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WHITBY FREE PRESS. WEDNESDAY. SEPTEMBEP9 19R7. PAGE 5 As I write this, some 9,000 teachers in Metro Toronto prepare for a possible strike. As you read this, of course, they may or may not have done so. As a teacher who at one time taught in Metro Toronto; as a teacher who has also gone on strike; as a parent who bas dealt with other teachers; ind as a taxpayer who feels the whole situation need not be: I have some remarks tc make pn the matter. It may appear, at first glance, that the central issue is: should teachers be allowed to go on strike? But to think of that restricts us to answering either 'Yes' or 'No'. And that type of polarization keeps us frozen forever inside the argument. The result then becomes what our society ap- pears to do best: reduce complex issues to struggles for political power. Think for a moment about the whole right-to-strike issue. Strikes were born of necessity out of the advancing industrial age. The employer wants to keep labor costs as low as possible; workers want to gain some measure of control over conditions such as wages, working con- ditions, fringe benefits. Individually, workers could quit in protest, but that would have no effect. Only by collective action can workers achieve the economic clout needed to have a say in working conditions; that collective action may be possible only when trikes are legal. In basic industries, strikes pit the economic power of owners against the economic power of the workers. Who can hold out the longest? But applied to education, and teachers and schools, the struggle is no longer so clear. Do we have the economic power of the teachers pitted against the economic power of the school boards? Or the taxpayers? Or does the question now become one of the political power of the teachers against the political power of the taxpavers? Or are teachers harnessing the political power of the tax- payers to put pressure -on the politicians and ad- ministrators? WITH OUR FEET UP by Bill Swan A learning experience 'And in the middle of all this, the student: the centre of education, the one the vhole situation seemingly is set up to serve, is left at the altar (as a sacrifice) while all sides play out their dance. Okay: back to the original question. Should teachers be allowed to strike? Before that question can be addressed, I think we have to get back to a more basic question: what do we want our schools to be? Are schools to be the ultimate in babysitting in- stitutions? Do we want our schools to train children to conform and behave (no talking in halls) and to become docile little creatures better to fit into today's corporate offices? Do we want schools to be the booster that will power our economy to new heights and dominate the international market. »o we want schools to teach all things to students, in the proper way, so that always the graduates will know the correct answer to every question? If the above are what we want from our schools, then we cannot allow strikes. And all of these goals have been thrust upon our schools by a frightened, confused society. All have been accepted by administrators as "things that can be measured" - which is always easier than real education any day. The main fault may be the use of the infinite "to teach." "Teach" then becomes an active verb. See, that's what's going on in our schools, right? Teaching? Wrong! What should be going on in our schools is learn- ing. A teacher can "teach" til her/his brains rattle, but if nobody learns then nothing happened. "Teaching" means smoothing out the approaches, taking the potholes out of the runway, in fact helping people learn And, of course, the greatest part of learning takes place outside of schools and institutions. Children learn a foreign language before they start school. Put them on the street and they can learn an incredible amount in a short time. Life is a great teacher. If our school system were to tap more of this natural creative potential for learning, then the whole question of strikes could never be asked. For to accomplish such a utopian dream would require us to put the best and brightest minds in the schools to facilitate this learning. To attract such minds we would have to provide them with some social status, a bit of money, a lot of pride, cage all the administrators. and politicians who tend to pee in everybody's galoshes, and then let the "facilitators" work their magic. Until that day, let the teachers walk their picket if they must. Maybe the children could join them on the picket line. It would be a learning experience for everyone. Durham's 1,200 secondary school teachers ratified a new two-year contract last Friday which was reached after a marathon bargaining session Sept. 4, two days prior to the start of the new Separate school contract negotiations underway- The Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association and the Durham separate school board have begun earnest negotiations on a contract to cover the 1987-88 academie year. The existing contract for the board's 800 or so teachers expired at the end of August. As required by the rules set down by Ontario's Education Relations Committee, the board and teachers initiated talks last February. Heritage Day winners LOG SAWING CONTEST WINNERS Children Kevin Presseault/Ian Campbell ist Chris Carson/Damon Regular 2nd Ian Kidd/Brett Corby 3rd Women Pat Campbell/Mary Muirhead ist Fran Hall/Cathie Pichut 2nd Men Jack Massie/Jamie Massie Ist John Duggan/Bill Collins 2nd Bob Pichut/Richard Hall 3rd Mixed Bob Pichut/Cathie Pichut isdt Cathy Leonard/Ken Cochrane 2nd Richard Hall/Fran Hall 3rd Brian Wheeler/Lori Wheeler 3rd WINNER OF THE HISTORIC PHOTO CONTEST Lori Wheeler, 250 Dunlop St. E., Whitby. FURNITURE & UPHOLSTERY LTD. *ANTIQUES 'NO-DIP RESTORED STRIPPING •CUSTOM •REPAIRS UPHOLSTERY *REFINISHING A large selection of Victorian parlour furniture available 413 DUNDAS ST. E. WHITBY 668-5481 Teachers within the Durham branch of the OECTA which represents both elementary and secondary teachers, now earn from $22,000 for a recent university graduate to $47,907 for the most ex- perienced and qualified. Chief negotiator for the teachers, William St. Louis of Denis O'Con- nor High School, declined comment on the progress of negotiations. Teacher-board agreement includes more -staff 1-L- a hp, when the regular te school year. According to superintendent of business and treasurer of the Durham Board of Education, Brian Cain, the contract gives the mem- bers of District 17 of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF) a 4.9 per cent salary increase in each of the two years of the contract, retroactive to September, 1986. This means, at the present time, the income of teachrs ranges from $24,719 to $51,141. For principals, the range is from $62,153 to $67,940. Effective Nov. 1, 1987, the secon- dary teachers and principals will be coverred under the current On- tario Dental Association schedule and orthodontics has been added to the benefit package. During bargaining talks, the largest bone of contention by the teachers was the present student/teacher ratio in classrooms. The new contract calls for the hiring of il new staff mem- bers immediately.nAccording to Cain, teachers are now being inter- viewed. The contract also calls for an ad- ditional 16 teachers to be hired by the end of the first semester and another 16 by Sept. 1, 1988 for a total of 43 new staff. Teacher's concerns uvertsubstit- ute teachers have, apparently, also been addressed. Cain indicated the board "will be utilizing supply acher teac ers iwl l quucq is absent due to illness." He said the - measure would begin imme- diately. Secondary school teachers in Durham were without a contract since August 1986. The new con- tract is until August 1988 at which time another will have to be negotiated. Board chairman Sandra Lawson told The Free Press she was pleased a settlement had been achieved, adding as the trustees represented the ratepayers of the region, they had to address each of the concerns on their own merit. fflef The Wallpaper Centre-AJAX SMOKE DAMAGE SALE! 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