NEWS PENTICTON WESTERN
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VOL.46 ISSUE 34
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FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012
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CLASS ACTION
Students and their parents cope with disruptions caused by teachers’ dispute with government Joe Fries Western News Staff
She has three kids enrolled at Queen’s Park Elementary, so it may come as a surprise to hear busy Penticton mom Carrie Olsen say teachers’ escalating job action hasn’t slowed down her family. “It’s not affecting me right now,” she said Wednesday, while waiting to board a bus with her brood. “The kids missed a couple days of school,” Olsen said, “but I tend to agree with the teachers.” Yes, educators have withdrawn extracurricular volunteer services, but her kids “are in extra stuff elsewhere.” And yes, her children’s report cards have been “slim,” but, “I talk to the teachers a lot, so I know how (the kids) are doing.” Still, Olsen and her pals want to see teachers’ concerns resolved: “Most of the parents I talk to, they sympathize with the teachers.” It’s a sentiment shared by parents and students to whom the Western News spoke, although opinions differed on the impacts of the teachers’ job action and the urgency of the need to end the dispute, which is ostensibly centered on teachers’ wages and class sizes. And while teachers and their em-
“It doesn’t really affect us ployers pledged to leave kids out of it, another Penticton mom says too much other than the fact we missed school for a couple days,” that hasn’t been the case. Jodie Lemke says she supports he said. Nor is the dispute something teachers’ rights to a fair contract, but is disappointed that her son, he and his friends discuss: “As a kindergarten student at Queen’s long as we’ve got a school ... it Park, has missed out on ¿eld trips doesn’t really bother us.” That’s no longer true for fellow and other school-based activities Maggie senior Mitchell Gowing. because of the dispute. “I didn’t really care about it at “It’s really been tough on him,” she said. “Kindergarten, the beginning of the year, but now and school in general, is supposed that they’ve taken away extracurricular stuff, that to be fun.” really sucks,” Lemke appreGowing said. ciates teachers’ What sucked desire for better most for the budwages, but, “everyone’s strug- Most of the parents ding thespian was the cancellation gling, everyone’s I talk to, they of this spring’s ¿nding it hard to make a living.” sympathize with Rotary Good Will Shakespeare As Janice Sethe teachers. Festival in Sumqueira sees it, merland, which though, wage — Carrie Olsen last year drew alincreases are a most 500 drama must. “I look at the job teachers do, students. “Prom and grad and all that and I wouldn’t be willing to do it for that amount of pay,” said Se- stuff could have been set on ¿re queira, whose daughter is a Grade and I wouldn’t have shed a tear,” 7 student at KVR Middle School. he said, “but I’m a lot more disap“I know the government’s not pointed there won’t be a Shakebacking down, but I think they speare fest.” Because of that, Gowing queshave to have a little more give.” Meanwhile, some students tions the merit of that particular have apparently greeted the job negotiating tactic. “I wish the teachers could ¿nd action with a collective shrug. With his high-school days a more effective way of being drawing to a close, Grade 12 stu- able to convince the government dent Kris Marsel says the teach- of giving in to their demands,” he ers’ dispute is of little concern to said. “Taking away our extracurhim, as life at Princess Margaret ricular activities, the government Secondary has gone on mostly as isn’t going to care about that. Why would they?” normal.
Joe Fries/Western News
LIKE MANY PARENTS, Jodie Lemke is anxious to see the teachers’ dispute brought to a close. While she supports the teachers, she’s concerned about the impact their job action has had on the education of her son, Tyson, a kindergarten student at Queen’s Park Elementary.