The first day of school is the most important day of the school year.
As a teacher and principal, I came to appreciate all the promise and possibility a new school year brings.
As president of the British Columbia Principals’ and Vice-Principals’ Association (BCPVPA), I have the honour of representing the more than 2,300 school administrators who positively contribute to students’ lives and ensure that our public school system remains one of the best in the world.
The Supreme Court of Canada ruling last fall regarding class size and composition has resulted in an influx of thousands of new teachers to B.C.’s public education system. As an association, we applaud the restoration of resources and services to support all students and, in particular, our most vulnerable learners.
This is a time of exciting and positive change within public education and I wish to remind our parents that the changes are ongoing. B.C. has been touted internationally as an education superpower and our principals and vice-principals are committed to building upon that success.
Since the announcement in March, school districts, principals and v-p’s have been working diligently to staff schools to meet the needs of all students. But despite their concentrated efforts — throughout the end of the last school year and throughout the summer — many teaching positions in the province remain unfilled.
As a principal, I never slept well the night before the first day of school. The many hours and weeks of work to prepare a school for a successful opening created a combination — part excitement, part anticipation, with a little anxiety tossed into the mix — that thwarted restful nights.
This year, with the unprecedented hiring of new teachers, I know the anxiety level is higher than usual. With this in mind and as September gets underway, I offer a few thoughts that parents might keep in mind if they come face to face with some school surprises later this year:
• If your child’s school opens without a full staff of teachers, a reconfiguration of classes may become necessary later. Principals and vice-principals will be working diligently to ensure that all children have the smoothest and most successful start to the school year.
• At the secondary level, timetables for students may be incomplete. As the hiring process continues, classes might require a reshuffle and timetables could change.
• Teachers teaching on call (TTOC) lists in districts are thin as many TTOCs were hired into full-time positions. Teachers have excellent attendance records but as we enter the cold and flu season, it may be difficult to find TTOCs to replace absent teachers. (In many instances, principals and vice-principals will cover classes.)
• With an unprecedented number of new teachers in the system, principals and vice-principals will spend significantly more time coaching and mentoring their newest teachers to ensure a successful start to their careers and a stable and nurturing learning environment for your children.
For many years the challenges in public education have been to do more with less. Our new challenge is to use additional personnel and resources to ensure that they have the maximum positive impact on student success.
While this system-wide change may create some short-term challenges, I am confident that the able and compassionate principals and vice-principals of this province will ensure that the children in their care will be well taken care of.
The challenges will be short-lived but the benefits will be enduring.
Kevin Reimer is president of the BC Principals’ & Vice-Principals’ Association.
bcpvpa.bc.ca • @BCPVPA
