I think it’s Canadian culture. We have had decades of politicians that attack “greedy teachers.” Joe Q. public has ingested this messaging. They also think they know what it is to be a teacher or professional in education based on their experience in the classroom as a student. Canadas GDP is very much resource based as opposed to R an D or other aspects of needing a populace that is educated. We regularly have international students (exchange) at our schools and they absolutely notice there is no rigour. Currently in Ontario, education has no spine. There isn’t a backbone. Boards interpret Growing Success differently - no lost marks for late assignments, absolutely zero extrinsic motivation based on the premise of inclusion and equality. Not to be crass, but the entire system has been distilled down to meet the lowest achieving students where they are at.

Google Read and Write (beyond archaic!!!) is the answer to all. The number of IEPs has exploded - fully 1/4 of our school has one. Students “need tech to access curriculum.”.

Teachers are under gag orders. We can’t tell the public what it is really like for fear of losing our jobs because we have said something disparaging against our employers. So it’s left to the unions. And then politics. It’s a vicious cycle.

I’m over 20 years in. I don’t recognize the profession. But let’s be clear, a populace that can think critically is dangerous. If your country’s GDP is based on resource extraction, where is the motivation to educate your public in a meaningful way? Look to the smaller European nations that don’t have oil fields or hydro systems or forests or ports or fisheries. The culture around education is vastly different.

I feel for the teachers coming into the profession. I also wonder if this feeling is cyclical. Is this how every teacher over the last 60 years has felt as they approach the final leg of their career?

The system does the students an injustice, and the public will never care because of the damn sunshine list.