Why we can’t blame teachers for a broken system

I received an email today from a fellow teacher—we’ll call them Bob—who was frustrated that their colleague had volunteered to organize a school music concert. They argued that this kind of “volunteer culture” is what ruins working conditions, because it creates pressure for others to do the same. According to Bob, teachers doing unpaid work is the reason other teachers suffer.

I’ve heard this argument before, and while I respect where it’s coming from, I wholeheartedly disagree.

Bob was upset about a music teacher reaching out to colleagues to ask if they could save a few pieces of student artwork for display during an upcoming Arts Night. They wanted to turn the school’s hallways into a gallery, to showcase student creativity and make a memory kids and parents would cherish.

And yes, that takes time. And no, it’s not paid time.

But if you’ve ever been to a school concert, or a play, or a hallway filled with art and student stories, you know why teachers do it. We do it because we have a broad view of what schools mean to our communities and society as a whole, that they are places of equity and possibility for our kids no matter their backgrounds. We believe in what our kids can create, and we believe public schools should be places of joy and beauty—even when the system fails to provide for that.

And the system has failed. Since Doug Ford took office, education funding has been cut by $1,500 per student. One TDSB school alone has lost over half a million dollars this year and the Board has faced deficits routinely. The problem isn’t teachers doing too much—the problem is a government that has been doing far too little for far too long.

Still, I agree with Bob on one thing: something has to change.

But that change won’t come from blaming our colleagues. It’ll come from parents, students, education workers, and communities standing together and demanding more—from our government, from our leaders, and from those who keep trying to hollow out our public services.

It’s not wrong to give our hearts to our students. It’s why we are teachers. But it’s wrong that the system asks us to do it with so little, to carry on as though there isn’t a crisis in funding. But if we organize together, we can build something better that acknowledges the diverse needs of our students. This is a social compact for all of us.

 

 

 

 

Nigel Barriffe is the Vice-President of ETFO local, Elementary Teachers of Toronto