This is an open letter to Minister George Abbott, Premier Christy Clark and the B.C. government.
As a current high school student and youth in B.C., I find that my voice is often invalidated or disregarded by others older then myself. As a student in a public school, I find that our – the students of B.C. – voices are not being heard by the B.C. government.
On Friday, March 2, students all across B.C. marched out of their classrooms in support of their teachers. Students walked out to send a message to the government that we have a voice, and we will use it.
We need more support for special needs students, we need less populated classrooms, we need more updated materials (I have a textbook where the Berlin Wall is still standing). We need an environment where we can learn!
Currently, many students feel that our needs, and the needs of our teachers, are not being met.
Many adults in society seem to think that all the teachers want is a 15 per cent wage increase, but that is untrue. This is a negotiable figure. What we want is a fair mediation so that the other issues that have been brought up can be resolved.
To the B.C. government, to Minister Abbott, and to Premier Christy Clark, this is a plea on behalf of the students of B.C. to have a fair negotiation through the use of mediation with the BCTF.
Anthony Hope