Day 13: Vote Day

We are awaiting the results of the vote on the tentative deal. The results will be published as of 9:30 tonight - another 3.5 hours. It's expected to pass, but many teachers are expressing disappointment that their sacrifice hasn't yielded more results, particularly in class composition.

I am becoming a curmudgeon. I am grumpy about everything. I'm feeling old and growly. I want to take the tax money from the private schools unless they fully allow students requiring accommodations (and I don't care what my private school parent friends say, my kid would never be accepted). I feel that, as usual, the parents of kids requiring accommodations are on their own. I have learned how to work the system for my kid and it looks like that's how things will continue for their public education.

Yes, quite curmudgeonly. I feel like yelling at someone to get off my lawn. But, actually, not. More than anything I feel like giving a giant shrug. Because, let's face it. Nothing changes. Social services are short-changed. Male-dominated careers will always be valued more. Maybe I'm not a curmudgeon. I'm just sad.

In the meantime, adding to my feeling sad/old/curmudgeonly, I have my family to love and support. Max, my ever-loving Wheaten Terrier, was finally blessed with his long-desired opportunity to take on a raccoon this morning. He came out of the event with a couple of nips. I'm not sure what the repercussions will be. The mama raccoon hung over the top of my grape trellis, too tired to even hiss at me as I ran by to check on Max. I hissed at her. And called her some unkind names. Serves her right for thumbing her nose at Max over the years as she waddled by in the neighbour's yard, just out of reach. It remains to be seen how Max will recover. He was limping today, but game for a walk. I'm hoping his tenacious terrier attitude will prevail, but he's been wrapped in blankies and love all day.

Sad puppy - was it the fight or the bath?

B left the gate open after coming in from going to the local Rec Centre with our next door neighbour and good friend. He was distracted. ADHD? Perhaps. Turns out, you see, that they met some girls...

Oh god! Thirteen...and today, after a flurry of texts, B emerged from the basement to say he was heading to the movies and her mom was driving them at any minute, they were seeing a "chick flick" because "I'm trying to impress the girls, please, was I going to say, hey - let's go see that action film, you can watch arms being chopped off in 3D?  Can I have some money? Enough to pay for her - just in case?" We were in the middle of making dinner, and I barely had time to process what was happening, give a quick lecture on respect, grab some cash, then the doorbell rang and this very cute girl was at the door. I walked out to meet the mom (never did get her name - she looked as stunned as I felt) and offered to pick them up, then B asks the girl if  she "can pay for herself" and I think, "Okay, this isn't going to last" and a new 'Mom' lecture topic comes to mind: "how to politely ask touchy questions" and BAM my baby is off to the movies.

I wonder if A is feeling weird that his younger brother is going on a "date" before he is? But he's too involved with his new ability to drive to care. "Can we go driving again tonight?" Good God, how did this happen? I'm the parent of teens!

So excuse me if the teachers' issues seem to have slid to the back burner. It's been a busy couple of days. Time has sped up and I suddenly am filled with worries that go waaaay beyond missing some classes...

Day Twelve: The Waiting Game

It rained last night - for the first time in ages. Today feels sad and foreboding. Or maybe that's me as the kids keep coming up with things I need to pay for now that school is starting. It feels so weird. They've missed 27 days of school. A whole month. And now B needs a new wardrobe, C needs a bike, A and B's phones are dying. Whimper. And the job search that I have been postponing (read: avoiding) is back on.

We're hearing the interpretations of the agreement from all sides. Tomorrow is the big vote. If it passes, the kids are back in school on Monday. It needs 50% plus 1 (I guess that's not 51%??) to pass. There are concerns, but I'm sure it will pass. The government took E80 off the table, $108 million toward grievances (which may be used as a signing bonus), $480 million to hire new teachers, $400 for the BCTF (teachers) and $80 for support staff. A raise in line with other public sectors (ie. minimal). It's a 6-year contract - so just as C hits Grade 12...oh great.

I wonder how much $80 million gets you in support staff. If they start at $50K? 60 school districts, so just over $1 million each (which is if it's divided evenly - which is ridiculous but makes the math easier). Coquitlam alone has 70 schools. Huh. That's potentially 20 support staff (assuming that each one makes $50K - which is ridiculous, but makes the math easier). Hmmm...who is included as "support staff" I wonder?

Aha. According to the BC Education website, support staff include: trades (carpenters, gardeners, plumbers, electricians, etc.), computing and IT support (for admin), accounting and payroll, clerical, special ed, teacher assistants, and noon-hour supervision. Hmmm... so not all the money is going to end up in the classroom. Interesting.

I wonder where counsellors, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, etc. come in. I don't see them on the list of support workers and I know first-hand they're in short supply.

Notes are coming from schools fast and furious now. I took the boys to the dentist - no school missed. and no cavities, thank God, but braces in C's future. Guess I'd best get on that job search soon...

Day Eleven: A Tentative Agreement

Woo hoo! They agreed to a "tentative agreement" at 4am! A massive sigh of relief registered across the province. As if in acknowledgement, the weather turned a little cooler. Still sunny, but only 20 degrees today. Our neighbours are madly putting their kids to work on outdoor projects. I should have thought of that. This afternoon, they were up ladders painting and scraping. A more miserable couple of kids you've never seen. I found their son lurking in the basement at one point - I think he was hiding. I kept his secret because he gave me some of his chips.

You can sense the joy

The kids' reaction to the agreement was mixed. Initially, they cheered, then reality started to sink in and the anxieties began percolating. Little worries would pop up in conversation throughout the day. I took them to buy new backpacks. Grandma sent money for backpacks and I splurged on decent ones, since last year I could barely lift A's and I don't want my kids developing humps. They all bought grey. I'm sure that won't be a problem.

B's medication was making him "emo" today. He looked it up and said it's a common but short-lived side-effect of the new medication. I don't like it. We'll be keeping our eyes on that side effect. B can be frustrating, but he's generally a happy guy.

Oh yes, and I will be bubble-wrapping my car...because this happened today:

Suddenly, I felt like the kids did - happy, then "where did the time go?" followed by the urge to hide under my covers.

Day Ten: An Agreement!! Maybe...

What a day today! Beautiful last blast of summer: 27 degrees. We're basking. We work on French verbs this morning and math, then play some badminton. I take B to the doctor - everything is good. He has a new medication to try, so we'll see if we can improve his focus.

We stop at the Root Cellar on the way home, grab an iced coffee and do some shopping. The weather is so nice! We decide to make our own pizzas on the BBQ. 

The tutor came tonight. We booked for next week even though the negotiator is still meeting with the BCTF and government reps in the same hotel. Good news, I think. We might be back to school before October. Feels weird.

Day Nine: A Summary

We are so lucky that the weather has been astonishingly beautiful so far this September. It has rained once since the strike began - I think three times since June. The teachers are walking the picket lines with umbrellas to block the sun.

I am so lucky to be at home right now. Those trying to manage their kids and a job - wow. Or teachers managing kids, picket lines, and shrinking savings. Or parents of special needs kids.

So my pros and cons list is pretty tame, but here they are:

Things I like about having the kids at home:

1. They are getting along. It's weird. C's friends are in some form of daycare and the older boys' friends are in private school, or working, or babysitting younger siblings.

2. They are practising music and doing work during the day, leaving our evenings free for board games, movies, puzzles, and pools. It's been wonderful! We're actually spending time as a family in the evening.

3. They are starting to understand the value of school. For C, it's missing his friends. For B, it's the structure. For A, it's the looming importance of grades and post-grad choices to be made.

4. Not having to get up early and go! go! go! from the start.

5. We're eating better dinners AND the kids are helping in the kitchen more. Why? Because I'm not rushing to leave work, pick up kids, get home, make dinner, get kids to practice, get to homework...

6. Lots of music practice. Their music teachers will be pleased.

7. My job hunt is on hold. My self-esteem needed a break anyway.

Things I don't like about having the kids at home:

1. Too much screen time. Still. The kids are incapable of self-monitoring. They socialize online with friends a couple of blocks away. Inside. While the sun is shining!

2. Getting them up still sucks. The older boys would happily be up until 3 and sleep until 1. Makes me nuts.

3. They are falling behind in schoolwork. There's no way around it. We're just lucky they're in the linear system and not the semester system, so they have only missed about 5 classes and not the 9 the semester kids have missed. Still, there is no way I can keep all the balls in the air with three unmotivated kids. I can only choose the courses they have the most trouble with and focus on them.

4. Not enough exercise. Maybe they would sleep better.

5. The lack of routine. I love the stress-free mornings and evenings, but I hate the uncertainty.

6. My job hunt is on hold.  My self-esteem needs to get over itself and find a job.

Day Eight: Music and Museums

Today, a soccer dad offered to take the public school kids to the museum to see the Vikings exhibit. It was for C's age group (12 year olds) We met at his house, then the kids and he (brave man) scootered and biked to the museum. They had a great time. When they got to the Imax movie, they discussed sharing an extra large popcorn, whereupon my little angel responded, "Sharing is for wimps," and bought his own with the money he had brought.

The dad was truly shocked by this comment. He was very nice about it, but mentioned it at the following soccer game as an "astonishing" thing to say. My husband and I looked at each other and shrugged, "Or," I said, "it's a totally normal thing for the third of three boys to say, although it's still rude. Of course, if he'd been saying it to a brother, it would have been worse." The dad thought that was pretty funny, and concluded that the third has to fight for what's yours. I guess so. It's not like our kids are lacking in any way. And we have ALWAYS encouraged sharing, which worked really well when they were little. These days, our kids are more interested in getting something their brothers don't have and doing a victory dance in front of them. Our board games are NOT for the timid.

While I was dropping C off, A and B took advantage and slept in. Again. The 10am wakeup is just not happening. I took B and a friend to a "strike swim" at a local Rec Centre and they took the bus home. Many pools are closed for maintenance at this time of year or in the midst of their fall schedule. I actually worked out for an hour! Me! Worked out! Then I drove downtown to pick up C at the museum, drive the scooter he used back to his friend's house and get him home for his tuba lesson.

The second we walked through the door, he ran to the washroom, which is where he was when the tuba teacher arrived. C has no shame, yelling, "I'm still pooping!!" when I called him. I really do need to talk to him about manners.

And where was A all this time? On his computer. Working on anything? No. Apparently, "the internet is down." The same internet he's using to play his game? "Uhhh, no. I guess it's the online course website or something." Right.

How does one inspire intrinsic motivation??

A puzzler.

Day Seven: Just keep Swimming!

That's a line from "Finding Nemo," by the way. The character Dory says it over and over again as adversity threatens to overwhelm...

I keep humming that. My heart is growing heavy, thinking of the innocent bystanders in this strike. The teachers who would rather be in the classrooms than standing out on the pavement. The single parent teachers, the two teacher families. How deep can their pockets be?

And the folks who have to work, leaving kids with friends or at home. The kids themselves...the ones who need the structure of school, the ones in Grade 12 and in the semester system. Craziness. The school boards that depend on international students to help meet their budgets. And no end in sight.

So today, the teachers voted overwhelmingly for binding arbitration, but no one thought the government would go for it. They are in the position of strength. They lose nothing by holding out until people can't pay their mortgages and are begging to sign any contract. Again, my heart is heavy, because I have no confidence that the government has any plan beyond breaking the union. Will they increase funding? Unlikely. Will they increase pay? Not a chance.

And attitudes are hardening.

Many of my government worker friends are no fans of the BCTF. Some common statements:

"Why should they get raises when we didn't?" Jealousy can cloud your judgement. I mean, I get it, but I think it blinds you to seeing the nuances in any argument. I am personally very familiar with the little green monster because as a self-employed person, I look through my green lenses at anyone who gets paid vacation, a year's [a year! I took 3 days!] maternity leave, and raises of any amount.

"The nurses didn't get what they want. Why should the teachers?" Huh. I wouldn't hold that example up as an example. The mess that our medical system is in with all the privatized services? The complaints about quality, poor pay for often new immigrants, poor training...

"Why should EVERY teacher get a $5000 signing bonus? It's disgusting!" It's a signing the new contract bonus - to cover the years of no pay increase. And, the government offered $1200, then took it off the table.

"They get the summers off." Well, yes. Which is why their contracts are for 10 months. But that fact is often met with, "Well they get paid really well for only 10 months work." Sigh. I guess so. As someone looking for work, EVERYONE gets paid well from my perspective.  Christ, handing over $70 per hour to the blithering idiot we hired as an electrician just about killed me. Truly, a blithering idiot. There was blithering and there was idiocy. I bet his shop teachers didn't get paid that much. Hmmm...I wonder if that's why there's a shortage of shop teachers...

"They get unlimited massages. I know it because I heard of a teacher..." No. Stop. Just. Please. Stop. This argument is almost always from someone with the opinion that massage therapy is just a spa treatment. My mom, with her many health issues, gets weekly massages, but the way she groans and moans about how painful it is, I would never suggest she was at a spa. The teachers were asking for $700. Considering how much massage therapy costs - the national average is $60/visit - that's 12 visits. Maybe there is some other number somewhere, because I have had people INCENSED that I should suggest massages are often included in group benefit packages.

I have decided that my new approach to these arguments will be to "Smile and wave."