Oh, Canada! More kids, less funding By Jennifer Harrison

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The largest protest in British Columbia in two decades was staged outside the provincial legislature in the city of Victoria on Feb. 23. The protest was in reaction to the present government's recent and massive cuts to education, civil service and health care. In an attempt to reduce the province's debt and expenditures, teachers have watched in horror as class-size limits grow, and special education budgets are cut.

Teachers here know that classes of more than 25 children result in ineffective education. In Ontario, where I used to work, huge classes of up to 30 students resulted in poor behavior, work overloads for teachers and the inability to use school and classroom resources properly.

In a classroom with two computers and 30 kids, it is difficult to find enough time in a day to allow everyone sufficient time to work on assignments or use computers. Teachers with big classes end up feeling like baby sitters or daycare workers who are unable to do their jobs well.

Nearly 50 percent of all new teachers in Ontario quit their jobs for another profession after the first year. The political climate surrounding teaching in the province is so bad that teaching facilities all across the country are discouraging their new teachers from seeking employment there.

Perhaps the worst part of the cuts is that special education support will suffer. Canadian classrooms generally favor an integrated approach: Whenever possible, children with physical or mental disabilities are included in regular classroom settings. Many kids, such as those who are autistic, require special education support on a full-time basis and others who are learning-disabled, hyperactive or ESL (English as a Second Language) require special programming and occasional withdrawal from class for work with a specially trained teacher. Last year, I had five learning-disabled students who would be given individual attention once a day by these teachers.

Special education teachers, known as "special ed teachers," are highly trained teachers who have chosen to devote their careers to the support of students with special needs. These teachers may be the special education representative at school and offer suggestion to other teachers.

To qualify for a special education specialist diploma in Ontario, for example, a teacher must take a three-month course that covers everything from specific learning disabilities to planning for exceptional students.

Gifted children are also classified as "exceptional students" with special needs because they often require a different program from their peers and some also exhibit behavior problems.

There are also special education workers, known as EAs or education assistants, who are not teachers, but are trained in specific areas and usually assist only one or two students in a school. Some EAs are in schools on a part-time basis and some are only in schools once a week.

I am presently teaching a junior kindergarten class made up of 10 4-year-olds who are all Mandarin speaking. I am lucky enough to have a full-time special education worker with me. Mandarin-speaking children in my class rely on Mrs. Chan to translate what I am saying in English, and to instruct them on correct pronunciation, etc. She helps students to learn English and also interacts with the parents who do not speak English.

When funding for special education students is cut, school boards are forced to be picky about deciding which students "deserve" special support. Often, students from other countries who do not know English when they arrive will not get the specialized one-on-one or small-group attention that they need.

When I moved from Ontario, I was happy to find that things are more laidback in British Columbia. The curriculum in Ontario was restrictive and over-burdening for both teachers and students.

The one-day strike by B.C. teachers was illegal but most parents are supportive of their children's teachers and understand that drastic measures (like striking) have to be taken to save our education system. The situation is at a stalemate but it seems that the cuts will happen whether we like it or not. Schools are left not knowing which programs will run in the new year.

Shukan ST: March 15, 2002

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