The Kiwanis Music Festival is but another casualty (Tribune, Feb. 5) in the battle between the Ontario government and the teacher federations over the controversial Bill 115.
As a former educator, ministry of education official and retired local school board administrator, I say that it is not the last casualty.
Bill 115 has amended the Education Act to incorporate what amounts to a nullification of teachers’ rights under the Labour Relations Act. In so doing, the government has caused a rupture in the working condition of educational employees.
Teachers have been a different breed of individual, dedicating themselves to the task of not only educating students in accordance with the curriculum of Ontario but also nurturing in their charges the desire to learn and develop into responsible human beings. A part of the Education Act, adhered to by almost every teacher, states that it is the duty of a teacher to “teach by precept and example.” Most teachers who have demonstrated their desire to adhere to practices which do so engage themselves in all manner of activity related to the operation of a school, not only the delivery system for the curriculum but also in creating a safe, maturing milieu for the young people in their charge.
The government of Ontario has ‘thrown a monkey wrench’ into the works. Teachers have departed from the age-old tradition of teaching by precept and example. They have been forced into activities normally expected of striking labour unions.
The public accepts this kind of activity from striking industrial sectors, but appears shocked that teachers should do so, as seen in letters to the editor across the province.
Where will this kind of activity end? My fear is that Bill 115 has created a schism in the teaching profession that will change it for years to come. Parents may see this as a threat to their children in school, but I see it as a threat for generations to come. Teaching by precept and example may be the ultimate casualty in this war, becoming a very secondary concern to teachers in the new era under Bill 115.
Government may revise the “Duty of Teachers” section of the Education Act to incorporate extracurricular activities, but the voluntarism practised by teachers over the years may suffer a great blow. Forcing people to engage in activities that they grow to resent will not enhance the quality of the activity. This is extremely important to our educational system and may not be fully appreciated by the public at large.
During the Second World War the democratic rights of a whole sector of Canadians were arbitrarily removed by the government of Canada under the War Measures Act. It can and did happen! Were you aware of it? Could this happen to some of us today? The teachers say it has.
Are our teachers fighting for all of us by precept and example? I would be more encouraged about our future educational system and our democracy if this were their prime motive.
Marcel J. Lanneval
Guelph