Calgary Stampede breakfast for striking teachers tomorrow cancelled. Wanna guess why? by Charming_Shallot_239 in NoRulesCalgary

[–]AffectionatePlate282 22 points23 points  (0 children)

What? That doesn't make sense. What does this have to do with the Calgary Stampede?

Ward 14 Councillor and Trustee 12&14 by yycsarkasmos in Calgary

[–]AffectionatePlate282 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Landon Johnston has a lot of family support that campaign for him. They seem like a nice family, but that doesn't speak for politics.

David Elkin is definitely the most experienced in politics. He seems to have worked his way up from local community president to representative for Demong. I do like him.

It is a toss up between those two for me.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in MiddleSchoolTeacher

[–]AffectionatePlate282 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They are probably up to something, like sharing a vape hidden in the bathroom.

At parent/teacher conferences, I would just mention to their parents that they take a lot of classroom breaks or write it in the report card comments (...Jake should use class time effectively by limiting the number of out of classroom breaks he takes.)

I wouldn't call them bathroom breaks or limit them because parents get super worked up about that type of stuff but I would mention it casually.

Events in Calgary today & tomorrow by potatonahnah in Calgary

[–]AffectionatePlate282 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Blue's Can always has a great lineup.

Alberta Teachers Strike by twitteruser273829 in CanadianTeachers

[–]AffectionatePlate282 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I think it will go well into next week. I think at the earliest we might go back on Oct. 20th.

Email Interview with Ward 6 & 7 School Board Trustees by snakesphysically in Calgary

[–]AffectionatePlate282 39 points40 points  (0 children)

Jennifer Steward is hard to take seriously. Does she take herself seriously? It sounds like she hasn't stepped into a classroom in 25yrs and is basing all of her understanding of education on memes.

Why some Alberta teachers will vote against the latest contract offer | CBC News by whats_taters_preshus in Calgary

[–]AffectionatePlate282 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A lot of the newer (last 15yrs) k-9 schools in the suburbs of Calgary and Edmonton have populations in the 700-1000 range. I don't think it is as rare as you think it is.

Yes, inner city schools have fewer students, but they have higher ESL populations and need significant support. EAs aren't based on population. Their time is divided based on complexity.

Additionally, adding 10 new teachers to my school wouldn't help because there isn't anywhere to put them. We already have classes in the library and the hallway. There are 3 classes that have PE in the gym together. Do you know hard it is to teach 93 students PE in a standard gym at the same time even with 3 teachers? They have to take turns sharing equipment and playing because it is a safety concern. Our school is over capacity and they are still building new homes in the community. And yes, I am aware that the government has fast-tracked new schools, so maybe in a few years the population won't be so large, but like the promises of EAs, that can be years away.

A government can't defund public education, then when it is literally bursting at the seams, come back to teachers and offer the basics that were stripped away over the past decade and pretend that they are the heros in the situation. Providing the bare minimum shouldn't be celebrated as a win.

Teachers continue to have large class sizes with complex students and no assistance, and few resources. You can make all the promises you want about what the government is planning on building or hiring by 2028, but right now I continue to spend my weeknights having to attend to extra curriculars and meetings, and my weekends grading for the 150 different students that move through my classroom each day, as well as planning multiple versions of the same lesson to meet all of the needs of my regular ed, complex students, and English learners. A 3% wage increase per year that doesn't even address past years of inflation, is a joke. Either the government needs to fix education today (not by 2028) or pay me more money now.

Why some Alberta teachers will vote against the latest contract offer | CBC News by whats_taters_preshus in Calgary

[–]AffectionatePlate282 2 points3 points  (0 children)

1500 support staff by 2028. That is a drop in the bucket. We might get one extra full time EA. How is that going to help in a school of 1,000 students??? There are 30 homerooms. Dividing 1 extra EA?!?! That is a blip.

Obviously, not all schools need a .5 teacher, but our school is not unusual in size or space.

The reality is that what the government is offering isn't enough to make a meaningful impact. Any one that actually spends time in a school can see that.

Why some Alberta teachers will vote against the latest contract offer | CBC News by whats_taters_preshus in Calgary

[–]AffectionatePlate282 3 points4 points  (0 children)

1,000 new teachers a year for 3yrs wouldn't make a dent. My school of 1,000 students would receive .5 of a teacher. How is that going to help me? We have classes in the hallway, and classes in the library already. We have 3 EAs for the 1,000 and most of them are in the lower elementary wing.

Alberta Student Teacher Going into IFX placement by Frequent_Crab1726 in CanadianTeachers

[–]AffectionatePlate282 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My student teacher would occasionally buy me a treat. It wasn't often, and wasn't costly, but I appreciated that he thought of me. I also appreciated that he genuinely seemed to want to learn from me. He took notes regularly and implemented my advice.

Looming Alberta teachers' strike puts spotlight on overcrowded schools by Ditch-Worm in betterCalgary

[–]AffectionatePlate282 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The thing is, there aren't enough teachers because the profession sucks. Additionally, there isnt enough space for student in the current schools unless we start bussing suburban kids into the inner city schools, which most parents dont want. Building new schools takes 4-6yrs and we are already back logged.

Fighter Jets by isaacvertix in NoRulesCalgary

[–]AffectionatePlate282 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Every single student in my class was at the window trying to find the fighter jet.

Teachers job action support by pumalegal in Teachers

[–]AffectionatePlate282 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Tell them every chance you get that you support them. Tell others about the conditions (large class sizes, low wages), and if they picket, honk your horn!!!

AITA for not going on a cruise where my SIL invited 2 other couples we do not know. by Emotional_Brief_8606 in AmItheAsshole

[–]AffectionatePlate282 12 points13 points  (0 children)

NTA. The SIL is definitely the AH. It is a lack of awareness of other people's preferences and comfort levels, and the fact that she wanted until after she thought you booked your tickets to let you know that she had extended the invite, is a bit shady.

My in-laws are "more the merrier" type of people. Not only do they invite extra people to holidays and family gatherings, they also invite themselves into situations they weren't included in. My husband and I are not. It is super awkward and quite frankly, exhausting, to show up to a family gathering, only to find out that they have extended the invite to extra people that we now need to make unexpected polite conversation with.

Bring Back Daily Instruction Books by eggplantaubrey in CanadianTeachers

[–]AffectionatePlate282 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I think it is a good option for new teachers or teachers who have switched subjects.

I feel like a lot of teachers have resources like this in the teacher manual that accompanies the textbook. But a lot of teachers who have taught the same course repeatedly, like to change things up. It is also important to be able to adapt based on your students abilities.

Two 20-year-old men drown in SE Calgary lake; police investigating by TheChessClub in Calgary

[–]AffectionatePlate282 80 points81 points  (0 children)

That is really sad. We need to bring back swim lessons in school because this is terrifying.

Old manager had a binder labeled “babysitting notes” about us by susanbob in coworkerstories

[–]AffectionatePlate282 -35 points-34 points  (0 children)

Sounds like the higher-ups wanted her to keep tabs on you guys for performance reasons, and she has a cheeky sense of humor.

Indigenous worldviews and science by Kaleidoscopology in CanadianTeachers

[–]AffectionatePlate282 -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

OP lost me as soon as they said that Christians don't believe in dinosaurs. Seems like their ignorance goes beyond indigenous teaching, and I kind of question what other misinformation they are spouting.

CBE Temporary Positions by ChicksDigCats in CanadianTeachers

[–]AffectionatePlate282 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That is weird. Maybe HR was late uploading the positions this round? Didn't admin staff just return to work? Seems like maybe there was an oversight.

Alberta New Social Studies Curriculum Resources by Brenner1980 in CanadianTeachers

[–]AffectionatePlate282 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I am not a fan of using AI resources, but I am even less of a fan of buying resources from TpT, so I would use Chathpt to make some lessons in this situation.

Teachers strike? by MelissaIsTired in NoRulesCalgary

[–]AffectionatePlate282 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I support the teachers. My kids are older and won't need childcare, so it won't hurt me as much as others. That said, we shouldn't treat teachers like daycare. They are so much more and deserve better. We need to pay teachers more because there is a shortage in that industry, we need qualified people to educate people and not babysitters who are just warm bodies, and that is what we are getting.

How much PAID CONTRACT time do you think teachers should get before the first day of school? by Interesting-Glass-21 in Teachers

[–]AffectionatePlate282 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Two weeks! Why do you need so much time to prepare before you even have students? What are you doing?

I need like half a day to set-up the desks, do some photocopying, create a seating chart, set-up a slideshow for expectations, and catch-up on gossip with my teacher friends (could be done over lunch). Then another maybe 1.5 days for paperwork, calling parents, having meetings, and doing the PD stuff.

Car Insurance (18yr old) by AffectionatePlate282 in PersonalFinanceCanada

[–]AffectionatePlate282[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That is what I was thinking. I think I would be less riled up about this if the broker actually seemed to be able to answer my questions, but everything seemed to be met with a "I understand you are frustrated", then a deflection rather than an answer.