Dear Editor
The Tri-West Teacher's Association represents 600 teachers employed in three school divisions within Northwest Saskatchewan, who work with students, parents, guardians and communities throughout the school year to offer the best education to students. As association president, I wish to discuss some of the viewpoints and ideas raised by Brian Zinchuk in his column, From the Top of the Pile (Why not schedule teachers' PD days in the off season? Regional Optimist, March 14).
I would like to thank Mr. Zinchuk for taking the time to shine journalistic light on the changes occurring in the education sector within Saskatchewan as we move through a period of growth. I would like to encourage all readers to take the time to investigate the changes.
Premier Wall did make the promise that, if his party was re-elected, they would mandate the start of the school year as after Labour Day to allow families to take advantage of the last vestiges of summer. This was a promise made on the campaign trail with little consultation with the organizations involved in guiding education in the province. This led to some reworking of the school calendar. A small result of a lack of consultation was there are teaching professionals who, as Mr. Zinchuk pointed out, make up the "bulk of the workforce" in education who are having to divide their time between spending one last week with their own families and returning to make preparations for the school year.
Mandating a 950-hour school year is another decision carried out with little consultation. This decision has led to interesting discussions among school officials to design a calendar that fits the needs of their communities. In the three divisions represented by our organization, this meant five meetings between the directors of education and myself to discuss those needs. Once we determined four different calendar options we presented them to our respective groups, which included school staff, decision makers and parent community councils. One option was decided upon and this option was discussed by the boards of education. In the calendar they will consider, teachers would be returning to a full week of PD in the last week of August.
I am sorry Mr. Zinchuk finds frustration in trying to decipher school calendars. Calendars, once decided upon, are communicated to school communities quickly so families can begin planning their family time. It is also with sadness I read one of his primary concerns about where and when professional development days fall revolved around child care. While I admit families do need to make arrangements to accommodate busy schedules and continued teacher development, as educational professionals, I would hope we are seen as more than just a convenient childcare option.
As teaching professionals we work to provide children with a solid foundation in all areas of knowledge and development. PD work ensures teachers continue to refine the methods we use to work with children. This demonstrates a life-long joy of learning, something we hope our students and their families share. These PD events often occur during the school year so we may choose to implement new and innovative ideas in our classrooms.
Mr. Zinchuk's discussion about the lengthy break teachers take during the summer months contains several ideas that need to be explored. The idea the summer break is lengthy is a slight myth. While teachers do enjoy downtime, it is often not a truly uninterrupted break. Many teachers choose to take courses to improve their credentials. The cost is often borne by the teacher from a 10-month salary that is stretched over 12 months. Many teachers also choose to devote some of their summer to preparation for the coming school year either through planning or creation of revitalized classrooms. Again, the materials for these undertakings are purchased by the teacher and then shared with their students.
While in an ideal world it would be lovely to ensure all PD occurred at a time that was convenient for everyone that is not the case. If I were to follow Mr. Zinchuk's argument around an "off season" for PD to another conclusion: educators may wish to make a request of families to take the vacations during the same "off season." This would be done to minimize disruption of a student's education as we work to maximize the number of hours we work with our students as has been decided by government, all while still starting after Labour Day.
I thank Mr. Zinchuk for the interest he has shown in the continued changes in education and I encourage him to continue being active in implementating these changes by staying involved in his children's school in both action and words.
Andrew J. Sneddon
President, Tri-West Teachers' Association
