Vote the Frost 4 in '24

Money Matters

I do my best to not mention money when writing about teaching profession, as it tends to be a sore spot for the general population. However, if levels of financial compensation for the job were truly as attractive as some folks make them out to be, I doubt we would be in our current staffing conundrum.

I have a pay stub in my possession that shows the weekly take home pay of an ATC2 teacher (me) from February of 2011. Since that time, net earnings for that same teacher have increased by about $220.00 per week. Thus, over the course of thirteen years (during which I achieved my ATC 3) my take home pay went up about $17.00 per week each year.

Even the most fiscally responsible among us can see how, when it comes to retaining professionals, numbers like that are not going to go particularly far in keeping would-be teachers from looking for greener pastures. If we want to retain and recruit educators, government will need to get creative with the bottom line.

Time Matters

Marking and prep time has long been a bone of contention with government, primarily because it is not used for direct instruction of students. As more marking and prep time is granted to teachers, more teachers are required in the system. However, the limited time provided during the workday to deal with non-instructional duties is one of the most significant factors contributing to current teacher burnout.

The challenge for us is that somehow, marking and prep time has come to be viewed as “time off” by the employer, almost as it it were a break. That narrative must change. This is not free time, it is not a break. It is time built into the work day so a group of professionals can accomplish work assigned by the employer.

The general public understands the concept of allowing doctors time during their day to review charts, to confer with other medical experts on cases, and to follow up with patients and their families. They also understand that by doing so, doctors are working to achieve better outcomes for those in their care. We must work to have the public reach a similar understanding about why non-instructional time is so vital to teachers.

Safety Matters

For the past decade, I have been involved with a national not-for-profit that has come to focus exclusively on wellness in the K-12 workplace. Over that time, I have seen the definition of wellness develop from a fringe idea that few districts took seriously to a key driver in the conversation around teacher retention.

The basic idea is simple, really. When you go to work, you should feel safe. Physically safe, psychologically safe and emotionally safe. This means a workplace free from violence, harassment, bullying or intimidation. Regardless of the source, these elements do not belong in a professional setting. Period.

However, safety also means being able to set professional limits; having the autonomy to exert influence over decisions that affect your work, and therefore, your life. That may be something as simple as being given the option of not engaging in the latest initiative being brought down from on high, or something as complex as setting the conditions by which a particular student remains in your classroom. We must be able to set our own boundaries without censure.

Respect Matters

A few years back now I wrote a book on the Nova Scotia education system called “The Attack on Nova Scotia Schools”. The book followed the various historical trends that have ultimately led us to this point; a profession where many are teetering on the brink of collapse.

One of the key ponderings of that text centered around the idea of how little time government spends celebrating the successes of our schools as opposed to any perceived shortcomings. If an organization truly wants its employees to feel valued, to feel as if their contribution matters and their efforts are recognized, then that organization needs to show those employees respect.

For far too long in this province, successive governments have relied on the education sector to replenish its own ranks, secure in the knowledge that we would always have young people wanting to work in our schools. Those days, it seems, are behind us. Government will need to start to work on not just promoting the teaching profession, but also on promoting itself as an exceptional employer. This will be a major part of my conversations with government as I move through my term.