Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week, held Feb. 13-20, is an opportunity for Saskatchewan people to celebrate the fine work teachers do every day for their students, schools and communities. Throughout my teaching career, and now in my current role as president of the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation, I have had the privilege of seeing first-hand in many schools the countless ways in which teachers help children and youth to learn and grow as knowledgeable, caring and responsible persons. On behalf of the 12,000 members of the federation, I would like to thank parents and the public for expressing their appreciation to teachers.
However, while it is important to appreciate what teachers do, it is also essential that teachers be properly valued. Teachers are trained and expected to demonstrate considerable professional knowledge, skills and judgment in performing their roles and responsibilities within the provincial education system. As a society that claims to place a high value on the work of teachers and the education system, we have to do more than simply acknowledge our gratitude to teachers. We also must ensure all teachers have the instructional resources they require, the school facilities and equipment they and their students need, and yes, the salaries and benefits they have earned.
I happen to think teachers and the education system should be valued much more than they are. I say this not because I have some kind of egotistical need or vested interest in being more valued. Rather, I want teachers and education to be valued more highly because, in my view, there is nothing more worthwhile than teaching students. Together with parents and communities, teachers prepare the next generation for the many opportunities as well as challenges these young people will experience in their lives.
Yet, I continue to hear from time to time in the media the complaints made by some vocal critics that PreK-12 education costs too much and teachers are overpaid. Really? Consider for even a moment the scope and significance of teachers' everyday work. Consider, too, the staggering expectations that have been placed on schools in recent years. In addition to teaching a continually renewed curriculum to 15, 20, 30 or more students in a class, each of whom has individual learning needs and abilities, teachers and schools are also expected to address virtually all conceivable social issues or problems from addictions to violence and everything in between.
Many teachers are somehow trying to meet these challenges, but are they able to do so in ways that are healthy and sustainable in the long term? I think not. Furthermore I believe the costs of ignoring the implications of this situation for the quality of education and teachers' health will far outweigh the expenditures needed now to fund educational and support services at the levels that are actually required. Are teachers compensated appropriately for all of this work? I don't think so, and I cannot understand why anyone looking carefully at the current situation would conclude otherwise.
As a society, we need to invest more in education. We need to invest more in teachers. Why? Because at the end of the day, when we make these investments, we do more than just appreciate teachers. We also value them and even more importantly, we demonstrate that we truly value the children and youth that teachers and the education system serve
