Dear Editor:
Open letter to Premier Christy Clark: The reasons teachers are asking for more specialized teachers, counsellors and educational assistants to support the students in their classrooms are specific and clear.
When teachers are required to act as translator for the English language learners, mediator for the students whose playground antics resulted in a blowout at the door, scriber for the student whose written output skills don't match the comprehension of the topic, counsellor for the student with social anxiety, refocusing agent for the student who wanders the classroom to avoid the lesson, organizer for the student who can't locate specific supplies, nurturer for the student who just moved to a new school, invigilator for the students who use their personal devices to conspicuously check their social media status, and technical expert to manage the audio enhancement system and projection devices in the classroom, it becomes a challenge to teach, monitor and assess the academic progress of each of their 30 students.
Teachers are taking on a greater role with our most vulnerable children, and by extension their families. Children deserve support when they need it, whether they are waiting for a designation, dealing with the many issues that are not currently funded, or simply waiting for the attention of a teacher who is too busy with the more needy students in the classroom. No longer the "sage on the stage" or even "guide on the side," teachers are required to scaffold and create separate lessons, model and implement self-regulation strategies, observe (and ultimately table) concerns with an increasingly complex set of clients, while juggling the demands of a rigorous and evolving curriculum. When teachers don't succeed with this delicate balancing act, neither can their students.
Teachers are asking for increased funding for specialized teachers, counsellors and educational assistants to help monitor and assess the diverse needs of our students who exhibit a variety of disorders (cognitive, behavioural, written output, processing, mental health, autism spectrum), gifted intelligence, language delay and social-emotional issues, so they can focus on the everyday needs of their students and the curricular components of teaching. I implore you to increase
funding to these areas that affect student success and the classroom environment on a daily basis.
Doni Gratton
West Vancouver teacher
