I simply could NOT contain my excitement when I woke up on Tuesday morning to the welcome news that the B.C. teachers had reached a tentative agreement with the government! I happened to be visiting in Smithers -- a whirlwind trip that covered exactly 39 hours, counting 19 hours of driving, from my door, back to my door. While there, I was hanging out with a friend who is a fellow teacher. Needless to say, we were listening to the news constantly, anxious for an encouraging update saying we would soon have a pay cheque again.
In no way do I intend for this to be a "pro-union" or "anti-government" blog, so will refrain from expressing my personal opinion on the entire matter. The sparse details are that the teachers had begun rotating strikes mid-May, went to full withdrawal of services mid-June, and here we are in mid-September still doing our 4 daily hours of picket duty. UGH!!!! I just want to teach kids!
September is like New Years for me. It's the "fresh start", "back to routine", "jump into another school year with both feet" kind of time. Likely due to my A-type personality -- I thrive on routine! Now, don't get me wrong. I also cherish summer vacation -- the boundless freedom of sleeping in (ya right!), traveling where I want, when I want, and increased opportunities to see family and friends. However, about mid-August, my brain cells do an about-face, intrinsically focusing on school, planning subjects, and arranging classrooms.
It's now 7:45 p.m., and the union vote results are expected in the next few hours. I'm anticipating a reluctant "yes" vote, which would send teachers back to classrooms tomorrow, with students following suit on Monday.
I will be thankful to return to routine, to structure, to the familiar.
On Monday morning, I will ...
and, yes, there will be many cups of java required as well :)
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