53:18.065-08:002014-11-14T15:53:18.065-08:00Great article. Should be read by every BC voterGreat article. Should be read by every BC voterNot a BC Libhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14712008214450023241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6870458664232083246.post-59079202251767242132014-10-01T07:43:02.712-07:002014-10-01T07:43:02.712-07:00No, you make another class and redistribute everyo...No, you make another class and redistribute everyone. That is what happened when we had caps. No child can be denied access to thei neighbourhood school. Mid year designations did not require a move....extra support and extra prep time was provided. Flexibility allows children to be clustered into segregated groupings to maximize usage of EAs. This is what administrators do.Tara Olivetreehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09113322614914039292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6870458664232083246.post-64884708428311519332014-09-27T16:37:35.496-07:002014-09-27T16:37:35.496-07:00You're welcome! A healthy and democratic union...You're welcome! A healthy and democratic union needs to debate every decision and often rank and file members have a better sense of where to go than leadership. It's just a product of being on the ground and knowing you will be the one back in that over crowded classroom. I do believe we will at some point see a strong enough network of teachers to fight and win genuine gains. Tara Olivetreehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09113322614914039292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6870458664232083246.post-60768796118649240182014-09-24T06:50:52.579-07:002014-09-24T06:50:52.579-07:00We need to toss the Liberals out on their ears--an...We need to toss the Liberals out on their ears--and keep them out for two or three decades while the province is rebuilt...and debt is brought under control....ALAZSCARhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08567485197526577927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6870458664232083246.post-89461151960835728272014-09-23T22:43:28.922-07:002014-09-23T22:43:28.922-07:00Thanks for providing a well reasoned counter balan...Thanks for providing a well reasoned counter balance to the majority view. The question I recently asked was when will teachers see an improvement in class size and composition as a result of this negotiated contract and the answer was not encouraging. I had to ask a parent only today to head down the office and ask whether there would be support for her child. I know we all want to do a good job. I know we do a good job given the circumstances. I know we all love what we do. But nothing has changed. Why is it always up to us to fight for supports? I've heard colleagues saying we have to keep up the pressure and build community support in a grass roots movement. Well it's only day 2 back at school and I already feel like we've been back for months. How can we be expected to bandage the wounds all day long and still find the time and energy to write letters and post on Facebook and Twitter and build public awareness and support. I am sorry to say it, but when CC smiles into the camera and pridefully proclaims that she has achieved her goals, I can't help but agree. And when she turns to her Minister of Education who's wearing a $1000 suit and congratulates him for a job well done, I am deeply saddened by this whole affair. That said, I am determined to keep fighting as long as I can with honesty and integrity as reflected in our leadership and throughout this long seemingly never-ending battle. lrnalothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07051925257489264321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6870458664232083246.post-29557119872448783432014-09-21T17:23:57.234-07:002014-09-21T17:23:57.234-07:00Stay on strike -- AND pursue other strategies that...Stay on strike -- AND pursue other strategies that would have increased the social costs to the government and their backers, to the point where they're compelled to give in. In my opinion, the union executive pursued a strategy (i.e. negotiations) that basically guaranteed that this was the best possible outcome. At no point did the executive ever say, "Look, negotiations can only take us so far, and the government can just hold out until we give in. So we need to do other things." Instead, they thought, as far as we can tell, "Negotiations are the only way. The law is in our favour. And if we don't negotiate, the courts might punish us."<br /><br />There were many other things we could have done: first and foremost, by making this a political issue. Connect the attack on public schools to the attack on the entire public sphere -- in fact, to the attack on the well-being of the general population. Make it about class. Connect the increasing of public funding of "private" schools to growing and obscene wealth and income inequality, also at public expense. Talk about the lack of unionization at private schools. Talk about the $40 as a voucher system; talk about New Orleans. Connect the attack on K-12 to exploding post-secondary tuition and debt. Make community control of education a priority. Talk about Chicago, the school occupations, the deep and cooperative links between teachers and parents. And so on, and so on...<br /><br />Those kinds of things rarely ever happened at the executive level, but there were certainly discussed on the picket lines and within some locals. And I don't just mean to blame the executive; they could have decided to pursue other strategies, clearly, but at the end of the day, we only have ourselves to blame. We could have done so much more, myself included, and I'll never forget that.<br /><br />And yet, again, it bears repeating -- don't mourn, organize!Andre Guimondhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10875625503687723339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6870458664232083246.post-67971517775615712392014-09-21T16:06:45.593-07:002014-09-21T16:06:45.593-07:00Tara Thank-you for being the voice of the the NO ...Tara Thank-you for being the voice of the the NO Vote. I would print off your articles and take them to picket lines. Many rank and file teachers agree with you. I think had the BCTF stayed out week or two longer we could have provoked a real crisis for the government. Courage and a clear analysis of how to fight and win is what is missing from BCTF and BCFed.<br />Thanks again. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02581229190045385772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6870458664232083246.post-64333493200599440042014-09-20T19:39:22.834-07:002014-09-20T19:39:22.834-07:00So what besides staying on strike was going to be ...So what besides staying on strike was going to be a solution. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14500672593001872907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6870458664232083246.post-90651545462716159312014-09-20T18:17:29.469-07:002014-09-20T18:17:29.469-07:00Astute and insightful, Tara. Thanks for this. Astute and insightful, Tara. Thanks for this. Cinemaniahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12742365356939303431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6870458664232083246.post-50982121506631234522014-09-20T14:56:05.451-07:002014-09-20T14:56:05.451-07:00Victory is won not in miles but in inches. Win a l...Victory is won not in miles but in inches. Win a little now, hold your ground, and later, win a little more.<br /><br />Louis L'Amour<br /><br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01232356292349064001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6870458664232083246.post-74805977776119749242014-09-19T15:23:38.770-07:002014-09-19T15:23:38.770-07:00I love your culture --or the lack of thereof! Gues...I love your culture --or the lack of thereof! Guess what, stop thinking averybody is white and must follow your little rules. Namecalling? Sociopath? Whaaaat? And, what if you are? Still can't call you that? :) You fascist right-wingers are big on censorship! I just don't like you giving us lessons on how to get the NDP in. <br /><br />As stated, people are voting right of the NDP because it is a matter of demographics and a little ethnic vote buying on the side. The rest is mumbo jombo. Yes, of course, they will have to go on strike in the future and yes they will have to build a strike fund. The Liberals stole that from the BCTF too! And, you wonder why I don't have any respect for them?<br /><br />Yes, electoral reform is needed! We agree!Peter D. Marehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11707219259323293475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6870458664232083246.post-22647424822671269752014-09-19T14:14:28.909-07:002014-09-19T14:14:28.909-07:00What's with the name calling Peter? For someon...What's with the name calling Peter? For someone claiming to be retired you really don't show the wisdom of age. For someone who talks about logic, you use logical fallacies like ad hominems a lot too.<br /><br />It's a fair point that the BC Liberals didn't get a majority of the vote (and I'm a very big supporter of electoral reform). The BC Liberals + Conservatives did though, and I don't think it's realistic to expect the BC Conservatives to have been more generous had they been part of government.<br /><br />Last time I checked I just voted. I didn't "victimize" anyone. Perhaps your rage is misplaced.<br /><br />If you think the election was "stolen" I'm afraid I have to question your grasp on reality though.<br /><br />"Hope you like the rain! Who is laughing now? WHo is the genius now?"<br /><br />I'm glad you'll have a pleasant retirement Peter. I have no ill will towards you. I'm not sure why you think I do.<br /><br />I'm not saying people were *right* to vote BC Liberal. That's a matter of opinion. All I'm saying is people *did* vote BC Liberal. More voted BC Liberal than BC NDP for the last 5 elections in a row actually. You need to understand why that happened in order to change it for the next election. Clearly you're not interested in that though. Which is fair enough. Just remember next time you're upset about something the BC Liberals do that your lack of interest is part of why the BC Liberals get elected at all.Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07906194112935320590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6870458664232083246.post-79076854880885792082014-09-19T13:15:59.158-07:002014-09-19T13:15:59.158-07:00Ah! Now I get it! It is all ego-based! You think b...Ah! Now I get it! It is all ego-based! You think because you voted the winning party that you are a winner and we are losers! You think because you predicted that the Liberals would win, you are winner. That does not make YOU a winner or the Liberals! It is called DEMOGRAPHICS, you expletives. The baby boomers are getting old and because they have more assets and won't make a whole lot more for too long, they need to vote a govn't who is going to do just that! It is not rocket science! WOW! You think you are so superior when your party stole an election with 47% of the popular vote. That's not a majority and your party should not have been elected. BTW, did you delete from your ethical memory the words Ethnic voting scandal? The field is slanted and you know it. However, you are so willing to minimize, forget the scams and bad fairplay tactics like a sociopath is allowed to minimize or ignore his or victims emotions that you don't see that you are the loser, we are the victim of your constant bullying. 1% wage increases after years of 0% increases and you can justify that when Yahoo reports that the average Canadian can hope to get 2.5% this and next year: https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/average-pay-increase-2-79-2015-almost-unchanged-181847530.html You Liberals behave like fascists, but we can't call you that because that's not allowed! Well! Guess what? It is and you are. Live with it! You keep on dreaming you are a genius! :) I am retired, getting soon a nice pension, and laughing at you from a beach somewhere! AHAHA! Hope you like the rain! Who is laughing now? WHo is the genius now?Peter D. Marehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11707219259323293475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6870458664232083246.post-80847111951881260352014-09-19T09:35:47.107-07:002014-09-19T09:35:47.107-07:00"16 years! AHAHA! Dreaming! You might be luck..."16 years! AHAHA! Dreaming! You might be lucky if you can hold on to yur head at this rate!"<br /><br />16 years of our opponents still don't understand why they lost. Like I said, that's fine with me. If I said the Liberals would be in power for at least another 13 years back in 2004 you probably would have laughed too. Heck, if I told you on May 13 last year that the BC Liberals would be reelected on May 14 you'd probably have laughed too. And you were wrong. Why is that? Answer that question if you want the NDP to win the next election. Without a correct answer to it, the NDP's cause is hopeless.<br /><br />"Funny you don't address your flawed statements, Ryan!"<br /><br />You feel they are flawed, and that's fine. I don't go around calling people who disagree with me sociopaths, nor do I accuse them of being paid shills. But I also don't feel much need to address your ad hominems. There are logical arguments to support your position, but argumentum ad hominem is not one of them. It's a textbook logical fallacy.Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07906194112935320590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6870458664232083246.post-23833979502068332362014-09-18T22:31:43.697-07:002014-09-18T22:31:43.697-07:00I'm an outsider, but have followed closely thi...I'm an outsider, but have followed closely this whole fiasco and this is a RAW deal. Your union hung you out to dry on this one - taking a really bad deal (clearly no one from the BCTF had rudimentary math skills in their toolbox) and then publicly encouraging to the media that teachers accept the deal....what choice did you have - a no vote would have outraged the public. I could go on and on, but the bottom line, in my opinion, is that your union better get some stronger leaders who are PR and technology savvy. Out with Iker and the rest of those who bargained on your behalf - they just got ......well , we know that happened. Whew, can't even believe how screwed you got, absolutely amazing - nothing meaningful gained in the big picture and only very minor gains for a small group of people, bigger losses for the majority.. Wow - I better stop now. Best of luck. Thanks for all you do for our children. Anonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07124385716135450467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6870458664232083246.post-4538564213097277772014-09-18T22:00:08.736-07:002014-09-18T22:00:08.736-07:00Well it's all done now. Really hope the teache...Well it's all done now. Really hope the teacher's can find another angle to deal with class size and composition as well as student funding. The government will make sure the coming court case never swings your way no matter what. 2nd most expensive place to live in the the world!!! Wonder why and where the money goes??? Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16983907343777717631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6870458664232083246.post-68272890435601077342014-09-18T20:26:17.975-07:002014-09-18T20:26:17.975-07:00Needs help on some stats for an online debate Look...Needs help on some stats for an online debate Looking for the last 10 or 15 years of contractual salary increases in %. So, 1% for 2001, 0% for 2002,...Peter D. Marehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11707219259323293475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6870458664232083246.post-11810405295464154082014-09-18T17:41:33.514-07:002014-09-18T17:41:33.514-07:0016 years! AHAHA! Dreaming! You might be lucky if y...16 years! AHAHA! Dreaming! You might be lucky if you can hold on to yur head at this rate!<br /><br />Funny you don't address your flawed statements, Ryan! Sociopaths do that!Peter D. Marehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11707219259323293475noreply@blogger.com