The BC Teachers have shot themselves in the foot

I got news from a very upset seventeen year old daughter the other day that teachers have been told they will not be allowed to attend graduation ceremonies this year due to the job action voted on by the BCTF. I know that this is sad news, not only for the kids, but also for the teachers many of whom have come to care about the kids they have had in their classrooms the last several years. Most people become teachers because they want to help, after all. I guess this is the problem with having a province wide union; I'm sure that the feelings of teachers in one area of the province are not exactly the same feelings teachers in other areas are having but the vote is run by the majority instead of going district by district. At any rate, all I know is that MY child who, while only one of many, is the one who breaks my heart with her sadness, is heart broken and angry and that she feels that part of her celebration has been stolen from her. This is something she can't get back and I am not sure she cares that the union is saying that this will benefit kids in the future, all this fighting with the government. At the end of the day, HER graduation is the one being lost and it just so happens that she was robbed of a middle school graduation only four years ago when the district underwent restructuring, so yeah... she is angry. I can't say I blame her.

Way too long since I posted

Ugh. I promised myself I wouldn't do that! I guess I have been busy what with preparing for my advanced theory exam this coming weekend, studying my travel agent stuff, working three days a week and doing mommy stuff. Melissa's grad dinner was last week and that was rough. I only got teary eyed once and that was when a group of girls got up to sing a song about not being able to wait to leave home only to realize that life in the real world was pretty rough and they wanted to go back home. The entertainment went on a bit long, but it was student run and a first time thing, so the kids did pretty well.